Road to the Oscars: The SAG Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced their nominees for the 12 annual SAG award show on Thursday. Now, what makes the SAG awards important as far as the Oscar race goes is that all SAG members are actors. And lots of these same people will be voting in the Oscars. Increasingly, the SAGs have turned into a very reliable precursor to the Academy Awards, and plus, they're fun to watch! I mean, it's their party, thrown completely by themselves, voted on completely by themselves. Sure, it's egotistical. But that's the biz! Here now is the list of the major nominations for this award show.

The S.A.G. Nominations for Best Performances in 2005

Motion Picture

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Dame Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Don Cheadle (Crash)
George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams (Junebug)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Frances McDormand (North Country)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Hustle & Flow

Television

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kenneth Branagh (Warm Springs, HBO)
Ted Danson (Knights of the South Bronx, A&E)
Ed Harris (Empire Falls, HBO)
Paul Newman (Empire Falls, HBO)
Christopher Plummer (Our Fathers, Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Tonantzin Carmelo (Into the West, TNT)
S. Epatha Merkerson (Lackawanna Blues, HBO)
Cynthia Nixom (Warm Springs, HBO)
Joanne Woodward (Empire Falls, HBO)
Robin Wright Penn (Empire Falls, HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Alan Alda (The West Wing)
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Ian McShane (Deadwood)
Keifer Sutherland (24)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette (Medium)
Geena Davis (Commander In Chief)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)
Jason Lee (My Name is Earl)
William Shatner (Boston Legal)
James Spader (Boston Legal)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Candice Bergen (Boston Legal)
Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)
Megan Mullally (Will & Grace)
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)

Oustanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Closer (TNT)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Lost (ABC)
Six Feet Under (HBO)
The West Wing (NBC)

Oustanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Arrested Development (FOX)
Boston Legal (ABC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
My Name is Earl (NBC)

And... I know who will be recieving the 42st Annual Life Achievement Award! I won't spoil it for you though, but here's a hint: this person is a former child star. Note the former, thus eliminating Dakota Fanning from the running. You can find out who will recieve the life achievement award, and more information on these nominations, by visiting the SAG Awards official website. The SAG awards will air live on both TNT and TBS on January 29 at 8 pm ET. TDI will in the future bring you our predictions for the SAG awards, and will later be open to ballots from you, the readers.

Related Information: The Golden Globes Nominations