Screen Actors Guild 2004

Awards Page Index * OSCAR coverage here
'04 Screen Actors Guild Nominations
by Nathaniel R

Best Ensemble

Post-Ceremony Comments

My prediction: CORRECT.
I'm glad Sideways had it's final hurrah here. That's a nice token, given the communal feel that cast has given off during awards season and the great quartet work in the movie's setpieces. Good for them.

What this means?
That Million Dollar Baby is probably in the lead for Best Picture after all. If The Aviator with its huge cast of stars (which SAG usually loves) couldn't swing this award than it's in trouble for Oscar's top prize.

Nomination comments: Let it be decreed throughout the land that only these six films were made in Hollywood this year! Let it also be decreed that whenever the race is down to six films, awardage groups such as the Globes & the Screen Actors Guild shall bestow on all six the blessing of nomination, so as to not dash anyone's hopes prior to Oscar (nor help out weary Oscar prognosticators) Anyway. Very very standard nominations; Nothing remotely intriguiing like their choice of The Station Agent last year. It's also hard to suss out what their view of an ensemble is. A three character drama like Million Dollar Baby is not really an ensemble. At least not in comparison with Finding Neverland or Ray or the egregiously snubbed ensemble work in comedies like I Heart Huckabees (which require all the principles to be feeding off each constantly and being on camera together constantly, SHARING the scenes... you know, like, doing ENSEMBLE work) Anyway, this category means Best Picture. Even though it shouldn't. Since it's called Best Ensemble. Even Hotel Rwanda which does have a large cast seems iffy to me. Sure it has fine performances from Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo but most of the ensemble work is strictly of the hundreds of extras running around or bundled together in fear. OK, OK, I know that Nolte and Phoenix are hanging around the edges as well... but there strictly there for exposition and are those really award worthy performances? I mean Cheadle and Okonedo have their own categories so why this nomination too?

The good and respectable nominations: The Aviator, Ray, Sideways. The "what is an ensemble anyway? and why is it worth awarding?" nominations: Finding Neverland (an ensemble yes... but when you have four world great actors in it and no world great performances there's a problem), Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby. So basically SAG is 50% tolerable this year.

The other really weird thing is who is counted among the ensemble and who is not. This has some very strange omissions and additions -Take a look:

THE AVIATOR - Alan Alda - Senator Ralph Owen Brewster * Alec Baldwin - Julian Trippe * Kate Beckinsale - Ava Gardner * Cate Blanchett - Katharine Hepburn * Leonardo DiCaprio - Howard Hughes * Ian Holm - Professor Fitz * Danny Huston - Jack Frye * Jude Law - Errol Flynn * John C. Reilly - Noah Dietrich * Gwen Stefani - Jean Harlow

Seems like it's everyone, right? 10 names. Wow. Only problem is in their star whorin. Gwen Stefani is included. She has two or three lines at most. Character actors who contribute MUCH more to the film, like say Matt Ross who is in a buttload of scenes and does a wonderful job as Odi (Hughes's right hand man) is not included. I know he's not a star but come on. Show some respect. That's just rude. Jude Law and Gwen Stefani but no Matt Ross. Oh, OK. Whatever you say...

FINDING NEVERLAND -everyone is included, even the non-Freddie Highmore boys. So this is quite fair.

HOTEL RWANDA Don Cheadle - Paul Rusesabagina * Nick Nolte - Colonel Oliver * Sophie Okonedo - Tatiana Rusesabagina * Joaquin Phoenix - Jack Daglish

So, let me get this straight. Nothing against the movie but it's called an ensemble when it's basically about one man his wife and thousands of people (mostly without lines) and they've only nominated 4 people. Two of whom are there for exposition only? And no Cara Seymour who if I recall correctly has just as much to do as Phoenix. Oh, but right. Not famous. Just a hard working character actress who you'll remember from memorable work in Adaptation, Birth, Dancer in the Dark, and American Psycho.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY Clint Eastwood - Frankie * Morgan Freeman - Scrap * Hilary Swank - Maggie

Only three actors appear in Million Dollar Baby. Those vivid scenes you recall with oft-employed Margo Martindale as the evil white trash mother, the ones with the TONY winning priest Brian F O'Byrne, and the scenes in the boxing ring with Anthony Mackie? You're making those up you silly silly person. Only stars are in this movie. Only three of them.

