My predictions:

Best Actor

Peter O'Toole, Venus (This is my "out there" prediction; I just read that Miramax sent out DVD screeners of Venus to the full 100,000 membership of the SAG)

Alt: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress

Helen Mirren, The Queen

Alt: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal

Best Supporting Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

Alt: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Alt: Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Best Ensemble

The Departed

Alt: Little Miss Sunshine

What are your predictions?

Peace,
Mike.

As a reminder, the SAG Nominations were:

Nominees (Film)

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Best Actor
Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Will Smith, Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Ensemble
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker

Best Actress
Helen Mirren

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett(SAG is her friends... DG is slipping, this could be the first sign of weakness for Hudson)

Ensemble
Babel

Ensemble
Little Miss Sunshine

Alt: The Departed

Actor
Peter O'Toole, Venus

Alt: Forrest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Alt: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Supporting Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

Alt: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Supporting Actress
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Alt: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
2. Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
3. Penelope Cruz, Volver
4. Kate Winslet, Little Children
5. Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
2. Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
3. Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
4. Adriana Barraza, Babel
5. Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
2. Peter O'Toole, Venus
3. Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
4. Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
5. Will Smith, Pursuit of Happyness

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
2. Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
3. Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
4. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
5. Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond

Ensemble
The Departed
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Babel
4. Dreamgirls
5. Bobby

Well, since this year is so off the wall, with no clear cut favourite for just about everything, I have some differing opinions.

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

I'd love to say Streep, but the film is too light for a win. It will have to go to some Brit portraying another Brit, in a role that any Brit, maybe even Zelwegger could do. I think Streep's performance should win, but won't.

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

This will be the first surprise of the year. Let the lovefest for Babel begin.

Best Actor
Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Will Smith, Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Not so much a huge surprise, but this is the year, like in 2001, when the Academy and the Guilds honour those that perhaps should of before. In 2001, the two best actors that year were both black, and deserved recognition before (Washington only) and were honoured for their roles. This year, O'Tooole will win.

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Because he deserves it.

Ensemble
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine

Because if Babel wins it I'll throw up.

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Ensemble
Little Miss Sunshine

I don't think Dreamgirls is going to win anything.

Actor: Whitaker
Actress: Mirren

I dont even know why people even bother posting about those categories anymore.

S.Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
S.Actress: Rinko or Abigail

Ensemble: The Departed.

I don't know. I want to be different. I think it would be a great way to award the film after all the category confusion and also, maybe because it actually deserves the freakin thing more than any other movie. I love Little Miss sunshine to death, but but my god, the ensemble acting for The Departed was one of the strongest of the last few years' worth of films.

I think O'Toole will make a stand here and go on to the Oscar. The problem so far is this whole sentiment of "we have to give Peter an Oscar now before he dies", which was huge at Toronto Film Festival, has been deteriorated big time since then, due to O'Toole not being able to come over and make himself visible. But now he is officially nominated, and he is in the states, and Miramax actually starts pushing the film by sending out these DVD screeners, I think the whisper will start picking up again. Even if he doesn't win SAG, I'm sticking with him at the Oscar.

Erm...no.

Actor: Peter O'Toole
Actress: Helen Mirren
Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
Ensemble Cast: The Departed

Best Actor

Peter O'Toole, Venus

Best Actress

Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Hudson, Deamgirls

Best Ensemble

The Departed (Alt.: Little Miss Sunshine)

My predictions:
I'm predicting a few surprises, even though whenever I do that, I largely fail.

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
(Alt. Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond)

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
(Alt. Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal)

Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
(Alt. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed)

Best Supporting Actress
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
(Alt. Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls)

Best Ensemble
The Departed
(Alt. Babel)

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Actor
Peter O'Toole, Venus

Best Supporting Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

Ensemble
Little Miss Sunshine

Yeah, SAG is O'Toole's last shot at anything before the Oscars, and after hearing about all the Venus screeners sent out and this being an acting organization, I'm going to go out on that limb, too.

Peter O'Toole
Helen Mirren
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jennifer Hudson
The Departed

Forest Whitaker
Helen Mirren
Eddie Murphy
Jennifer Hudson
Little Miss Sunshine

The most boring lineup possible. That's the way to go.

Mirren-Whitaker-Hudson-Arkin-Departed. 1 for each, zero for Babel.

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, The Queen
alt: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
alt: Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine

Best Actor
Leonardo Dicaprio, Blood Diamond
alt: Peter O'Toole, Venus

Best Supporting Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
alt: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Ensemble
The Departed
alt: Little Miss Sunshine

I'm sure Leo will win at least one, but not sure which one.

Just to shake things up :


Best Actress
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
alt: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
alt: Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal

Best Actor
Peter O'Toole, Venus
alt: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Supporting Actor
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
alt: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Ensemble
Babel
alt: Bobby

I know... lol


but Meryl still has ZERO SAGs to her credit for movies...? I just want to go against the consensus here.


EDIT - Correction: she got a SAG for Angels in America, and that's it. 8 SAG noms (3 for ensembles) and she's kinda overdue for the win. Mirren won 2 in 2002 for her work in Gosford Park. Will this really matter? We'll see

The Departed
Forest Whitaker
Helen Mirren
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Cate Blanchett

I'm so split. Departed or Little Miss Sunshine can win this award, and then this could begin turning into my favorite Oscar year since Gladiator or American Beauty... Or, Babel can win, and all of a sudden the possibility is there for the worst. I only can pray.

Here's the history of how the SAG Ensemble winner went compared to the PGA Winner:

PGA Winner -- SAG Ensemble Winner

Brokeback Mountain -- Crash
The Aviator -- Sideways
Return of the King -- Return of the King
Chicago -- Chicago
Moulin Rouge -- Gosford Park
Gladiator -- Traffic
American Beauty -- American Beauty
Saving Private Ryan -- Shakespeare in Love
Titanic -- The Full Monty
The English Patient -- The Birdcage
Apollo 13 -- Apollo 13

7 times the PGA and the SAG Ensemble winner differed, 4 times the PGA and SAG Ensemble were the same.

The larger ensembles among the 5 nominees tend to win, but not always.

Peace,
Mike.

I can't believe Apollo 13 won both, and ended up hitting the awards show in practical 5th place, without a director's nom. Wacky.

EDIT - Actually it led the nominees in noms, and there was a 3/5 split that year anyways, with the other noms with director's being Babe and Il Postino, a foreign. So Apollo was second that year. I wonder how close it got to being the first BP winner without a BD nom... probably very. Hanks domination backlash may have stopped it.