2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards

The stars are out as "No Country for Old Men" wins best ensemble performance in a movie.

What if they held an awards show and people actually showed up? Surprise! It actually happened last night. Even as the Oscar race is at once heating up and wavering on the brink of destruction, the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards went on with A-list actors in full force, and it even had the blessing of the Writers Guild.

In spite of the 12-week-old writers strike, WGA President Patric Verrone attended the event, in seeming thanks for actors’ support of the writers’ cause.

The short list of SAG winners includes:

• No Country for Old Men, for best ensemble performance in a motion picture
• Daniel Day-Lewis, for best actor in There Will Be Blood
• Julie Christie, for best actress in Away From Her
• Javier Bardem, for best supporting actor in No Country for Old Men
• Ruby Dee, for best supporting actress in American Gangster

Josh Brolin, one of the stars of No Country for Old Men, spoke for the cast, saying, “It’s a risky movie. And it’s nice to have risky movies.” Indeed. While not among my favorite flicks of the year, one has to give credit for some edgy filmmaking, and one certainly can’t fault the acting.

Charles Durning also received SAG’s lifetime achievement award. At 84 years old, Durning, whose credits include The Sting, Dog Day Afternoon and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and who has four upcoming films, said he still had a lot to learn. “I’m just getting the hang of it,” he quipped.