SAG Awards Point Toward Oscars

There were few surprises at the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday night.

Oscar frontrunners Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson came out on top. The Early Show entertainment contributor Jess Cagle said all the SAG winners are good indicators of who will win at the Oscars simply because the actors who vote in SAG have the largest voting block in the Academy.

He said he is positive that Whitaker will win the Oscar for best actor for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

"He has won every major critic's award and won the golden globe," People magazine assistant managing editor and The Early Show entertainment contributor Jess Cagle told co-anchor Julie Chen. I think he will definitely win in that category. They could give it to him right now."

According to Cagle, Whitaker, Mirren for playing Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen," and Jennifer Hudson for Effie White in "Dreamgirls" are unstoppable on their quest for the Oscar. Only Eddie Murphy, who won the SAG award for best supporting actor in "Dreamgirls" may face some competition at the Oscars.

"Allan Arkin is considered Murphy's strongest competition and people love 'Little Miss Sunshine,' " Cagle said.

"Little Miss Sunshine" won for best cast, which Cagle said throws the Oscar race wide open.

"It could (be) 'The Departed' or 'Babel' other 'Little Miss Sunshine' and also 'Letters from Iwo Jima,' and 'The Queen,'" he said.

"Dreamgirls," which was famously snubbed for a best picture Oscar nomination, was also nominated for best cast. Cagle said he is still surprised it didn't get an Oscar nomination.

"It indicated that while there are some who love the movie, some are lukewarm on the movie and a lot of times you need passionate people behind the film," he said. "I wish it won. I loved 'Dreamgirls.' "

Mirren also won the award for the title role in the TV miniseries "Elizabeth I," and her co-star Jeremy Irons won the guild's prize for best actor in a TV movie or miniseries. America Ferrera of "Ugly Betty" and Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock" as lead players in television comedy series.

A complete list of winners of the 13th annual Screen Actors
Guild awards:

Movies: