SAGGY

The SAG nominations are out.  Try to contain yourselves.  If nothing else (and there probably is nothing else) they do give a decent indication of where the Academy will be voting, since there's a lot of overlap.

Here are the nominees with my comments:

MOVIES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
STEVE CARELL / John du Pont – “FOXCATCHER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / Alan Turing – “THE IMITATION GAME” (The Weinstein Company)
JAKE GYLLENHAAL / Louis Bloom – “NIGHTCRAWLER” (Open Road Films)
MICHAEL KEATON / Riggan – “BIRDMAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
EDDIE REDMAYNE / Stephen Hawking – “THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (Focus Features)

A pretty weak category.  No big surprises.  Some say Jake Gyllenhaal is a surprise, but is he really--sure, Bradley Cooper or Bill Murray or a few others had a chance, but Jake was quite memorable and the film did reasonably well.  I suppose Michael Keaton is the likely winner since he's got a nice comeback story, and actors love movies about actors, but there's no odds-on favorite.  Steve Carell, arguably in a supporting role, is being considered a lead.  This year, that may make it easier to win.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
JENNIFER ANISTON / Claire Bennett – “CAKE” (Cinelou Films)
FELICITY JONES / Jane Hawking – “THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (Focus Features)
JULIANNE MOORE / Alice Howland-Jones – “STILL ALICE” (Sony Pictures Classics)
ROSAMUND PIKE / Amy Dunne – “GONE GIRL” (20th Century Fox)
REESE WITHERSPOON / Cheryl Strayed – “WILD” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Aniston a bit of a surprise, the rest expected.  Can't say much about the performances since I've only seen two (I don't get screeners and three of these haven't opened yet).

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
ROBERT DUVALL / Joseph Palmer – “THE JUDGE” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
ETHAN HAWKE / Mason, Sr. – “BOYHOOD” (IFC Films)
EDWARD NORTON / Mike – “BIRDMAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
MARK RUFFALO / Dave Schultz – “FOXCATCHER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
J.K. SIMMONS / Fletcher – “WHIPLASH” (Sony Pictures Classics)

This is the best category.  Not sure what Duvall is doing here except he's a SAG favorite.  The rest did great jobs, though the real battle looks to be Edward Norton and J.K. Simmons.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
PATRICIA ARQUETTE / Olivia – “BOYHOOD” (IFC Films)
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY / Joan Clarke – “THE IMITATION GAME” (The Weinstein Company)
EMMA STONE / Sam – “BIRDMAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
MERYL STREEP / The Witch – “INTO THE WOODS” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
NAOMI WATTS / Daka – “ST. VINCENT” (The Weinstein Company)

Arquette was arguably the lead, but she's probably better running as a supporting actor.  I expect she's the favorite here.  Haven't seen Into The Woods (which hasn't opened), though the film was mostly snubbed except for good old Meryl.  The surprise here--the biggest surprise in the movie categories--is Naomi Watts. She's a fine actress who had a poor year, doing subpar work in St. Vincent as well as Birdman.  She didn't even give the best female supporting performance in the film she's nominated for.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
BIRDMAN (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
BOYHOOD (IFC Films)
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
THE IMITATION GAME (The Weinstein Company)
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (Focus Features)

It's an odd category--is it about the best overall average performances, the best people did working together, or what?  With its long, intense takes, Birdman certainly put the ensemble through its paces. Good or bad, Boyhood sure had a small ensemble.  Grand Budapest, on the other hand, had a gigantic ensemble, even if they didn't interact that much outside the central figures.  Will Imitation Game and Theory Of Everything (I prefer the former) cancel each other out as British science tales?

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
ADRIEN BRODY / Harry Houdini  – “HOUDINI” (History)
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH / Sherlock Holmes – “SHERLOCK: HIS LAST VOW” (PBS)
RICHARD JENKINS / Henry Kitteridge – “OLIVE KITTERIDGE” (HBO)
MARK RUFFALO / Ned Weeks – “THE NORMAL HEART” (HBO)
BILLY BOB THORNTON / Lorne Malvo – “FARGO” (FX)

Cumberbatch and Ruffalo both getting a lot of love from SAG.  Billy Bob was pretty memorable in Fargo, and I guess SAG likes him better than Martin Freeman.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
ELLEN BURSTYN / Olivia Foxworth – “FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC” (Lifetime)
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL / Nessa Stein – “THE HONORABLE WOMAN” (Sundance TV)
FRANCES McDORMAND / Olive Kitteridge – “OLIVE KITTERIDGE” (HBO)
JULIA ROBERTS / Dr. Emma Brookner – “THE NORMAL HEART” (HBO)
CICELY TYSON / Carrie Watts – “THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL” (Lifetime)

The Gyllenhaal family getting a lot of love from SAG.  I'm sensing a lot of movie envy here, since each of these nominees has been nominated for an Oscar. Or is it that when female movie stars get older they have to go to TV to get good roles?

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister – “GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
WOODY HARRELSON / Martin Hart – “TRUE DETECTIVE” (HBO)
MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY / Rust Cohle – “TRUE DETECTIVE” (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Francis Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)

They don't have supporting roles for TV, so a character like Dinklage gets nominated here.  What the heck is Buscemi doing with a nomination--there are so many better shows than Boardwalk Empire (actually, any show that's halfway decent is better than BE).  Notice no Jon Hamm.  No Mad Men anywhere.  As I've said, the show overstayed its welcome.  And poor Woody--he knows if his show is getting any award it won't be for him.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (6 nominees)
CLAIRE DANES / Carrie Mathison – “HOMELAND” (Showtime)
VIOLA DAVIS / Annalise Keating – “HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” (ABC)
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick – “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
TATIANA MASLANY / Sarah/Coxima/Alison/Rachel/ – “ORPHAN BLACK” (BBC America)
Helena/Tony/Jennifer and Various Others
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham – “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)
ROBIN WRIGHT / Claire Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)

Six names here, which means there was a tie.  No big surprises except the absence of Jessica Lange.  Nice to see Maslany get some attention for her tour de force--if only her show were better.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY ” (ABC)
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

I'm not sure if Macy deserves it, but if he kept out Don Cheadle it's a fair trade.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Vice President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)
AMY POEHLER / Leslie Knope – “PARKS AND RECREATION” (NBC)

Orange Is The New Black could be a drama or a comedy?  Does it win more awards as a comedy.  I'd say Falco and Nurse Jackie are pretty tired, except the show wasn't much to begin with.  Uzo Aduba I don't get--I consider Crazy Eyes to be one of the least interesting, most annoying characters in an otherwise top-notch ensemble.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
HOMELAND (Showtime)
HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix)

So long Mad Men.  But really, Boardwalk Empire?  For that matter, isn't Downton Abbey done yet?

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (FOX)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
VEEP (HBO)

The best all-around category--all good choices, and all true ensembles.  Good to see Brooklyn Nine-Nine here, a show that's as reliably funny as any on TV.