Britons Triumph at Old-style Sag Awards Ceremony

It was almost like a return to the old days of Hollywood. The red carpet was laid, the paparazzi stood by, TV presenters breathlessly intoned the names of the nominees and the designers of the clothes they were sporting.

Hollywood, thanks to the grand gesture of its striking writers, was able to celebrate an old-fashioned awards ceremony on Sunday, possibly the only fully-fledged gong-fest of the season. And two of the main awards went to British actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie.

But these were not the Oscars, or the Golden Globes, but the SAG Awards. SAG, the Screen Actors Guild, is a close relative of the striking Writers Guild of America, whose 12,000 members have been on strike for more than three months over residual payments for internet and digital downloads of their work. The WGA gave the SAG a waiver and a promise not to picket, allowing the event to go ahead.

The winners, voted for by the 120,000 members of the union, closely mirrored the favorites for the Oscars, due at the end of next month, but under threat from the striking writers.

Unpleasant characters dominated as Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor award for his performance in There Will Be Blood, and Javier Bardem was awarded best supporting actor for his impersonation of a killing machine in No Country For Old Men.

The awards' TV sections followed the trend established in film: James Gandolfini won best actor in a drama series for his performance as Tony Soprano in the eponymous TV program, while Alec Baldwin picked up best actor in a comedy series for his role as a domineering TV executive in 30 Rock.

But sympathetic heroines won the day too. Julie Christie, another Oscar favorite, won best actress in a leading role for Away From Her. In the TV categories, Edie Falco received the best actress in a drama series for her performance as the long suffering Carmela Soprano.

With the actors' contract with the studios set to expire in June, and the possibility that they could strike over the same issue, solidarity between the two unions was to the fore during the televised ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

"It's lovely to receive an award from your own union, especially at a time when we're being so forcefully reminded how important unions are," Christie said. Day-Lewis paid tribute to the Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died last week, as he accepted his award.

The wins for No Country For Old Men put the Coen Brothers' film in pole position for the Oscars, although the SAG awards have been an unreliable indicator for the Academy Awards.