SAG Nominations Split Up Evenly

The wide-open outlook for next month's Oscar nominations is staying that way. The Screen Actors Guild has spread its own award possibilities over several films.

Five movies received three nominations each today: "Gladiator," "Almost Famous," "The Contender," "Chocolat" and "Billy Elliot." Two nominations each went to "Erin Brockovich," "Quills" and "Traffic."

Tuesday morning's announcement of the Screen Actors Guild nominations is the last list of possible candidates for major awards before the Academy Award nominations are issued Feb. 13. The SAG awards will be presented March 11. A randomly selected group of 4,200 members of the union made the guild's nominations. The full membership of 98,000 is eligible to vote on the awards.

The SAG awards have been fairly accurate in predicting the eventual Oscar winners for lead actor and actress. Last year, Kevin Spacey won both the SAG award and Oscar for "American Beauty." Annette Bening won the SAG honor for best actress for "American Beauty," while Hilary Swank received the Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry."

Also last year, Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted" and Michael Caine in "The Cider House Rules" won supporting honors at both the SAG awards and the Oscars.

Here's the list of nominees for the 7th annual Screen Actors Guild awards:

MOTION PICTURES

• Male leading role: Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot"; Russell Crowe, "Gladiator"; Benicio Del Toro, "Traffic"; Tom Hanks "Cast Away"; Geoffry Rush, "Quills."

• Female leading role: Joan Allen, "The Contender"; Juliette Binoche, "Chocolat"; Ellen Burstyn, "Requiem for a Dream"; Laura Linney, "You Can Count on Me"; Julia Roberts, "Erin Brockovich."

• Male supporting role: Jeff Bridges, "The Contender"; Willem Dafoe, "Shadow of the Vampire"; Albert Finney, "Erin Brockovich"; Gary Oldman, "The Contender"; Joaquin Phoenix, "Gladiator."

• Female supporting role: Judi Dench, "Chocolat"; Kate Hudson, "Almost Famous"; Frances McDormand, "Almost Famous"; Julie Walters, "Billy Elliot"; Kate Winslet, "Quills."

• Cast in theatrical motion picture: "Almost Famous," "Billy Elliot," "Chocolat," "Gladiator," "Traffic."

TELEVISION

• Actor, movie made for television or miniseries: Alec Baldwin, "Nuremberg"; Brian Cox, "Nuremberg"; Brian Dennehy, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"; Danny Glover, "Freedom Song"; John Lithgow, "Don Quixote"; James Woods, "Dirty Pictures."

• Actress, movie made for television or miniseries: Stockard Channing, "The Truth About Jane"; Judi Dench, "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells"; Sally Field, "David Copperfield": Elizabeth Franz, "Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman"; Vanessa Redgrave, "If These Walls Could Talk 2."

• Actor, drama series: Tim Daly, "The Fugitive"; Anthony Edwards, "ER"; Dennis Franz, "NYPD Blue"; James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"; Martin Sheen, "The West Wing."

• Actress, drama series: Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files"; Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"; Sally Field, "ER"; Lauren Graham, "Gilmore Girls"; Allison Janney, "The West Wing"; Sela Ward, "Once and Again."

• Actor, comedy series: Robert Downey, Jr., "Ally McBeal"; Kelsey Grammer, "Frasier"; Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace"; Peter MacNicol, "Ally McBeal"; David Hyde Pierce, "Frasier."

• Actress, comedy series: Calista Flockhart, "Ally McBeal"; Jane Kaczmarek, "Malcolm in the Middle"; Debra Messing, "Will & Grace"; Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace"; Sarah Jessica Parker, "Sex in the City."

• Ensemble, drama series: "ER," "Law & Order," "The Practice," "The Sopranos," "The West Wing."

• Ensemble, comedy series: "Ally McBeal," "Frasier," "Friends," "Sex and the City," "Will & Grace."

• SAG 37th Annual Life Achievement Award: Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.