John Shearer/Invision/APActors are always wanting to be different.
But guess what? An upset or five makes for a pretty good time. And with the way the balls bounced Sunday at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, we're starting to get our hopes up that the most predictable show of 'em all, the Academy Awards, is going to be Downton, er, downright exciting!
Speaking of which, it appears that the actors were just raring to show those Hollywood Foreign Press and Academy folks what was what in the TV department, too. Here are five shockers from the 2013 SAG Awards:
1. So Much for Homeland Security: Shut the French doors, indeed. After thoroughly man-handling Mad Men at the Golden Globes and Emmys, Homeland was swept away like yesterday's tea service by none other than Downton Abbey—which doesn't even air in this country until weeks after it premieres in Britain! My word! We suspect the upset comes down to one thing: For the actors watching, it looks as if it would be way more fun to go to England, dress up and guest star on Downton Abbey than it would be to go to North Carolina, look tired and get blown up on Homeland.
2. Jennifer Lawrence Spins Silver Into Gold: Now that we think about it, Zero Dark Thirty does sound like something a football coach might scribble in his Silver Linings Playbook. Kathryn Bigelow's critically acclaimed yet controversial hunt-for-Osama bin Laden film is poised not to pick up any major Oscar wins, now that Lawrence has hacked into Jessica Chastain's best actress chances with her win for best performance by a female actor tonight.
3. Nicholas Brody's Worst Nightmare: Walter White may be a full-fledged enemy of the people now, but Bryan Cranston is beloved by his fellow actors. The Breaking Bad boy further dampened Homeland's high with his win for male actor in a drama series, making us remember the days when we could see an Emmy win for Cranston coming from a lonesome desert mile away.
4. Ben Affleck, Big Actor: Considering the onslaught of award shows and best-of lists, it's actually rather easy to forget that the Screen Actors Guild Awards are all about acting, and that the night's top prize doesn't really go to a film, per se, but to a cast. And, a night after Argo further padded its Oscar application with a best picture win from the Producers Guild, Affleck—snubbed in the directing and actor departments by the Academy—accepted best performance by a cast in a motion picture on behalf of Argo's winning ensemble. The Directors Guild of America Awards is next week, and two weeks after that is the Oscars...We're getting used to Affleck's being the last face we see at the end of our award shows this year. May as well make it a clean sweep!
5. Jack Donaghy Would Be So Proud: Alec Baldwin won his seventh straight SAG Award for 30 Rock, meaning one male actor in a comedy series win for every season the show was on. That's what they call a master class, Lemon.