The Writer's Guild and Scripter Awards pick The Descendants

This weekend was a big weekend for the writing contingency of both film and television.  The Scripter Awards were held this past Saturday night.  The Scripter Awards were established by USC in 1988in order  to honor the preservation of the written word on film.  The Scripter's honor screenplays that have been adapted from pre-existing works.  The nominees this year were:


A Dangerous Method
The Descendants
Jane Eyre
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy


The winner of this award was Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash for writing The Descendants.


The Writer's Guild of America picked their winners in both the film and television categories.  Several films were not eligible because their authors were not a members of the union, like The Artist, which has a chance of spoiling in the Best Original Screenplay category at the Oscars.  The nominees in the films categories were as follows:


Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne andNat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings; Fox Searchlight

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures

The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures

Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures

Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

Best Original Screenplay

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Pictures

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

The winners were The Descendants in Adapted and Midnight in Paris in Original.  This will be the way the Oscar wins will look, most likely, but with different nominations, there are always variables that could change the Oscar game.

In the the television category Breaking Bad, Homeland, and Modern Family each took home two trophies.  Here were the nominees: 

DRAMA SERIES 
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Bathsheba Doran, Dave Flebotte, Gina Gionfriddo, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Itamar Moses, Margaret Nagle,Terence Winter; HBO
Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO
The Good Wife, Written by Courtney Kemp Agboh, Meredith Averill, Corinne Brinkerhoff, Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, Karen Hall, Ted Humphrey, Michelle King, Robert King, Steve Lichtman, Matthew Montoya, Julia Wolfe; CBS
Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime


COMEDY SERIES  
30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Hannibal Buress, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Tina Fey, Jon Haller, Matt Hubbard, Dylan Morgan, John Riggi, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Alec Berg, Larry David, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer; HBO
Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K.; FX
Modern Family, Written by Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Carol Leifer, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC
Parks & Recreation, Written by Greg Daniels, Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor, Norm Hiscock, Emily Kapnek, Dave King, Greg Levine, Aisha Muharrar, Chelsea Peretti, Amy Poehler, Brian Rowe, Michael Schur, Mike Scully, Emily Spivey, Alan Yang, Harris Wittels; NBC


NEW SERIES  
Episodes, Written by David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik; Showtime
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO
Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime
The Killing, Written by Linda Burstyn, Jeremy Doner, Soo Hugh, Dan Nowak, Nic Pizzolatto, Dawn Prestwich, Veena Sud, Nicole Yorkin, Aaron Zelman; AMC
New Girl, Written by Nick Adams, Rachel Axler, Brett Baer, Donick Cary, Dave Finkel, Berkley Johnson, Josh Malmuth, Elizabeth Meriwether, J.J. Philbin, Joe Port, Luvh Rakhe, Joe Wiseman; Fox


EPISODIC DRAMA  
“A Dangerous Maid” (Boardwalk Empire), Written byItamar Moses; HBO
“The Age of Reason” (Boardwalk Empire), Written byBathsheba Doran; HBO
“Box Cutter” (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC
“End Times” (Breaking Bad), Written by Thomas Schnauz & Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
“The Good Soldier” (Homeland), Written by Henry Bromell; Showtime
“Just Let Go” (Dexter), Written by Jace Richdale; Showtime


EPISODIC COMEDY  
“Caught in the Act” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman; ABC
“Goodbye Michael, Part 2” (The Office), Written by Greg Daniels; NBC
“Mother’s Day” (Modern Family), Written by Dan O’Shannon & Ilana Wernick; ABC
“Object Impermanence” (Weeds), Written by Stephen Falk; Showtime
“PDA” (The Office), Written by Robert Padnick; NBC
“Queen of Jordan” (30 Rock), Written by Tracey Wigfield; NBC

Modern Family took home Best Comedy Series and Best Episodic Comedy for "Caught in the Act."  While Homeland took home Best New Series and tied in the episodic drama category with the episode "The Good Soldier."  Breaking Bad won Best Drama and was the other TV drama to win in the episodic drama category for "Box Cutter."

2011's Best in Television: The Shows, the Episodes, the Performances

Top Ten TV Shows

1-Parks and Recreation-Rarely do these lists name a comedy as the best show of the year (that's not why I am picking it), but this show was flawless this year.  Season 3 which took place entirely in 2011 was a perfect season of a comedy.  With cast additions like Rob Lowe and Adam Scott the tone of the show has never faltered.  I love Leslie Knope and I am glad they moved away from creating Michael Scott part two.  This is one of the best ensembles.  I could go on an on about Leslie, April, Andy, Tom, Jerry, Donna and of course Ron freaking Swanson, but that would fill up a huge amount of space.

