Here Are The WGA Nominations!

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The DGA was not the only major guild to announce its nominations today. The Writers Guild also announced its nominations for the best of 2021.

I hate to say it but it’s starting to look very probable that two of my last favorite films of 2021 — Don’t Look Up and Being The Ricardos — are going to be best picture nominees. I mean, I can understand the nomination for Being the Ricardos because Aaron Sorkin is a brand name and the whole script was designed to appeal to people in the industry. But the screenplay for Don’t Look Up was terrible. If it picked up a WGA nod, that means that Adam McKay’s panic porn has a strong base of support in Hollywood.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Being the Ricardos – Written by Aaron Sorkin (Amazon Studios)
Don’t Look Up – Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota (Netflix)
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun – Screenplay by Wes Anderson, Story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola & Hugo Guinness & Jason Schwartzman (Searchlight Pictures)
King Richard – Written by Zach Baylin (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Licorice Pizza – Written by Paul Thomas Anderson (United Artists)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA – Screenplay by Siân Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple
Dune – Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, Based on the novel Dune Written by Frank Herbert; Warner Bros. Pictures
Nightmare Alley – Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Kim Morgan, Based on the Novel by William Lindsay Gresham (Searchlight Pictures)
Tick, Tick…Boom! – Screenplay by Steven Levenson, Based on the play by Jonathan Larson (Netflix)
West Side Story – Screenplay by Tony Kushner, Based on the Stage Play, Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Play Conceived, Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins (20th Century Studios)

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Being Cousteau – Written by Mark Monroe & Pax Wasserman (National Geographic)
Exposing Muybridge – Written by Marc Shaffer (Inside Out Media)
Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres – Written by Suzanne Joe Kai (StudioLA.TV)

The Writers Guild Honors Promising Young Woman And, For Some Unfathomable Reason, Borat

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Writers Guild of America has announced their picks for the best written films and TV shows of 2020. Below are the three film awards. I’m happy to see Promising Young Woman won for Best Original Screenplay. As for Borat winning for Best Adapted Screenplay …. yeah, okay. The WGA can honor whoever they want but just don’t pretend like Borat won for any reason other than the whole Rudy Guiliani thing. (Does it really take a lot of effort and skill to make Rudy Guiliani look foolish?) That Borat beat both One Night In Miami and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is embarrassing.

Anyway, here’s the winners:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas (Warner Bros.)
Palm Springs – Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow (Hulu)
Promising Young Woman – Written by Emerald Fennell (Focus Features)
Sound of Metal – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance (Amazon Studios)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Written by Aaron Sorkin (Netflix)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen (Amazon Studios)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Based on the Play Written by August Wilson; (Netflix)
News of the World – Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, Based upon the Novel by Paulette Jiles (Universal Pictures)
One Night in Miami – Screenplay by Kemp Powers, Based on the Stage Play “One Night in Miami” by Kemp Powers (Amazon Studios)
The White Tiger – Screenplay by Ramin Bahrani, Based on the Book “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
All In: The Fight for Democracy – Written by Jack Youngelson (Amazon Studios)
The Dissident – Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Herb Alpert Is… – Written by John Scheinfeld (Abramorama)
Red Penguins – Written by Gabe Polsky (Universal Pictures)
Totally Under Control – Written by Alex Gibney (Neon)

Here Are The 2021 WGA Nominations!

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, while the those of us down in Texas were dealing with the invasion of the Night King, the Writer’s Guild of America announced their nominees for the best of 2020! When you look at the nominations below, it’s important to remember that there were several Oscar contenders that were ruled ineligible for WGA recognition. “Ammonite,” “The Father,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Pieces Of A Woman,” “Soul,” “Supernova” and “The Personal History Of David Copperfield” were all not eligible.

So, in other words, when you’re making out your Oscar predictions, perhaps take these nominations with a grain of salt, eh?

Myself, I’m just happy to see the wonderful Palm Springs nominated for Original Screenplay.

Here are the nominees! Winners will be announced on March 21st!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah – Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas (Warner Bros.)
Palm Springs – Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow (Hulu)
Promising Young Woman – Written by Emerald Fennell (Focus Features)
Sound of Metal – Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance (Amazon Studios)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Written by Aaron Sorkin (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
All In: The Fight for Democracy – Written by Jack Youngelson (Amazon Studios)
The Dissident – Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Herb Alpert Is… – Written by John Scheinfeld (Abramorama)
Red Penguins – Written by Gabe Polsky (Universal Pictures)
Totally Under Control – Written by Alex Gibney (Neon)

The Writers Guild Honors Parasite

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, the Writers Guild of America honored their picks for the best screenplays of 2019. It was a very good night for Parasite.

