Chilly Night Warm Hearts at the Screen Actors Guild Awards

The biggest stars of film and television bundled up a bit on Sunday Jan. 30, as they descended on the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate their own achievements. It was an unexpectedly chilly walk on the tented red carpet after a day of showers, but nothing dampened the spirits of the actors who gathered for the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

SAG is the union that traditionally represents film actors, although those lines have blurred over the years, as guild members float between working in both movies and television. There was much talk at the show that AFTRA, the union for TV actors, and SAG will soon merge; SAG president Ken Howard told the full house that "by this time next year, I believe SAG and AFTRA will be one union, together."

And many of the winners agreed.

"Unions made this country strong and they give a voice to the worker," proclaimed Melissa Leo through tears of joy, who took home the Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role for "The Fighter."

Not everyone was concerned with politics, however, as the gorgeous dresses were the talk of the night. Presenter Susan Sarandon wore Nicole Miller in purple, nominee Amy Adams went with a white chiffon number from Herve L Leroux, and Annette Bening looked completely elegant in a bejeweled golden Tony Ward gown.

Bening lost out to Natalie Portman, who took home the Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role for "Black Swan" while showing her baby bump in a white Azzaro sheath. She, too, cheered on her union, saying, "I've been working since I was eleven years old, and SAG has been taking care of me all along."

Like Portman and Leo, who have won every major award so far this season, Christian Bale and Colin Firth took home the Male equivalents, for "The Fighter" and "The King's Speech." But the surprise of the night came when "The King's Speech" nabbed the biggest prize that SAG gives, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. "The Social Network" has been scooping up all the best picture accolades until now, which many take as a sign that "The King's Speech" may edge it out come Oscar time at the end of February.

As everyone from Sofia Vergara, Angie Harmon, Jon Hamm, Nicole Kidman, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Longoria and the whole cast of "Glee" looked on, other winners were awarded from the television side. Prizes went to Steve Buscemi of "Boardwalk Empire," Julianna Margulies from "The Good Wife," Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock," and, in an award that only shocked the recipient, Betty White for her work in "Hot in Cleveland."
"This is the biggest surprise I have ever had in this business," the 89-year-old White said with a laugh, as her fellow actors gave her a standing ovation. "You didn't applaud when I turned 40!"