MUMBAI: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in the US has announced the nominees in television and film for its 11th annual awards. The event will take place on 5 February at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

In the US it will be aired on TNT while in India it will telecast on Zee English.

What is unique about this is that unlike other awards shows like the Oscars, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are selected purely by actors’ peers. Two nominated panels -- one for television and one for film -- comprised of 2100 Sad members each from across the US.

The comedy category honouring an ensemble pits ABC's Desperate Housewives against HBO's Sex And The City, Fox's Arrested Development, NBC's Will & Grace and CBS' Everybody Loves Raymond. This is considered the most important category as the entire cast's efforts at working together is looked at. The nominees in the drama category include NBC's The West Wing and HBO's The Soprano's and Six Feet Under.

HBO was also nominated in the film category. Catalina Sandino Moreno who played a Columbian who tries her hand at drug trafficking in Maria Full Of Grace was nominated for the lead actress in a motion picture. She is competing with Hilary Swank in Clint Eastwood's feminist themed Million Dollar Baby. It is surprising to note that one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year Closer was shut out