The Quentin Tarantino-helmed war movie ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and the hit NBC sitcom ’30 Rock’ were the most honored at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild (or SAG) Awards ceremony on January 23, which was presented at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California.
The ceremony, which is unique in the fact that all winners are voted on by SAG members and only awards actors and actresses, handed the first award for film to Christoph Waltz of ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ He won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role trophy, which is a statuette of a man holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy and is called the Actor, for role as SS Colonel Hans Landa. The cast of the movie also won the final trophy of the night, for best film ensemble.
The SAG awards also seemed to be a replay of last week’s Golden Globes telecast, as many of the winners won at both ceremonies. Jeff Bridges won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a down-on-his-luck country singer in ‘Crazy Heart.’ Sandra Bullock won her first SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role as a football player’s mentor in the true story ‘The Blind Side.’
Comedienne Mo’Nique also proved she can be a serious actress by winning her first SAG award as well for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role as an abusive mother in ‘Precious.’
As for television, Michael C. Hall, who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is still undergoing treatments while in remission, won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award for his portrayal of the title role in the Showtime series ‘Dexter.’ Julianna Margulies won her seventh SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for the CBS drama ‘The Good Wife.’ She won her previous six trophies for her role on NBC’s ‘ER.’
NBC received some positive news for the week, with Alec Baldwin winning the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series award for his portrayal of network executive Jack Donaghy on ’30 Rock.’ Tina Fey, who also created, writes and produces the show, won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award for her portrayal of Liz Lemmon. She added that she was completely shocked by the win, and joked that at 16 inches tall and 12 pounds, it’s the heaviest of any award.
AMC’s ‘Mad Men,’ which tells the story of Madison Avenue admen in the 1960s, won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The FOX fan favorite ‘Glee,’ a musical comedy-drama that features 19 cast members and focuses on a high school glee club, won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Written by: Karen Benardello