The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have arrived and many of the biggest stars in Hollywood are already making their way down the red carpet.
Bradley Cooper of "Silver Linings Playbook," Javier Bardem of "Skyfall," Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory," Helen Hunt of "The Sessions," Kerry Washington of "Django Unchained" and Naomi Watts of "The Impossible" were among the early arrivals.
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As the minutes ticked down until the start of the show they were joined by stragglers like Amanda Seyfried and Hugh Jackman of "Les Misérables," Lea Michele of "Glee," Marion Cotillard of "Rust and Bone" and Nicole Kidman of "The Paperboy."
Many awards prognosticators are hoping that the actor's union will help clarify an Oscars race that has been labeled one of the closest in years. The hunt for the industry's top prize was shaken up after "Zero Dark Thirty" director Kathryn Bigelow and "Argo" director Ben Affleck were snubbed by Academy Awards voters.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards only honor performances, but a strong showing for the cast of "Lincoln," for example, could solidify its status as a front-runner, while upsets by the like of "Argo" or "Les Misérables," could give them a strong head of steam going into Oscars voting.
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Guild voters have been reliable predictors of what performances will ultimately be honored on Oscar night. All of the major film award winners went on to win Oscars last year save Screen Actors Guild lead-actress winner Viola Davis of “The Help," who lost the Oscar to Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady.”
Voters tonight will help determine rather Jennifer Lawrence of "Silver Linings Playbook" is the favorite for Best Actress if she triumphs over "Zero Dark Thirty" star Jessica Chastain, and rather "The Master"s' Philip Seymour Hoffman is the performance to beat in Best Supporting Actor Oscar race.
Both Daniel Day-Lewis of "Lincoln" and Anne Hathaway of "Les Misérables" are considered nearly unbeatable in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress races, respectively. A loss for either tonight will send Oscars tea-leaf readers spinning on their axis.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards kick off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.