The SAG Awards still like Alec Baldwin and Boardwalk Empire, plus The Help and the French

By Sean O'Neal | January 30, 2012 | 4:16pm

Aux Features TV

The ceaseless march of awards season plodded onward last night with the Screen Actors Guild awards, as Hollywood’s elite—the tuxedos and gowns they’ve been trapped in for months now reeking of aged sweat and spilled Moët—were hosed down and once more herded into a room to low appreciatively at each other. But at least this time they didn’t have to share the air with the likes of writers and producers and look at their non-actor faces, and while that may have been bad news for the relative self-esteem of Paul Giamatti and Steve Buscemi, it also meant things could proceed at a slightly more rapid pace, and everyone could maybe get a few hours of sleep before the next scheduled awards show.

And so the SAG Awards powered through as efficiently as possible, even recycling five of the six TV winners from last year to save time: Alec Baldwin (who’s now won his category for every single season of 30 Rock), Betty White, Modern Family, the cast of Boardwalk Empire, and Steve Buscemi all repeated wins from the previous year, although at least Buscemi tried to break the monotony by spoiling Boardwalk’s second season for everyone who hasn’t caught up yet. The film side similarly offered few surprises for those who have been following awards season, although it’s worth noting that all-American leading men George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio lost to The Artist’s Jean Dujardin, officially surrendering the culture war to the French. You will be eating cheese and questioning the very nature of being by the end of the day. Here’s the complete list of winners to peruse in the meantime.