Actors gear up to celebrate their craft at SAG Awards
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By the time you turn on your television Sunday night to watch the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, 15,872 square feet of red carpet will have been laid in the arrivals area, 585 feet of hedges lined up and 10-foot signature Actor statues posted along the carpet and stage.
Matt Czuchry, who plays Cary on CBS's "The Good Wife," and Vitalie Taittinger, artistic director of Champagne Taittinger, will open the red carpet at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.
SAG Awards Committee chair JoBeth Williams and member Scott Bakula will announce the winners of the film and TV stunt ensembles during the digital pre-show, being webcast on TNT.tv, TBS.com and People.com starting at 6 p.m.
The show will be simulcast live on cable's TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. Sunday with a repeat immediately after on TNT.
Participants during the show will include (in alphabetical order): Kevin Bacon, Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Patrick Duffy, Tina Fey, Linda Gray, Judy Greer, Larry Hagman, Armie Hammer, Ed Helms, SAG President Ken Howard, Regina King, John Krasinski, Julianna Margulies, Natalie Portman, Maya Rudolph, Kyra Sedgwick, Octavia Spencer, Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke and Michelle Williams.
Mary Tyler Moore will receive the Life Achievement Award for her heralded performances in film and television and on stage and for her advocacy of those with Type 1 diabetes.
The show will continue the tradition started on March 8, 1995, when the first SAG Awards opened with a speech by Angela Lansbury introducing the concept behind the honors and some of her history.
"I've been Elizabeth Taylor's sister, Spencer Tracy's mistress, Elvis' mother and a singing teapot." She ended by telling the assembled audience: "Tonight is dedicated to the art and craft of acting by the people who should know about it: actors. And remember, you're one, too!"
That started a tradition of the awards opening with actors telling the audience a bit about their perceptions of their craft, or some brief biographical anecdote.
For the SAG Awards' first eight years, that tradition was carried on by a single actor, with Michael Keaton, Dennis Hopper, John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods and Sir Ian McKellen. Starting with the ninth show, the concept was tweaked as more actors told shorter stories.
SAG Awards can be a good, although not perfect, predictor of Oscar success. Its nominees for outstanding movie ensemble: "The Artist," "Bridesmaids," "The Descendants," "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris"
Its contenders for leading actor include Leonardo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar" and not Gary Oldman for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," while Oscar opted for Rooney Mara of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and SAG voters for Tilda Swinton of "We Need to Talk About Kevin" as their fifth nominee.
SAG matched the five Oscar nominees for supporting actress but embraced Armie Hammer from "J. Edgar" rather than Max von Sydow for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" in the supporting actor category.
A year ago, SAG voters honored "The King's Speech" as best ensemble and its star Colin Firth along with "Black Swan" lead Natalie Portman and "The Fighter" supporting players Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, all of whom also won Oscars. The SAG awards also honor television performers and casts.
If you care more about what they're eating than wearing, guests will dine on antipasto plates conceived by James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and prepared and arranged by Lucques Catering.
The menu includes slow-roasted salmon with yellow beets, spicy carrot salad and raita; roasted root vegetables with quinoa and persimmon salsa; and grilled chicken breast with black rice, pea shoots and tangerine vinaigrette.
Purveyors were charged with providing 156 chickens, 150 pounds of Parmesan cheese, 600 bunches of rutabagas, eight cups of butter, 435 tangerines and generous amounts of other main and side dish ingredients.
First Published January 26, 2012 12:00 am
