SAG Awards Play-By-Play

According to the awards show formula, the last twenty minutes are packed with all the big categories. We watch almost two hours (or in the case of the Oscars, four hours) of retrospectives and self-congratulatory film packages, and then they slam us with all the majors right at the end. It's hard to keep up with my ballot sheet, let alone the running commentary.

Here we go...

Ruby Dee wins the Female Supporting statue for her role in American Gangster. I'd say this one is more an acknowledgment of a lifetime of performances, as so often happens at the SAG awards. When the Oscars roll around and the voting community is composed of more than just actors, a critical favorite like Cate Blanchett should be collecting the honors.

The Male Leading Role Actor goes, unsurprisingly, to Daniel Day-Lewis. Surprisingly, the actor used his acceptance speech to dedicate the award to Heath Ledger. He honored Ledger's performances in Brokeback Mountain and Monster's Ball, and said how moved he was by them. Day-Lewis is a selfless actor and a class act.

Julie Christie's portrayal as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's in Away From Her won her an Actor for Female Leading Role. Christie used her acceptance speech to mention the importance of unions. I'm so happy that's as political as any of the speeches got.

Tom Cruise presented the biggest award of the evening, Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. He was considerably low-key and serious. I don't know if I like this version of Tom. Damn you TMZ.com!

No Country for Old Men took top honors, making it almost a lock for the Best Picture Oscar. The race looked uncertain when Atonement won at the Golden Globes, but just as with the DGA and the major critics' circles, the Coens reign supreme with SAG actors.

Kylie's Best SAG Award Moment: Mickey Rooney accepting an Actor on behalf of "Miss Latifah."

Kylie's Worst SAG Award Moment: The shot of Angelina Jolie tearing up while watching a clip of her own performance in A Mighty Heart. Who knows? Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones.

That's all folks. Have a great night!

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

Kevin Kline and Queen Latifah won Actors for TV movies that even I, the pop culture guru, hadn't heard of before the nominations were announced. But congrats to them.

Their awards were overshadowed by the presence of Mickey Rooney as a presenter anyway. The guy is 87 years old, and still sharp as a tack. This is probably the first time I've seen an audience give a standing ovation to the guy holding the envelope.

The "In Memoriam" segment of the telecast played out for me with a bit of suspense. Would they include Heath Ledger, or wouldn't they?

They did, but I think it may have been a last-minute call. Usually, the last person shown on the memorial reel is the biggest star. More well known actors get more screen time, even after they've died. It's shallow, but it's true.

The clips seemed to be concluding with several iconic shots of Deborah Kerr. The screen went dark for a moment, then the last image was one of Ledger in Brokeback Mountain.

It seems a silly question; would he be included? Of course he should be, his performances and talent ensure that. But with the actor's passing so recent and fresh in people's minds, it just reminds us how strange it is to see him included so soon.

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

Congratulations to Charles Durning.

If you didn't watch the show, you're probably asking, "Who's Charles Durning?" Flip over to imdb.com and look him up. He's one of the most prolific character actors in film and TV, and as soon as you see a picture of him, your mind will come up with all the roles you know him from.

Good for The Screen Actor's Guild. While they have honored some of the most recognizable actors in history with their Life Achievement Award (Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Paul Newman...), they also remember that marquee stars wouldn't get anywhere without the support of quality character actors like Ed Asner, Walter Pidgeon and Karl Malden.

So kudos to Durning.

But, man, presenter Burt Reynolds had me so distracted in that velvet suit jacket. When did he get so old? Bandit, what's become of you?

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

Tina Fey wins for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

(Oh, pardon me, Female Actor in a Comedy Series. As a woman, I have to say that I don't feel marginalized by feminine suffixes, and the SAG's insistence on calling all the categories "Actor" is self-indulgent, politically-correct posturing. I will now hop down off my soapbox and continue the play-by-play.)

Alec Baldwin wins for 30 Rock, deservedly so. Megastar actors clearly have very busy schedules, and I'm sure he's got somewhere important to be, but I hate it when nominees aren't there to pick up their awards.

