17TH ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS, LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE ON VELVET

Velvet, the fun, sexy party channel, rolls out the red carpet anew with the exclusive and complete coverage of the much-awaited 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, live and exclusive on January 31, Monday.



The biggest gathering of stars in Hollywood begins at 7 a.m. with the Live from Red Carpet special, followed by the main awards show at 9 a.m. Same-day primetime telecast starts at 8 p.m. Velvet also rolls out the red carpet for a special hour-long Fashion Police: SAG Awards edition on February 3, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

The awards show, produced by award-winning director/producer Jeff Margolis with the awards Committee, the SAG Awards brings together Hollywood's top professionals to celebrate excellence in acting in film and television. It is the only award-giving body created by actors for actors. Some of the biggest and most critically-acclaimed performances in the past year made the cut of this prestigious event.

Leading this year’s nomination for the movie categories are films The King’s Speech and The Fighter with four nominations apiece, followed by The Kids are All right and Black Swan with three nominations each. The Social Network tops off the category for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Colin Firth (The King's Speech), whose portrayal of King George VI has made him a favorite in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role category, is up against 2010 SAG winner Jeff Bridges (True Grit), seasoned actor Robert Duvall (Get Low), three-time nominee James Franco (127 Hours) and dark horse Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network).

Sentimental favorite Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) faces stiff competition in frontrunner and first-time SAG nominee Natalie Portman (Black Swan). SAG regulars Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)and Hilary Swank (Conviction), as well as indie darling Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), round out the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category.

Playing washed-up boxer Dicky Eklund in The Fighter, Christian Bale is the critics' favorite in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role category. He's challenged by John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Jeremy Renner (The Town), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) and Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), all of whom gave outstanding performances in their films.

For the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category, frontrunner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) goes neck to neck with her co-star Amy Adams (The Fighter). Also nominated are Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Mila Kunis (Black Swan) and 14 year-old first-timer Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit).

Also topbilling this year’s SAG Awards for the television categories are Velvet’s primetime offerings The Good Wife and Nurse Jackie. Seven-time winner Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) is vying to be the Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series, while Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) leads the nominees in the Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series category. The Good Wife also bagged a nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Both shows are among Velvet's top highly-rated primetime offerings on the channel.

Dexter, which will soon air on Velvet, bagged nominations for Outstanding Performance by An Ensemble in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series. Its lead actor Michael C. Hall is also nominated as Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, alongside Hugh Laurie (House), John Hamm (Mad Men), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) are making their stake for the top prize.

Another highlight of the night is the Life Achievement Award, presented to an established performer for fostering the highest ideals of the acting profession and tributes to the varied talents within the Guild’s membership. This year's recipient is industry veteran Ernest Borgnine.

More than a decade since its birth, the SAG Awards continues to celebrate the best and the brightest of the stars for a night of pride and prized honor. The awards focus on the entire ensemble of a television drama and comedy series, individual performances, and the cast of a motion picture. In previous years, the SAG Awards has acknowledged stunt performers, background singers and performers, dancers, animation voiceover performers and even regional, commercial, character and child actors.

An awards night will never be complete without the red carpet mania. Velvet gives the glitz and the glamour Live from the Red Carpet at the SAG Awards on January 31, Monday, 7 a.m. No one escapes the prying eyes of style experts in the fashion industry like Joan Rivers, Giulina Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and George. Find out who made it to the best dressed list in the special SAG Awards edition of Fashion Police exclusively on Velvet on February 3, Thursday, at 7:30 p.m., with encore telecasts on February 4, Friday at 2 p.m.

Catch the prestigious SAG Awards as it returns to Velvet for the third year in a row! Velvet (SkyCable Channel 53), the country’s premium general entertainment channel, is now available on SkyCable Platinum, SkyCable Gold, SkyCable Silver and other quality cable operators nationwide. Log on to www.velvetchannel.multiply.com for more details.