2-Breaking Bad-The best show everyone is starting to watch now.  This show is like a fine wine, it gets better with age.  When I watched the third season of this show I thought, this is the best season of this show, then came the fourth season.  This show continues to get better and better.  Vince Gilligan is a genius, and has made this one of the best dramas on television ever!

3-Homeland-The best new show of the year!  This taught cat and mouse game centered around the CIA, a soldier returning home being missing for eight years, and terrorism is one of the best thrillers.  Claire Danes and Damien Lewis have amazing chemistry and have given phenomenal performances.  I just finished this series, and from beginning to end with so many twists and turns I am ready for season two to start.

4-Game of Thrones-Another show with a great first year. While there were moments were the pacing of this show is quick, and I had to re-wind to make sure I got every detail this show is amazing.  You better not get attached to any character though because they will kill him or her off with the snap of your fingers.  The show is not afraid to push boundaries, and bring a fantastical world to life.

5-Louie-This show is beyond sarcasm.  Louis CK has made his dark twisted life into a brilliant comedy series.  While the first season provided some great awkwardly funny moments, the second season of this show kicked it up a notch.  The show provided even more awkwardly funny moments, and showed depth to Louis CK while interacting with his children.

6-The Good Wife-This show is the onion of television shows. Of course the show does not stink, but like Shrek says "onions have layers."  This is one of the best shows because it peals away revealing the layers of the different characters while intermixing a procedural court case.  The show is also not afraid to shuck those layers and start new.  This is one of the best shows on television and CBS made a huge mistake moving this against Monday night football.

7-The Walking Dead-While season two followed the hunt for a young girl, this show took the context of the zombie analogy to a whole new level.  Are these "walkers" people?  I thought this season was strong, and provided not only new directions but showed that even in a show about the walking dead there is life.

8-Curb Your Enthusiasm-I have never seen a show where is season 8 the quality has not remotely decreased.  CYE was at the top of this game in a post divorce world for Larry and a change in location to New York.  I have two words for everyone, Palestinian Chicken.  "Palestinian Chicken" is the funniest episode I have seen in a long time.  Watching Larry easily giving up on his faith and his people to eat chicken from a Palestinian restaurant is hilarious.

9-Modern Family-There is not much to say but that this show still remains steady with the laughs.  Whether the kids are catching Claire and Phill having sex or we watch Mitchell and Cam in their search to get another baby this show while not at as great as its first year still is one of the best shows on television.

10-Revenge-As much as you may laugh, this is one of the most entertaining shows of the year.  The show provides a soapy/exciting experience for viewers.  This show reminds me of the days of Dallas, Knotts Landing, and Dynasty.  Those show were never taken as serious as they could/should have been.  Revenge tells the story of basic human emotions in fabulous clothes in the Hamptons.  Emily Van Camp and Madeline Stowe work together flawlessly.

Top Five Episodes (In Alpha Order)


Each of these episodes were not only quintessential to the show, but were classic television episodes that will have a lasting impact on television.

Game of Thrones-"Baelor"
Wait what just happened? No, I mean did that just happen?  This episode was a game changer for the series, and made this show turn a corner few other shows have turned.  This episode defines this show.

The Good Wife-"Closing Arguments"


The moment fans have been waiting for!  An episode with a compelling court case, and where Alicia finally moves on from Peter and kisses Will.

Friday Night Lights-"Always"
One of the best series finales.  The show always had heart, and made a show about football more than a show about football.  This episode won an Emmy for directing, and provided a perfect emotional ending for Coach Taylor and crew.

Modern Family "Caught in the Act"

Who thought walking in on someone else's parents having sex would be so hilarious.  This is by far one of my favorite episodes of this show.  Thinking about how horrifying this moment actually would be, and then watching it in a TV show, is the reason why this show is still one of the best. (no clip)

Parks and Recreation "Flu Season" and "The Fight" (tie)

I could not pick, it was my Sophie's choice of this year.  "Flu Season" was Poehler's "Vitameatavegamin" when she comes down with the flu and in the eleventh hour convinces people to invest in the harvest fest.  Then there is of course Leslie and Ann's big fight while everyone gets drunk on Tom's Snake Juice in "The Fight"  Two pitch perfect episodes.

