Spotlight and The Big Short were the top film winners tonight at the 2016 WGA Awards, with Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, and Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, taking the marquee honors, respectively, for original and adapted screenplay. Alex Gibney’s Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief took the documentary prize.
On the TV side, it was Mad Men and Veep with top drama and comedy series honors, respectively, and Mr. Robot notched a best new series win. Here’s how it all went down.
Bob Balaban is making the first award. “Good evening whites, blacks, gays… and the smallest minority of all at least when it comes to comedy writing, Gentiles.”
Word is that the Original Screenplay and Adaptated Screenplay categories are going to be announced early tonight here in the West so that certain nominees can fly out to London for the BAFTAs tomw. Typically these are the last awards of the night.
But of course, we’re not allowed to tell you which award!
while at least 1 winner here in adapted and original go on to win the Oscars…this year it could be 2 as The Big Short is the fave to win in adapted and Spotlight is the fave to win in original.
So somebody just gave get thanks to the Writers Guild. And here’s Wet Hot American Summer’s Michael Ian Black as host.
But there could be a curveball…Aaron Sorkin could win for Steve Jobs in adpated as he is a fave with writers. There ya go Jeremy…east getting ahead of west already. Everyone’s still eating dessert out here.
WGA East has a great Twitter feed going…(no disrespect DGAs).
Black on Mr Robot — and Mrs. Robot, who makes only 70 percent f what Mr. Robot earns….
More info on tributes tonight: comedy legend, from Second City’s Nichols and May, and the director of The Heartbreak Kid, Mickey and Nicky and Ishtar…comedy legend Elaine May is getting the Laurel Award
Black: Spotlight takes a look at something most Americans won’t even acknowledge exists: newspapers.
funny exhange b/t Oswalt and Black from earlier…
Black: Blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo had his name restored to all the work he’d done — sort of like the opposite of what happened last year to Bill Cosby…It took a second for the audience to respond to that.
John August, screenwriter of Tim Burton’s Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is getting the Valentine Davies Award. That recognizes a member’s humanitarian efforts.
“I’m not making any jokes about the worst Supreme Court Justice in American….Anton Scalia was born in 1936 and stayed there. No word from the Game of Thrones table who is going to replace him” – Patton Oswalt
“Welcome to four hours of cringing” – Oswalt
“TV is so good now, Homeland isn’t even nominated”- Oswalt
I missed my daughter’s 6th birthday to add fart jokes to Dirty Grandpa. None of them made the movie!”–Oswalt.
Best episodic drama up now…
“A lot of your work will go unrecognized” — Oswalt to a room of writers. Before the show started, while Oswalt was testing jokes out, one of the best improvisers at Upright Citizens Brigade Mark David Christenson was setting the stage.
Better Call Saul is the winner of best episodic drama. ..Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
Jeremy Pikser, presenting an honorary award to Melissa Salmons for devoted service to the Guild, notes his all black outfit and says, “I want you to now I chose my outfit before I learned that Scalia kicked the bucket.”
Season 2 starts Monday for Better Call Saul.
Oswalt: “WGA East is giving out there awards by a bizzaro Patten, Michael Ian Black”
co-creator of Crazy Ex Girlfriend Rachel Bloom up presenting…
she’s presenting the Childrens category..she says she wrote kids songs…”F Me Ray Bradbury” was one. “I think the lesson here is keep me away from your children”
the award for outstanding writing longford adapted: FARGO
And the 2016 WGA awards are already a mess. Sorry original screenplay nominees here in LA, but word is getting out that Spotlight by Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer is the original screenplay winner here.
Alex Gibney wins for docu screenplay
Sorry WGA East…so much for covering up the winners. Everyone would need to give up their phones before they enter the Edison.
Jeremy, this going to be like shooting ducks in a barrel.
Giobry: L Ron Hubbard set the Guinness world record for most published books. He made the desire for making money and avoiding taxes into a religion.
They’re literally announcing Spotlight out here now.
Gibney: This is for those people willing to speak up against human rights abuses.
And that was an elegant acceptance speech for Going Clear.
Titus Burgess is cracking funny bat how darned cold it is here in NYC.
Ya know ..they should just do all the tributes up front..both east and west should really sync their awards. They’re the only guild that does this. But they get an A for pace!
For documentary script, the winner is Thomas Jennings
That was for Documentary “American Terrorist,” which Jennings says”is not about Donald Trump.”
This one is for documentary for Other Than Current Events: Great Math Mystery, Nova
Like the SAGs “I’m an actor” presentations, WGA has “I’m a writer presentations”….
