Sherri Sylvester: SAG yields stunning outfits, interesting comments

Sherri Sylvester

CNN Correspondent Sherri Sylvester has been on the red carpet of the 2001 Screen Actors Guild Awards, the annual awards show presented by Hollywood's actors union and a precursor to the Academy Awards.

Q: Who do you think wore the most remarkable clothing on the SAG awards' red carpet, among both men and women?

SYLVESTER: Juliette Binoche looked stunning. She was beautiful. Lauren Graham from "The Gilmore Girls" had on a dress that looked like fish scales almost and you would pull up a little piece of it and there's skin underneath. Kate Hudson was gorgeous, she had a big, beautiful flower it looked like a lily kind of coming out of her lapel. She of course was with her new husband, and they looked great together.

Q: Did any of the stars say anything that surprised you?

SYLVESTER: I had a couple of interesting conversations with the stars. I asked some of them about their early beginnings -- since this is the Screen Actors Guild -- and how they got their SAG card and got their start. And Ellen Burstyn, one of her first jobs was on the "Jackie Gleason Show," and so she had really fond memories of working with Jackie Gleason when he was of course at the height of his fame and doing all those memorable characters. Tom Hanks was talking about a movie that I had never heard of that I'll have to look up. I believe it was called "All I Know" and it actually preceded "Bosom Buddies" and it was a very obscure movie that we'll probably never find. We'll have to look for it. But that's how he got his Screen Actors Guild card.

Q: Tell us a little bit about this year's lifetime achievement award winners?

SYLVESTER: The Lifetime Achievement Award winners this year are Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, of course a married couple. They've been together for many, many years and worked together for years. And Whoopi Goldberg presented them with that award. And I talked to them on the red carpet and they're very excited. They're very staunch supporters of their guild, their union. And they're very excited that this group of working actors, 98,000 of them, were honoring them, and they thought that made it that much more special.

Q: How much influence do the SAG awards have on Academy Award voters, with the Oscars coming up later this month?

SYLVESTER: Well there is some overlap because the actors branch of the Academy nominates those lead and supporting actors for the Oscars. And when you think about it, it makes sense that they would be SAG members. And SAG actors, of course vote for the nominees here. Their record of predicting the Oscars is pretty good. This is only the seventh year for these awards but 10 out of 12 best actor and best actress winners at SAG have gone on to win the Oscar. They have a very good track record in a very short amount of time.

Q: What did the actors say about the possible SAG strike threatening Hollywood?

SYLVESTER: Many of them said that they have been busy working making pictures back-to-back in anticipation of what could be a long labor negotiation. A lot of them were upbeat and there would be positive negotiations and there won't be a long work stoppage. They thought that maybe they can get things done by that June 30 deadline that they have. But a lot of them are working under really hectic schedules trying to get all their work completed just in case there's a walkout.

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