February 5, 2011

2011 WRITERS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Los Angeles and New York – The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2011 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, videogame, and new media writing at simultaneous ceremonies at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel-Grand Ballroom in Los Angeles and the AXA Equitable Center in New York City.

TELEVISION WINNERS

DRAMA SERIES

Mad Men, Written by Jonathan Abrahams, Lisa Albert, Keith Huff, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tracy McMillan, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES

Modern Family, Written by Jerry Collins, Paul Corrigan, Alex Herschlag, Abraham Higginbotham, Elaine Ko, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

NEW SERIES

Boardwalk Empire, Written by Meg Jackson, Lawrence Konner, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Margaret Nagle, Tim Van Patten, Paul Simms, Terence Winter; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time

"The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" (Mad Men), Written by Erin Levy; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time

"When It Rains, It Pours" (30 Rock), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times

The Special Relationship, Written by Peter Morgan; HBO

LONG FORM – ADAPTATION – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times

The Pacific, "Part Eight," Written by Robert Schenkkan and Michelle Ashford, Based in part on the books Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie and With The Old Breed by Eugene B. Sledge with additional material from Red Blood, Black Sand by Chuck Tatum and China Marine by Eugene B. Sledge; HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time

"The Prisoner of Benda" (Futurama), Written by Ken Keeler; Comedy Central

COMEDY / VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES

The Colbert Report, Writers: Barry Julien, Dan Guterman, Eric Drysdale, Frank Lesser, Glenn Eichler, Jay Katsir, Max Werner, Meredith Scardino, Michael Brumm, Opus Moreschi, Peter Gwinn, Rich Dahm, Rob Dubbin, Scott Sherman, Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, Peter Grosz, Paul Dinello; Comedy Central

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS

National Memorial Day Concert 2010, Written by Joan Meyerson; PBS

DAYTIME DRAMA

As the World Turns, Written by Susan Dansby, Lucky Gold, Janet Iacobuzio, Penelope Koechl, David Kreizman, Leah Laiman, David A. Levinson, Leslie Nipkow, Jean Passanante, Gordon Rayfield, David Smilow; CBS

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC & SPECIALS

"Happy Ha-Ha Holidays" (Imagination Movers), Written by Michael G. Stern, Randi Barnes, Rick Gitelson, Scott Gray; Disney Channel

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL

Avalon High, Teleplay by Julie Sherman Wolfe and Amy Talkington, Based on the novel by Meg Cabot; Disney Channel

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS

"Flying Cheap" (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

"Wyatt Earp" (American Experience), Written by Rob Rapley; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT

"Sunday Morning Almanac" (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Thomas A. Harris; CBS News

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

"Resurrecting Eden" (60 Minutes), Written by Jenny Dubin; CBS

RADIO WINNERS

DOCUMENTARY

2009 Year in Review, Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING

CBS World News Roundup, Written by Paul Farry; CBS Radio News

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY

"Passages," Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION WINNERS

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)

CSI Promos, Written by Anne de Vega; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Inside Job, Written by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classics

VIDEOGAME WRITING WINNER

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Story by Patrice Desilets, Jeffrey Yohalem, Corey May; Lead Script Writer: Jeffrey Yohalem; Script Writers: Ethan Petty, Nicholas Grimwood, Matt Turner; Ubisoft

NEW MEDIA WRITING WINNERS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING – ORIGINAL NEW MEDIA

"The Real Thing," "Identity Crisis," "Girl Talk," "Naming Things," "Curtain Up" (Anyone But Me), Written by Susan Miller, Tina Cesa Ward; www.AnyoneButMeSeries.com

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING – DERIVATIVE NEW MEDIA

"Strip Pong," "Tear Jerks," "Brainstorm," (Frank vs. Lutz), Written by Jon Haller; 30 Rock New Media, www.nbc.com 

Modern Family co-stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet hosted the West Coast show, which was executive produced by Spike Jones, Jr. Presenters scheduled to appear at the Hollywood show included: Mitch Ablom with Hank Azaria, Candice Bergen, Mark Boal with Kathryn Bigelow, Greg Daniels with Amy Poehler, Catherine O’Hara with Martin Short, J.J. Abrams with Anna Torv, Morgan Spurlock with Jeremy Chilnik, Al Jean with Dan Castellaneta, Mayim Bialik with Don Reo, Amy Pascal with Scott Rudin, Kelley Menighan Hensley with Christopher Goutman, Allan Burns with Neal Baer, WGAW President John Wells, and Steven Spielberg and Michael Patrick King (via special video presentations). The L.A. show kicked off with a musical number, "Write It Gay" (concept & lyrics by Guy Nicolucci with additional lyrics by Spencer Green and Gary Stockdale, choreographed by Lee Martino), performed by co-hosts Ferguson and Stonestreet. Also in attendance at the WGAW’s L.A. ceremony were: Armie Hammer, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Laurie, Ray Romano, Jimmy Kimmel, Aaron Sorkin, Mindy Kaling, and B.J. Novak.

Kristen Schaal of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Flight of the Conchords hosted the East Coast show, which was executive produced by Craig Shemin, who was also the head writer. Presenters scheduled to appear at th
e New York show included: Kathleen Turner, John Larroquette, Marshall Brickman, Wyatt Cenac, Judah Friedlander, Tony Gilroy, Lee Grant, Jenny Lumet, Gretchen Mol, Denis O’Hare, Vincent Piazza, Matthew Settle, Erika Slezak, John Waters, Merritt Wever, WGAE President Michael Winship, and Chris Wragge. The New York show kicked off with host Kristen Schaal leading a musical number entitled "A Sensible Opening Number," featuring a team of dancers, written by Jake Wilson and Ryan Scott Oliver.  Also in attendance were: Tina Fey, Joel and Ethan Coen, John McLaughlin, Wayne Rogers, and Terence Winter.

The Writers Guild of America, West presented special honors to: Diane English – Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television for lifetime achievement; Steven Zaillian – Laurel Award for Screen for lifetime achievement; Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth (Fair Game) – Paul Selvin Award for work spotlighting constitutional rights/civil liberties; Seth Freeman and Susannah Grant – Valentine Davies Award for entertainment industry and community service; Tonino Guerra – Jean Renoir Award for international screenwriting lifetime achievement.

The Writers Guild of America, East presented special honors to: Frank Gilroy – Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Writing; The Television Academy Foundation’s Archive of American Television – Evelyn F. Burkey Award for contributions bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere; Marianne Pryor – Jablow Award for devoted service to the Guild, and Jeremy Borden – John Merriman Award for Study of Broadcast Journalism at American University. In addition, the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation presented the Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting to James DiLapo of New York University.

Credits for the West Coast ceremony included: executive producer Spike Jones, Jr., director Steve Hirsen, talent producer Carole Propp, line producer Cynthia Ukas-Bradley, and production designer Matthew Russell. The L.A. show was written by Guy Nicolucci.

Credits for the East Coast show included: producer Anne Marie Gaynor, coordinator Rebecca Olerich, and talent producer Bonnie Datt. The show’s writers included: Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, David Steven Cohen, Wayne Federman, Frank Santopadre, and John Marshall.