Blog Posts by Matt McDaniel

SAG Award nominees 'Lincoln,' 'Les Miserables' & 'Silver Linings Playbook' (Photo: DreamWorks/Universal/TWC)

The nominations for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced early Wednesday morning, confirming some star as front-runners for Oscar consideration while also throwing a few new names into the mix.

"Lincoln," "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" tied with four nominations each, including the top award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. The other two nominees for the ensemble award were "Argo" and, in somewhat of a surprise, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

The SAG Awards, which also honors television, will air on Sunday, January 27 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on TBS.

19th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
BRADLEY COOPER / Pat - "SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK" (The Weinstein Company)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Abraham Lincoln - "LINCOLN" (Touchstone Pictures)
JOHN HAWKES / Mark - "THE SESSIONS" (Fox Searchlight)
HUGH JACKMAN / Jean Valjean - "LES MISÉRABLES" (Universal

On Sunday evening, director J.J. Abrams presented a first look at the opening nine minutes of "Star Trek Into Darkness," the follow-up to his reboot of the long-running sci-fi saga.  And both hardcore Trekkers and casual fans will be happy to know that the preview -- which will be screening in IMAX in front of "The Hobbit" starting on Friday -- is a fun, energetic reintroduction to the Enterprise crew that leaves you wanting more.

Benedict Cumberbatch in the 'Star Trek Into Darkness' trailer (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

The footage starts off on Earth, specifically 23^rd Century London. A sullen-looking married couple wake and head off to a hospital, where their daughter lies unconscious in a bed.  The father (Noel Clarke of "Doctor Who") later stands on the terrace looking out when he hears a low, rather ominous voice who announces that he can save the girl.  It cuts to reveal Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's "Sherlock" -- apparently Abrams watches a lot of BBC), who we know is the villain of the film, but the identity of the character he plays is not disclosed in the preview.  So we've most likely got several months of speculation still to come on that.

Martin Freeman in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

It's been nine long years since we last left the realm of Middle-earth, and if you've been dying to return to the world of Hobbits, Dwarves, and Elves, we've got good news for you. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" takes you right back to the familiar lands of "The Lord of the Rings," and the new movie fits right on the shelf with director Peter Jackson's previous three Tolkien adaptations.

Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Django Unchained' (Photo: The Weinstein Company)

We're used to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio as the hero in his movies.  So when he decided to be a villain for director Quentin Tarantino, he wasn't going to go halfway with it.  The question was, how bad is too bad?

DiCaprio plays Calvin Candie, a wickedly inhumane plantation owner in "Django Unchained," Tarantino's new film set in the pre-Civil War South. A slave owner with no respect for humanity or decency (or dental hygiene for that matter), Candie is a truly repellant character.  So much so, in fact, that DiCaprio admitted to Vibe Magazine that upon reading the script, "[My] immediate question was, 'Are we going too far?'"

Jennifer Lawrence in 'Silver Linings Playbook' (Photo: The Weinstein Company)2012 is looking like it will be remembered as the Year of the Lawrence.

Jennifer Lawrence is still only 22 years old, but she had more success this year than most actors do in their entire careers. She starred in one of the top-grossing films of 2012, the record-breaking "The Hunger Games." Then she followed that smash hit with a critically acclaimed and Independent Spirit Award-nominated turn as a troubled young widow in director David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook."

It was on the strength of these two powerful and very different performances that the Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Jennifer Lawrence will be the recipient of their Outstanding Performer of the Year Award.  Lawrence will be honored at the 28th installment of the festival on February 2 at the historic Arlington Theater.

[Related: Matthew McConaughey, 'Moonrise Kingdom' score big with the Independent Spirit Awards nominations]

SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling stated, "Ms.

The Griswolds in 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)Clark Griswold, as portrayed by Chevy Chase, was the world's most enthusiastic family man. In 1989's "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," Griswold attempted to cover every square inch of his home with Christmas lights. Hilarity ensued. The scene has been re-created (sort of) in a new Old Navy commercial that reunites Chase with costars Beverly D'Angelo and Juliette Lewis. "The Big Bang Theory" star Johnny Galecki, who played the son Rusty in the movie, does not appear in the ad, but Martin Short, who costarred with Chase in "Three Amigos," does the voice-over.