Here are the winners:

SCREENPLAY NOMINEES

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1917, Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns; Universal Pictures

Booksmart, Written by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman; United Artists Releasing

Knives Out, Written by Rian Johnson; Lionsgate

Marriage Story, Written by Noah Baumbach; Netflix

WINNER – Parasite, Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho; Neon

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, Inspired by the Article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod; TriStar Pictures

The Irishman, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, Based upon the Book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt; Netflix

WINNER – Jojo Rabbit, Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Fox Searchlight

Joker, Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Based on Characters from DC Comics; Warner Bros. Pictures

Little Women, Screenplay by Greta Gerwig, Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott; Sony Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Citizen K, Written by Alex Gibney; Greenwich Entertainment

Foster, Written by Mark Jonathan Harris; HBO Documentary Films

WINNER – The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films

Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, Written by Robert Seidman & Oren Rudavsky; First Run Features

The Kingmaker, Written by Lauren Greenfield; Showtime Documentary Films

TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA, AND NEWS NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

The Crown, Written by James Graham, David Hancock, Peter Morgan; Netflix

The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Marissa Jo Cerar, Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Jacey Heldrich, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu

Mindhunter, Written by Pamela Cederquist, Joshua Donen, Marcus Gardley, Shaun Grant, Liz Hannah, Phillip Howze, Jason Johnson, Doug Jung, Colin J. Louro, Alex Metcalf, Courtenay Miles, Dominic Orlando, Joe Penhall, Ruby Rae Spiegel; Netflix

WINNER – Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Alice Birch, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Cord Jefferson, Mary Laws, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Gary Shteyngart, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO

Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO

COMEDY SERIES

WINNER – Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Jason Kim, Taofik Kolade, Elizabeth Sarnoff; HBO

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Alison Leiby, Daniel Palladino, Sono Patel, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jordan Temple; Prime Video

PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix

Veep, Written by Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg, Rachel Axler, Emilia Barrosse, Ted Cohen, Jennifer Crittenden, Alex Gregory, Steve Hely, Peter Huyck, Erik Kenward, Billy Kimball, David Mandel, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan Mintz, Lew Morton, Dan O’Keefe, Georgia Pritchett, Leila Strachan; HBO

NEW SERIES

Dead To Me, Written by Rebecca Addelman, Njeri Brown, Liz Feldman, Kelly Hutchinson, Anthony King, Emma Rathbone, Kate Robin, Abe Sylvia; Netflix

PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix

WINNER – Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO

What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Jemaine Clement, Josh Lieb, Iain Morris, Stefani Robinson, Duncan Sarkies, Marika Sawyer, Tom Scharpling, Paul Simms,Taika Waititi; FX Networks

ORIGINAL LONG FORM

WINNER – Chernobyl, Written by Craig Mazin; HBO

The Terror: Infamy, Written by Max Borenstein, Alessandra DiMona, Shannon Goss, Steven Hanna, Naomi Iizuka, Benjamin Klein, Danielle Roderick, Tony Tost, Alexander Woo; AMC

Togo, Written by Tom Flynn; Disney+

True Detective, Written by Alessandra DiMona, Graham Gordy, Gabriel Hobson, David Milch, Nic Pizzolatto; HBO

ADAPTED LONG FORM

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Written by Vince Gilligan; Netflix

WINNER – Fosse/Verdon, Written by Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson; FX Networks

The Loudest Voice, Written by John Harrington Bland, Laura Eason, Tom McCarthy, Alex Metcalf, Gabriel Sherman, Jennifer Stahl, Based on the Book The Loudest Voice in the Room and the New York Magazine Articles by Gabriel Sherman; Showtime

Unbelievable, Written by Michael Chabon, Susannah Grant, Becky Mode, Jennifer Schuur, Ayelet Waldman, Based on the Pro Publica & The Marshall Project article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and This American Life radio episode “Anatomy of Doubt;” Netflix

