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Hollywood Talent Salutes Excellence in Writing at 2012 Awards

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:28:05 GMT

Executive Producer Spike Jones, Jr. and Talent Producer Carole Propp have confirmed a top line-up of Hollywood talent set to present honors at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards L.A. ceremony coming up on Sunday, February 19, at the Hollywood Palladium.

Chronicle’s Max Landis

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:53:05 GMT

Is Max Landis’ superpower screenwriting? The scion of John Landis describes why he was able to bang out the script for Chronicle, the new found footage film about teenagers who acquire superpowers and the carnage that ensues, in just two weeks.

Patric M. Verrone to Receive 2012 Morgan Cox Award for Writers Guild Service

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:48:53 GMT

Former Writers Guild of America, West President and Emmy and Writers Guild Award-winning writer Patric M. Verrone is set to receive the WGAW’s 2012 Morgan Cox Award in recognition of his exemplary service to the Guild.

The Help's Tate Taylor to Receive 2012 Paul Selvin Award

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:36:07 GMT

Contact Gregg Mitchell (323) 782 4574 News Release January 27, 2012 The Help Screenwriter Director Tate Taylor to Receive WGAW’s 2012 Paul Selvin Award

The Hotlist: February 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:46:58 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

Zooey Deschanel & Joel Mchale to Co-Host 2012 WGAW Awards Show

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:09:53 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West has tapped Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, [500] Days of Summer) and Joel McHale (Community, The Soup) to co-host the WGAW’s 2012 Writers Guild Awards L.A. show on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at the Hollywood Palladium.

The Writers Workbench: CES 2012

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:11:34 GMT

The Writers Workbench visits the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show and hands out its “Cool Thing” awards to the gadgets that will make what you do in your everyday life profoundly easier.

Coriolanus’ John Logan

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:24:05 GMT

John Logan, the two-time Academy Award-nominated writer behind the testosterone-driven classics Gladiator and The Last Samurai, realizes a life-long dream by adapting Shakespeare’s macho drama Coriolanus.

TV and Screenwriter Robert Dozier Dies at 81

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:16:47 GMT

Veteran television and screenwriter Robert Dozier, who penned such feature films as The Cardinal and The Big Bounce and wrote for such hit TV series as The Streets of San Francisco and Dr. Kildare, died on January 6 at his home on Martha’s Vineyard, MA, after a long illness. He was 81.

The Masters: D.C. Fontana

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:58:46 GMT

Star Trek legend D.C. Fontana on how she climbed out of the studio typing pool to carve out a 50-year career in TV writing.

2012 Writers Guild Awards New Media and Videogame Nominees Announced

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:37:45 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for new media and videogames during 2011.

Eric Roth Named 2012 WGAW Screen Laurel Award Honoree

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:32:02 GMT

Academy and Writers Guild Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) will receive the Writers Guild of America, West’s 2012 Laurel Award for Screen, honoring lifetime achievement in outstanding writing for motion pictures.

New Girl’s Elizabeth Meriwether

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:20:20 GMT

With no prior experience in a writers’ room, New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether has helped lead her staff to WGA and Golden Globe Awards nominations. What’s her formula for success? Let the show lead the writing.

2012 Writers Guild Awards Screen Nominees Announced

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:12:44 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011.

Herskovitz & Zwick to Receive 2012 TV Laurel Award

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:15:38 GMT

Emmy and Writers Guild Award-winning writing-producing-directing partners Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick (thirtysomething) are set to receive the Writers Guild of America, West’s 2012 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, honoring lifetime achievement in outstanding television writing.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’s Peter Straughan

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:13:12 GMT

The British screenwriting couple of Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan distill John le Carré’s labyrinthine 450-page Cold War classic Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

The Hotlist: January 2012

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:33:06 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

Dalton Trumbo’s Screenplay Credit Restored to Roman Holiday

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:20:19 GMT

After 58 years, another wrong from the Hollywood blacklist era has finally been made right, thanks to a death-bed promise between childhood friends. The Writers Guild of America, West restored legendary writer Dalton Trumbo’s screenplay credit for the 1953 classic film Roman Holiday.

Technically Speaking: Paranormal Investigation

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:42:28 GMT

Meet Christopher Chacon, “the world's top Anomalist and Paranormal Consultant.” Whether you’re a skeptic or believer, one thing’s certain – this real-life ghostbuster gives a fascinating interview.

Spike Jones, Jr. Returns to Executive Produce 2012 WGA Awards’ Hollywood Show

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:31:31 GMT

Executive Producer Spike Jones, Jr. has once again been tapped by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) to executive produce its 2012 Writers Guild Awards’ West Coast show set for Sunday, February 19, 2012, at the historic Hollywood Palladium.

2012 WGA Awards TV, News, Radio, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:17:48 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2011 season.

The Hotlist: December 2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:58:44 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

Another Happy Day’s Sam Levinson

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:42:59 GMT

Sam Levinson, son of moviemaking icon Barry Levinson, makes his writing-directing debut with the Waldo Salt Award-winning indie feature Another Happy Day, a darkly comic film about a family, just not his own.

FOLIO: Awards for Written By

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:47:18 GMT

While covering the annual Hollywood rites known collectively as Awards Season, Written By found itself rewarded by its own industry.

Honoring Earl Kress and Dwayne McDuffie

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:10:32 GMT

On November 17, 2011, the Guild’s Animation Writers Caucus held its annual meeting to honor the winners of the Caucus’s Animation Writer Award. Now in its 14th year, the award is given for body of work and service to the animation community. Normally a festive event, the ceremony this year had a distinctly bittersweet tone because the two award winners, Earl Kress and Dwayne McDuffie, both passed away in 2011.

On Capitol Hill

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:03:56 GMT

As part of the WGAW political program’s endeavor to bring the creative and economic challenges faced by writers working in a concentrated industry to the forefront of ongoing legislative and regulatory debates in Washington...

2011 Winter Screenwriters Reception

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:14:23 GMT

Helping kick off this year’s movie awards season in high style, the WGAW’s Communications Department, in conjunction with the Guild’s Publicity & Marketing Committee, held its 2011 Winter Screenwriters Reception on November 16...

The Writers Workbench: Holiday Gifts 2011

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:37:51 GMT

Holiday season is back and TWW is here to help you find the perfect hi-tech gift for your writerly friends and family.

WGAW Statement on FCC Action on AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:08:07 GMT

Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his intent to seek an FCC administrative hearing on the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile.

TV Comedy Writer Jack Elinson Dies at 89

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:35:23 GMT

Veteran television comedy writer Jack Elinson, whose prolific career in entertainment spanned over five decades, died on Thursday, November 17, at his home in Santa Monica of natural causes at the age of 89.

Earl Kress and Dwayne McDuffie Receive AWC Writing Award

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:45:16 GMT

Animation writers Dwayne McDuffie and Earl Kress have been posthumously named co-recipients of the Writers Guild of America, West Animation Writers Caucus’ (AWC) 14th Annual Animation Writing Award, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the craft of animation writing, as well as their work with the Writers Guild in organizing animation.

The Writers Workbench: Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:04:24 GMT

Sling Media allows users to watch what’s on their home TV from anywhere. But how well does it work? TWW gives the Slingbox a test run to find out.

The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:50:41 GMT

Glen Mazzara divulges how he and the writers of AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead moved on after showrunner Frank Darabont’s sudden and unexpected departure.

Writers Guild Applauds Senate Vote

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:13:34 GMT

Chris Keyser, President of the Writers Guild of America, West, issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Senate’s vote against S.J. Res. 6; resolution of disapproval of the FCC’s Net Neutrality regulations.

WGAW Mourns the Passing of Hal Kanter

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:39:14 GMT

Hal Kanter, an Emmy-winning writer, director, producer and one of the great wits of our era, died Sunday, November 6th at the age of 92.

The Descendants’ Alexander Payne

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:13:04 GMT

Academy and two-time WGA Award-winner Alexander Payne on his latest release, The Descendants, the origins of his comedic sensibilities, and what he sees as the key to writing a good adaptation.

The Masters: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:52:50 GMT

The screenwriter-novelist behind the legendary Merchant Ivory catalogue on the key to her longevity and how she “disrespected” the classic novels she adapted.

The Hotlist: November 2011

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:43:55 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

The Rum Diary’s Bruce Robinson

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:17:26 GMT

Withnail and I writer-director Bruce Robinson channels a kindred spirit, the legendary Hunter S. Thompson, to script his rendition of the gonzo journalist’s first novel, The Rum Diary.

Homeland’s Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:57:02 GMT

Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon move beyond 24’s Jack Bauer with their new Showtime hit Homeland, a psychological thriller that questions if, 10 years after 9/11, terrorism can still be viewed through a prism of good vs. evil.

Entertainment Industry Organizations Unite In Support of Imprisoned Iranian Filmmakers

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:30:12 GMT

In September 2011, the Iranian government arrested six independent filmmakers for allegedly working with the BBC, on charges including espionage and treason. Along with the ongoing house arrest of director Jafar Panahi and the prior arrest of actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who was later sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes, the arrests sparked outrage from filmmaking communities within Iran and around the world. Prior to the release of two of the filmmakers, all six were denied access to their lawyers and families, who were forced to remain silent.

The Writers Workbench: More Adventures With E-Reading

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:26:44 GMT

Thinking about buying an e-reader? TWW test drives the Barnes & Noble Nook and Pandigital Nova to see how they measure up to the Amazon Kindle.

Person of Interest’s Jonathan Nolan

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:42:00 GMT

Jonathan Nolan talks about scripting the Dark Knight Rises, the challenge of leaping from features to showrunning CBS’ new crime drama Person of Interest, and why being stupid can be a superpower.

WGAW Statement On Wall Street Protests

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:20:44 GMT

Christopher Keyser, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, today issued the following statement regarding the protests on Wall Street and around the country:

Technically Speaking: The End of the World, Part Two

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:49:12 GMT

In our second end-of-the-world installment, Technically Speaking asks biblical scholar Conrad Ostwalt Jr. if he thinks the Apocalypse is nigh and what Hollywood’s fascination with the End of Days says about us.

Donate to the Foundation’s 2011 Holiday Auction

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:34:15 GMT

Would you read someone’s screenplay and give notes if you knew it could help send a war veteran to a Writers Guild Foundation workshop? Are you a showrunner or producer who could give access to your set or writers’ room for a worthy cause?

Call for Submissions: “The Gay Scene, Year 7: The Politics Of…”

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:25:47 GMT

The WGAW's Gay and Lesbian Committee is looking for submissions for its November 9th event "The Gay Scene, Year 7: The Politics Of..." For the seventh year, the committee will be hosting a staged reading of a dozen LGBT-themed scenes from WGA members’ unproduced screenplays, short film scripts, teleplays, and produced/unproduced stage plays.

Terra Nova’s Brannon Braga

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:41:16 GMT

Yes, Terra Nova is a show filled with futuristic time portals, dystopian conspiracies and people-eating dinosaurs, but says executive producer Brannon Braga, the toughest part of scripting Fox’s new sci-fi epic was nailing down the family drama at its center.

WGAW Political and Public Policy Team In Action

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:28:10 GMT

The WGAW political staff used the House of Representatives’ August recess as an opportunity to meet with three members of congress who are important to writers and your public policy priorities.

Emmy-Nominated Writers at Sublime Primetime 2011

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:44:38 GMT

Celebrating this year’s Emmy writing nominees and outstanding television writing, the 2011 edition of Sublime Primetime held on September 13 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills featured a diverse line-up of Emmy-nominated writers who shared their own “stories behind the stories,” while exploring the craft of TV writing.

