Tonight The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films held their 36th Annual Saturn Awards. The 2009 Star Trek movie went into the night with 6 nominations, but it was Avatar that dominated, picking up ten awards. Star Trek picked up one Saturn, as did including Leonard Nimoy (for Fringe). Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman also picked up a special award.
Star Trek Make-up plus Orci, Kurtzman, Nimoy and Saldana win Saturns
The 2009 Star Trek movie went into the awards show with six nomination, and it picked up award, for Best Make-up, which went to Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow. Burman, Hall and Harlow also won an Oscar for their work on Star Trek earlier this year (the first for the franchise).
Barney Burman with his Saturn for "Star Trek"
But the big winner for the night was James Cameron’s Avatar, winning a total of ten awards, including Best Actress for Zoe Saldana. In fact, it was Avatar that accounted for Star Trek’s five losses (Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Visual Effects and Best Production Design).
The Star Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were also at the event, where they picked up the special George Pal Memorial Award. Also, the 2009 Star Trek Movie Collection won Best DVD Collection.
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman with their Saturns – joined by presenter Michelle Monaghan
On the TV side the JJ Abrams shows picked up four awards. Lost won Best Network TV Series and Best TV Actor (Josh Holoway). And both Anna Torv (Best Actress) and Leonard Nimoy (Best Guest Star) won acting awards for Fringe.
Leonard Nimoy with his Saturn for "Fringe"
TrekMovie will have more coverage of interviews with many of the Trek luminaries on hand at the Saturns. Look for that soon.
2010 Saturns Winners List
Best Science Fiction Film: Avatar
Best Fantasy Film: Watchmen
Best Horror Film: Drag Me To Hell
Best Action Film: Inglourious Basterds
Best Actor: Sam Worthington (Avatar)
Best Supporting Actor: Stephen Lang (Avatar)
Best Supporting Actress: Sigourney Weaver (Avatar)
Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Saorise Ronan (The Lovely Bones)
Best Director: James Cameron (Avatar)
Best Writer: James Cameron (Avatar)
Best Music: James Horner (Avatar)
Best Costume: Michael Wilkinson (Watchmen)
Best Make-up: Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow (Star Trek)
Best Production Design: Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg (Avatar)
Best VFX: Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones(Avatar)
Best International Film: District 9
Best Animation Film: Monsters vs. Aliens
Best Television Series: Lost
Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: Breaking Bad
Best Presentation on Television Series: Torchwood: Children of Earth
Best Actor on Television: Josh Holloway (Lost)
Best Actress on Television: Anna Torv (Fringe)
Best DVD Release: Nothing But the Truth
Best DVD Television Release: Lost (Complete Fifth Season)
Best DVD Special Edition: Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut
Best DVD Collection: Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection
Best Local Stage Production (Fantasy/Musical): Mary Poppins (Ahmanson Theatre)
Best Local Stage Production (Play/Dramatical Musical): Parade (Mark Taper Forum)
Best Local Stage Production (Small Theatre): Fellowship: The Musical (Ahmanson Theatre)
The Visionary Award: James Cameron
The George Pal Memorial Award: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman
The Producers Showcase Award: Lauren Shuler Donner
The Life Career Award: Irvin Kershner
Best DVD Release : Nothing But the Truth
This is kinda how I imagined it. Star Trek and Avatar!!
And the rest… What are those other movies again?
I prefered Star Trek to Avatar, pity it had to go up against Avatar.
“Best Writer: James Cameron (Avatar)”
You’ve gotta be kiddin me.
Congrats to all the Trek-related winners.
While I totally appreciate “Avatar” for what it is, for me it is a one-shot movie. I’ve watched “Star Trek” numerous times on dvd now, but just don’t have an ounce of desire to see “Avatar” again. Oh well…
Avatar did one thing (sorta) new, and did it very, very well. The CGI world, including the Na’vi. The rest of the recognition is way overblown.
– Harry
Surprised? I’m not
Cool-looking awards. Those could be Klingon weapons in the next movie.
Anyway, congrats to LN and Bob & Alex.
Way to go! good job and hope some more are on the way.
Could someone please proofread and edit the winners list?
Sam Worthington, Steven Lang, and Sigourney Weaver were not in Watchmen, and James Horner didn’t write Avatar…
Congratulations Mr. Nimoy ! Great awards. If you add some nacelles perhaps they could be starships….