ORIGINAL SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

After Forever, Written by Michael Slade & Kevin Spirtas; Prime Video

WINNER – Special, Written by Ryan O’Connell; Netflix

ANIMATION

“Bed, Bob & Beyond” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Kelvin Yu; Fox

“The Gene Mile” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Steven Davis; Fox

“Go Big or Go Homer” (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox

“A Horse Walks Into A Rehab” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Elijah Aron; Netflix

“Livin’ La Pura Vida” (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox

WINNER – “Thanksgiving of Horror” (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Vebber; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA

“407 Proxy Authentication Required” (Mr. Robot), Written by Sam Esmail; USA Network

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (Ray Donovan), Written by Joshua Marston; Showtime

“Mirror Mirror” (The OA), Written by Dominic Orlando & Claire Kiechel; Netflix

“Moondust” (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix

“Our Little Island Girl” (This Is Us), Written by Eboni Freeman; NBC

WINNER – “Tern Haven” (Succession), Written by Will Tracy; HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Here’s Where We Get Off” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix

“It’s Comedy or Cabbage” (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino; Prime Video

“Nice Knowing You” (Living With Yourself), Written by Timothy Greenberg; Netflix

WINNER – “Pilot” (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman; Netflix

“The Stinker Thinker” (On Becoming a God in Central Florida), Written by Robert F. Funke & Matt Lutsky; Showtime

“Veep” (Veep), Written by David Mandel; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES

Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Head Writer: Melinda Taub Writing Supervised by: Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg Writers: Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by: Allison Silverman; TBS

WINNER – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner Writers: Tim Carvell, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO

Late Night with Seth Meyers, Head writer: Alex Baze Supervising Writers: Sal Gentile, Seth Reiss, Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Karen Chee, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit; NBC Universal

The Late Late Show with James Corden, Head Writers: Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, Olivia Harewood, David Javerbaum, John Kennedy, Kayleigh Lamb, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers: Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi Writers: Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Greg Iwinski, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux; CBS

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

Desi Lydic: Abroad, Written by Devin Delliquanti, Lauren Sarver Means; Comedy Central

WINNER – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Part 2, Head Writer Melinda Taub, Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg, Writers Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Lewis Friedman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by Allison Silverman; TBS

The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2019, Head Writers Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel, Writers Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, John Kennedy, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin D. Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS

Ramy Youssef: Feelings, Written by Ramy Youssef; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

At Home with Amy Sedaris, Writers: Cole Escola, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman; truTV

WINNER – I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix

Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette Supervising Writers: Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Streeter Seidell Senior Writer: Bryan Tucker Weekend Update Head Writer: Pete Schultz Writers: James Anderson, Neal Brennan, Andrew Briedis, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Emma Clark, Andrew Dismukes, Alison Gates, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Erik Kenward, Steve Koren, Rob Klein, Michael Koman, Dan Licata, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Josh Patten, Jasmine Pierce, Katie Rich, Simon Rich, Gary Richardson, Marika Sawyer, Robert Smigel, Mark Steinbach, Will Stephen, Julio Torres, Bowen Yang; NBC Universal

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Head Writer Bret Calvert, Writers Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo; Nickelodeon

Hollywood Game Night, Head Writers Ann Slichter, Grant Taylor, Writers Michael Agbabian, Marshall Davis, Allie Kokesh, Dwight D. Smith; NBC

Jeopardy!, Writers Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Head Writer Stephen Melcher, Writers Kyle Beakley, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter; Disney/ABC Syndication

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Ron Carlivati, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Dave Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katie Schock, Betsy Snyder; NBC Universal

General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten, Dan O’Connor Associate Head Writer: Anna T. Cascio Writers: Barbara Bloom, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC

WINNER – The Young and the Restless, Writers: Amanda L. Beall, Jeff Beldner, Sara Bibel, Matt Clifford, Annie Compton, Christopher Dunn, Sara Endsley, Janice Ferri Esser, Mellinda Hensley, Lynn Martin, Anne Schoettle, Natalie Minardi Slater, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“It’s Just… Weird” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Romi Barta; Netflix

WINNER – “Remember Black Elvis?” (Family Reunion), Written by Howard Jordan, Jr.; Netflix

“Remember How This All Started?” (Family Reunion), Written by Meg DeLoatch; Netflix

“Stupid Binder” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Nancy Cohen; Netflix

“Time to Make… My Move” (Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach; Netflix

