Stars, not swipes

The glitz-deprived got their fix, rabble-rousers kept quiet, and 'No Country,' 'The Sopranos,' and '30 Rock' won big

Javier Bardem took home best supporting actor in a movie for his work in "No Country for Old Men." (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)

Last night, for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Hollywood finally got to gussy up and go on parade. With the writers' strike having reduced the Golden Globes to a press conference, and with next month's Oscar ceremony still a maybe, the natives took full advantage of their chance to preen on the red carpet and on the podium.

Cleavage was shown, Brad and Angelina put their humanitarian work on hold for the night, and horns were tooted with pent-up gusto.

Those hoping for a rallying event in support of the Writers Guild of America were disappointed, and the strike ultimately got only a few mentions from the stage - shout-outs from winners Tina Fey and Julie Christie and a nod from SAG president Alan Rosenberg, who introduced WGA president Patric Verrone in the audience.

But the strike nonetheless quietly defined the atmosphere in the ballroom. After three months not working, TV actors were reunited with their cast mates, and movie actors such as Javier Bardem of "No Country for Old Men" and Ruby Dee of "American Gangster" delivered their public thanks with freshly unbridled gratitude. They weren't merely forcing out another acceptance speech on the awards circuit.

And, of course, there were strike beards - or maybe just beards - all over the audience, on Rainn Wilson, James Gandolfini, Adrian Grenier, William Petersen, and Eric Mabius.

The always fragile Daniel Day-Lewis seemed to unburden himself while accepting the best actor award for "There Will Be Blood," touchingly dedicating his statue to Heath Ledger for his inspiration. Day-Lewis recalled Ledger's performances, calling Ledger's scene in the trailer at the end of "Brokeback Mountain" "as moving as anything I've ever seen." It was the night's most heartfelt moment.

Christie, accepting best actress for "Away From Her," gushed with gratitude for "the divine Sarah, Sarah Polley," who wrote and directed the movie. She also made the point that the SAG awards serve as a reminder of "how important unions are."

The most untamed acceptance speech - and by the end of the night, untamed was welcome - came from a boisterous Josh Brolin, who spoke for the winning "No Country" ensemble. Brolin razzed Bardem for his long list of recent wins from the Golden Globes and critics' organizations, and he found an awkward way to allude to the strike, noting that "the studio system is backfiring awfully, and it's fun for us actors!"

The ensemble win for "No Country," which also won the Directors Guild of America award on Saturday, makes it the movie to beat for the best picture Oscar on Feb. 24. A significant number of Oscar voters are actors.

Airing on TBS and TNT, the two-hour SAG show had no host, just a long string of presenters presenting. Some were humorous - Mickey Rooney seemed to be accepting rather than presenting - but most were just functional. Taking some of the oomph out of the night, a number of big nominees and winners - George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Queen Latifah, Kevin Kline - were not in the house.

The bulk of the ceremony was given over to the TV prizes. All the drama awards went to actors from "The Sopranos," a parting kiss to the show that helped make cable TV a magnet for actors such as Glenn Close and Holly Hunter, who both lost the best actress award to Edie Falco.

Falco and Gandolfini accepted their awards with bittersweet grace, aware that the night was their last hurrah. "I felt loved and protected and taken care of at all times," Falco said about her years on the series.

The ensemble comedy prize went to "The Office," whose cast crowded onto the stage and, through spokeswoman Jenna Fischer, dedicated their win to their crew. But the individual TV comedy statues went to "30 Rock" stars Alec Baldwin and a wonderfully gracious Tina Fey, who gave Baldwin all the credit for her win. A clip of her in a scene with Jerry Seinfeld only proved that she was being far too modest.

Ryan Seacrest was out sick last night, and he left E!'s red carpet in the mike-wielding hands of Giuliana Rancic and Debbie Matenopoulos. And they were both cheerful, as in really, really cheerful, as in cuckoo-for-Hollywood cheerful. They LOVED everyone, unless they absolutely HATED them for looking so GREAT. They looked down lovingly on tiny Eva Longoria Parker and they looked up in awe at Denis Leary's 17-year-old son, Jack, all 6-foot-5 of him.

Rancic focused on the fashion and weight questions - Nicollette Sheridan runs with her dog! - while Matenopoulos just brought on the crazy. With her ever-swinging body language, looking like Jodie Foster having a fierce sugar rush, she pulled up Ricky Gervais's jacket to reveal his behind. A serious note came when Rancic shared thoughts of Ledger and frustration with the media buzzardry. "Everyone wants to make something of it that it's not," sayeth the E! anchor.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit boston.com/ae/tv/blog/.