BY SANDRA BARRERA
Staff writer

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It was Hollywood's one big chance to dress up this season, and dress up it did for the Screen Actor's Guild Awards Sunday night at the Shrine. TV and movie's biggest and brightest shuffled along the tent-covered red carpet, some stopping to ponder fashion and the ongoing writer's strike amid the occasional downpour.

Splash of color: Dana Delany of "Desperate Housewives" was trying to channel Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face" with her short, black cocktail dress and matching wrap with just a splash of pink. "It's classic with a sense of humor," she said.

Metallics:
Red-headed Kate Flannery wore a Grecian-inspired gown in satiny gold – a stretch from her "Office" attire. "Because I don't
wear a lot of makeup on 'The Office' and I don't have fancy clothes, everybody's like, 'Look at you!' So, the dress is all gravy."

Though she didn't stop to talk, Ellen Pompeo of "Grey's Anatomy" looked amazing in her strapless, Nina Ricci gown. Also choosing Nina Ricci was French actress Marion Cotillard, who was not in silver but in a soft gray strapless corset dress with train.

 "Samantha Who?" star Christina Applegate wore a clingy silver gown with silver sequins by Elie Saab.

Embellishments: Wearing her hair long and loosely waved, Becki Newton, who plays bad girl Amanda on "Ugly Betty," says she knows "sequins don't correspond with easy, but there's something about the way it feels that makes it feel relaxed." She was, of course, talking about her floor-length, cream-colored Elsie Katz Couture gown, shingled at the skirt.

"Boston Legal" cast member Taraji P. Henson's Bradley Bayou gown had a sterling silver corset. But it wasn't too constricting. When she was asked to bend over and touch her toes, she did.

When told she looked like an Egyptian goddess, "Desperate Housewives" narrator Brenda Strong, who was fighting a bout of laryngitis, waxed surprised. "That's what my son said as I was leaving," she said, adding "here I thought I was being all modern."

Strong wore a fitted black dress with zippered seams. She looked like she'd just stepped off the set of "Rome," but Amanda Bynes, who was at the SAG Awards as part of the "Hairspray" ensemble cast, says her decision to go with the strapless, floor-length Marquesa teal gown studded at the bust with gemstones was inspired by Sienna Miller. "I think she's very stylish," she said.

Classic in black: Snug in a strapless, floor-length Pamela Dennis black gown and dripping in Kwiat diamonds, Ana Ortiz of "Ugly Betty" talked about feeling optimistic about the writer's strike coming to an end. But she also talked about the shock
of Heath Ledger's death. "On a day like today, he was such an actor," she says. "He really epitomized this award so it's a real loss."
"Desperate Housewives" star Nicolette Sheridan wore a snug, strapless black gown ruffled at the bust. "Juno" star Ellen Page looked her youthful self in a short black dress by Zac Posen.


Preggers: Cate Blanchett may have slipped past the media frenzy on the red carpet, but the star of "I'm Not Here" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" was not hard to miss. The very pregnant actress (she says the baby is due in April) wore a strapless, floor-length gown in an Asian-inspired black and floral printed fabric. is she or isn't she was the question on the red carpet when Angelina Jolie showed up in a flowing Hermes mahogany print from Juliana Cairone for Rare Vintage. For days the rumors have been flying that Jolie is pregnant with twins. The gown did nothing to calm the rumors.

Eva Longoria Parker, recently married to Tony Parker, has also been the subject of much baby speculation. She admits she's gained a few pounds since the wedding and immediately, the press has been looking for the "baby bump." Perhaps to calm the rumors, Eva chose a tight fitting beaded Naeem Khan gown with cowl neckline and plunging back. No baby bump here.

Soft curls: The rain didn't straighten the soft curls spotted on the red carpet Sunday. Many of the hairdos were swept back with the curls soft around the face. Glenn Close, Rebecca Romijn and America Ferrera chose the swept dos to show off sparking earrings.

Men in black and ... Black tuxes dotted the carpet. But there were a few standouts in the crowd, including a sharp-dressed Ryan Gosling in his gray and unbuttoned plaid shirt with a white collar by Tom Ford. In his lapel was a black ribbon for friend Heath Ledger, who died last week. Javier Bardem looked stylish and casual in a white open collar shirt and black suit. But the standout was Viggo Mortensen whose pinstripped long coat topped a red vest, tie and sash.

Who are you wearing: When asked who designed her black pant suit, Julie Christie told a reporter backstage, "They're my own pants. I don't buy into the walking advertisement thing."

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