Hollywood actors honor "King's Speech"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:11pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscars front-runner "The King's Speech" won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, giving the British royals drama yet another boost four weeks ahead of Hollywood's biggest night.

The film took the prize for best ensemble cast, the guild's equivalent of the best picture Oscar.

While SAG's top honor has a spotty record as an Oscar barometer -- with a success rate of about 50 percent -- "The King's Speech" has been on a roll in the past week, winning the top prizes from both Hollywood's directors and producers.

The winners of SAG's individual acting awards mirrored the results at the recent Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, further reducing the likelihood of much surprise when the Oscars are handed out in Hollywood on February 27.

British actor Colin Firth, who stars in "The King's Speech" as stammering wartime monarch King George VI, was named best actor. Natalie Portman was named best actress for her role as an unhinged ballerina in "Black Swan."

The supporting prizes went to a pair of actors from "The Fighter," a fact-based boxing drama: Christian Bale as a crackhead former boxing hero and Melissa Leo as a feisty, blue-collar matriarch.

"The King's Speech" triumphed over "Black Swan," "The Fighter," the Facebook drama "The Social Network" and the lesbian family comedy "The Kids Are All Right." It picked up a leading 12 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including best picture, director and actor.

Firth, previously best known for romantic comedies such as "Bridget Jones' Diary," thanked his "dream cast." Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, an Oscar nominee for his role as the reluctant king's unconventional speech therapist, said the movie was a true example of ensemble acting.

"We have such a roll call of extraordinary heavy hitters," said Rush.

Portman, 29, trained for months for her role in "Black Swan," a melodrama set in the New York ballet world. She recently became pregnant by one of the movie's co-stars.

The Screen Actors Guild also honors performances in television. HBO's new Prohibition-era series "Boardwalk Empire" took best cast ensemble for a drama, while its star Steve Buscemi won for his role as a corrupt politician.

Emmys favorite "Modern Family" won for best comedy ensemble, and 89-year-old former "Golden Girl" Betty White was a popular winner for her role as a sassy caretaker in the new comedy "Hot in Cleveland."

Julianna Margulies made it two in a row for what she called the "role of a lifetime" as a buttoned-up lawyer in the legal drama "The Good Wife," and Alec Baldwin won for the fifth straight year for his role as a network executive in the comedy "30 Rock."

(Additional reporting by Nichola Groom. Editing by Dean Goodman)

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Hollywood actors honor "King's Speech"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:11pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscars front-runner "The King's Speech" won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, giving the British royals drama yet another boost four weeks ahead of Hollywood's biggest night.

The film took the prize for best ensemble cast, the guild's equivalent of the best picture Oscar.

While SAG's top honor has a spotty record as an Oscar barometer -- with a success rate of about 50 percent -- "The King's Speech" has been on a roll in the past week, winning the top prizes from both Hollywood's directors and producers.

The winners of SAG's individual acting awards mirrored the results at the recent Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, further reducing the likelihood of much surprise when the Oscars are handed out in Hollywood on February 27.

British actor Colin Firth, who stars in "The King's Speech" as stammering wartime monarch King George VI, was named best actor. Natalie Portman was named best actress for her role as an unhinged ballerina in "Black Swan."

The supporting prizes went to a pair of actors from "The Fighter," a fact-based boxing drama: Christian Bale as a crackhead former boxing hero and Melissa Leo as a feisty, blue-collar matriarch.

"The King's Speech" triumphed over "Black Swan," "The Fighter," the Facebook drama "The Social Network" and the lesbian family comedy "The Kids Are All Right." It picked up a leading 12 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including best picture, director and actor.

Firth, previously best known for romantic comedies such as "Bridget Jones' Diary," thanked his "dream cast." Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, an Oscar nominee for his role as the reluctant king's unconventional speech therapist, said the movie was a true example of ensemble acting.

"We have such a roll call of extraordinary heavy hitters," said Rush.

Portman, 29, trained for months for her role in "Black Swan," a melodrama set in the New York ballet world. She recently became pregnant by one of the movie's co-stars.

The Screen Actors Guild also honors performances in television. HBO's new Prohibition-era series "Boardwalk Empire" took best cast ensemble for a drama, while its star Steve Buscemi won for his role as a corrupt politician.

Emmys favorite "Modern Family" won for best comedy ensemble, and 89-year-old former "Golden Girl" Betty White was a popular winner for her role as a sassy caretaker in the new comedy "Hot in Cleveland."

Julianna Margulies made it two in a row for what she called the "role of a lifetime" as a buttoned-up lawyer in the legal drama "The Good Wife," and Alec Baldwin won for the fifth straight year for his role as a network executive in the comedy "30 Rock."

