SAG Awards grab Jan. 18 on cramped 2014 calendar, Oscars still in limbo

The SAG Awards have become the first film awards ceremony to ink a spot on the 2014 calendar, taking Jan. 18, the third Saturday of the year. (SAG made the announcement in a 4 a.m. press release because, of course, the news couldn't wait until the sun came up.) 

Announcements like this are being watched closely at The Vote headquarters, as we wait to see if next year's Oscars will be staged in January or March. As previously noted, the presence of the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics on all four Sundays in February 2014 figures to push the Academy Awards in one direction or the other. 

A March date for the Oscars would take pressure off everyone concerned, but also runs counter to the Academy's ongoing desire to run earlier and earlier. 

The Grammys also are probably being pushed out of February, and it's possible that they could be jostling with the Oscars for the Jan. 26 date, which comes in between the Jan. 19 NFL conference championships and the Feb. 2 Super Bowl. The other January alternative becomes Jan. 12, in which case the Golden Globes might land on Jan. 5.

Or, any of the shows could move off of Sunday onto another day of the week if they so chose. 

This is all speculation, except that one thing is clear – sports own Sundays in February 2014, and the entertainment world will have to adjust.