A view from inside the SAG Awards

The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of stars are toasting their peers — and dishing about a possible actors strike — at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen reports from the trophy table inside the Shrine Auditorium (and everywhere else she roams).

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— The ceremony has started, but the trophy table isn't set up backstage yet. Tuxedoed workers arrange more than a dozen trophies — those hefty bronze statuettes that weigh 12 pounds each — on a long table covered with a black cloth while the night's first awards (female and male actor in a comedy series) are being announced.

Tracey Ullman said she spent her time on the red carpet spotting stars. "It's great fun. You see who's had work done," she joked. "You see what thespians are aging, who aren't. We just stopped around the corner for a Starbucks, and half the people are in their limos at Starbucks just circling because no one wants to arrive too early."

Holly Hunter, nominated for a drama actress award for "Saving Grace," said actors come to these awards to support the union, which has struggled internally over leadership and a possible strike authorization vote. "One of the great powers of the union — any union — is the ability to strike," Hunter said. "And I support them."

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On the Net:

http://www.sagawards.org/

Published 1/25/09 by


AP Movie News