RAY Aunjanue Ellis - Mary Ann Fisher * Jamie Foxx - Ray Charles * Terrence Dashon Howard - Gossie McGee
Regina King - Margie Hendricks * Harry Lennix - Joe Adams * Clifton Powell - Jeff Brown * Larenz Tate - Quincy Jones * Kerry Washington - Della Bea Robinson

One has to wonder why Sharon Warren (Ray's mother) -the only one besides Foxx with any Oscar talk is not included in this nomination. Seriously why?

SIDEWAYS -The four much awarded principles but no Mary Louise Burke (Myles mother) or Jessica Hecht (Myles ex-wife). One wonders if you can submit up to 10 names (hey, The Aviator did) why they're not listed.

Best Actor

Post-Ceremony Comments
My prediction: CORRECT.
Jamie Foxx Ray although it was really weird for him to use the same acceptance speech twice.

What this means?
That Jamie Foxx's Ray is like Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich. There's no point in pretending he can be defeated.

Nomination Comments
In a very contested Best Actor race,they chose 3 of the Globe nominees DICAPRIO, DEPP, CHEADLE (drama) and the two leading Globe nominees GIAMATTI & FOXX (Musical/Comedy). The major snubs? If you believe the previous precursor selections the major snubs are Liam Neeson & Javier Bardem. I'm more upset about Carrey & Bridges who keep getting the middle finger. Why? Both were excellent this year.

Best Actress

Post-Ceremony Comments
My prediction: CORRECT.
I hate Hilary Swank and I guess my only happiness in her winning for Million Dollar Baby is that her speech was awful and she will presumably turn off at least a few voters with her overconfidence and sense of entitlement. I also found it alarming that the voiceover guy proclaimed that this was her second SAG win and then went on to say that she won for Boys Don't Cry. I was like, "um, you may want to inform Annette Bening that you're taking her SAG award back for American Beauty."

What this means?
That Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby is now the frontrunner (But we already knew that). And that our only hope to break the best actress deglam / uglied down / poor trash curse (six years and running!) is for Oscar to think "gee, do we really want Swank to have as many Oscars as Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, or Vivien Leigh?

Nomination Comments:
The Oscar Best Actress race has been narrowing down to 6 competitors for quite some time. So, the Screen Actors Guild chose 2 of the Globe drama nominees SWANK & STAUNTON and the two of the Globe musical/comedy nominees BENING & WINSLET. To be cheeky, they threw in SANDINO MORENO who seems to be battling it out with... The major snubs? ...Uma Thurman for Oscar's coveted 5th spot for her exceptional work in the Kill Bill movies. And of course continued snubs for the glorious Julie Delpy for the low key and small Before Sunset.

Best Supporting Actor

Post-Ceremony Comments
My prediction: INCORRECT.
I though Haden Chuch's Sideways role might slip by Freeman for the night's big surprise but no dice. Morgan Freeman won for his ease and charm onscreen in all those roles --as well as for Million Dollar Baby. When I heard Kate Winslet wish she could be as good as him in the pre-show arrival interviews I knew he would win. Kate, um, you're like the second best actor on the planet: Relax.

What this means?
That Morgan Freeman will finally win his Oscar for Million Dollar Baby --sorry Clive and Thomas... you're probably blocking each other's 'deserve' votes and it is his fourth nomination. It's time.

Nomination comments:
Ugh. Jamie Foxx's category fraud continues to work. I've gotten a lot of e-mails from people who buy this 'description' but I think they missed the part in class where you learn that the character you start with who the story revolves around and who has the character arc through the story and who you leave the story with is your LEADING man. The Tom Cruise role is the catalyst. It is not who the story is about. The Catalyst to any story is not necessarily the lead. If the catalyst were the lead because the story happens to the others because of his/her/its action than the leading actor in Thelma & Louise is actually that rapist who Louise shoots about 20 minutes in. And the lead in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the company Lacuna Inc rather than Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Or something like that.