The Office's Jenna Fischer accepted for her cast's Ensemble Comedy win, and her speech highlighted the feeling hanging over the awards. She dedicated the Actor to the show's crew and stated that she can't wait to get back to work. I agree. Come on writers, work it out!

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

Sopranos - 3. Everyone else - 0.

Okay, just like this season's baseball playoffs, the sweep appears to be the SAG Awards modus operandi.

As the cast makes it way to collect their honors, all I can think is: What exactly does Steven Van Zandt's head look like under that do-rag?

Moving on the to the movies, let's jope things get a little more unpredictable.

Best Supporting Actor goes to... Javier Bardem. No Country for Old Men is looking more and more like this year's big winner. Bardem's acceptance speech was gracious and well-timed, and he acknowledged the fact that more goes into an award-winning performance than an actor simply standing in front of a camera, reading lines.

Good for Javier. Hopefully that statue makes up for having to be interviewed by Lisa Rinna.

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

After the prerequisite SAG "I'm an actor" opening sequence, with a very funny Jane Krakowski and an over-reaching Kyle MacLachlan, we jump right in with Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

James Gandolfini. No surprise there, considering that television recipients often get "goodbye" statuettes for a body of work on a departing show. But The Sopranos has won an armload in the past. How about sharing the wealth?

With Glenn Close, Sally Field, Holly Hunter, and Kyra Sedgwick in the mix for Lead Actress, maybe Edie Falco won't benefit from the Sopranos' swan song...

Oops, maybe not.

I guess those other nominees can just wait until their shows go off the air for an Actor award.

SAG Awards Play-By-Play

Okay, awards season: bring it on!

The SAG Awards air tonight, unpicketed by the WGA. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I'll be doing a little running commentary on the highs, lows, and the somewhere-in-betweens. Don't be afraid, this won't be anything like Larry King's stream of consciousness rambling over the Golden Globe press conference. (At least, I hope not.)

Currently airing are the ever-scintillating pre-shows on various networks. You know, the time to really show the dresses and watch TV "personalities" attempt snappy banter with nominees, usually with varying degrees of success and rapidly changing comfort levels. Take TVGuide Channel's Lisa Rinna, who couldn't think of anything more interesting to ask Javier Bardem than whether or not his No Country for Old Men hairstyle was a wig or not.

And Joey Fatone. I'll admit it, I love Joey from way back. I still listen to *NSYNC albums on a regular basis. (Hey! Don't judge me.) But, oh Joey, did you really just ask Grey's Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez if her Angel Sanchez gown was a "Dirty Sanchez?" Come on kid, it's a family show!

Meanwhile, Rinna's interview with the Entourage cast was drowned out by the deafening crowd noise that accompanied Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's entrance. Jolie appears to be rockin' a dress designed to fuel "baby bump" rumors around the world.

More to come...

Sad News Shadows Oscar Noms

After a certain amount of time, the memory of a celebrity who dies too young acquires a certain amount of romance and mystery. Just think of those nostalgic oil paintings you see in “art gallery” stores in the mall. It’s usually an image of James Dean lighting Marilyn Monroe’s cigarette while Elvis plays guitar in the background. I suppose we all wish that such a scene may have actually taken place: it so neatly wraps up an era. The premature loss of such stars helps make them icons and increases the public’s thirst for their continued presence in pop culture.

Sadly, the loss of young talents is not confined to the past.

Australian actor Heath Ledger, 28, died today. (At posting time, the cause of death had not been specified.) When I heard this news, I immediately tuned into the major news networks and was not surprised to see that coverage of the actor’s death was prominent on every major news network. Movie studios and the actor’s co-stars had released official statements. On imdb.com, the message boards for each of Ledger’s films were packed with posts about his untimely death.

I can understand the argument that this is not “real” news; it’s simply a case of another celebrity who couldn’t handle the pressures of fame. I understand that argument - but I couldn’t disagree more.