Outstanding Performances

Damien Lewis as Sergent Nicholas Brody and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland-The cat and mouse game of the year! But who is who?  These two have so much chemistry, and whether they are sparring in the the interrogation room or the bedroom there is no stopping this dynamic duo.  Picking just one person would be a tough thing to do, both of these actors are at the top of their game in this show.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones-Tyrion is not only a great character but he provides so much more than the serious context of the other characters.  Tyrion is constantly referred as the the "halfling" but his character is the most redeemable in the entire Lannister family, and is has some pretty funny moments.

Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt and Amy Poehler Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation- These two have amazing chemistry.  This is dork love at its finest.  Leslie lives on waffles, and Ben dresses up in a Batman costume.  Of course these two are meant to be.  While many love Ron Swanson (I do too) these two are just great, and make me laugh, cry, and make me proud to be a dork.

Giancarlo Espostio as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring on Breaking Bad-The man mixes his dark and "good" side effortlessly.  Esposito brought Gus to life earlier as a more one dimensional character, but as this show continues to become more, characters like Gus become phenomenal.  I think most of the credit has to go to Esposito, and his brilliant performance.

Writer's Guild Announces Television Nominees: Modern Family, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire and Homeland Score the most nominations

The Writers Guild announced their nominees in television categories today.  Here is the list of the nominees:

DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire, Written by Bathsheba Doran, Dave Flebotte, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Itamar Moses, Margaret Nagle, Terence Winter; HBO

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO

The Good Wife, Written by Courtney Kemp Agboh, Meredith Averill, Corinne Brinkerhoff, Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, Karen Hall, Ted Humphrey, Michelle King, Robert King, Steve Lichtman, Matthew Montoya, Julia Wolfe; CBS

Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime

COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Hannibal Buress, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Tina Fey, Jon Haller, Matt Hubbard, Colleen McGuinness, Dylan Morgan, John Riggi, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Alec Berg, Larry David, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer; HBO

Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K.; FX

Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Carol Leifer, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

Parks & Recreation, Written by Greg Daniels, Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor, Norm Hiscock, Emily Kapnek, Dave King, Greg Levine, Aisha Muharrar, Chelsea Peretti, Amy Poehler, Brian Rowe, Michael Schur, Mike Scully, Emily Spivey, Alan Yang, Harris Wittels; NBC

NEW SERIES

Episodes, Written by David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik; Showtime

Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO

Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime

The Killing, Written by Linda Burstyn, Jeremy Doner, Soo Hugh, Dan Nowak, Nic Pizzolatto, Dawn Prestwich, Veena Sud, Nicole Yorkin, Aaron Zelman; AMC

New Girl, Written by Nick Adams, Rachel Axler, Brett Baer, Donick Cary, Dave Finkel, Berkley Johnson, Josh Malmuth, Elizabeth Meriwether, J.J. Philbin, Joe Port, Luvh Rakhe, Joe Wiseman; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA

“A Dangerous Maid” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Itamar Moses; HBO

“The Age of Reason” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Bathsheba Doran; HBO

“Box Cutter” (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC

“End Times” (Breaking Bad), Written by Thomas Schnauz & Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

“The Good Soldier” (Homeland), Written by Henry Bromell; Showtime

“Just Let Go” (Dexter), Written by Jace Richdale; Showtime

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Caught in the Act” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman; ABC

“Goodbye Michael, Part 2” (The Office), Written by Greg Daniels; NBC

“Mother’s Day” (Modern Family), Written by Dan O’Shannon & Ilana Wernick; ABC

“Object Impermanence” (Weeds), Written by Stephen Falk; Showtime

“PDA” (The Office), Written by Robert Padnick; NBC

“Queen of Jordan” (30 Rock), Written by Tracey Wigfield; NBC

So what does this mean?  This is great news for Breaking Bad.  This show has a good chance to dethrone the reigning AMC champ Mad Men at the Emmy Awards this year.  Homeland receiving 3 nominations is a great sign that this show has legs and could replace Dexter as the new Showtime show nominated in the Best Drama category.  The New Girl received a nomination in for writing for a New Series.  Not many new comedies have resonated, and this bodes well for this show.  The Office was nominated for two of its better episodes last season, but without Steve Carell this show will be out of the Best Comedy Series category next year at the Emmys.  These nominees in the drama and comedy categories could somewhat mirror next years Emmy nominees in the best series categories.