SAG Awards 2012

So the SAG awards were on last night.

Did you watch? Do you care?

I guess it’s yet another step on the road to the Oscars… but it has almost ZERO relevance or influence on the ultimate winners. The Academy is a very different voting panel. However, I guess something can be said for actors selecting their peers for nomination and awarding them with honours for the year.

There are a few things that bug me about it. But then, there are few things I’m quite fond of…

Let’s start with the bad. E! takes a huge dump on everything classy or formal in this town. It’s liek they send in the leeches to suck the celebrity blood out of every event. There is no enchanment, there is no untouched glamour, there is no veil of mystery… E! crashes the party.

It doesnt even cover the event…. it covers the Red Carpet…putting their premium on the soundbites that comes from asking questions like “is it true that you can juggle?” or “are you SURE there’s no sequel in the works?”.

it’s such a cringe fest.

And they put their ‘best’ people on it. People like the artful Giuliana Rancic who asked to ‘lei’ George Clooney. People like Ross the Intern who’s voice sets off the limo alarms 3 streets away. And people like fashion ‘guru’ and authority figure on all things high-style and taste… Kelly Osbourne.

Dream team.

But we expect that,  if I hate it so much… why do I tune in 2 hours before the show? It’s a question I seriously struggle with.

Moving on…

Something I DO like about this award show, is the lack of host, and the serious star power. More actors show up to the SAGs than do the Golden Globes. There is a VERY rare ‘so and so couldnt be here’… actors really feel like they owe it to their peers and their profession… to be there. It has a more serious actor vibe. You know what I mean? Like those who are really in it for ‘the craft’ and respect for ‘the arts’ are there. Of course, that means Meryl, George, Brad, Angelina, Plummer, and anyone else who considers themselves a ‘serious’ actor gets an invite, and marks the date. It’s a campaign for their careers as much as it is for an award.

It’s another award for an award crammed mantle. But these are the people that NEED the accolades. Actors, as a group, are some of the biggest egos yet weakest self esteemed people… most of them get into acting because they were shy, because they had no friends, because they were ‘different’, because they needed the spotlight to feel validated, or because they felt a rush at the sound of applause.

Nobody applaudes a dentist. Nobody applaudes a secretary or a car salesman. Validation comes from other places, not superfluous awards and constant applause.

These are the people that need it. They know it. So they make up as many awards as possible to feed the need for attention and applause.

That’s my two cents… I don’t mind watching, there are parts I LOVE watching… but I shake my head at the shameless ego stroking that takes place at every one of these events.

SAG Awards Wrap Up

The SAG awards always creep up on me. Sandwiched between The Golden Globes, the DGA, OScar Noms and The Oscars – it gets a bit lost in the glitter. And last night, although awards were given out, and people dressed up to walk a carpet… it seemed a little bit useless. Just another night to dote on celebs and drop names.

There was ‘food’ on the table, but incidentally, I saw no one with lettuce in their teeth, or dabbing a napkin to their faces. It’s almost like the wafer-actresses weren’t eating. hmmm….

The opening was weak and the sound was off (at least, it was off from my vantage point in the great white north). In previous year, I’ve enjoyed the 15 second witticisms of the actors…. but this year, they  all looked a bit forced and passive-aggressive. Excessive money and no body fat can do that to you.

A tribute to Ernest Borgnine took up half of the festivities… Jack Nicholson lays in wait, for his shining moment to come. I’m a fan of good old fashioned Hollywood – but it seemed lengthy for an evening celebrating the year in achievement.

The usual suspects were there: Natalie ‘pregnant goddess’ Portman, Nicole ‘I just had a baby, sorta’ Kidman, Sophia ‘my boobs are bigger than yours’ Vergera, Helena ‘ this IS my dressed up’ Bonham Carter.. .and so on.

The usual suspects also walked away with awards, and attempted to spice up the evening with insipid humility speeches. Natalie Portman better brush up for the Oscar speech…seriously. Boring. Christian Bale is a little bit whacko, and might embarrass himself if he keeps winning these things.

Biggest surprise of the night was the nod to the ever-working, ever-effervescent Betty White. She is unstoppable, and in a show that doesn’t have a LOT of viewers, or laughable moments…she is the shining star.

The Kings Speech was the big winner of the night … so The Globes liked Facebook, but the Guild preferred History. Obviously, giving Betty White and Ernest Borgnine the night! So which will the Oscars favour?

SAG awards