I remember the media frenzy that flooded the airwaves when Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. died, and I recall vividly candlelight vigils held for Kurt Cobain and Aaliyah. Within my own particular generation, River Phoenix is considered one of the great talents whose candle was snuffed too early. The loss of these luminaries caused sincere heartache to millions of fans worldwide.

And why shouldn’t we mourn the passing of movie actors, pro athletes and rock stars?

We don’t have a monarchy in this country. Our celebrities are our royalty, and I think that’s both important and defensible. Call me shallow, but what we like and who we admire helps define who we are. I’m not talking about “celebutantes” like Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad; I am addressing the artists who produce innovative work that serves to enlighten, inform, or even just entertain us. John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, and Chris Farley were famous, sure, but they were also contributors to the grand artistic pantheon that we all enjoy and share. To grieve for their loss is to grieve for the loss of the creative contributions they will never be able to give us.

I don’t know if Heath Ledger’s performances will stand the test of time. He clearly made a mark in Hollywood with Brokeback Mountain, and early previews of The Dark Knight indicate something very special in his portrayal of The Joker. At the most basic level, it’s interminably sad to hear of anyone dying so young. On a grander scale, it is devastating to think what impact Ledger could have had in the industry and to imagine what roles we will never get to see him play.

I Still Feel The Need, The Need For Speed

Here’s a little pop quiz. I’m going to list three famous people. What’s the first thing you think of when these names are mentioned? Michael Jackson, Pete Rose, and Bill Clinton.

Okay, what did you come up with? Something like: Groundbreaking Pop Icon, Legendary Hard-hitting Athlete, and Charismatic Public Official?

Or was it closer to: Wacko Pervert, Cheating Liar, and Slippery Philanderer?

Sometimes it’s hard to separate the achievements people make in their profession from what gets played out in Star magazine, isn’t it? We’re all victim to it, but it’s not really our fault. It’s the media’s. (Hooray, a scapegoat!) We’re surrounded everyday by a media onslaught of dirt about famous people. USWeekly, Entertainment Tonight, and TMZ.com, besides being deliciously intriguing, can define a star’s image with a single off-color sound bite or incriminating photo.

On the chopping block again this week is Tom Cruise, who seemed to have almost recovered from the rabid performance on Oprah and that unfortunate Today Show appearance where he single-handedly reintroduced the word “glib” to the vernacular. A new unauthorized tell-all by Andrew Morton hit shelves Tuesday and promises to serve up juicy tidbits about Cruise’s sexuality, his choke-hold on Katie Holmes, and the strange things he does for his religion. Also making the internet rounds is a video interview of an overly rambunctious Cruise spouting the virtues of Scientology.

Poor Tom.

No, honestly, poor Tom. I know he’s a movie star and a gazillionaire, but I also know he’s headed down the same road as the three people at the top of this column. All the film roles, all the charity work, all the contributions to the industry, and he’s going to be remembered as the Scientology nut who jumped on couches and put his brainwashed bride on lockdown. I think that’s sad.

From dancing in his tighty-whiteys in Risky Business to dangling from the ceiling in Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise has entertained us with great performances in some fantastic flicks. In order to keep a little perspective on Thomas Mapother IV, I’ve compiled a list of my top five Cruise movies as a reminder that just because the tabloids tell us he’s a wack-job, sometimes there’s nothing better than a tub of popcorn and a little vintage Tom.

A Few Good Men
It may be my slightly obsessive fascination with Aaron Sorkin, or possibly my soft spot for Rob Reiner’s movies, but I don’t think Cruise movies get better than this. Tight script, impeccable pacing, just the right amount of Jack Nicholson chewing the scenery: this is the kind of movie that I can watch over and over and never get bored.

Collateral
Cruise goes way outside his comfort zone in Michael Mann’s taut thriller. And I don’t just mean the gray hair. As Vincent, a professional hitman, he uses nuance and subtlety to create an actual human being out of this vicious character. In a different movie, with a different actor, Vincent could have been a caricature, a comic-book villain twirling his mustache. With Cruise, he’s terrifyingly real. Watch this film and see Cruise doing some of his most delicate work.

