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Sizing Up the SAG Awards

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:21:45 -0800

There weren't a lot of surprises at last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards, where actors and actresses vote to recognize each other's best work. But sometimes, no big news is good news, because I think everyone who won really deserved to win. Here's what I thought of the major awards.

Apparently, the key to winning a Best Performance by a Cast award is having Steve Carrell on your team. "The Office" snagged the best TV comedy cast award, while Little Miss Sunshine won the Ensemble Acting award for movies. It will be tough for Little Miss Sunshine to rack up many awards at the Oscars, so honoring the brilliant interplay between these actors seems like an ideal way to recognize this movie.

How awesome is Chandra Wilson? Her Dr. Bailey on "Grey's Anatomy" is a supporting character, and yet she beat all of the lead actresses in her category to get a much-deserved award. As "The Nazi," she walks the line between tough and caring with her flock of interns, and she proves you can be a demanding surgeon and still sing lullabies to your kids at night. Bonus points for showing the "va-jay-jay" clip when she was introduced at the SAG ceremony - you gotta love a woman who can still be sassy while giving birth.

To see the rest, read more

Speaking of "Grey's," Ellen Pompeo served up one of the night's weirdest moments when accepting the cast's award for best ensemble in a drama. She started by saying that she wanted to recognize some of the cast members who weren't there - and then somehow failed to think of any. Uh, Ellen, what about Isaiah Washington? You know, the one in homophobia rehab? Someone finally shouted out his name, but talk about awkward.

Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker - who won the Best Acting awards for movies - might as well start clearing space for their Oscar statuettes. I'm especially excited for The Last King of Scotland's Whitaker, who seems like one of the most humble guys in Hollywood. Every time I see him interviewed, I'm struck by his kindness and warmth, which makes the whole playing a paranoid dictator thing even more impressive.

Was someone trying to send Hugh Laurie a message? I watched the show on TBS here on the West Coast, and about midway through the "House" star's acceptance speech, the broadcast cut to a commercial. He must have left a vindictive person off his thank-you list.

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2007 SAG Awards: The Winners

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 22:36:41 -0800

The Screen Actors Guild Awards were held Sunday night in Los Angeles, giving us more leading indicators for the Oscars plus the fun "best performance by a cast" nominees. Though most of the wins weren't surprising, I was glad to see so many of my favorite shows honored, and I think the win for Little Miss Sushine is perfectly apt. Here's a list of who snagged SAG honors.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

To see the rest, read more

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Little Miss Sunshine

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Hugh Laurie, "House"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"The Office"

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TV Tonight: The Screen Actors Guild Awards

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:06:08 -0800

I've always had a soft spot for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. They're fast-paced - no four-hour show padded with clips of obscure movies here! - and they look more like a private dinner party than a glitzy blowout. Plus, it's one more chance to hedge your bets before filling out your Oscar ballots. The show will air live on TBS and TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern (those of us on the West Coast have to settle for the replay). Be sure to check out this list of the nominees.

What to Netflix: "Weeds" Season One

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:48:34 -0800

It is so great to see Showtime's "Weeds" nominated for a couple of SAG awards (Mary-Louise Parker for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and the stellar cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series). I recently Netflixed the first season of "Weeds" and I am totally loving it. The writing is superb - including the dialogue, which is where so many shows fall short.

Even more spectacular is the casting, as I can't even imagine better actors playing any of these characters. Mary-Louise Parker is sarcastic yet sympathetic as Nancy Botwin, a suddenly widowed mother of two who starts selling marijuana to the wealthy soccer moms and dads in her suburban community of Agrestic, Calif. She gets to know her dealers, a family governed by the steely, sassy mama Heylia James, played with strength while somehow avoiding cliche by Tonye Patano. Heylia's nephew is the kindhearted (not to mention sexy) Conrad (Romany Malco), who becomes Nancy's ally in "the business."

Elizabeth Perkins is also fantastic as Celia Hodes, the catty, self-medicating housewife, who does things like berate her husband's mistress then buy her rounds of drinks because she's "a good listener." Kevin Nealon provides generous comedic relief as Doug Wilson, one of Nancy's best clients as well as her accountant.

Initially I was afraid this would be some kind of campy, silly comedy with no substance, but it's not at all, so read more

"Weeds" is remarkable in its ability to combine smart humor with poignant moments of loss, anxiety, and bitterness. Also, the use of music in the show is extremely impressive. I thought one person had written all of the music, because each song is so pitch-perfect for the scene with which it's paired. But according to the "Weeds" website, the music is not just performed but also written by a variety of artists, including Regina Spektor, Snoop Dogg, and The New Pornographers. All in all, the portrayal of this "perfect" town in which many of the most successful-seeming inhabitants lead double lives is refreshing and relatable.

SAG Award Nominees Announced!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:29:24 -0800

The Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced today, and as always, I loved seeing more leading indicators for the Oscars and the fun "best performance by a cast" nominees. I'm glad to see Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin up for "Little Miss Sunshine," but can we please stop nominating Megan Mullally for "Will & Grace" now?

The 13th Annual awards will air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 28. Until then, here's a list of who is up for what.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

To see the rest, read more

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Thomas Haden Church, "Broken Trail"
Robert Duvall, "Broken Trail"
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
William H. Macy, "Nightmares and Dreamscapes"
Matthew Perry, "The Ron Clark Story"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"
Shirley Jones, "Hidden Places"
Cloris Leachman, "Mrs. Harris"
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I"
Greta Scacchi, "Broken Trail"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Jason Lee, "My Name Is Earl"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

"24"
"Boston Legal"
"Deadwood"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"The Office"
"Ugly Betty"
"Weeds"

Pick the SAG Winners, Win a Year of Netflix!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:31:01 -0800

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are the only trophies sure to be presented to an audience of glammed-up celebrities this awards season as long as the writers' strike is still in full swing. We at Sugar are hoping this all gets settled in time for the Oscars, but we're also not going to miss the chance to do the SAGs up big.

That's why we're launching a contest to pick the winners in several of the major categories. Here's what you need to do to enter: Just log into your TeamSugar account and fill out this ballot before noon PST on Jan. 27. The person with the best guesses wins one full year of Netflix service. If you're not a registered user, be sure to sign up before filling out your ballot. For the official rules click here. Good luck!

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