The 15th Annual SAG Awards Are Handed Out

Last night the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out here in Hollywood at the Shrine Auditorium and were broadcast LIVE on TBS and TNT for all the world to see (including me, on my JetBlue flight home from NYC). The SAG Awards, which are given out to actors by fellow actors, is the last major awards show to take place before the Academy Awards are handed out next month … and may give a sneak peek as to what may go down come Oscar time. Slumdog Millionaire won the big prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture while Meryl Streep (Doubt), Sean Penn (Milk), Kate Winslet (The Reader) and the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) won the awards for Best Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor respectively. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals last night:

Amy Adams and Emily Blunt looked amazing … Jon Hamm (of Mad Men) looked weird without his now trademark slicked-back hair. I don’t like the longer locks on him. Katrina Bowden, who stars in NBC‘s 30 Rock, wore a beautiful blue dress designed by Project Runway season 4 winner Christian Siriano. She looked really supercute fierce in her dress, I think.

As I mentioned above, some of my fave actors took home the top prizes last night … here are pics of the big winners accepting their awards (called Actors) on stage or posing with them in the press room after winning their awards:

The actors of “Slumdog Millionaire” won outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, and Heath Ledger posthumously won best supporting male actor at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. “It was overwhelming enough to be nominated, but to win this is unbelievable,” said “Slumdog” actor Anil Kapoor of the award given to him and his cast mates at Los Angeles’ Shrine Exposition Center. The cast’s win comes two weeks after the modestly budgeted movie, about a poverty-raised orphan in Mumbai who goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” won the Golden Globe award for best drama. The film has been nominated for 10 Oscars, including for best picture. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the big name when the Academy Award nominations were announced earlier this week, was shut out at the SAG Awards. The movie leads all films with 13 Oscar nods. Ledger, who was 28 when he died just more than a year ago of an accidental prescription drug overdose, won his award for his role in “The Dark Knight,” 2008′s box-office king. Ledger’s performance was widely praised, and he won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor two weeks ago. He also is considered the front-runner for an Academy Award for supporting actor. Actor Gary Oldman accepted the SAG award for his friend. “He was an extraordinary young man with an extra ordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight,” Oldman said. Josh Brolin, one of four actors who lost to Ledger on Sunday night, compared the SAG awards to “a big campfire we’re all showing up for.” “It’s not a competition,” Brolin said. “We’re just happy to party together.” Meryl Streep echoed Brolin’s words when she accepted for best leading actress in a movie for her role in “Doubt.” “Can I just say there’s no such thing as the best actress,” Streep said. Streep was dressed as if she might ready for Brolin’s campfire, wearing black pants, a black blouse and no jewelry except for earrings. “I didn’t even buy a dress,” she said. Sean Penn, chosen as best leading male actor in a movie for “Milk,” told the four actors he won against that he wept when he watched their work. “You’re stunning,” Penn said. Penn’s took a brief political turn when spoke about “Milk,” the story of a gay San Francisco politician assassinated in 1978. “This is a story about equal rights for all human beings,” Penn said. Kate Winslet’s win as best supporting actress for her performance as Hanna Schmitz in “The Reader” could help her best actress Oscar nomination for the same role. Winslet was nominated for SAG’s lead actress in a movie for “Revolutionary Road,” but lost to Streep. The SAG Awards are watched closely by Oscar fans, but they’re not always a guarantee of Oscar gold. Last year, for example, Julie Christie won the SAG’s outstanding lead actress for her work in “Away From Her.” At the Academy Awards, she was beaten by Marion Cotillard, who played French singer Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.” Most of the SAG trophies handed out during the first half of Sunday night’s show were for TV categories. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney won for their roles in HBO’s “John Adams.” Giamatti got the trophy for best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for his role as President John Adams, while Linney won the female actor award for her portrayal of first lady Abigail Adams. Veteran actress Sally Field won her first SAG Actor trophy after seven nomination over the past 14 years. Field won outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her work on “Brothers & Sisters.” Hugh Laurie won best male actor in a TV drama series for a second time for his work in “House.” He won the same trophy two years ago. “I actually had $100 on James Spader,” Laurie said. “This is just not my night.” Spader was also up for the best actor award. The TV drama ensemble award was given to the cast of AMC’s “Mad Men.” The evening began with NBC’s “30 Rock” sweeping best actor and ensemble trophies. Tina Fey won the outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series category, while Alec Baldwin won the male honor for his “30 Rock” role. The 10 actors in the “30 Rock” cast also captured the trophy for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series. The 16 SAG categories include honors for both television and film actors. James Earl Jones was given SAG’s 45th Life Achievement Award. “Whatever medium he tackles, he consistently delivers,” actor Forest Whitaker said. Jones’ trademark deep voice has been heard in movies as “the most evil voice in the entire universe… and the voice of God,” Whitaker said.

Woot! I am THRILLED that Meryl finally won an award for her work in Doubt. My fave part of the ENTIRE awards show was when she was announced as the winner and then ran with her arms in the air in shocked excitement all the way to the stage to collect her trophy:

She gave my fave female performance this year and I sincerely hope that she wins the Oscar next month. Things don’t look so good for Benjamin Button. Another awards show, another shutout. I’m still pretty sure that it will win something next month (Best Makeup?) but I am not really counting on the film winning any of the big categories. Up against Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke, Brad Pitt ain’t got chance. The same goes for poor Angelina Jolie … no chance, no way. I love that Slumdog Millionaire won another of the big prizes … could it win the Oscar for Best Picture? I sincerely hope so … but I have to be honest and say that I REALLY HOPE that the insufferable Anil Kapoor is not allowed anywhere near the microphone if the film wins. I get that he’s excited to be in a film that is winning all these major awards (a feat that he will most likely never achieve again) but I find his manner so irritating. How ’bout letting Dev Patel give thanks instead? I was very pleased that Freida Pinto gave shoutouts to the young actors who are featured in Slumdog (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubiana Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) … they really made the film for me, they deserve the accolades as much as the adult actors do. In any event, I’m still pulling for Slumdog to win the big enchilada next month. After the jump, check out a few photos that were snapped of the celebs in the audience — mingling, gossiping, canoodling — the pics are not to be missed …

Aww … poor Brangelina. It must suck to be nominated so much and lose everything over and over again. Not that I can really feel all that sorry for the most famous couple in the world but … it must be really difficult to show up at these awards shows with big smiles on your face, feigning happiness when everyone else around you wins awards and you go home empty-handed. Eva Longoria and America Ferrera looked great … as did everyone (sans Mickey Rourke) at last night’s SAG Awards. Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s SAG Award winners.

[Photo credit: Wireimage, Splash News; Source]