SAG Awards: Rita Moreno sings (and swears!), Cate Blanchett demands equal time, McConaughey & Leto win again

The Screen Actors Guild Awards tonight were certainly a far more dignified affair that the Golden Globe Awards a week ago – and not near as much fun!

But there were some terrific moments for sure starting with the great Rita Moreno’s acceptance of the Lifetime Achievement Award – I love how she sang part of it. To be so vibrant and gorgeous at 82 – wow!

Moreno got hugs from Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts on her way to the stage, uttered an f-bomb, swooned over Brad Pitt and Jeremy Renner in the audience and said: “I’m so bloody happy. … at 82 hopefully it’s early in the third act.”

Michael Douglas, winning yet another award for his portrayal of Liberace in Behind the Candelabra, was quite eloquent in thanking his co-star (“I am not here without Matt Damon“) and in paying tribute to his 97-year-old film icon father, Kirk Douglas.

Cate Blanchett rightfully did not want to be rushed off of the stage when she accepted Best Actress for Blue Jasmine – especially after Matthew McConaughey’s lengthy Best Actor speech just prior.

She said: “29 seconds? Matthew McConaughey spoke about Neptune and I think I can have five seconds.”

Lupita Nyong’o seemed to edge ahead of Jennifer Lawrence in the Oscar supporting actress race with her win for 12 Years a Slave. It helps that she gave a wonderful speech that was humble and smart and also funny at the end when she shared the story of telling her dad she was about to make a movie with Brad Pitt.

Helen Mirren seemed genuinely shocked when she was announced winner for the Phil Spector bio, a role she landed after Bette Midler pulled out early in the filming because of a back problem. Mirren admired her trophy (she already has two) and remarked that she felt more “perky” than “saggy” and very classily singled out fellow nominee Elizabeth Moss who won the Globe last Sunday.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is probably going to win a lot more awards for her delicious portrayal of a fictional US VP in Veep so I hope she doesn’t try to make her speeches into a bit anymore. It was really funny at the Emmys but almost a little obnoxious this time as she read the start of what would have been her Globes speech (she didn’t win) and her Oscar nomination reaction for the film Enough Said (she wasn’t nominated).

Bradley Cooper gave the speech when American Hustle won the acting ensemble prize and did a beautiful tribute to the film’s director David O. Russell who has directed him to two Oscar nods in the past two years.

And it is safe to say that Jared Leto got the memo on making a meaningful acceptance speech when you play a transgender woman who dies of AIDS. His Globes speech was a bit flippant and silly but since then, he has been quite thoughtful in accepting the Critics Choice Award, the SAG Award and in reacting to his Academy Award nomination.

He dedicated his win “all the people that have lost their lives to this dreadful disease, to the people who are out there living with HIV/AIDS” and made special mention of fellow nominee, the late James Gandolfini.

It seems certain he will win the Oscar and he should. His performance was one for the ages.

While Leto has been the front-runner for the Oscar since the start of awards season, tonight’s win for McConaughey firmly establishes him as the one to beat as well. I’ll have to rewatch his speech to really get all that he was talking about but he sure looked great in that tux.

Here is a full list of winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY / Ron Woodroof – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Jasmine – “BLUE JASMINE” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

JARED LETO / Rayon – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

LUPITA NYONG’O / Patsey – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

AMERICAN HUSTLE (Columbia Pictures)

AMY ADAMS / Sydney Prosser

CHRISTIAN BALE / Irving Rosenfeld

LOUIS C.K. / Stoddard Thorsen

BRADLEY COOPER / Richie DiMaso

PAUL HERMAN / Alfonse Simone

JACK HUSTON / Pete Musane

JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Rosalyn Rosenfeld

ALESSANDRO NIVOLA / Federal Prosecutor

MICHAEL PEÑA / Sheik (Agent Hernandez)

JEREMY RENNER / Mayor Carmine Polito

ELISABETH RÖHM / Dolly Polito

SHEA WHIGHAM / Carl Elway

TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

MICHAEL DOUGLAS / Liberace – “BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

HELEN MIRREN / Linda Kenney Baden – “PHIL SPECTOR” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham – “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Vice President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BREAKING BAD (AMC)

MICHAEL BOWEN / Uncle Jack

BETSY BRANDT / Marie Schrader

BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White

LAVELL CRAWFORD / Huell

TAIT FLETCHER / Lester

LAURA FRASER / Lydia Rodarte-Quale

ANNA GUNN / Skyler White

MATTHEW T. METZLER / Matt

RJ MITTE / Walter White Jr.

DEAN NORRIS / Hank Schrader

BOB ODENKIRK / Saul Goodman

AARON PAUL / Jesse Pinkman

JESSE PLEMONS / Todd

STEVEN MICHAEL QUEZADA / Gomez

KEVIN RANKIN / Kenny

PATRICK SANE / Frankie

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy

TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy

AUBREY ANDERSON EMMONS / Lily Tucker-Pritchett

JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett

NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy

SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy

ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett

RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado

ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker

SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy