Writers Guild Nominations Announced

As hard as it may be to believe sometimes, someone (or someones) actually sits down and writes a movie or TV show before you end up seeing it at your local multiplex or on your favorite TV network. The people who do the sitting and the writing are, surprisingly, called writers and, like the Directors, the Golden Globes and the Oscars, they have their own awards show.

This week, the Writers Guild of America, which is the trade group and advocate for writers, announced its nominations for outstanding achievement in feature film and television, radio, news, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2009 season to be honored at the upcoming 2010 Writers Guild Awards on February 20, 2010, in Los Angeles and New York.

We realize that these nominations may not be as glamorous as the Golden Globes or the Oscars, but we kinda like writers around here and think they do a pretty important job. So, with that in mind, here’s a complete list of nominees.

Check out these names, these people are pretty important. Without them you wouldn’t get to enjoy your favorite TV show, movie or pretty much any other form of entertainment. The 2010 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010, simultaneously at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.

FILM NOMINEES

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Avatar, Written by James Cameron

The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal

A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper

Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb

Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher Based on the novel Push by Sapphire

Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry

Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon TurnerBased upon the novel by Walter Kirn

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank Based on original material written by Richard Trank & Rabbi Marvin Hier

Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore

The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe

Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone

Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar

Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman

TELEVISION NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, George Mastras, J. Roberts, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Charles H. Eglee, Lauren Gussis, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattmann, Wendy West; Showtime

Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Ron Fitzgerald, Brent Fletcher, Etan Frankel, Jason Gavin, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Rolin Jones, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Derek Santos Olson, John Zinman; NBC

Lost, Written by Carlton Cuse, Adam Horowitz, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Edward Kitsis, Damon Lindelof, Greggory Nations, Kyle Pennington, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Brian K. Vaughan, Paul Zbyszewski; ABC

Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Andrew Colville, Kater Gordon, Cathryn Humphris, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Erin Levy, Marti Noxon, Frank Pierson, Robin Veith, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Steve Hely, Matt Hubbard, Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David; HBO

Glee, Written by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy; Fox

Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Sameer Gardezi, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Caroline Williams, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

The Office, Written by Jennifer Celotta, Danny Chun, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Anthony Q. Farrell, Brent Forrester, Daniel J. Goor, Charlie Grandy, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, Paul Lieberstein, Warren Lieberstein, BJ Novak, Michael Schur, Aaron Shure, Justin Spitzer, Gene Stupnitsky, Halsted Sullivan; NBC

NEW SERIES

Glee, Written by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy; Fox

The Good Wife, Written by Angela Amato Velez, Corinne Brinkerhoff, Ted Humphrey, Dee Johnson, Todd E. Kessler, Michelle King, Robert King; CBS

Hung, Written by Colette Burson, Ellie Herman, Emily Kapnek, Brett C. Leonard, Dmitry Lipkin, Angela Robinson; HBO

Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Sameer Gardezi, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Caroline Williams, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

Nurse Jackie, Written by Taii K. Austin, Liz Brixius, Rick Cleveland, Evan Dunsky, Nancy Fichman, Liz Flahive, Jennifer Hoppe, Mark Hudis, John Hilary Shepherd, Linda Wallem, Christine Zander; Showtime

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time

“Broken, Part 1 and Part 2” (House), Written by Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner & David Foster & David Shore; Fox

“Come, Ye Saints” (Big Love), Written by Melanie Marnich; HBO

“The Grown Ups” (Mad Men), Written by Brett Johnson and Matthew Weiner; AMC

“Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency” (Mad Men), Written by Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner; AMC

“I Will Rise Up” (True Blood), Written by Nancy Oliver; HBO

“Phoenix” (Breaking Bad), Written by John Shiban; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time

“Apollo, Apollo” (30 Rock), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC

“Broke” (The Office), Written by Charlie Grandy; NBC

“Chapter 1” (Eastbound & Down), Written by Ben T. Best & Jody L. Hill & Danny McBride; HBO

“Gossip” (The Office), Written by Paul Lieberstein; NBC

“Pilot” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd; ABC

“Reunion” (30 Rock), Written by Matt Hubbard; NBC

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

Georgia O’Keeffe, Written by Michael Cristofer; Lifetime

Grey Gardens, Teleplay by Michael Sucsy and Patricia Rozema, Story by Michael Sucsy; HBO

Pedro, Screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, Story by Paris Barclay & Dustin Lance Black; MTV

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

America, Teleplay by Joyce Eliason and Rosie O’Donnell, Based upon the novel by E.R. Frank; Lifetime

Taking Chance, Teleplay by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, Based on the short story by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.); HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time

“The Burns and the Bees” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox

“Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe” (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox

“Gone Maggie Gone” (The Simpsons), Written by Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham; Fox

“Take My Life, Please” (The Simpsons), Written by Don Payne; Fox

“Wedding for Disaster” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox

COMEDY / VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES

Real Time with Bill Maher, Head Writer: Billy Martin, Writers Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Jonathan Schmock, Danny Vermont; HBO

Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Seth Meyers, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch by Adam McKay, Andrew Steele; NBC

The Colbert Report, Head Writers: Barry Julien, Thomas Purcell, Writers Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Robert Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Peter Grosz, Peter Gwinn, Alon Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Max Werner; Comedy Central

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer: Steve Bodow, Writers Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, David Javerbaum, Elliott Kalan, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Head Writer: Mike Sweeney, Writers Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Kevin Dorff, Andres du Bouchet, Michael Gordon, Berkley Johnson, Brian Kiley, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Andy Richter, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg; NBC

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS

“Film Independent’s 2009 Spirit Awards,” Written by Billy Kimball, Neil MacLennan; IFC/AMC

“We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” Written by George Stevens, Jr., Michael Stevens and Sara Lukinson; HBO

DAYTIME SERIAL

All My Children, Written by Jeff Beldner, Joanna Cohen, Kate Hall, Chip Hayes, Michelle Patrick, Charles Pratt, Jr., Rebecca Taylor, Tracey Thomson, Addie Walsh; ABC

As the World Turns, Written by Peter Brash, Lisa Connor, Susan Dansby, Cheryl L. Davis, Leah Laiman, David A. Levinson, Leslie Nipkow, Jean Passanante, Gordon Rayfield, Courtney Simon; CBS

One Life to Live, Written by Shelly Altman, Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Aida Croal, Carolyn Culliton, Janet Iacobuzio, Frederick Johnson, Sharon Lennon, Elizabeth Page, Melissa Salmons, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC

The Young and the Restless, Written by Amanda L. Beall, Tom Casiello, Lisa Connor, Janice Ferri Esser, Eric Freiwald, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Marla Kanelos, Beth Milstein, Natalie Minardi Slater, Melissa Salmons, Linda Schreiber, James Stanley, Sandra Weintraub, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC & SPECIALS

“A Monster Problem” (Imagination Movers), Written by Randi Barnes, Rick Gitelson, Scott Gray; Disney Channel

“Frankly, It’s Becoming a Habitat” (Sesame Street), Written by Joseph Mazzarino; PBS

“Mouse and Home” (Imagination Movers), Written by Michael G. Stern, Randi Barnes, Rick Gitelson, Scott Gray; Disney Channel

“The Rival” (True Jackson, VP), Written by Dan Kopelman; Nickelodeon

“Welcome to the Jungle” (The Troop), Written by Max Burnett; Nickelodeon

“Wild Nature Survivor Guy” (Sesame Street), Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL

“Another Cinderella Story,” Written by Erik Patterson, Jessica Scott; ABC Family

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS

“Black Money” (Frontline), Written by Lowell Bergman, Oriana Zill de Granados; PBS

“Heat” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS

“The Hugo Chávez Show” (Frontline), Written by Ofra Bikel; PBS

“Inside the Meltdown” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS

“The Madoff Affair” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith; PBS

“Poisoned Waters” (Frontline), Written by Hedrick Smith, Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” (American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS

The National Parks: Americas Best Idea, “Episode Two: 1890-1915: The Last Refuge,” Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

“The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer” (American Experience), Written by David Grubin; PBS

Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story, Written by David A. Taylor, Olive Emma Bucklin, Andrea Kalin; Smithsonian Channel

“We Shall Remain: Episode Three: Trail of Tears” (American Experience), Written by Mark Zwonitzer; PBS

“We Shall Remain: Episode Two: Tecumseh’s Vision” (American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT

CBS Evening News, Written by Joe Clines, Jerry Cipriano, Jared Crawford; CBS

“Recession Candy,” Written by R. Polly Leider; CBS

World News with Charles Gibson, Written by Lee Kamlet, Julia Kathan, Joel Siegel; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“All Night Long” (Good Morning America), Written by Mary Pflum; ABC

“A Private War: Expose: America’s Investigative Reports” (Bill Moyers Journal), Written by Thomas M. Jennings; PBS

“Election Day” (Bill Moyers Journal), Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship; PBS

“Financial Fingers” (CBS News), Written by R. Polly Leider; CBS

“The Words That Won the White House” (Good Morning America), Written by Lisa Ferri; ABC

RADIO NOMINEES

DOCUMENTARY

2008 Year in Review, Written by Gail Lee; CBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING

So Many Goodbyes, Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio

WCBS News Radio, Written by Robert Hawley; CBS Radio

World News This Week − July 11, 2009, Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC Radio

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY

Black History Month, Written by Arleen Lebe; CBS Radio

End of Summer, Written by Duane Tollison; CBS Radio

Farewells, Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio

Paul Harvey: An American Life, Written by Stu Chamberlain; ABC Radio

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION NOMINEES

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Promo Process, Written by Michelle Straebler; WNBC

“Vegas” (Dateline), “The Wanted” Promo, NBC Nightly News Promo, “Iran” (Dateline), “Cheat” (Dateline), Written by Barry Fitzsimmons; NBC

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION

“Hudson Splashdown” (CBS Evening News with Katie Couric), David M. Rosen, Shannon L. Toma; CBS