`American Hustle` cast takes top honour at SAG Awards 2014

Los Angeles: The 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards gave David O Russell`s con-man comedy `American Hustle` the top prize, making it the front-runner for Oscar gold.

The comedic film, loosely based on the Abscam scandal of the late `70s, received just two nominations at the awards, but it won the big one: outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. Its star Bradley Cooper, practically yelling his approval, paid tribute to director David O Russell for the film. `Hustle` and `12 Years a Slave` are among the leading Oscar nominees, and at the SAG Awards the two films faced off for outstanding ensemble -- the SAG Awards` equivalent of Oscar`s best picture. `12 Years`, about a freeman forced into slavery in 19th-century America, led all SAG Awards nominees with four nominations. Matthew McConaughey of `Dallas Buyers Club` took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role. He plays an AIDS-afflicted man in the film. Cate Blanchett, who also won a Globe, won the SAG Award for lead female actor for her role in Woody Allen`s `Blue Jasmine`. Lupita Nyong`o and Jared Leto led off the awards by winning prizes for supporting female actor and supporting male actor, respectively. Leto, who stars as a transgender woman in `Dallas Buyers Club`, paid tribute to those who have been victims of AIDS, "that terrible disease." Nyong`o, who plays a slave terrorised by a plantation owner in `12 Years a Slave`, won over competition that included Oprah Winfrey (Lee Daniels` `The Butler`) and Jennifer Lawrence (`American Hustle`). Rita Moreno accepted the Screen Actors Guild`s Life Achievement Award. She and presenter Morgan Freeman fell into their old `Electric Company` roles, pronouncing out "SAG-AFTRA." In the television categories, `Modern Family` won comedy series ensemble. It is the show`s fourth straight SAG Award. `Veep`s` Julia Louis-Dreyfus and `Modern Family`s` Ty Burrell won the honours for their performances in TV comedies. Michael Douglas (`Behind the Candelabra`) and Helen Mirren (`Phil Spector`) also took home trophies. `Breaking Bad` won drama series ensemble and star Bryan Cranston took home the award for male actor in a drama. `Downton Abbey` star Maggie Smith won an award for female actor in a drama series.