'Grand Budapest,' 'Imitation Game' top WGAs
The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game were named the best original and adapted screenplays of 2014 on Saturday night from the Writers Guild of America, which handed out awards at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.
Wes Anderson's stylish comedy beat a lineup consisting of Boyhood, Foxcatcher, Nightcrawler and Whiplash, while Graham Moore's screenplay for the drama about mathematician Alan Turing beat American Sniper, Gone Girl, Guardians of the Galaxy and Wild.
Although it had won three other major guild awards — the Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America awards and Screen Actors Guild's ensemble prize — Birdman was not eligible to make it a sweep. Because of WGA rules restricting its awards to films that are made under the guild's Minimum Basic Agreement or the agreements of several affiliated international guilds, Birdman was ineligible for a Writers Guild Award, as was the Oscar-nominated adapted screenplay for The Theory of Everything.
True Detective won two major TV awards, one for best drama series and one for best new series. Louie won the award for comedy series, while an individual episode of that show also won for the best comedy episode. An episode of The Good Wife won the award for a drama episode.
Olive Kitteridge won the award for an adapted limited series, while Deliverance Creek won the award for original limited series.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver won the award for comedy/variety series, while the Golden Globe Awards beat the Tonys and the Spirit Awards as best comedy/variety special.
In other awards, General Hospital won for the best daytime drama and an episode of The Simpsons won for animation. TV documentary awards went to two reports from Frontline and a Diane Sawyer special on Nelson Mandela.
The feature-film documentary award went to The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz.
A number of honorary awards were also given out. Shonda Rhimes was given the Paddy Chayevsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, the late Harold Ramis the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, Margaret Nagle the Paul Selvin Award, Jeff Melvoin the Norman Cox Award, Pedro Almodovar the Jean Renoir Award for Screenwriting Achievement, Len Uhley the AWC Animation Writing Award and Ben Affleck the Valentine Davies Award for his humanitarian work.
The night's movie and TV winners:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Grand Budapest Hotel, screenplay by Wes Anderson; story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Imitation Game, written by Graham Moore; based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, written by Brian Knappenberger
DRAMA SERIES
True Detective, written by Nic Pizzolatto
COMEDY SERIES
Louie, written by Louis C.K.
NEW SERIES
True Detective, written by Nic Pizzolatto
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
Deliverance Creek, written by Melissa Carter
LONG FORM ADAPTED
Olive Kitteridge, teleplay by Jane Anderson, based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA — ORIGINAL
Episode 113: Rachel (High Maintenance), written by Katja Blichfeld & Ben Sinclair
ANIMATION
Brick Like Me (The Simpsons), written by Brian Kelley
EPISODIC DRAMA
The Last Call (The Good Wife), written by Robert King & Michelle King
EPISODIC COMEDY
So Did the Fat Lady (Louie), written by Louis C.K.
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) — SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner
COMEDY / VARIETY — MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES, SPECIALS
71st annual Golden Globe Awards, written by Barry Adelman; special material by Alex Baze, Dave Boone, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Jon Macks, Sam Means, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Mike Shoemaker
DAYTIME DRAMA
General Hospital, written by Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O'Connor, Elizabeth Page, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten
CHILDREN'S SCRIPT — EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
Haunted Heartthrob (Haunted Hathaways), written by Bob Smiley
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Hollywood Game Night, head writer: Grant Taylor; writers: Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT — CURRENT EVENTS
United States of Secrets: The Program (Part One) (Frontline); PBS; written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT — OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis (Frontline), written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser
TV NEWS SCRIPT — REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
Nelson Mandela: A Man Who Changed the World (World News with Diane Sawyer), written by Diane Sawyer, Lisa Ferri, Dave Bloch
TV NEWS SCRIPT — ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
Nowhere to Go (60 Minutes), written by Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados & Michael Rey