Two handfuls of moments from last night's SAG Awards have stuck with me. How about you?
All Politics Are Personal
Julia Louis-Dreyfus early win and a speech that got political, her father being an immigrant, set the tone and politics never went away. It was there in every speech, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes poignantly. People who scream "no more politics" are always forgetting that all politics are personal. The laws that are made, the character of the country we live in, the rights we enjoy or can't, the laws that goven our workplaces, the type of healthcare we get, the size of the paycheck. All of these things affect every single person personally whether they see that it connects to D.C. or not. If there was any doubt that Mahershala Ali was going to win the Oscar next month for his terrific work in Moonlight (and also, yes, as a symbolic win for the film itself which often happens in the supporting categories) it surely vanished last night. Ali was deeply touched at the prize, humble, but also upset given T***'s unconstitutional Muslim ban. He brought up his own conversion to Islam and the initial conflict it raised with his mother. Touchingly he revealed that they're both long since over the conflict since. A bonus of Ali winning is we got to see shots of the Moonlight table and they unfortunately didn't get another chance to shine.
Lily Tomlin, Denzel Washington, Winona Ryder and more after the jump...
Which Winona Ryder are you today? #mondaymotivation pic.twitter.com/ttXdnROsdE
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) January 30, 2017
Winona Ryder experienced every human emotion in less than 30 seconds pic.twitter.com/3dIf0MC4IY
— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) January 30, 2017
Winona Ryder, A Meme Again
I'm still trying to process what was happening with Noni's face during the Stranger Things acceptance speech. But I was also discombobulated listening to David Harbour shout about... well, it was political but also incoherent. Her face is popping up all over my internet this morning in a variety of contexts and it was one of those things that in the moment you knew it would live on well past the closing credits of the show.
Lily Tomlin is Lily Tomlin is Lily Tomlin and We All Benefit From That
It's so insane how much great television Oscar throws away each year by keeping Honorary Oscars off the air. The Cecil B DeMille at the Globes and the SAG Lifetime Achievement are always highlights of those shows. While the intro wasn't the 9 to 5 reunion we'd been promised (Jane Fonda was sick - get well soon! -- and Dolly overcompensated with the old boob jokes going it alone), Lily's acceptance speech was quintessential Lily. It had the weird sideways bits of comic business (the statue turning) the deadpan philosopher joking, and even the funny voices (as she imitated Ruth Gordon's Oscar speech) that Lily is known for. She also took the time out to thank her wife and creative partner Jane Wagner and the camera gave Jane a nice closeup. They've been together since 1971 !!! And they say showbiz marriages can't last.
Emma Stone Claims to Have Low Self Esteem
We all know that actors are human. And this speech seemed so genuine when she talked about the mental gymnastics it took for her to view herself as worthy of prizes. But how can you give such dazzling star turns as she gave in Easy A and La La Land, which scream "MOVIE STAR!" in all caps, if you don't completely buy into your own charisma? It's a mystery! But the speech felt so genuine it only throws away the key to her Oscar lock next month. Nobody is taking that Best Actress prize from her.
P.S. We don't think Natalie will mind as she already has one "false idol"
Claire Foy is like Adele's Skinny Doppelganger
Or is it just the hairdo and the dress that feels right out of the "Send My Love (to Your New Lover)" video? Also does this mean I have to watch The Crown? I find stories about the Royal Family so tedious.
Who wore it better? pic.twitter.com/uS4TfrgEiP
— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) January 30, 2017
It Was Really Hard to Think About Anything Else Once You Looked at Nicole Kidman's Dress
It really was. At first we shrieked but as the night wore on, it grew in estimation from its sheer staying power and audacity. We'll see what Jose has to say about it in his fashion roundup!
Actors Really Love Fences
Or do they really just love Denzel Washington? While it's true that he'd never before won a SAG Award, that type of awards trivia minutae is not likely to permeate the consciousness of huge populations like the Screen Actors Guild. Does this throw Casey Affleck's assumed Oscar frontrunner status into question? Or was this just a momentary bump on the road to Oscar?
The last time Denzel won the Best Actor Oscar (Training Day, 2001) he had previously lost SAG, and the SAG winner was Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) who was thought to have lost the Oscar afterwars due to press about his bad behavior in hotels and at BAFTA. On the other hand Crowe had just won the Oscar the year before for Gladiator so there were multiple reasons to jump ship and vote Denzel. It does make you wonder though...
Hidden Figures is Super-Duper Popular
While we were rooting for Moonlight which is the very definition of a superb cast, with no weak links and also the added pleasure of meeting a whole bunch of less-heralded actors in comparison to Hidden Figures which is filled with "names," it's hard not to feel happy for a movie that pleasurable. Octavia and Janelle were crying and Taraji gave another impassioned speech that was political in nature without being "political" and thus a really beautiful moment to end on. Those heroic women who helped put that heroic man in space are 'hidden figures no more'.
Moonlight's loss here suggests that La La Land is the lockiest of locks for Best Picture. Hidden Figures we must remember, has only 3 nominations and no Director or Editing nods which are usually key to winning Best Picture.
Janelle Monae Hopping Tables
It was so cute and she was in two nominated ensembles. Great year she had.
Meryl + Ryan
Hey girl, is my bow tie straight? @RyanGosling #MerylStreep #sagawards pic.twitter.com/UF93isAwzI
— ExtraTV (@extratv) January 30, 2017
What was your favorite moment and biggest takeaway from the SAG Awards this year?
How'd you do on your predictions? I did pretty well -- I even predicted Stranger Things's surprise win!