Why the sag face?

While the Oscars are always the main course, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are certainly a tasty appetizer. The SAG awards are particularly appealing because you get the beauty of an awards show without all of the nuts and bolts. And by nuts and bolts, I mean all of the awards are for acting, so you don't have to listen to any sound crews or cinematographers thanking their children at home "who really should be in bed, but were allowed to stay up tonight!" How nice for you. Nothing but sparkly celebrities tonight though.

I was particularly pleased to see our young and talented Dev Patel nominated for best supporting actor. I even had a slight glimmer of hope that he may walk away with it; but then I remembered Heath Ledger. A scan of Heath's award's list comes up with him having won every time he's been nominated for his role as the Joker, with the exception of the Satellite Award- which went, by some amazing twist of fate, to Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road.

Anyway, while it wasn't the acting that made Slumdog Millionaire the great film that it was- that can be attributed to Danny Boyle's genius, and an amazing screenplay- I was glad to see SAG and BAFTA throw Dev Patel a bone. I really hope that when the smoke clears after Slumdog this young man doesn't disappear into obscurity.

Wait, there was a point to all of this...oh yes: Watch the SAG awards, if anything they'll provide a nice distraction from the crippling loneliness. Or is that just me?

My awards show has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My awards show has a second name, it's P-R-E-D-I-C-T-A-B-L-E...

This year's Academy Awards nominees were announced this morning.

There aren't many surprises in this year's list. They certainly gave Gran Torino the shaft; it wasn't a great movie, but I assumed that since it was Clint's last horrah they'd give him something. Viola Davis got her best supporting actress for Doubt, which I was relieved to see. And oh happiest of happy days, Kate Winslet's Golden Globe sweeping performance in Revolutionary Road is nowhere to be found on this list. Unfortunately, looking at her competitors, she seems to have a very good chance of winning best actress for The Reader. How kind of them to give Anne Hathaway a nomination, she seems like a nice young girl. I don't know what Robert Downey Jr. did in Tropic Thunder but it must have been amazing. Once again, no Michael Sheen, I was a little dissapointed. The Dark Knight got quite a few nominations, which is exciting, but no best picture or director. And Slumdog cleaned up nicely, and will...clean up even...more....nicerly at the actual ceremony. The Wrestler only got two nominations, best song not being one of them, which was strange and unfortunate. No acting nominations for Slumdog or Burn After Reading. Too many nominations for Benjamin Button. And why is the Reader up for best picture? I don't say that because I hated it, it just doesn't seem to carry the same weight as its competitors. Also, I hated it.

Now we will hold our breath until Febraury 22nd. The excitment of the anticipation is worth the price of buying a small ventilator.