Titus said “There used to be just one documentary award — until Dr. Ben Carson separated them.”
Bob’s Burgers sisters Lizzie and Wendy Molyneaux share a very blue exchange in their “I’m a writer presentation”
Wendy: “I’m writing partners with sister Lizzie. As a female writing comedy duo we get the question ‘do you feel pressured to be as raunchy as the guys.’ I’m like I’m sorry..it was hard to hear you with my di** in your mouth”
Lizzie: “Wow, I didn’t want to do that joke tonight. I don’t really like push being raunchy. so if anyone here is offended by that joke, come fund us at the end of the show. Only thing for me it’s going to be hard for me to here you with my di** in your mouth.”
Alas, the perks of not having a televised show….no standards and practices exec lurking around…
Bob’s Burgers sisters Lizzie and Wendy Molyneaux share a very blue exchange in their “I’m a writer presentation”
Wendy: “I’m writing partners with sister Lizzie. As a female writing comedy duo we get the question ‘do you feel pressured to be as raunchy as the guys.’ I’m like I’m sorry..it was hard to hear you with my di** in your mouth”
Lizzie: “Wow, I didn’t want to do that joke tonight. I don’t really like push being raunchy. so if anyone here is offended by that joke, come fund us at the end of the show. Only thing for me it’s going to be hard for me to hear you with my di** in your mouth.”
I can’t wait for Elaine May to get up for her tribute.
The only thing writers don’t have with these acceptance speeches is……an editor!
Michael Ian Black is going on about upcoming reboots, including Robert De Niro in “Uber Driver” and Angela Lansbury in “Making a Murderer, She Wrote.” He batted around .333.
Regularly scheduled newscast, bulletin, whatever: Tomas A Sebella
Kaufman and Crane point to Nancy Josephson for discovering them off broadway..next Kevin Bright gave them the keys.
Chris Hardwick up to present….for best episodic comedy.
Sabella was in the radio category, btw. Gail Lee of CBS just won the radio news commentary award.
Nominees are Veep, Last Man on Earth, Modern Family, Maron, Black-ish and Silicon Valley…winners is “SAND HILL SHUFFLE” CLAY TARVER’S EPISODE FROM HBO’S SILICON VALLEY.
And Andrew Evans, the only nominee, wins for radio reporting on the end of the Vietnam War, 40 years later.
Alan Zweibel comes on to present the Evelyn F. Burkey Award to Senator Al Franken. He recalls the 1975 meeting of staff with Lorne Michaels abut launching SNL. They were the funniest people I’d ever seen and I was in awe.
Diane Lane taking the stage…to talk about….John McNamara who is getting the Paul Selvin award.
“A passionate moral code he’s never deviated from,” Zweibel says of Franke
An industry groveling before media controlled entities. “Sound scary?” says Lane about the Blacklist era. “The truth has the power to keep setting us free”
McNamara takes the stage. Great guy. He’s recognizing everyone involved in the production and his life.
Lawrence O’Donnell on Franken: Al’s optimism made him a great risk taker.
Al Franken comes up, to Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al, of course
Franken: Is it as much fun being a US Senator, as working on SNL? No, why would it be?
But then again, he says, there’s getting to make Obamacare happen, and net neutrality, “which is important not only to us but to virtually every business in the world.”
This guy is claiming to be Trumbo’s grandson Steve Trumbo…
He’s got a spec script on Mike & Molly that he can’t get the town to read. “They have car trouble..well, never mind, I don’t want to spoil it.”
Frankel makes no mention all of Scalia. Strange.
Margo Martindale cracks another Trump joke, announcing nominees for longform original: Saints and Strangers
For short form original new media: Darren Strauss
For short form original new media: Daryn Strauss
WGA Award for Animation goes to Bob’s Burgers.
Dan Fybel…”Housetrap” episode.
Joh Slattery presents episodic series. The winner is Clay Tarver for Silicon Valley
And Mr. Robot wins for New series
Wow this has been a huuuge winner this season.
“I ate a dozen donuts in 20 minutes to prove to an executive that a character could do that. I witnessed a fight between a man and meter maid and said it happened to me. I threw away a Time magazine when I saw your face on the cover.. I’m Matt Weiner and I’m a writer.”
Sam Esmail is always gracious, as he is here.
Matt is chronicling the presentation of the Valentine Davies award to John August.
Tony Goldwyn is accepting the Ian McLellan Hunter award from Richard LaGravenese. Goldwyn on Richard: “He always makes you better.”
Tony Goldwyn is presenting to Richard LaGravenese, which is the reasoner this loveliest about him.
