The King's Speech and The Fighter solidified their positions as Oscars front-runners Thursday morning when they each received four nominations for the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The King's Speech, a period drama about King George VI's efforts to correct his stammer, earned nominations for Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and, perhaps most important, in the ensemble category — SAG's equivalent of the best picture Oscar.
The Fighter, a drama about a Boston boxer who gets his shot at the championship, earned nods for Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and ensemble. Notably missing from that list: lead actor Mark Wahlberg.
The Social Network, which has been dominating critics' awards, received only two nominations: for lead actor Jesse Eisenberg and for ensemble. True Grit, which was snubbed Tuesday when the Golden Globe nominations were announced, earned nods for lead actor Jeff Bridges and supporting female actor Hailee Steinfeld.
Besides the omission of Wahlberg, there were some other surprises in the film categories. Hilary Swank earned a nomination for her lead role in Conviction, a movie that generally has been overlooked so far this awards season. And 79-year-old Robert Duvall, who also has been underappreciated this awards season, was recognized by the SAG with a nomination for his role as a hermit in the period drama Get Low.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards have become one of the movie season's major bellwethers for the Academy Awards. Last year, both the academy and SAG agreed on all four feature acting winners. The two bodies disagreed, however, on the big one. The outstanding cast award went to Inglourious Basterds while the best picture Oscar went to The Hurt Locker.
As previously announced, Ernest Borgnine will receive the Life Achievement Award when the SAGs are handed out Jan. 30 at the Shrine Exposition Hall during a two-hour telecast on TNT and TBS.
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