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Sinners scooped the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gala in Los Angeles on Sunday, tightening the race to the Oscars with two weeks to go before Hollywood's awards season finale.The honour at the newly rebranded Actor Awards recognises the ensemble cast of a film – a decision that sometimes, but not always, presages Academy Award best picture glory.Ryan Coogler's vampire fable about America's difficult racial history, has stormed through awards season, garnering a record 16 Oscar nominations."We brought our hearts, we brought our souls, we brought our spirits to this endeavour," said Delroy Lindo, who plays blues musician player Delta Slim, as he accepted the award on behalf of the cast. "This project is anointed. And from that standpoint, we are all anointed to be a part of this incredible journey created by the genius Ryan Coogler."It was the first time Sinners seized a top prize at a pre-Oscars gala, which have so far been largely swept by One Battle After Another, including at the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday.Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle is a political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a former revolutionary forced back into the game when his teenage daughter goes missing.Sinners may have had the upper hand with SAG-AFTRA, which represents more than 160,000 members – but that may not hold true in two weeks' time for the Academy Awards."I'm not as confident that it's going to win the best picture Oscar," Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for *The Hollywood Reporter, told AFP ahead of the gala, after predicting the SAG award win. "Those two awards have gone to different films just about as often as they have gone to the same film."Voting for the Academy Awards does not close until Thursday, meaning Sunday's results could be influential.For best leading male actor, Michael B Jordan pulled off a surprise win in a category that Timothee Chalamet (*Marty Supreme) has dominated all season."I'm so honoured and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love," he said. "This ride has been unbelievable."For best leading female actor, there were no surprises when Jessie Buckley's name was announced.The Irish actress, who plays the grief-stricken wife of William Shakespeare mourning their son in Hamnet has so far won nearly every prize on offer."I have been categorically changed by so many people in this room and beyond," an emotional Buckley said. "To get to work with my heart in my hand and stand beside my brilliant, daring friends who show me their heart – I mean, what a way to spend a life."The race for the Oscar for best supporting performers became even cloudier after Sunday's gala.Amy Madigan took home the statuette for best supporting actress for her role as the sinister aunt in horror flick Weapons, following her success at the Critics Choice Awards."I wasn't expecting this, but it does really mean a lot to me from my peers," she said.The major awards in this category this season have gone to different people – the Golden Globe to Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another, and the BAFTA to Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners.For the men, Sean Penn – who was not at the ceremony – won for his wild turn as Colonel Lockjaw in *One Battle After Another, following on from his BAFTA win.The Critics Choice Awards recognised Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, and the Golden Globe went to Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value, who did not even get a SAG nod.The television side of the awards was dominated by Apple TV's Hollywood satire The Studio which won three statuettes, including a posthumous award for Catherine O'Hara, who died in January.Series co-creator Seth Rogen, who accepted the award on her behalf, said he felt fortunate to have spent time with the actress – a Hollywood stalwart known for her work in Home Alone and Schitt's Creek."Something that I've just been marveling at over the last few weeks was really her ability to be generous and kind and gracious, while never ever minimizing her own talents," he said.The evening also honoured veteran Harrison Ford with a life achievement award for memorable roles that have included Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise and Indiana Jones."I feel incredibly grateful for this kind attention. But to be clear, I also am quite humbled," said Ford, whose big break came in George Lucas's American Graffiti in 1973."I'm in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they've been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I'm here to receive a prize for being alive," the 83-year-old said to laughs. 

Hollywood and British royalty arrived Sunday at the London ceremony of the Baftas, the UK's biggest night for film, which will set the stage for the Oscars.Prince William and his wife, Princess Catherine, capped off a star-studded red carpet, which saw A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet and Jessie Buckley earlier in the night.William, the eldest son of King Charles III and president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was the latest royal to go about business-as-usual at the end of a dramatic week which saw his uncle and ex-prince Andrew arrested.The ceremony could also see some awards season drama, with offbeat political thriller "One Battle After Another" facing off against vampire horror film "Sinners" and "Hamnet", a period drama about Shakespeare's family life.The awards, seen as a precursor to the Oscars in mid-March, regularly charts its own path with a diverse pool of nominees and nods to British homegrown talent."Hamnet" explores William Shakespeare's personal life, while Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" completes the five Bafta best film nominees.Scottish actor Alan Cummings will host the ceremony, with Paddington Bear joining as one of the award presenters. 

Hundreds of people formed a silent queue Saturday in the heart of Milan's fashion district to pay their respects to Giorgio Armani, Italy's most famous designer, who died this week at the age of 91. The passing of Armani has sparked an outpouring of grief with tributes flowing in from Hollywood celebrities and ordinary people alike. Over a career spanning five decades, he built a business empire spanning from haute couture to home furnishing, with his name becoming synonymous with sober elegance."Everything he did in his life he did it out of passion," said Pier Carlo Bertoglio, who travelled from nearby Lodi to the Armani headquarters, where the body will be lying in state over the weekend before a private funeral today."Everyone here today should testify to the love they have received from him." John Elkann, the scion of Italy's prominent Agnelli family, and his wife Lavinia, were among the first visitors to reach the Armani "theatre" — the vast exhibition space inside the Armani headquarters where catwalk shows are held and where the wooden coffin topped with an arrangement of white flowers has been laid.Elkann, who heads the Agnelli family's investment vehicle Exor, had previously discussed a potential combination with Armani to create an Italian luxury goods conglomerate, including Exor-owned sports car maker Ferrari. The talks led nowhere.Armani, who had no children, has put in place measures to ensure continuity and independence for his business, which he ran with trusted family members and a network of long-time colleagues.Early visitors also included Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala. Milan, the city, where Armani relocated with his family after World War Two, will hold a day of public mourning today."Milan is full of Armani 'signs', it would be impossible to forget him," Sala said. "His biggest legacy to the city I reckon is his profound belief in work as a means of self-realisation."People waited patiently under the trees that line the cul-de-sac where the Armani offices, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, sit across from the Armani/Silos, a museum opened in 2015 to mark 40 years of his career and where the Armani Prive haute couture collections of the past 20 years are currently on display."When I grew up in China, Armani's name is equal to Italian," said Jonah Liu, who stood in the crowd, sporting an Armani t-shirt and holding a small bunch of white daisies."He turned Italian elegance into a global fashion grammar ... I'm obliged to come here to pay my tribute to him." In line with Armani's wishes, a separate entry was reserved for group staff."I'm one of his employees, so I'm sincerely attached to him," said Alessandra Caccavo, wiping away the tears with her fingers behind her sunglasses."He made sure we never wanted for anything ... he was exceptional, so hospitable, ... we would always see him in the offices, which means a lot when you think who he was."

Designer Giorgio Armani, who helped to put Italy at the forefront of global fashion and dressed Hollywood stars, has died at the age of 91, the company that he founded and led for five decades said Thursday. Armani combined the flair of a designer with business acumen as he directed a company generating some €2.3bn ($2.7bn) in annual turnover.The designer had been unwell for some time and was forced to drop out of his group's shows at Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, the first time he had missed one of his catwalk events.