Tonight awards season continued with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. I was able to catch just a few minutes of the red carpet before the show began on TNT.
My favorite gown of the night was a silver sparkler from Marchesa worn by the blond bombshell Naomi Watts.
Lea Michele of "Glee" was a pop of pink sugar on the red carpet in Valentino.
I absolutely loved Nicole Kidman's navy gown from Vivienne Westwood Couture. That's two A+ gowns in a row for her.
Marion Cotillard is taking a victory lap this year for her role in "Rust and Bone" and I love her simple white and navy Dior Haute Couture dress.
After fantastic wardrobe choices as the co-host of the Golden Globes, Tina Fey rocked it again in a black, belted Oscar de la Renta number.
Sally Field looked age appropriate and light as a feather in this lavender gown by J. Mendel.
Another one of my favorites was "Les Miserables" actress Amanda Seyfried in a gorgeous blue Zac Posen design.
Amanda attended with my current celebrity crush Eddie Redmayne. Isn't he delicious?
On to the show!
My favorite part of the SAG Awards is the opening sequence. Each year they ask a few actors in the room to share how they got their start in the business. They each look directly into the camera, admit their humble beginnings and then close by saying, "My name is _______ and I'm an actor."
This year, my favorite opener was hands down Alfre Woodard who confessed she could never remember her lines in the church plays. Her mother would whisper from the front row, "Jesus! His name is Jesus!" Too good.
Darren Criss was also an opener. Why is he only attractive as Blaine on "Glee"? I can't get into him out of character.
Nicole Kidman began the handing out of the statues by announcing the nominees for Best Supporting Actor. The award went to Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln," but he didn't attend! Tommy lost the Golden Globe to Christoph Waltz. Now that they each have one award, it will be interesting to see who snags the Oscar.
Justin Timberlake sauntered out next to present the award for Best Supporting Actress. No surprise, the honor went to Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables." She shared that she got her SAG card when she was just 14. She also thanked her mother (a fellow actor) for voting for her. Ha! I am not quite sure what I think of her dress. I love it from the waist up, especially the sheer neckline, but I really hate that peek-a-boo skirt. Another miss from Team Zoe this season.
Kerry Washington and Jeff Daniels take the stage to present Male Actor in a Comedy Series and Kerry flubs her lines. Oy. The award goes to Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock." A nice way to go out in their final season.
Next, two of Hollywood's most famous gingers grace the podium, Julianne Moore and Damian Lewis. They are presenting Female Actor in a Comedy Series. Damian says, "I wonder what it's like to act in a show that makes people laugh, as opposed to a show that makes people really tense." He's on "Homeland" for those who don't recognize the name.
The award goes to Tina Fey! That's back-to-back wins for "30 Rock." As Tina walks to the stage, the camera cuts to Amy Poehler giving her a standing ovation. In her speech Tina slays the room with this line, "Amy, I've known you since you were pregnant with Lena Dunham and I love you."
"ER" castmates Julianna Margulies and Noah Wylie are reunited to present Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series. I hate her hair style tonight. After the clips role, Julianna announces "Modern Family" for the win! I am so happy they beat "30 Rock." I laugh out loud at "Modern Family" every single week.
Unofficial husband and wife Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts present together the award for Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries which goes to Julianne Moore for her role as Sarah Palin in "Game Change." That's her second statue this season! Was it just me or were you waiting for her left boob to pop out of that poorly fitting white dress?
Rose Byrne and James Marsden float out for the Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries category. Rose's dress and hair do have her looking like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. James is like a fine wine, he only gets better with age. Kevin Costner wins the category, but didn't come, so we were spared another rambling speech like he gave at the Golden Globes. Phew!
Alec Baldwin introduces the Lifetime Achievement Award presentation honoring Dick Van Dyke. I loved seeing the clip from "Mary Poppins" which was the first time I remember watching him.
Amy Poehler and Neil Patrick Harris present together in the first truly funny bit of the night. Can these two start a show and travel the country performing together? I'd buy a ticket.
Our blond comedy friends presents Male Actor in a Drama Series. This is a big category this year: Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Damian Lewis, Steve Buscemi and Brian Cranston. The award goes to Brian Cranston for his role in "Breaking Bad" which will air its final episodes this season. When he takes the stage he says, "It's so good to be bad." He closed his remarks by joking, "To my brothers and sisters in SAG who have endowed me with this wonderful award, tonight at least, I am well endowed."
Taye Diggs and Busy Phillips take the stage together. Taye is shorter than Busy? A very pregnant Busy! They present Female Actor in a Drama Series to Claire Danes. Is there any award she can't win for this role? On stage she says, "As a brand spanking new mom I keep finding myself referring to the line 'It takes a village to raise a child' and I feel that way about this television series." A truly humble speech about the importance of her fellow castmates. You don't often hear that!
Next, "Downton Abbey" wins for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series, ironically, while the show is airing at the same time on PBS! Their cast member at the mic says, "We are so not expecting this! Shut the French windows!"
Robert DeNiro lists the nominees for Female Actor in a Leading Role and gets to hand the prize to his "Silver Linings Playbook" castmate Jennifer Lawrence! Cute. On stage she admits she got her SAG card doing a promo for "My Super Sweet Sixteen" on MTV. Who knew!
Viola Davis presents the statue for Male Actor in a Leading Role to Daniel Day Lewis for "Lincoln." Sorry Bradley Cooper, but it looks like the Oscar race is in Daniel's favor. Oddly, Daniel acknowledges Joaquin Phoenix, calling him a "remarkable actor." He also thanks his friends Leonardo DiCaprio and Liam Neeson for their advice and encouragement. Did you ever think those three were friends?
Jude Law and his surprisingly receding hairline arrive to announce the winner of Cast in a Motion Picture. The award goes to "Argo" and Beantown boy Ben Affleck! Way to go, Ben! During his acceptance speech, Ben interrupts himself to say, "First I want to thank my wife - who I love. And our kids - who I also love. And Warner Brothers - who I love. Not quite as much, but I do love them." He was clearly over excited and rambling. And maybe over served.
He continued and spoke about his cast and the acting world at large, "The one thing those actors had in common is that they came to work every single day whether they had a line,or a look to somebody or two lines or ten lines or a bunch of stuff I couldn't understand in Farsi and they wanted to kill it to make the movie better. Because that is what actors do, all over the world, every day. God bless you. Thank you for making the movies that you make, the television that you make, the theater that you make - we are indebted to you."
And that's a wrap!
Remember to set your DVR, the Academy Awards are Sunday February 24th!
*Images courtesy of Access Hollywood, Huffington Post and Just Jared.
