HOLLYWOOD—Some would say we now have a stronger inclination of who could walk away with Oscar gold now that the Screen Actors Guild awards have been handed out. The ceremony was held at the famed Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, January 25 and leading all nominees was the dramedy “Birdman.”
The flick walked away with Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. Looks like “Boyhood” and “Birdman” will be dueling for the top prize, especially after taking the prize at the Producers Guild of America.
While Michael Keaton is considered a front-runner for Best Actor, I have a feeling Oscar will deliver a curveball with either Eddie Redmayne or Bradley Cooper. The ceremony opened as always highlighting the stories from actors and actresses telling their tales of landing in the acting game such as Robert Duvall, Uzo Aduba and Jennifer Aniston, all who produced some funny stories.
Taking the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role went to a stunned Eddie Redmayne for his work as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” He gave a rousing speech directly from the heart. This looks to be an interesting Oscar race, as it appears Keaton and Redmayne will go toe-to-toe for the top prize. I love it when awards season presents tons of surprises to movie lovers.
Julianne Moore took the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her work in “Still Alice.” She talked about her past as actress on the CBS soap “As the World Turns,” which got a loud applause from the audience.
The first prize of the night was presented by “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston for Female Actor in a Comedy Series to Uzo Aduba who was literally stunned by her win. “Thank you so much to the Screen Actor’s Guild for this incredible honor,” said Aduba while onstage. She got the night off to an amazing start in my opinion.
Male Actor in a Comedy Series was awarded to William H. Macy for “Shameless.” Tons of surprises I must say. The prize for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series went to “Orange is the New Black.”
Patricia Arquette continued her reign as the awards frontrunner. She took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her work in “Boyhood.” J.K. Simmons might be impossible to defeat this awards season for his riveting performance in “Whiplash,” where he took home the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries went to Mark Ruffalo for “The Normal Heart,” while Frances McDormand won the trophy for Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for her work in “Olive Kitteridge.”
Carrie Fisher presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to her mother Debbie Reynolds. Male Actor in a Drama Series went to a deserving Kevin Spacey for his riveting work in “House of Cards;” bit of a surprise as I expected Matthew McConaughey to take the prize for “True Detective.”
In a fierce category, the award for Female Actor in a Drama Series went to Viola Davis for her wicked performance on the series “How To Get Away With Murder.” Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series went to “Downton Abbey.”
So what did the SAG awards tell us? That Patricia Arquette and J.K. Simmons are locks in the Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress races, Julianne Moore will get her first Oscar for Best Actress, Best Actor will be a duel between Redmayne, Keaton and Bradley Cooper and Best Picture will be a duel between “Birdman,” “Boyhood” and “American Sniper.”
Another awards show bites the dust, we have only four weeks before the Academy Awards are handed out. Start making your predictions now!
