"Sideways" was the big winner at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards on Saturday and proves to be the underdog choice for Best Picture at the Oscars on Feb. 27. For their roles in the comedy about wine, Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh took home the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Both Church and Madsen are nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, at the Oscars.
Golden Globe's golden boy "The Aviator" failed to dominate at the SAG awards, but Cate Blanchett won Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her role as Katherine Hepburn in the Howard Hughes biopic. However, the other main Oscar contender, "Million Dollar Baby," captured two key victories: Hilary Swank for Outstanding Female Actor and Morgan Freeman for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
To no one's surprise, Jamie Foxx took Outstanding Male Actor for "Ray" in the year of non-blind actors playing blind people. At these awards, Foxx's performance has been recognized over the portrayals of the blind by Zhang Ziyi in Zhang Yimou's stunning "House of Flying Daggers," Takeshi Kitano in "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman" and Bryce Dallas Howard in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village."
In the realm of television, the trendy "Desperate Housewives" continues its hot streak by taking the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, beating out "Arrested Development," and Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series for Teri Hatcher. In the drama category, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
The Screen Actors Guild awards are one of many predictors for the Oscars. Last year, "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and steamrolled through the Academy Awards, capturing all 11 of its nominations. However, "The Aviator," the clear favorite after its Golden Globes triumph, seems to be losing some steam as Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" is catching up. Not to be entirely counted out is the long-shot "Sideways," if the two powerhouses in front somehow cancel each other out.
