'Birdman' leads Screen Actors Guild nominations

LOS ANGELES - The dark show-business comedy "Birdman" soared with a leading four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including best ensemble cast.

Lead actor Michael Keaton was recognized for his work as the washed-up Hollywood actor Riggan Thomson. Co-stars Emma Stone, who played Thomson's troubled daughter, and Edward Norton, as an arrogant theater star, also both picked up nods.

Following with three nominations each were the coming-of-age tale and critics award favorite "Boyhood," the Alan Turing biopic "The Imitation Game," and the Stephen Hawking story "The Theory of Everything."

All were recognized for their ensemble casts and individual performances. Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke earned nods for playing divorced parents across 12 years in "Boyhood"; Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne for their portrayal of Jane and Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything"; and Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley as World War II-era British logicians Alan Turing and Joan Clarke in "The Imitation Game."

Cumberbatch also was recognized for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock: His Last Vow."

The cast of Wes Anderson's candy-colored fable "The Grand Budapest Hotel" received sole recognition for its large ensemble cast, including Norton and Adrien Brody, who also picked up a nomination for History's "Houdini."

Bennett Miller's true-crime drama "Foxcatcher" was not singled out for its overall cast but received two nominations for lead actor Steve Carell and supporting actor Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo picked up a second nod for his performance in HBO's "The Normal Heart."

Jake Gyllenhaal also received a lead acting nomination for his work as the sociopathic Louis Bloom in the Los Angeles noir "Nightcrawler."

Lead actress film nominees joining Felicity Jones are Julianne Moore for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's patient in "Still Alice"; Reese Witherspoon in the soul-searching drama "Wild"; Rosamund Pike as the missing wife in thriller "Gone Girl"; and Jennifer Aniston as a woman with chronic pain in "Cake."

In the supporting category, Oscar favorite J.K. Simmons snagged a spot for playing the drill sergeant jazz instructor in "Whiplash." But other nominations in these categories were a bit of a surprise.

Robert Duvall was recognized for the middling courtroom drama "The Judge," Meryl Streep for the musical adaptation of "Into the Woods" and Naomi Watts for "St. Vincent." Watts is also part of the "Birdman" ensemble.

The SAG Awards will be presented Jan. 25 when Debbie Reynolds will be honored with a lifetime achievement award.

The Guild Awards pave the way to the Academy Awards on Feb. 22. Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 15.

In television, HBO led the way with 10 nominations for shows "Boardwalk Empire," "Game of Thrones," "Veep" and "True Detective" and TV movies "Olive Kitteridge" and "The Normal Heart." Netflix, which tied with ABC and Showtime with five nominations, got nods for shows including "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black."

Sitcom "Modern Family" received the most individual nominations for a television program with four.

Besides the ABC show, other ensemble comedy nominees include "The Big Bang Theory," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Orange is the New Black" and "Veep." Ensemble drama nominees were "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," "Boardwalk Empire," "Game of Thrones" and "House of Cards."