Awards Watch

Now that the Golden Globes--as they were--have come and gone, leaving Mad Men flush with both Best Drama and Best Actor awards, it's time to turn our attention to the Directors Guild of America awards on Saturday, January 26 and the Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday, January 27.

Alan Taylor, who directed the Mad Men pilot, steps up against the likes of The Sopranos' David Chase and Lost's Jack Bender for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series. What do you think his chances will be of toppling television's heavy hitters?

Turning to the SAGs, Jon Hamm has once again been nominated for Best Actor in a Drama, so the question is whether or not he can pull off back-to-back wins. Will he be able to beat his fellow Golden Globe nominees Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Hugh Laurie (House) again, and will he be able to topple two old guard contenders: James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) and James Spader (Boston Legal)? Who is this Mad Man's most serious competition?

The SAGs also raise the possibility of an ensemble cast win for Mad Men, who are nominated along with the casts from Boston Legal, The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, and The Sopranos. It's my belief that the reason more cast members from Mad Men weren't nominated for a Golden Globe is simply because their strength in numbers ended up splitting the vote. If that's the case, I would argue their chances for an ensemble SAG are fairly strong. What do you think?

Who do you think should have been nominated for a SAG? How good are the show's chances of pulling a repeat award sweep?