SAG Awards 2017: A viewer’s guide to who, what, when and where

It’s Hollywood’s most underrated award ceremony.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are almost upon us, and while they don’t boast the same luster and lore of, say, the Oscars or the Golden Globes, the SAGs do matter.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s often-forgotten film and TV extravaganza:

Just like the Oscars and Globes, the SAG Awards recognize the on-screen achievements of the year’s best movie and television performances. Unlike those bigger name shows, however, the SAG Awards are voted on by the members of the organization.

Two separate teams — the Motion Picture and Television Nominating Committees — made up of randomly selected members of the union account for one portion of the voting, while all other SAG actors are eligible to vote as well if they choose.

That means every award is voted on by the winner’s peers within the industry. There are no awards for the actual movies or shows — just the actors themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the nominees for the SAGs closely mirror those of the season’s other shows.

Golden Globes winners Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land”) once again lead the pack for best actor honors, Emma Stone (“La La Land”) and Natalie Portman (“Jackie”) are major contenders for best actress and “The Crown,” “Stranger Things” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson” are among the heavyweights in the TV categories.

The one big different is “La La Land” — which won best comedy/musical at the Globes and is up for best picture at the Oscars — surprisingly wasn’t nominated in the SAG Awards’ equivalent category, outstanding performance by a cast.

That field is highlighted by major frontrunners “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea.”

When/Where are the SAG Awards?

They broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles this Sunday (Jan. 29) on both TBS and TNT. The award show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and typically lasts about two hours.

Who is hosting?

Nobody. Unlike the Globes — which were this year hosted by Jimmy Fallon — or the Oscars (Jimmy Kimmel), the SAG Awards have never had a host since their 1995 inception and instead rely solely on presenters to keep the show moving.

This year’s presenters include Affleck, Brie Larson, “Moonlight” stars Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, “Hidden Figures” actress Octavia Spencer and the cast of “Stranger Things,” among others.

Why do they matter?

The SAG Awards are basically a solid indicator of who will win at the Oscars.

Last year, for example, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson took home best actor and best actress honors, respectively at the SAG Awards, only to receive the same honors a few weeks later at the Academy Awards.

“Spotlight,” meanwhile, won both outstanding performance by a cast at the SAGs and best picture at the Oscars.

Aside for serving as reasonable prognosticator, though, the SAG Awards have a certain charm since its actors and actresses voting for actors and actresses. And who can assess what makes an award-worthy performance better than them?

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the SAGs only consist of 15 awards, so the show typically moves pretty quickly and smoothly. That means you can tune in from start to finish and still get a full night’s sleep.

Source: nydailynews.com