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The SAG Awards: The most glamorous assemblage of "homosexuals and prostitutes" ever
Again, since we are through the WGA/AMPTP-forged looking glass this season, our beloved awards shows have traded bodies like one of those movies where Judge Reinhold switches bodied with his precocious 10-year-old son. While the Golden Globes and People's Choice - generally the bellweather events for drunken celebrity pratfalls and bad fashion - were hobbled at the knees by the strike, dark-horse events like the Critics' Choice, the DGA Awards (from which even Sean Young can still get kicked out), and last night's SAG Awards have become the hotness of the season. Go figure! Last night's SAG Awards ceremony was a perfectly charming affair, with a few points of queer interest. First and foremost, Best Actor in a Moustache winner Daniel Day-Lewis (for There Will Be Blood) unexpectedly dedicated his award to Heath Ledger, noting that his performance in Brokeback Mountain was "perfect". Day-Lewis later noted that while he had never actually met Ledger, his death was all that he could think about for the past few days.
The show actually kicked off with some gay-fave goofiness, with Another interesting moment came when Javier Bardem, who won Best Supporting Prince Valiant Bob (for No Country for Old Men), noted that not too long ago actors were not allowed to be buried on sacred ground because they were all "homosexuals and prostitutes". This would have been the perfect opportunity to single out some hustlers in the crowd, but apparently that was too squirmy for even the producers. I get what Bardem was saying, but it did come across a little differently than he'd intended, I think. Oh, and the first two people in the These are the People Who Died This Year montage were Merv Griffin and Charles Nelson Reilly. Though Grey's Anatomy was up for Best Ensemble, neither T.R. Knight nor BFF Katie Heigl were present. And although a classic Marc St. James (Michael Urie) was used in the clip for Ugly Betty's ensemble nom, it and Brothers & Sisters took home no awards, with The Sopranos and 30 Rock sweeping pretty much everything. The clip for Extras' nomination also had mention of the "queer bench" where Ricky Gervais would meet George Michael cruising the park, and the clip for The Office had a rare appearance of Gay Oscar, who I thought had been lost in the supply closet this season.
Submitted by on Mon, 2008-01-28 08:48. |
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It's classy of Daniel Day-Lewis to salute Heath Ledger's indelible performance in ''Brokeback Mountain,'' but events like these only point out how silly and subjective acting awards can be. Ledger's Ennis del Mar was one of a kind. An original. We've never seen a character like his on the screen, and his inability to express himself (as Ennis) was haunting and heartbreaking. But who won practically all the awards that year? Philip Seymour Hoffman, a fine performer, but someone who was basically doing an impression of Truman Capote. Frankly, I've seen other actors do it better (Robert Morse in ''Tru,'' for one). As far as I'm concerned, the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics were the only ones to name Ledger the Best Actor of that year, and they were the only ones to get it right. At least practically all the other awards got it right in choosing ''Brokeback Mountain'' as Best Picture ... oops, except for the Academy voters, who apparently fell victim to the homophobia of some of its members (like Tony Curtis & Ernest Borgnine) who dissed the movie without seeing it.
The only consolation is that Ledger's legendary performance in ''Brokeback'' will live on long after we've forgotten the trivia of who won this or that last year.
Ledger's performance was second to none that year, but ......
I stopped watching the Oscars a long time ago for too many reasons to list here. While homophobia is alive and kicking, and probably played a role in Ledger not taking home the prize, he's already in great company, as many of the best of all time have been never won nor even invited to the big dance. Putting homophobia aside, there are movies and performances that are almost preordained to not only be nominated for, but to take home the Oscar. Here's the not so secret recipe to Oscar's heart.
Those wanting the golden statue simply need to have their agents seek out scripts about public figures, irrespectively of what they were famous for, and, if they can get cast in said roles, they are almost guaranteed of a nomination. Competent acting seals the deal on Oscar night.
The last three Lead Actor wins came via portrayals of Ray Charles, Truman Capote, and Idi Amin. Howard Hughes, Johnny Cash and Edward R. Murrow, simply picked the wrong years as dueling public figures ruin the recipe. If you look at the Lead Actress winners, you'll find a similar pattern with six out of the last eight coming via portrayals of real women. If Frieda has shaved her monobrow, maybe she'd been able to put up a fight against Virginia Woolf.
If Sean Penn does a credible job with Harvey Milk, he'll be so in, no matter how many hate his politics. If he does not win and there are no other public figures being portrayed that year....... I'll be ready to rumble!
Please disregard/erase