THE SOPRANOS - COEN BROTHERS + THE SOPRANOS DOMINATE SAG AWARDS

The COEN brothers' NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and hit TV show THE SOPRANOS have swept the board at this year's 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. Actor Tom Cruise presented the cast of No Country for Old Men with the Outstanding Cast In A Motion Picture Trophy during the ceremony on Sunday night (27Jan08). Javier Bardem picked up the award for Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Supporting Role for his chilling role as a killer in the picture. Meanwhile, hit TV show The Sopranos scooped three awards including Best Actress (Edie Falco) and Best Actor (James Gandolfini). It also took the gong for best cast in a drama series. British actor Daniel Day-Lewis dedicated his award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in There Will Be Blood to late actor Heath Ledger - just days after making a moving tribute to the Brokeback Mountain star on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. British actress Julie Chrsitie was praised for her Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in Away from Her and Ruby Dee beat Cate Blanchett to take the award in the supporting actress category for her role in American Gangster. The ceremony was unaffected by the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike - unlike the Golden Globes or the Academy Awards - because SAG has agreed with the Writers Guild of America to have one of the union's members write the script for the show.