WGAW Announces 2011 Officers and Board 0f Directors Election Results

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:55:59 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has announced the final results of its 2011 WGAW Officers and Board of Directors election.

The Writers Workbench: There’s No Place Like Home (Accessories)

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:53:16 GMT

The Writers Workbenchby Robert J. Elisberg There’s No Place Like Home (Accessories) September, 2011 Sometimes the best e products are the smaller ones you can use on a daily basis. With that in mind, TWW looks at a few

Straw Dogs’ Rod Lurie

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:25:12 GMT

Why would a former film critic remake a divisive classic like Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs? Rod Lurie explains why he took on the job of tackling “Bloody Sam.”

Call for Submissions Announced for 2012 WGA New Media Writing Awards

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:16:53 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) today announced a joint call for submissions for the second annual WGA New Media Writing Awards.

Warrior’s Gavin O’Connor & Anthony Tambakis

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:55:13 GMT

Gavin O’Connor and first-time scripter Anthony Tambakis smuggle a heavyweight drama into a mixed martial arts cage in Warrior.

Health Insurance Forum

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:14:23 GMT

Affordable Housing Initiative Survey Takers Needed The Actors Fund and its partner organizations are conducting a survey to better understand the housing needs of the Los Angeles entertainment, performing, and visual arts communities and to explore the possibilities for new,

Guilds Announce Submissions Call for Fifth Annual WGA Videogame Writing Award

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:08:18 GMT

Recognizing writers as the primary content creators driving today’s videogame industry, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced a collective call for submissions for the fifth annual Videogame Writing Award to be presented at the upcoming 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

Guild Signs First Contract Covering Internet News Writing and Promotions

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:06:09 GMT

On August 17, web writer-producers working in television and radio news, and promotions at CBS studios in the Los Angeles area ratified their first-ever contract with CBS. The three-year agreement negotiated by the WGAW includes increases in minimums and wages, secures grievance procedures, paid vacations, holiday pay, and health and pension benefits.

The Masters: John Sayles

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:54:47 GMT

Indie master John Sayles on his latest Amigo and how he uses the system to make his own rules.

One Day’s David Nicholls

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:06:35 GMT

British author David Nicholls finds inspiration from Thomas Hardy to adapt his own novel One Day, the story of a star-crossed couple's 20-year relationship.

Guilds Announce Call for Submissions for Eighth Annual Documentary Screenplay Award

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:12:02 GMT

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have launched a collective call for submissions for the eighth annual WGA Documentary Screenplay Award, honoring outstanding achievement in documentary feature writing.

The Hotlist: September 2011

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:23:04 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

The Writers Workbench: More Sound Advice

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:23:12 GMT

TWW takes a look at a wide range of devices from portable speakers to wired – and options in between – that connect you to the sounds of the Internet.

The Hotlist: August 2011

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:17:13 GMT

A Guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content

WGAW Stages Sam Bobrick’s 2011 Edgar Award-Winning The Psychic

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:08:13 GMT

On July 26, the WGAW’s Career Longevity Committee hosted the latest production in its “Seasoned Readings” series: a staged reading of The Psychic, A Murder Mystery (of sorts), written by three-time Writers Guild Award-winning television writer and playwright Sam Bobrick.

Technically Speaking: The End of the World, Part One

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:23:48 GMT

Hollywood films and TV are rife with stories of post-apocalyptic doom, but what would it really take to survive a global meltdown? Technically Speaking goes off the grid to ask survivalist James Rawles.

Crazy, Stupid, Love's Dan Fogelman

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:07:33 GMT

Less than a month after Dan Fogelman sent Crazy, Stupid, Love to his agent, his spec was in production with an A-list cast. It sounds crazy, but don’t hate him because he’s lucky.