‘Inglourious Basterds,’ ‘Precious,’ ‘Up in the Air’ lead SAG Awards competition

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‘Basterds,’ ‘Precious,’ ‘30 Rock’ lead SAG Awards

LOS ANGELES — Three is the lucky number at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — that’s how many nominations the leading contenders in film and television have coming into Saturday’s ceremony.

“Inglorious Basterds,” ”Precious” and “Up in the Air” lead film nominees, while “Dexter,” ”30 Rock” and “The Closer” are the top TV competitors.

Skies were sunny Saturday but after a week of downpours a protective rain tent remained over the red carpet outside the Shrine Auditorium. Wearing a strapless burgundy chiffon gown, nominee Edie Falco was an early arrival, followed by nominee Tracy Morgan and lifetime achievement honoree Betty White in a bright blue dress.

“Basterds” earned nods for its cast and supporting stars Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger. “Precious” was also nominated for outstanding performance by a film cast, along with nods for star Gabourey Sidibe and supporting actress Mo’Nique. “Up in the Air” collected nominations for star George Clooney and supporting actresses Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Other films competing for best cast — SAG’s equivalent of a best-picture prize — include “The Hurt Locker,” ”An Education” and “Nine,” which also earned a nod for supporting actress Penelope Cruz.

“Dexter” and “The Closer” are up for best performance by a cast in a drama series, along with “Mad Men,” ”The Good Wife” and “True Blood.”

Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, is nominated for best actor and the show’s stunt team is up for outstanding performance by a stunt ensemble on TV. “The Closer” earned nods for its stunt team and star Kyra Sedgwick.

“30 Rock” collected nominations for its cast and stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. Other comedies up for cast honors are “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” ”Modern Family,” ”Glee” and “The Office.”

Last year, SAG’s movie cast award was presented to “Slumdog Millionaire,” which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar. However, this year, one of the season’s strongest Best Picture contenders, “Avatar,” was not nominated in any SAG category, all of which are acting, perhaps because “Avatar’s” best performances were computer-assisted.

The actors union will present 13 awards during the two-hour dinner-party ceremony: Eight in television, five in film and a lifetime achievement award to the 88-year-old White.

“Our show is so special compared to other awards shows,” said SAG Awards executive producer and director Jeff Margolis. “The fact that it is a show for actors, and it’s actors voting for actors for doing good work. It’s just different from the other shows, so we take great pride in keeping it different and special.”

On the Net:

www.sagawards.org