SAG back having serious impact on the Oscars
This year SAG nominees were particularly out of sync with Oscar contenders because the guild list was announced especially early. But with that same head start now that winners have been announced, they may be back in sync with Oscar champs. Last time that happened was three years ago — the year of "Million Dollar Baby" — when all of the acting slots on the film side matched with the academy. The two sets of kudos were 3 for 4 over the past 2 years. Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls") won SAG, but Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine") won the Oscar. Two years ago SAG voters preferred Paul Giamatti ("Cinderella Man") in the supporting actor slot over Oscar choice George Clooney ("Syriana"). With Oscar ballots being mailed out on Jan. 30, these SAG results are out early. It was four years ago that the Oscars moved up a month, causing the guilding prizes to scoot up, too. Back then there was more time for the guild results to sink in. Now they seem to be positioned for max impact again.


