SAG Nominations Announced

James Gandolfini in Enough Said

Earlier today the Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, and there are some surprising admissions and omissions from the list. Most notable is the absence of Robert Redford, whose leading role in All Is Lost was tipped to be one of the Oscar favorites, while the supporting actor category is a real mixed bag and includes a posthumous nomination for James Gandolfini (Enough Said).

The most predictable category, and indeed an exact replica of the Only Oscar November Predictions, was the leading actress category, but June Squibb managed a nod for supporting actress in Nebraska. After falling off the pace, one of the big turnouts came from August: Osage County, this proving the Weinsteins are never out of the race. Never.

But this is just the Screen Actors Guild after all, so does this really matter? In a word: YES!

Firstly, a large proportion of voting members in the Academy are represented by the acting branch. This is just what happens when you allow for up to 20 new members a year just from nominations, plus any other invitees. This means final ballots have a large representation of voters that also belong to SAG as the overlap is considerable. Therefore the results of the acting categories and Best Film at the Oscars are likely to mirror the voting patterns of the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Secondly, the facts don’t lie. In just the past three years in the corresponding 15 categories (actors, actresses and best film) only 2 have differed between the Oscar and SAG.  There is a irrefutable correlation which cannot be ignored if one is trying to win money on Oscar betting, or just look like a smart alec to their friends.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place on January 18th, just two days after the Academy Awards nominations are announced, and will be televised live for Americans and somewhere online for the rest of us.

20th SAG Award Nominations

Leading Actor:

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Forest Whitaker, The Butler

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Leading Actress:

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Judi Dench, Philomena

Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

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Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Daniel Bruhl, Rush

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

James Gandolfini, Enough Said

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

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Supporting Actress:

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Lupita Nyonga, 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

June Squibb, Nebraska

Oprah Winfrey, The Butler

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Outstanding Performance by a Cast

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

August: Osage County

Dallas Buyers Club

The Butler