Film stars await acting awards

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Jason Reitman directed George Clooney in Up in the Air

Final preparations are under way for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, with Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds and Precious up for three nominations each.

The awards form part of the build-up to the Oscars on 7 March.

Tarantino’s war drama Basterds and Precious both landed nominations for best performance by a cast, alongside Nine, The Hurt Locker and An Education.

Previous winners in this category include the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and Crash.

Up in the Air picked up nominations for lead actor George Clooney, as well as two nominations for supporting actress, for Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Newcomer Sidibe plays the lead in Precious, a tale of redemption

Clooney, who has just organised and hosted the Hope for Haiti benefit concert, will battle it out with Jeff Bridges, for Crazy Heart, Morgan Freeman for Invictus, Britain’s Colin Firth, for A Single Man, and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

Precious’s Gabourey Sidibe joins fellow newcomer Carey Mulligan (An Education) in the leading actress category alongside industry heavyweights Meryl Streep for Julia & Julia, Helen Mirren for The Last Station, and Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side.

Co-star Mo’Nique goes head to head with Inglourious Basterds’ Diane Kruger, Kendrick, Farmiga and Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz, for Nine.

Early Oscar favourite Christophe Waltz is joined by Invictus’s Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Staley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) and Christopher Plummer in The Last Station in the supporting actor category.

The awards also honour primetime television, with 3D Rock, The Closer and Dexter leading the charge with three nominations each.