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

“Coal’s Deadly Dust” (Frontline), Written by Elaine McMillion Sheldon; PBS

“The Mueller Investigation” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

WINNER – “Trump’s Trade War” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“Chasing The Moon Part One: A Place Beyond The Sky” (American Experience), Written by Robert Stone; PBS

WINNER – “Right To Fail” (Frontline), Written by Tom Jennings; PBS

“Supreme Revenge” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

WINNER – “Terror in America: The Massacres in El Paso and Dayton” (Special Edition of the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines, Bob Meyer; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Atlanta, EP. 3” (A King’s Place), Written by Jessica Moulite, Ashley Velez; TheRoot.com

WINNER – “Fly Like An Eagle” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

“’Tis the Season: Here’s How Jesus Became So Widely Accepted as White,” Written by Joon Chung, Felice León, Ashley Velez; TheRoot.com

“Toxic Water Crisis Still This Haunts New York Town”, Written by Lena Jackson; HuffPost.com

DIGITAL NEWS

“A Gridiron of Their Own,” Written by Kelsey McKinney; Deadspin.com

WINNER – “Stories About My Brother,” Written by Prachi Gupta, Jezebel.com

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“CBS News on the Hour with Norah O’Donnell – El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio – Communities in Mourning,” Written by James Hutton; CBS News Radio

WINNER – “Hail and Farewell: Remembering Some Headline Makers,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio

“World News This Week, August 9, 2019,” Written by Stephanie Pawlowski and Jim Ryan; ABC News Radio

“World News This Week, September 13, 2019,” Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

WINNER – “The Enduring Legacy of Jackie Kennedy Onassis,” Written by Dianne E. James, Gail Lee; CBS News Radio

“Woodstock: Back to the Garden,” Written by Gail Lee, CBS News Radio

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON AIR PROMOTION

“CBS Promos”, Written by Molly Neylan; CBS

“Star. Kill. Evil. FBI.,” Written by Ralph Buado; CBS

WINNER – “Star Trek: Picard” and “All Rise Promos,” Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS

The Precursors Continue! Here are the WGA Nominations!

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to get back to Oscar season!

The guilds have started to announce their nominees for the best of 2016 and since the guilds, unlike the various critic groups, include people who actually vote for the Oscars, they are usually pretty useful as far as predictive tool.

So, with that in mind, here are the nominations of the Writers Guild of America!

(The big surprise? Deadpool — which has actually gotten a lot of unexpected attention during Oscar season — landed a nomination.)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Hell or High Water, Written by Taylor Sheridan; CBS Films

La La Land, Written by Damien Chazelle; Lionsgate

Loving, Written by Jeff Nichols; Focus Features

Manchester by the Sea, Written by Kenneth Lonergan; Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions

Moonlight, Written by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell McCraney; A24

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures

Deadpool, Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the X-Men Comic Books; Twentieth Century Fox Film

Fences, Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on his Play; Paramount Pictures

Hidden Figures, Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly; Twentieth Century Fox Film

Nocturnal Animals, Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright; Focus Features

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Author: The JT LeRoy Story, Written by Jeff Feuerzeig; Amazon Studios

Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films

Zero Days, Written by Alex Gibney; Magnolia Pictures

Here Are The WGA Nominations!

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Writers Guild of America announced their film nominations earlier today! As always, the WGA nominations should be taken with a grain of salt, as several potential Oscar nominees — Brooklyn, Room, The Hateful Eight — were not eligible to be nominated for a WGA award.

With that in mind, here are the nominees!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies, Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen; DreamWorks Pictures

Sicario, Written by Taylor Sheridan; Lionsgate

Spotlight, Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy; Open Road Films

Straight Outta Compton, Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff; Universal Pictures

Trainwreck, Written by Amy Schumer; Universal Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Big Short, Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis; Paramount Pictures

Carol, Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy; Based on the Novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith; The Weinstein Company

The Martian, Screenplay by Drew Goddard; Based on the Novel by Andy Weir; Twentieth Century Fox

Steve Jobs, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Walter Isaacson; Universal Pictures

Trumbo, Written by John McNamara; Based on the Biography by Bruce Cook; Bleecker Street Media
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Being Canadian, Written by Robert Cohen; Candy Factory Films

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Written by Brett Morgen; HBO Documentary Films

Prophet’s Prey, Written by Amy J. Berg; Showtime Documentary Films

Here’s The Latest From The Guilds: WGA, CDG, and ASC

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the latest news from Awards Season! Today, three more guilds announced their nominees for the best of 2014.