(Additional reporting by Nichola Groom. Editing by Dean Goodman)

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British actor Henry Cavill cast in Superman movie

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:56pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Henry Cavill, will finally get to don Superman's cape in the new Man of Steel movie, its distributor said on Sunday, almost a decade after he failed to make the cut for the previous film.

Cavill, 27, will play the dual roles of mild-mannered newspaperman Clark Kent and his high-flying alter ego in the film, which Warner Bros. will release in December 2012. Its formal title has not been announced yet.

Zack Snyder ("300") will direct from a script written by David S. Goyer and based on a story that Goyer developed with "Inception" director Christopher Nolan, who will serve as a producer.

Cavill is perhaps best known for his role as Charles Brandon, the brother-in-law of Henry VIII, in the royal drama "The Tudors." He was a main contender for "Superman Returns" when Joseph "McG" Nichol was attached as director. But when McG exited the project in 2004 and Bryan Singer signed on, Brandon Routh was subsequently cast.

Singer's film, released in 2006, grossed about $391 million at the worldwide box office, a disappointment given its reported $215 million cost. An executive at Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Bros. later said the film "didn't quite work ... in the way that we wanted it to."

Cavill, born in the Channel Islands, is the latest actor with British ties to take on the role of an iconic American superhero. Andrew Garfield, born in Los Angeles but raised in England, was last year cast as the lead in a reboot of the "Spider-Man" franchise, which is due out in July 2012.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Eric Beech)

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British actor Henry Cavill cast in Superman movie

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:56pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Henry Cavill, will finally get to don Superman's cape in the new Man of Steel movie, its distributor said on Sunday, almost a decade after he failed to make the cut for the previous film.

Cavill, 27, will play the dual roles of mild-mannered newspaperman Clark Kent and his high-flying alter ego in the film, which Warner Bros. will release in December 2012. Its formal title has not been announced yet.

Zack Snyder ("300") will direct from a script written by David S. Goyer and based on a story that Goyer developed with "Inception" director Christopher Nolan, who will serve as a producer.

Cavill is perhaps best known for his role as Charles Brandon, the brother-in-law of Henry VIII, in the royal drama "The Tudors." He was a main contender for "Superman Returns" when Joseph "McG" Nichol was attached as director. But when McG exited the project in 2004 and Bryan Singer signed on, Brandon Routh was subsequently cast.

Singer's film, released in 2006, grossed about $391 million at the worldwide box office, a disappointment given its reported $215 million cost. An executive at Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Bros. later said the film "didn't quite work ... in the way that we wanted it to."

Cavill, born in the Channel Islands, is the latest actor with British ties to take on the role of an iconic American superhero. Andrew Garfield, born in Los Angeles but raised in England, was last year cast as the lead in a reboot of the "Spider-Man" franchise, which is due out in July 2012.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Eric Beech)

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All eyes on SAG awards as Oscars loom

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:02am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's A-list turns out on Sunday for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring 2010 film and television performances just one month before the Oscars.

Britain's Colin Firth, seen as a front-runner for his role as a stammering monarch in "The King's Speech," and nominees Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman and Jeff Bridges are among those expected at the Los Angeles ceremony.

Some 120,000 actors in the U.S. film and TV industry pick the Screen Actors Guild winners, who are seen as top contenders at the February 27 Oscars because actors make up the largest voting group among members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The guild does not hand out prizes for best movie. But its top prize of best cast ensemble should narrow down a close race for the movie industry's highest honors between Facebook movie and Golden Globe winner "The Social Network," and "The King's Speech," which has a leading 12 Oscar nominations.

Ballet thriller "Black Swan," boxing drama "The Fighter" and lesbian family movie "The Kids Are All Right" are also competing for SAG's best cast trophy.

SAG best actress nominee Portman, 29, who plays an unhinged ballerina in "Black Swan," is thought to be neck and neck with Bening for her performance as a lesbian mom whose partner cheats on her with a man. Both took home Golden Globes this month.

Firth has swept the Hollywood awards season so far and earned an Oscar nomination for his role as shy King George VI -- the father of current British monarch Queen Elizabeth -- who fought to overcome an embarrassing stutter in the 1930s.

Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network," is also nominated best actor at SAG, along with 2010 Oscar winner Jeff Bridges for western "True Grit," James Franco for "127 Hours" and veteran Robert Duvall for the independent film "Get Low."

Firth's co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are nominated in supporting categories, along with three of the cast of "The Fighter" -- Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and Christian Bale.

The guild also honors performances in television. This year the cast of musical series "Glee" will defend its 2010 award for best TV comedy cast, while stylish advertising drama "Mad Men" must fend off a challenge from HBO's lavish new Prohibition-era series "Boardwalk Empire."

Best individual TV nominees include Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Steve Buscemi ("Boardwalk Empire"), Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Steve Carell ("The Office"), Betty White ("Hot in Cleveland"), Chris Colfer ("Glee"), and Tina Fey ("30 Rock").

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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