Can there possibly be a surprise in store for us at tomorrow night’s Screen Actors Guild awards? Or will the already-established four acting front-runners win again? With Avatar not in the running for the evening’s major prize — Best Ensemble Cast — that’s the one that may end up the most interesting. Here are tomorrow’s nominees, along with my predicted winners. Who do you think will take home the trophies?
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
***Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
I’ve literally lost count of how many awards Waltz has (deservedly) won for his star turn in Inglourious Basterds. How can anyone beat him? Harrelson is the only one with any chance at all. But it’s not going to happen.
Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
***Mo’Nique, Precious
Another lock. As I’ve said several times this season, Mo’Nique is in a world unto herself with her devastating performance in Precious.
Best Actor
***Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Clooney and Firth are worthy opponents, but I still see the beloved Bridges walking away with the win.
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
***Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Bullock has certainly been on a roll lately, with her win at the Globes and the tie with Streep at the Critics Choice Awards. But even she admitted to me after the Globes that Streep deserves to win. And she will, though not by much.
Best Cast
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
***Precious
Okay, here we have a prize that’s truly up for grabs. Nine is out, and I don’t think An Education can take it either. Any of the other three could feasibly win. I’m leaning against The Hurt Locker simply because I think many voters will see it more as a feat of directing than acting. Ten of the 20 predictors assembled by Tom O’Neil over at Gold Derby are going with Basterds, which is a great guess. But I’m going against the tide and picking Precious. As we’ve seen from past winners The Full Monty, Sideways, and Slumdog Millionaire, SAG often loves a scrappy, lesser-known cast.
Who do you all think will win tomorrow? I’ll have all the winners here at OscarWatch as well as on Twitter (@davekarger).
I agree with everything except, Best Actor. I think the SAG will go to George Clooney. He’s a favorite among the Screen Actors Guild and I also think Best Cast will go to Inglorious Basterds.
George Clooney is too commercial for this role..George Clooney playing a character…and I see George Clooney …not like for…Jeff Bridges is going all the way to the finale of OSCAR….not missing a beat.
based on the uproar after bridges’ win at the globes, im gonna go for a gander and say his fellow actors are rooting for him
I agree with everything except best cast. As much as I would love to see Precious take the top prize, I would still put my money on Inglorius Basterds. Especially since it won Best Ensemble at the Critics Awards. But other than that, great predix!
I agree about Basterds. The Diane Kruger surprise nomination could be a sign that they really like the film like the surprise nomination of Dev Patel last year.
My predictions: Basterds, Bridges, Streep, Waltz, Mo’nique.
It’s such a relief to see that you’re predicting Precious, too. I was worried that was all my own fanboyism predicting it. But I mean, I remember when it was first being screened with guild Q+As in Hollywood and the stars were going crazy for it. It has one lock of a win out of 3 nominations, and it’s one of the few screeners actually being sent to the gargantuan SAG body.
I’m hoping the Inglourious Basterds cast pulls off the win. They are the most deserving and that way Melanie Laurent can FINALLY get some love.
Agree with individual picks (tho’ Clooney may upset), but think maybe Basterds will edge out Precious.
I really hope Inglourious Basterds wins Best Cast. It will be a nice push going into the Oscars.
And I’m hoping for a surprise win for Colin Firth. I think it’s a shame that he’s been losing to Clooney, who was good, but his role in Up in the Air didn’t really require any heavy lifting. Jeff Bridges is great and deserving of the praise he has received, but my personal favorite this year is Firth. And this award could be a great boost for him going into the Oscars.
Firth! ::Fingers Crossed::
I’m hoping for Firth too – he deserves it more than anyone…but I don’t think he’ll win just because it’s his first time being nominated for all this stuff as a and Bridges has been nominated at least 4 times before and he is on a winning streak this year. But here’s hoping for Firth!
Am I the one predicting The Hurt Locker for the ensemble win? Inglourious Basterds might be its only competition. I doubt Precious really stands a chance.
Everyone thought Milk or Doubt would get ensemble last year (even you picked Milk) because of their big casts but they both lost to the unknowns from Slumdog Millionaire despite Milk’s 2 other nominations and Doubt’s 4. Slumdog was also considered “more as a feat of directing than acting.”
Even though The Hurt Locker probably hasn’t been viewed by as many people, I’m sure quite a few will vote for it just because they keep hearing how great it is and how many mentions it’s gotten on lists of the year and decade’s best. This is the SAG’s equivalent of best picture after all.
That being said, The Hurt Locker was my favorite film of the year, but I still think Basterds should get the ensemble award even though I can’t stand Pitt.
Oh, and I think Meryl will win by a lot. If she can beat Winslet in her big acclaimed year, she can certainly take down Bullock easily.
That wasn’t really that big a feat; Winslet was nominated in two categories, and won one (and the one she won for was the performance that was Oscar-nominated).
Also, “scrappy, lesser-known cast”? Precious has Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz. The Hurt Locker has no one.
In minor roles.
Oh, you know what he means. Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique in a dramatic role, Paula Patton, and all the students in Precious’ alternative school. The film was carried by everyone collectively: best ensemble cast.
SAG may love a scrappy, lesser-known cast, but they also love a big cast like the one Inglourious Basterds has. Look at Crash and Lord of the Rings.
I know it doesn’t have a chance, but I’m absolutely elated by An Educations inclusion for its cast.
The supporting cast was amazing-especially Rosamunde Pike and Alfred Molina!
They have also given the Best Ensemble award to Traffic and Gosford Park. I’d say that the odds are in IB’s favor with The Hurt Locker as the potential spoiler if the members of SAG decides to award something that isn’t going to win in one of the acting categories.
Jeff Bridges got a date with OSCAR and the serving will be golden…..and the SAG award is an appetizer and will be tasting great to the main course…..OSCAR goes to….Jeff Bridges.
Really going out on a limb there, eh? He’s only won every award thus far.
Your respond just sounds bitter Gary. He didn’t preach or sound pretentious with his comments, he was just saying which side of the argument he falls on (which is what a comments section is for, no?).
Calm down.
Brad Pitt’s presence notwistanding, I’d actually argue that the cast of “Basterds” is just as “scrappy” and “lesser-known” as the “Precious” folks. (At least in this country.) I actually think Basterds will pull off the win.
I agree with all your other picks though, especially Bridges. Judging from the reaction to his wins, that guy seems to be universally-loved and I’m assuming that sentiment is certainly felt among his fellow actors.
Meryl Streep won the SAG award last year for DOUBT, so she might lose this year. Tough call. Sandra Bullock is the most likely beneficiary of Streep Fatigue. But Carey Mulligan could upset here because AN EDUCATION is up for Best Ensemble Cast so the SAG members obviously like that movie.
The Ensemble Cast award is very tough to call, as is usually the case. I actually love Mariah Carey’s performance in PRECIOUS, but not everyone agrees. Moreover, some SAG members might resent the fact that Lee Daniels cast celebrities like Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz instead of “real” actors.
If Precisous beats Inglourious Bastards for Best Cast then I will hunt down every member of the SAG’s
I personally think it’ll go to Basterds; the Ensemble prize often goes to a film with a large ensemble of actors who mostly aren’t getting individual prize nominations (they’ve got Waltz, but nothing else). The same criterion could be applied to “The Hurt Locker”, but I don’t think it will turn out that way.
The cast of ‘Basterds’ has got Diane Kruger too, in the Supporting Actress category, but you’re right, they’ve got no one else. I think it’ll win Best Ensemble Cast.
Given the major snub at the BAFTA for Best Picture, tonight will be Inglourious Basterds last chance to become a contender to win Best Picture.