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'Doubt' Leads Pack In SAG Nominations

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By DAVID GERMAIN

The Associated Press

Published: December 19, 2008

LOS ANGELES - The Catholic school drama "Doubt" led contenders Thursday for the Screen Actors Guild Awards with five nominations, including honors for Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

The late Heath Ledger earned a supporting-actor nomination for his maniacal turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," which has made him an Academy Awards front-runner. The Batman blockbuster also had a nomination for best stunt ensemble.

Streep has a lead-actress nomination, while Hoffman, Adams and Davis are competing in supporting categories for "Doubt," a war-of-wills tale between an old-school nun and a progressive priest.

"Doubt" also has a nomination for overall cast performance, along with the romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the Richard Nixon saga "Frost/Nixon," the gay-rights drama "Milk" and the poor-boy-makes-good tale "Slumdog Millionaire."

Kate Winslet grabbed two nominations, best actress for the domestic drama "Revolutionary Road" and supporting actress for the Holocaust-themed story "The Reader."

Other best-actress nominees were: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"; and Melissa Leo, "Frozen River."

Nominated for best actor were: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; and Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."

The 15th annual SAG Awards will air live on TNT and TBS Jan. 25, four weeks before the Academy Awards.

Last January's SAG ceremony took place during a writers strike that affected other Hollywood honors, including the Golden Globes, which were canceled. The guild awards come amid fresh labor strife, with SAG leaders now threatening a strike as negotiations with producers over a new actors contract have stalled.

A strike-authorization vote sought by SAG President Alan Rosenberg has caused a bitter divide among guild members, with top-name actors taking sides. Actors supporting the vote include Mel Gibson, Holly Hunter and Laura Dern, while Tom Hanks, George Clooney and Cameron Diaz are among those opposed.

While nominees include actors from both sides, Rosenberg said that on the night of the show, he hopes "we can put all our differences aside and focus on what we have in common rather than what divides us. I don't think there will be a pall over the awards show. It's always a great event of actors celebrating actors."

Film and TV nominees were chosen by two groups of 2,100 people randomly chosen from the guild's 120,000 members. The guild's full membership is eligible to vote for winners.

The show will include the guild's life-achievement award for James Earl Jones.

Today's Birthdays

Country singer Little Jimmy Dickens is 88. Actress Cicely Tyson is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer-musician Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 67. Actor Tim Reid is 64. Actress Jennifer Beals is 45. Magician Criss Angel is 41. Model Tyson Beckford is 38. Actress Alyssa Milano is 36. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is 28. Actress Marla Sokoloff is 28. Rapper Lady Sovereign is 23.

Source: The Associated Press

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