SAG Award Nominee Predictions: SAG and Golden Globe Nominations Announced This

Culture

On Wednesday and Thursday this week the Screen Actors Guild and Gold Globe award nominees will be announced, respectively, to the public. Watch live here as the SAG nominees are announced.

Since many members of the actors’ union overlap with the Academy Awards roster, their picks are often predictive of Oscar contenders.

While the actual award shows won’t air until January 2013, here’s a preview of what to expect.

SAG Predictions:

Which one is this?

Randomly selected members of the union vote for SAG awards, so actors get to evaluate their peers. It’s considered by some to be the most authentic recognition of theatrical work, because it’s given internally and democratically. It’s also been called Hollywood’s biggest, ugh, self-love off.

What were we talking about last year?

Last year’s big TV winners were Boardwalk Empire and Modern Family (best ensemble awards), as well as American Horror Story, and 30 Rock (best female and male performances).

For movies, last year’s SAG film favorites included, The Help, The Artist, and Beginners.

Who are we talking about now?

For the overall ensemble glory, this year, we think Breaking Bad will be the big winner. Walter White has gone seriously off the rails, yet somehow we’ve gone with him. After losing out last year, we think this dark AMC horse’s time has come.

For individual awards, we’re rooting for Tina Fey, who’s picked up the “outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series” nod in 2007, 2008, and 2009. With her semi-autobiographical show on its last season, Fey has brought her best one-liner game. “I like my tampons to be cold” couldn’t be pulled off by just any actress.

In 2013, for film, we think they’ll stick to big stories, big names, and big sentiment, with one artsy pick thrown in. That makes Les Miserables, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty the obvious frontrunners, and Argo the highbrow footnote.

Golden Globe Award Predictions:

Which one is this?

The Globes are the glitterati-fawning cousin of awards season. The 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) decide on the winners, and have historically been accused of being bribed or otherwise influenced. Whatever their methods, they tend to like stars, the bigger the better.

What Were We Talking About Last Year?

For television, “Best TV Series-Drama” and “Best Actress” went to Homeland and everyone, including the president, was calling it their new favorite show. “Best TV Series-Comedy,” like the SAG awards was given to Modern Family, and even before the premier of the show, “the new normal,” was being tossed around headlines.

A for movies, the Globes were into The Descendents (Best Picture, Best Actor), The Iron Lady (Best Actress), Hugo (Best Director), and Midnight in Paris (Best Screenplay), which was an interesting mix.

Who are we talking about now?

Last year was all about making a statement with the praise of Modern Family. While the show remains solid, its groundbreaking moment has passed. In 2013, we’re divining that The Newsroom will be anointed.

Set in the very recent past, its writers get to live the fantasy of always having the perfect smug response to every unpredictable political event. And we all get to feel smart for knowing about something that already happened, and reliving it like we’re insiders. Major points for making the audience feel important.

The HFPA is more in love with Angelina Jolie than Perez Hilton, and since Jennifer Lawrence proved she’s still this year’s it girl with Silver Linings Playbook, we think she’ll get a “Best Actress” nod. Either Django Unchained or Zero Dark Thirty are our guesses for “Best Picture.” Both films have edgy directors (Quentin Tarantino, Kathryn Bigelow) and award-magnet leads (Leo DiCaprio, Jessica Chastian).

But, Daniel Fienberg has said, “Predicting the Golden Globes is like trying to get inside the head of Claire Danes' Homeland character when she's off her meds. After a while, it's all headshots, push-pins and interconnecting yarn.” So, they can also be refreshingly surprising.

What are your favorite shows and movie winner predictions?