Minority Report
Action-packed, powered by amazing special effects and helmed by Spielberg, this movie has Summer Blockbuster written all over it in huge block letters. But it’s also topical and provocative; it tells a suspenseful story but leaves the viewer asking some serious questions about the nature of privacy in an expanding world. Cruise can write his own ticket and make another gazillion dollars by starring in any old Popcorn Flick, but he chooses to make movies that challenge his audience. I think that says something.

Interview with the Vampire
Wispy blonde locks notwithstanding, this is a side of Tom Cruise I’d like to see more often. Cavalier, passionate, and teetering on the edge of madness. I mean, of course, in his film roles. So often, Cruise plays characters that are completely in control, so confident and sure that every action they take will succeed. His Lestat is a ticking time-bomb of insecurity deftly wrapped in an arrogant façade. It’s exciting to watch that pretense slip away, and Cruise’s range as an actor has never been better showcased in one movie.

Top Gun
If you don’t love Top Gun, you are never getting invited to my Oscar party. Tom Cruise is pitch-perfect as Maverick, just cocky enough and just vulnerable enough. Infinitely quotable, both funny and moving, this movie hits every note. The sweat-soaked flexing in the volleyball scene has nothing to do with my opinion, of course. (Yes, Goose, you can keep your T-Shirt on.) And for my money, the love scene with Kelly McGillis, shot in silhouette and shadow, is way hotter than the Rebecca DeMornay train escapade from Risky Business.

Are You There Oscar? It's Me, Kylie.

One of the strangest moments in life is when one emotion transforms into another so quickly it takes you a moment to recover. The anticipation of the first uphill climb of a roller coaster, for example. Pinpricks of anticipation and excitement envelop you as the car click-clacks its way to the crest. Then you arrive at the summit and realize exactly what you signed up for. Fear pushes the adrenaline tingles by the wayside and you suddenly start wondering if you have all your affairs in order.

I experienced one such moment last night while watching The Daily Show. Yes, apparently, Jon Stewart is that powerful. Stewart's "entertainment correspondents" Samantha Bee and Jason Jones were lampooning the Golden Globes press conference format, which was without question a snooze-fest. It was definitely funny and I was laughing. Good times all around. The roller-coaster switch snuck up on me at the end of the segment, though. Bee and Jones wished Jon Stewart good luck hosting the Oscar press conference next month.

The Oscar what-now?

Okay, I know that it was part of the bit; Jon Stewart's perfectly timed crestfallen reaction shot is duly noted, but does very little to relieve the dull ache behind my eyes at the thought of the Academy Awards being cancelled.

But I read last week's Entertainment Weekly cover story, "Will the Oscars Happen?". And I know that SAG is standing firm on not crossing any WGA picket lines. And with declining Oscar telecast ratings already a concern, I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to say that the Academy Awards happening without writers, nominees and presenters is about as sure a bet as going all in with a two-seven offsuit.

For the love of Bruce Vilanch, we can not let this happen! The Oscars are my Superbowl. Keep your hundred yards of green turf; I've got a hundred feet of red carpet. Who needs Tom Brady or Brett Favre when you can have Johnny Depp and George Clooney? And instead of one moment of victory, the Oscars have about 30. The commercials on the Superbowl win hands down, of course, but who has time to watch commercials during the Oscars? I'm too busy updating my ballot.

The writers are taking a stand over, among other things, the issue of Internet rights, and I respect that. It's a complicated problem that will inevitably become more so as production companies and studios adapt and incorporate new technology into the way they deliver their product. But the group who is really pulling the short straw when it comes to this strike is not the WGA or the AMPTP or even the advertisers; it's us. It's the audience.