This bugs me so much. I really like Collateral (my #17 of the year out of 93) I really like both Cruise and Foxx in it. But Foxx is not the supporting category. If having a passive nature in terms of plot makes someone a supporting character than Adrien Brody is a supporting actor in the Pianist. OK. I'm done venting until the Oscars nominate him as well. Love you Jamie. But you don't belong in this category.

Otherwise SAG went with the leaders Church and Freeman, jettisoned the excellent and dangerous Clive Owen (major embarrasment for SAG there) to include sentimental nods for James Garner and tiny Freddie Highmore who can cry onscreen.

Best Supporting Actress

Post-Ceremony Comments
My prediction: CORRECT.
Cate Blanchett wins for her "Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator -finally justifying her frontrunner status with a major win.

What this means?
I'm not really sure. She does seem to be the frontrunner but do they really like her? It seems her frequent non-nominations indicate that the voting body of AMPAS isn't necessarily in love with her. And Natalie Portman's Globe winning work in Closer could be blocking those movie-star lover votes allowing Virginia Madsen to resurface? We shall see. I don't think this is sewn up.

Nomination comments:
The three frontrunners LINNEY, MADSEN, & BLANCHETT are in. The beautiful ascendant Portman from Closer is unfortunately out. So are BFCA nominee Winslet for Neverland (which is fine --Great actress. OK performance) and Streep for The Manchurian Candidate (good riddance. I love La Streep but come on...) That leaves room for the two surprises: LEACHMAN for being the only funny thing about Spanglish and OKONEDO's weepy loving wife from Hotel Rwanda.

Congrats to all. Good luck, though. The SAG predictive quality (in correlation to this Oscar race) aint so hot in this category; 1994 -2 of 5 * 1995 -3 of 5 * 1996 -2 of 5 * 1997 -4 of 5 * 1998 -5 of 5 (the only time) * 1999 -3 of 5 * 2000 -4 of 5 * 2001 -1 of 5 (eek) * 2002 -4 of 5 * 2003 -3 of 5 * 2004 - ??? of 5
In other words, anyone in this category shouldn't buy their gowns just yet... The average is only 56%. In other words just shy of 3 of 5. Keep the phone handy but wait until January 25th (Oscar nominations) to actually book your gown, hotel, etc...


