TRIED, TRUE AND QUIRKY SNAG SAGS.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

The HBO miniseries ``Angels in America'' and the CBS sitcom ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' dominated the television nominations for the 10th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Thursday with six nods each, while ``Mystic River'' and ``The Station Agent'' received three nominations apiece in the feature film acting categories.

With the SAG awards often a precursor to Academy Award nominations, the biggest winner of the day was actress Patricia Clarkson, whose peers awarded her with nominations for her lead role in ``The Station Agent,'' and as part of that film's acting ensemble, as well as for her supporting role in ``Pieces of April.''

``I had no idea when the awards were being announced, so I woke up this morning to an explosion, but a very good one,'' a delighted Clarkson said. ``I'm a little overwhelmed. These two films, I love them so much, and to be honored by your peers, it's really delicious. It means so much to me.''

Clarkson will compete in the best actress category with Diane Keaton, nominated for her role in the romantic comedy ``Something's Gotta Give''; Charlize Theron, who played serial killer Aileen Wuornos in ``Monster''; Naomi Watts as a grieving mother in ``21 Grams''; and Evan Rachel Wood for her portrayal of a rebellious teenager in ``thirteen.''

In the lead actor category, Johnny Depp was nominated for ``Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,'' and in what was a bigger surprise, Peter Dinklage received a nod for his role in ``The Station Agent.'' Depp and Dinklage will compete against a trio of actors who had widely been expected to be nominated: Ben Kingsley in ``House of Sand and Fog,'' ``Bill Murray in ``Lost in Translation'' and Sean Penn in ``Mystic River.''

``It looks like they made an extraordinary effort to recognize quirky and comedic work,'' said awards expert Tom O'Neil. ``They demonstrated that they are not star gushers by recognizing these little gem performances.''

The leads in the Civil War epic ``Cold Mountain,'' Nicole Kidman and Jude Law, were passed over for SAG nominations, but co-star Renee Zellweger received a nod in the supporting category. Zellweger was last year's lead actress winner for ``Chicago'' but lost the Oscar to Kidman, who won for ``The Hours.''

O'Neil, author of the book ``Movie Awards,'' said that with Oscar ballots due on Saturday, the SAG nods for Depp, Dinklage, Watts and Wood could be especially helpful at this late stage. He noted that Halle Berry began a late rally two years ago by winning the SAG award, then later the Oscar for ``Monster's Ball,'' over early awards season favorite Sissy Spacek (``In the Bedroom'').

The entire casts of ``In America,'' ``The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,'' ``Mystic River,'' ``Seabiscuit'' and ``The Station Agent'' were nominated for outstanding performance by a cast. This gave actors such as Penn, Robbins, Clarkson and Dinklage at least two nominations Thursday.

``It's been one surprise after another since this movie premiered at Sundance a year ago,'' said actor Bobby Cannavale, nominated as part of ``The Station Agent'' ensemble. ``This is a $400,000 film, and here we are in the company of Clint Eastwood. It's craziness!''

The HBO miniseries ``Angels in America,'' based on the play of the same name, earned individual nods for past Oscar winners Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson and Al Pacino, as well as for Mary Louise Parker, Justin Kirk and Jeffrey Wright.

``It's a pretty formidable cast,'' said Kirk. ``To be in a category with Al Pacino and Paul Newman (who was nominated for ``Our Town'' on Showtime) is bizarre and humbling to say the least. You're only as good as your material, and it all comes back to (playwright) Tony Kushner and the play.''

Also on the television side, not only was the entire cast of ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' nominated for outstanding comedy series ensemble, but nearly everybody was nominated individually, including Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle. It was the first individual SAG nomination for Roberts, a three-time Emmy winner.

The ``Raymond'' cast is pitted against the casts of ``Frasier,'' ``Friends,'' ``Sex and the City'' and ``Will & Grace.'' No ``Sex'' stars were nominated individually, while Lisa Kudrow was the only ``Friends'' cast member to receive a solo nod, her fourth overall.

For drama, ``The West Wing'' led the nominations with four, including individual mentions for Martin Sheen, Stockard Channing and Allison Janney. The cast of ``Wing'' will compete for best ensemble against ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,'' ``Law & Order,'' ``Without a Trace'' and ``Six Feet Under,'' which also landed nods for leads Peter Krause and Frances Conroy.

Treat Williams received his second nod in a row for his role in the WB drama ``Everwood'' and said Thursday that he hopes his nomination will draw more attention to the show.

``I think the show is great, and I'm thrilled to be nominated,'' Williams said. ``To be nominated by your peers is the greatest compliment you can get.''

The nominations were announced at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood by Mark Harmon and Andie McDowell. The awards will be handed out at a nationally televised ceremony on TNT on Feb. 22.

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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Patricia Clarkson earned a best actress nod for her role in ``The Station Agent,'' which received three SAG nominations. Clarkson also was tapped for her supporting work in ``Pieces of April.''