I can handle the fact that there are no new episodes of CSI: or Scrubs for a while: labor union strikes take time to work out, as we all learned in 7th grade social studies. I can turn a blind eye, for a while, as the networks crank out reality show after reality show to replace scripted television. And I am even contented with the state of the movies, for a while, because the summer lineups are already whetting my appetite for popcorn.

But what comes next?

To me, if Hollywood can't work out some sort of compromise regarding the Oscar telecast, it's a slap in the face to the viewing public that ultimately pays their salaries. I know, I know. It's just an awards show where rich, beautiful, powerful people get together and congratulate each other on how rich and beautiful and powerful they are.

But it's also the celebration of film as the ultimate, collective art form. It's a recognition of the most moving, influential and entertaining performances of the past season. It's one night out of the year when film fans can forget about the lawsuits and the DUIs and the tabloid antics and really see a picture of Hollywood at its best: creative people who can work together and produce evocative and joyful experiences for their audience.

I think that audience has a little more patience left for Celebrity Apprentice and reruns of The Office, but it's wearing thin. A sign of hope for resolution of the strike might keep us going. A compromise to allow the Academy Awards show to go on could be that sign.

So please, Oscar, don't stand us up this year. We deserve better than that.

Ratatouille, Why Not "Rata2-D"?

In a conversation about film, the term “two-dimensional” is almost always a negative critique. It usually means the characters were poorly drawn or that the plot elements fell flat. In animation, sadly, it’s come to mean the same thing. And I think the words “drawn” and “flat” in the previous statement should indicate where I’m going with this.

Before you think me some kind of rabid animation purist, let me get one thing straight. I love the Pixar films. A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, and Ratatouille, this year’s Golden Globe winner for best animated film, are sweetly told, brilliantly rendered and all have a home on my DVD shelf.

I recognize the ingenuity and technical skill that it takes to create the realistic light and shadow in the underwater world of Finding Nemo or the pieces of burned tire skittering on the Cars racetrack. I laud the fact that there are still creative forces out there, searching for new and exciting ways to tell a story. Pixar Animation studios is doing the kind of innovative work with CG that Disney Animation did with hand-drawn back in the 30s and 40s. But they’re also obliterating the audience’s desire for the very techniques upon which their art form is based.

Disney’s recent live-action effort, Enchanted, opens with eight minutes of traditional cel animation. But the sequence that serves as both a launching point for the live-action fairytale and a satiric homage to classic Disney animation wasn’t even produced by Disney animators; it was outsourced to an independent animation team in California. In the late 1990’s, when the wave of computer animated films began, Disney drastically downsized their animation department. So what we’re left with is a Disney movie with an animation sequence created by non-Disney animators. Somewhere, Walt’s “Nine Old Men” are hanging their heads in shame.

Take a look at one of this award season’s critical darlings, Persepolis. Writer-director Marjane Satrapi tells her story using stark, black and white traditional animation. Her autobiographical tale of a rebellious Iranian woman is not lessened by a lack of startling special effects; it’s enhanced by it.

With all respect to John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Brad Bird and their colleagues, they have made careers for themselves by convincing filmgoers that 2-D is dead. Yes, realism in animation is now at levels that were unimaginable a scant five years ago. But why is animation now judged on how realistic that tree looks, or how convincing that rain is on the windowpane? Put simply, the charm and simplicity of 2-D animation still has a place in modern filmmaking.

Go back and re-watch The Little Mermaid. Go even further back, before Disney’s 90s renaissance, and take another look at Peter Pan or Sleeping Beauty. Does a lack of CGI bells and whistles make the stories any less moving? Are the characters not as relatable or as delightful? I know that my nephews and nieces will grow up in a generation that will remember Monsters, Inc. as a classic, but I sincerely hope that they invest some time in my classics, and my parents’.

One of Walt Disney’s famous quotes is: “It all started with a mouse.” More specifically, it all started with one animator, drawing that mouse on a page. Congratulations to Remy, Pixar’s animated rat on the Golden Globe win, but I have to say, if push came to shove, my vote is for the Mouse.