Congratulations all.
Michelle Monaghan is cool. Would love to see her in a future Trek.
I know who George Pal was and I like Orci & Kurtzman but what is the significance of the GP Memorial Award? I mean, is it a writers award? Did I miss an explanation above?
In a year with District Nine and Moon, Avatar should have only won technical awards.
How in the heck does John Noble not win Best Actor for Fringe?!
Did I miss something? Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington were in Watchmen?!? I thought they were in Avatar, no?
Oh and same for Stephen Lang. He too was in Avatar not Watchmen.
sorry about the watchmen/avatar thing in the list. Believe it or not they did not provide us this list by email but only on paper and i transcribed it at 2AM and screwed up
You do a great job, Anthony, even at 2 AM. Here at 12 noon, I still had to think a moment to be sure it wasn’t I that was confused :)
None of these results surprise me-i would have liked for st to win more awards but zoe deserves the award forv avatar and cameron does deserve all the accolades for avatar including writing-while the plot wasnt terribly original but the avatar concept was at least for movies and his ecological evil corporation story resonates especially well now with the bp oil spill eco tragedy-what we are doing is killng our planet for profit n oil is the unobtainium-no matter how much we get its never enuf n the corp. has now ruined our oceans with oil we dont get(ubobtainium indeed) which will drive prices higher just wait n see–the dinos got along with the world for millions of years n we have already almost destroyed the world–if man gets wiped off the planet it wont be for no reason–anyhoo-camerons timing was prophetic–story was great final battle awesome n epic–it was technically brilliant and emotionally resonated with the public–it was much more than just technically brilliant and the saturn awards reflect this–face it cameron is the king of the world yet again-he gave the world something it had never seen before in a movie–Smurf warriors that look like Vulcans-
I think it would “RULE”…if when Avatar is re-released this summer, if the beginning of the film it had appear on the screen:
“This film is dedicated to the greed and destruction of planet earth, compliments of BP Oil”
significance of the GP Memorial Award? consolation prize
Sheesh, Avatar wasn’t that good.
Star Trek deserved every single one.
#12., #21.
It was awarded for their work as producers in Television and films.
STAR TREK!!!!
Congrats to the TREK crewe.
Finally… District 9 didn’t win it ALL.
#3 Agree. Best writer??? for a Hollywood 101 plot that’s been recycled since movies began???
Mind you – the Star Trek movie plot wasn’t much better.
I’ve rarely paid much attention to the Saturns in the past, regarding them in terms of prestige as poor cousins to the Hugo and Nebula awards. But I definitely have more respect for them after last night’s presentation, in which the far superior film managed to win. Trek partisans can carp about “Dances with Smurfs” all they like, but for my money not only was Avatar much more spectacular visually, it was better drama, better science fiction–and, as it ultimately managed to actually be about something, in a sense it was better Star Trek as well. As someone who has loved Gene Roddenberry’s creation for more years than some of the posters here have been alive, it pains me to say this. But not as much as it would have had the filmmakers treated the property with the care and respect it deserved.
27. Can’t say I disagree. As entertained as I was by Trek 09, you’ve hit it right on the money as far as I’m concerned! I got more emotionally invested in “Avatar” than I did with Trek. It strove to be more than a 2 hour diversion, and it largely succeeded.
I’m still hopeful that the next Trek will be more in line with the franchise’s essence, now that the exposition is out of the way.
yup 27 n 28–avatar was better in every way and emotionally it mattered and was about something besides making u feel u were actually visiting another world–which is no small accomplishment in itself
And it was nice for trek to get an award anyway and nimoy deserves the saturn for fringe as well–
17 – Non of us up skrew, Anthony. Thanks for a great site!
At least this was an award ceremony where New Moon was shut out
#32.
I’m not sure I get what all the hand wringing is about over a vampire book/film franchise?
In the 1960s, the series had to deal with the well entrenched fan blocks of DARK SHADOWS and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., but I don’t recall any wailing and lamenting about their successes. In fact, there was a lot of crossover.
TMfU was the first appearance of Shatner and Nimoy together in a series television episode. Also odd the TMfU’s first episode was called THE VULCAN AFFAIR. Goldsmith did the theme music.
To paraphrase the Bar, “The fault lies not in the New Moons…”
Bar=Bard