Post-Ceremony Comments My prediction: CORRECT. I'm glad Sideways had it's final hurrah here. That's a nice token, given the communal feel that cast has given off during awards season and the great quartet work in the movie's setpieces. Good for them. What this means? That Million Dollar Baby is probably in the lead for Best Picture after all. If The Aviator with its huge cast of stars (which SAG usually loves) couldn't swing this award than it's in trouble for Oscar's top prize.
Nomination comments: Let it be decreed throughout the land that only these six films were made in Hollywood this year! Let it also be decreed that whenever the race is down to six films, awardage groups such as the Globes & the Screen Actors Guild shall bestow on all six the blessing of nomination, so as to not dash anyone's hopes prior to Oscar (nor help out weary Oscar prognosticators) Anyway. Very very standard nominations; Nothing remotely intriguiing like their choice of The Station Agent last year. It's also hard to suss out what their view of an ensemble is. A three character drama like Million Dollar Baby is not really an ensemble. At least not in comparison with Finding Neverland or Ray or the egregiously snubbed ensemble work in comedies like I Heart Huckabees (which require all the principles to be feeding off each constantly and being on camera together constantly, SHARING the scenes... you know, like, doing ENSEMBLE work) Anyway, this category means Best Picture. Even though it shouldn't. Since it's called Best Ensemble. Even Hotel Rwanda which does have a large cast seems iffy to me. Sure it has fine performances from Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo but most of the ensemble work is strictly of the hundreds of extras running around or bundled together in fear. OK, OK, I know that Nolte and Phoenix are hanging around the edges as well... but there strictly there for exposition and are those really award worthy performances? I mean Cheadle and Okonedo have their own categories so why this nomination too? The good and respectable nominations: The Aviator, Ray, Sideways. The "what is an ensemble anyway? and why is it worth awarding?" nominations: Finding Neverland (an ensemble yes... but when you have four world great actors in it and no world great performances there's a problem), Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby. So basically SAG is 50% tolerable this year. The other really weird thing is who is counted among the ensemble and who is not. This has some very strange omissions and additions -Take a look: THE AVIATOR - Alan Alda - Senator Ralph Owen Brewster * Alec Baldwin - Julian Trippe * Kate Beckinsale - Ava Gardner * Cate Blanchett - Katharine Hepburn * Leonardo DiCaprio - Howard Hughes * Ian Holm - Professor Fitz * Danny Huston - Jack Frye * Jude Law - Errol Flynn * John C. Reilly - Noah Dietrich * Gwen Stefani - Jean Harlow Seems like it's everyone, right? 10 names. Wow. Only problem is in their star whorin. Gwen Stefani is included. She has two or three lines at most. Character actors who contribute MUCH more to the film, like say Matt Ross who is in a buttload of scenes and does a wonderful job as Odi (Hughes's right hand man) is not included. I know he's not a star but come on. Show some respect. That's just rude. Jude Law and Gwen Stefani but no Matt Ross. Oh, OK. Whatever you say... FINDING NEVERLAND -everyone is included, even the non-Freddie Highmore boys. So this is quite fair. HOTEL RWANDA Don Cheadle - Paul Rusesabagina * Nick Nolte - Colonel Oliver * Sophie Okonedo - Tatiana Rusesabagina * Joaquin Phoenix - Jack Daglish So, let me get this straight. Nothing against the movie but it's called an ensemble when it's basically about one man his wife and thousands of people (mostly without lines) and they've only nominated 4 people. Two of whom are there for exposition only? And no Cara Seymour who if I recall correctly has just as much to do as Phoenix. Oh, but right. Not famous. Just a hard working character actress who you'll remember from memorable work in Adaptation, Birth, Dancer in the Dark, and American Psycho. MILLION DOLLAR BABY Clint Eastwood - Frankie * Morgan Freeman - Scrap * Hilary Swank - Maggie Only three actors appear in Million Dollar Baby. Those vivid scenes you recall with oft-employed Margo Martindale as the evil white trash mother, the ones with the TONY winning priest Brian F O'Byrne, and the scenes in the boxing ring with Anthony Mackie? You're making those up you silly silly person. Only stars are in this movie. Only three of them. RAY Aunjanue Ellis - Mary Ann Fisher * Jamie Foxx - Ray Charles * Terrence Dashon Howard - Gossie McGee Regina King - Margie Hendricks * Harry Lennix - Joe Adams * Clifton Powell - Jeff Brown * Larenz Tate - Quincy Jones * Kerry Washington - Della Bea Robinson One has to wonder why Sharon Warren (Ray's mother) -the only one besides Foxx with any Oscar talk is not included in this nomination. Seriously why? SIDEWAYS -The four much awarded principles but no Mary Louise Burke (Myles mother) or Jessica Hecht (Myles ex-wife). One wonders if you can submit up to 10 names (hey, The Aviator did) why they're not listed.


Post-Ceremony Comments My prediction: CORRECT. Jamie Foxx Ray although it was really weird for him to use the same acceptance speech twice. What this means? That Jamie Foxx's Ray is like Julia Roberts Erin Brockovich. There's no point in pretending he can be defeated.

Nomination Comments In a very contested Best Actor race,they chose 3 of the Globe nominees DICAPRIO, DEPP, CHEADLE (drama) and the two leading Globe nominees GIAMATTI & FOXX (Musical/Comedy). The major snubs? If you believe the previous precursor selections the major snubs are Liam Neeson & Javier Bardem. I'm more upset about Carrey & Bridges who keep getting the middle finger. Why? Both were excellent this year.


Post-Ceremony Comments My prediction: CORRECT. I hate Hilary Swank and I guess my only happiness in her winning for Million Dollar Baby is that her speech was awful and she will presumably turn off at least a few voters with her overconfidence and sense of entitlement. I also found it alarming that the voiceover guy proclaimed that this was her second SAG win and then went on to say that she won for Boys Don't Cry. I was like, "um, you may want to inform Annette Bening that you're taking her SAG award back for American Beauty." What this means? That Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby is now the frontrunner (But we already knew that). And that our only hope to break the best actress deglam / uglied down / poor trash curse (six years and running!) is for Oscar to think "gee, do we really want Swank to have as many Oscars as Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, or Vivien Leigh?