Tony Goldwyn is presenting to Richard LaGravenese, which is the reason for this loveliest about him.
Great clips from the LaGravenese oeuvre. What a range — Bridges of Madison County, Living Out Loud, Freedom Writers, A Little Princess!
Marta Kaufman and David Crane, Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award honorees.
Beloved, Water For Elephants…
And here’s LaGravenese, for lifetime achievement: I got be honest, I don’t think I’ve done anything that great to deserve an award –= and I was in a really fucked up depression when the Guild called” about this award. “I so admire people who are original and stick to their originality.”
LaGravenese: Thanks especially to Terry Gilliam, tops of the directors and producers who said yes and took a chance on me. And actors, especially Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.
I don’t even know if film is the right medium for me! I’m just beginning to understand. I want to star fresh, I want to be an amateur.
Jeremy Gerard already announced in NYC that New Series goes to Mr. Robot. That gang is at the East Coast ceremony. But there’s some folks here…
Michael McKean (with Annette O’Toole): tonight’s nominees for outstanding comedy/variety awards run the gamut from the beginning of the gut to the end of the gamut…and the winner is Jommy Kimmel Liove
Patton Oswalt introduces next presenter…as rejecting his writers packet when he applied to write on Mr. Show….Mr. Bob Odenkirk.
That was of course Jimmy Kimmel
“I’ve been a member of Writers Guild for three decades and never won an award…i’m an actor now. I traded in my self hatred for self love.”
And the winner for Comedy/Variety Sketch Series, the winner is Inside Amy Schumer.
“I only appreciate writing more as an actor, and without the words we have improv and improv sucks.” Odenkirk is presenting Adapted Screenplay!
Finally an award that WGA East hasn’t spoiled..
PGA and WGA in sync on Big Short….SAG and WGA insync on Spotlight….
“I”m not going to thank my reps!” jokes McKay.
McKay thanks Cliff Roberts…”He asked me if there was a project I wanted to do, what would it be. I said ‘Big short’ That’s a great question for an agent to ask his client.”
6% in unions down from 60% during the 1960s…says McKay….he tells the story of how the person during production lost their home.
“If you need to pee or vape, this is the time of the show you should do it.” says Owalt, “Hey, it’s my pleasure to introduce the WGA West president Howard Rodman”
They’ve just announced the winner of comedy/variety talk show, but we can’t let you know till it’s out on the West Coast.
Because the WGA has this split ceremony and apparently no one on the East Coast texts anyone on the West Coat, because I guess it’s 1976, not 2016.
I’m wondering, Anthony, why the WGA doesn’t simulcast the show and split the awards between the two coasts so it can all be in sync?
John Slattery’s back on the podium, and we’ll leave it to you to guess why.
Jeremy, this is by far the craziest craziest disconnection in years.
Here’s one way the WGA West is classy through Jeremy. I just checked out the ballroom. it’s filled to the brim. A few years ago, since they serve dinner first, as tables of shows would lose..they would get up and leave in droves so by the end of the show, only a 1/3 of the people were there.
David Koechner on the stage here. This guy is a sublime stand-up performer. Miss the Naked Trucker and T-Bone show at Largo here in LA.
Koechner use to do a desperate salesman character — just brilliant.
As NYC announced..and their show is over….Veep won best comedy and Mad Men won best drama.
Seriously. Can’t gripe enough how these two branches need to come together and break bread on syncing their award shows…or at least break up TV in NYC and film and Tributes in LA….that’s one solution.
that there is Paul Selvin honoree John McNamara.
New York WGAE ceremony is over….
and we’re still going out here in the West….
The nominees for longform original…and NYC announced it was NatGeo’s Saints and Strangers as indicated by Jeremy Gerard a while ago.
So far the WGA West ceremony is running 30 minutes past its end point. But hey, better timing than DGA.
They haven’t lauded Elaine May yet with the Laurel Award.
Robert Towne taking the stage. Finally some action here in Hollywood despite WGA East’s spoilage. He’s presenting to Elaine May.
“Elaine has always been ahead of us.” said Towne. “‘One of the most intelligent witty women I’ve ever met,’ said Richard Burton, ‘I hope I never see her again'”
No camera shots of Elaine May in the room….
Towne “Elaine has made an art of killing with kindess”
Video snafu here during Towne’s presentation….Towne “You are asking me to introduce it again”
Elaine May was nominated for 2 oscars..her adapted screenplay for “Primary Colors” and adapted screenplay “Heaven Can Wait” (which she shared with Warren Beatty)
She’s only won 1 WGA Award for Heaven Can Wait.
Biggest and loudest standing ovation of the night for Elaine May.