First off, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) nominated the following five films:

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Mr. Turner

Unbroken

And then, the Costume Designers Guild (CDG) nominated the following fifteen films:

Excellence in Contemporary Film
Birdman – Albert Wolsky
Boyhood – Kari Perkins
Gone Girl – Trish Summerville
Interstellar – Mary Zophres
Wild – Melissa Bruning

Excellence in Period Film
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
The Imitation Game – Sammy Sheldon Differ
Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
Selma – Ruth E. Carter
The Theory of Everything – Steven Noble

Excellence in Fantasy Film
Guardians of the Galaxy – Alexandra Byrne
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Bob Buck, Lesley Burkes-Harding, Ann Maskrey
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – Kurt and Bart
Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard, Jane Clive

(Is anybody else surprised to learn that Interstellar is apparently a contemporary film?)

And finally, here are the Writer’s Guild (WGA) nominations! As always, the WGA nominations should be taken with a grain of salt as several Oscar front runners — Birdman, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Mr. Turner, had been ruled ineligible for a WGA nomination. Over the years, many films that were ineligible for a WGA nomination have gone on to win Oscars for original and adapted screenplay.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Boyhood, Written by Richard Linklater; IFC Films
Foxcatcher, Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman; Sony Pictures Classics
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness; Fox Searchlight
Nightcrawler, Written by Dan Gilroy; Open Road Films
Whiplash, Written by Damien Chazelle; Sony Pictures Classics

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Sniper, Written by Jason Hall; Based on the book by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice; Warner Bros.
Gone Girl, Screenplay by Gillian Flynn; Based on her novel; 20th Century Fox
Guardians of the Galaxy, Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman; Based on the Marvel comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The Imitation Game, Written by Graham Moore; Based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges; The Weinstein Company
Wild, Screenplay by Nick Hornby; Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed; Fox Searchlight

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Finding Vivian Maier, Written by John Maloof & Charlie Siskel; Sundance Selects
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, Written by Brian Knappenberger; FilmBuff
Last Days in Vietnam, Written by Mark Bailey & Kevin McAlester; American Experience Films
Red Army, Written by Gabe Polsky; Sony Pictures Classics

Here Are The WGA Winners!

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hey, Oscar watchers! The WGA Awards were handed out earlier tonight and the Oscar race has gotten even murkier! The fact that Her won for best original screenplay isn’t all the unexpected, though a lot of observers had predicted American Hustle would win. However, the victory of Captain Phillips over The Wolf of Wall Street and Before Midnight was definitely an upset.

(Take note that the acclaimed and Oscar-nominated screenplay for 12 Years A Slave was not eligible for a WGA nomination.)

Below are the winners in the film category. If you want to see the TV winners, click here.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“American Hustle,” Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell

“Blue Jasmine,” Woody Allen

“Dallas Buyers Club,” Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack

X – “Her,” Spike Jonze

“Nebraska,” Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“August: Osage County,” screenplay by Tracy Letts based on his play
“Before Midnight,” by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; based on characters created by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan
X – “Captain Phillips,” by Billy Ray; based on the book “A Captain’s Duty” by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty
“Lone Survivor,” by Peter Berg; based on the book by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” by Terence Winter; based on the book by Jordan Belfort

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

“Dirty Wars,” Jeremy Scahill & David Riker
“Herblock – The Black & The White,” Sara Lukinson & Michael Stevens
“No Place on Earth,” Janet Tobias & Paul Laikin
X – “Stories We Tell,” Sarah Polley
“We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” Alex Gibney

Here Are The Writer’s Guild Nominations!

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Earlier today, The Writer’s Guild of America announced their nominations for the best screenplays of 2013. While it’s only natural to look at these nominations and try to use them as an Oscar oracle, it should be remembered that only 95 of the 289 Oscar-eligible films were also eligible for a WGA nomination.* Among those films not eligible to be nominated: 12 Years A Slave, Philomena, Fruitvale Station, and Rush.

Here are the nominees:

Original Screenplay:

American Hustle,

Blue Jasmine,

Dallas Buyers Club,

Her,

Nebraska

Adapted Screenplay:

August: Osage County,

Before Midnight,

Captain Phillips,

Lone Survivor,