Nomination Comments: The Oscar Best Actress race has been narrowing down to 6 competitors for quite some time. So, the Screen Actors Guild chose 2 of the Globe drama nominees SWANK & STAUNTON and the two of the Globe musical/comedy nominees BENING & WINSLET. To be cheeky, they threw in SANDINO MORENO who seems to be battling it out with... The major snubs? ...Uma Thurman for Oscar's coveted 5th spot for her exceptional work in the Kill Bill movies. And of course continued snubs for the glorious Julie Delpy for the low key and small Before Sunset.


Post-Ceremony Comments My prediction: INCORRECT. I though Haden Chuch's Sideways role might slip by Freeman for the night's big surprise but no dice. Morgan Freeman won for his ease and charm onscreen in all those roles --as well as for Million Dollar Baby. When I heard Kate Winslet wish she could be as good as him in the pre-show arrival interviews I knew he would win. Kate, um, you're like the second best actor on the planet: Relax. What this means? That Morgan Freeman will finally win his Oscar for Million Dollar Baby --sorry Clive and Thomas... you're probably blocking each other's 'deserve' votes and it is his fourth nomination. It's time.

Nomination comments: Ugh. Jamie Foxx's category fraud continues to work. I've gotten a lot of e-mails from people who buy this 'description' but I think they missed the part in class where you learn that the character you start with who the story revolves around and who has the character arc through the story and who you leave the story with is your LEADING man. The Tom Cruise role is the catalyst. It is not who the story is about. The Catalyst to any story is not necessarily the lead. If the catalyst were the lead because the story happens to the others because of his/her/its action than the leading actor in Thelma & Louise is actually that rapist who Louise shoots about 20 minutes in. And the lead in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the company Lacuna Inc rather than Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Or something like that. This bugs me so much. I really like Collateral (my #17 of the year out of 93) I really like both Cruise and Foxx in it. But Foxx is not the supporting category. If having a passive nature in terms of plot makes someone a supporting character than Adrien Brody is a supporting actor in the Pianist. OK. I'm done venting until the Oscars nominate him as well. Love you Jamie. But you don't belong in this category. Otherwise SAG went with the leaders Church and Freeman, jettisoned the excellent and dangerous Clive Owen (major embarrasment for SAG there) to include sentimental nods for James Garner and tiny Freddie Highmore who can cry onscreen.


Post-Ceremony Comments My prediction: CORRECT. Cate Blanchett wins for her "Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator -finally justifying her frontrunner status with a major win. What this means? I'm not really sure. She does seem to be the frontrunner but do they really like her? It seems her frequent non-nominations indicate that the voting body of AMPAS isn't necessarily in love with her. And Natalie Portman's Globe winning work in Closer could be blocking those movie-star lover votes allowing Virginia Madsen to resurface? We shall see. I don't think this is sewn up.

Nomination comments: The three frontrunners LINNEY, MADSEN, & BLANCHETT are in. The beautiful ascendant Portman from Closer is unfortunately out. So are BFCA nominee Winslet for Neverland (which is fine --Great actress. OK performance) and Streep for The Manchurian Candidate (good riddance. I love La Streep but come on...) That leaves room for the two surprises: LEACHMAN for being the only funny thing about Spanglish and OKONEDO's weepy loving wife from Hotel Rwanda. Congrats to all. *Good luck, though.* The SAG predictive quality (in correlation to this Oscar race) aint so hot in this category; 1994 -2 of 5 * 1995 -3 of 5 * 1996 -2 of 5 * 1997 -4 of 5 * 1998 -5 of 5 (the only time) * 1999 -3 of 5 * 2000 -4 of 5 * 2001 -1 of 5 (eek) * 2002 -4 of 5 * 2003 -3 of 5 * 2004 - ??? of 5 In other words, anyone in this category shouldn't buy their gowns just yet... The average is only 56%. In other words just shy of 3 of 5. Keep the phone handy but wait until January 25th (Oscar nominations) to actually book your gown, hotel, etc...