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Hollywood can have problems giving credit where credit is due. Ideas get stolen, supporting actors go unnoticed, and many times the writers who make up the foundation of the entertainment industry never get the limelight in the way that they should. That is, until they decide to go on strike, or a blonde bombshell declares them unfit for accolades. So it should be a source of honor and pride for these men and women when, once a year, they are truly recognized and heralded for their achievements. This is the Writers Guild of America Awards.
The tagline reads: 'Awarding Excellence in Writing', so it's surprising, then, to see so many beautiful people. This may not be the Oscars or the Grammys, but as the red carpet snakes around itself inside the luxurious Hyatt Regency in Century City, people on both sides of the velvet ropes are dressed to the nines, including one well-endowed television reporter billowing out of a brown cocktail dress that looked to be a sexy cross between Bjork's famous swan gown and a brown goose gone through a US Airways engine. But SEXY. Even Rainn Wilson, The famous Dwight K. Schrute from The Office, has a joke for it.
"Hey, US Airways crew...what about the geese?!" he cries, before earnestly adding: "I actually met Sully at the Super Bowl...Those people are legitimate heroes. Actually, That's a great tie-in for the cast of Heroes. SLAM DUNK." Not two hours later, Rainn himself would take one to the hoop over Jimmy Kimmel in the wacky category of COMEDY/VARIETY - MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES - SPECIALS for his work hosting the Independent Spirit Awards. In one of the more hilariously questionable moves of the evening, the award was presented by Sarah Silverman, longtime girlfriend to runner-up Kimmel. She of course recognized this before opening the envelope, and seemed more than a bit put-off when her beau didn't win in the small 2-nominee category, but took it all in stride.
As the red carpet and the ceremony rolled on, the stunning Silverman, lavishly beautiful Kate Walsh, and always curvy Carl Reiner made their way through the cameras, to their seats, and eventually on stage. In the press room, they all stand for soundbytes, they glad hand, and they try their damndest not to blink in front of a barrage of flash bulbs. As expected with a ceremony that celebrates the often-unheralded, everyone is gracious, and the access afforded to every media outlet (including the small but tenacious LAist) is worthy of a thank-you card.
Indeed, the production value of the whole show is really quite high, even if it was last televised in 2005. But when all of the talent knows this, and the host is Neil Patrick Harris, you can expect the format to get a little looser, and the tongues to get a lot saltier. Salty like a drunk sailor at times, but at least everyone's enjoying themselves. Brian Cranston takes his varied television roles in comedic stride, Rainn Wilson uses his statue as a chinrest, and host Harris starts the night off with a profanity-laced mock tirade that Christian Bale ought to be familiar with. Everyone even gets a good chuckle when The Naked Brothers Band takes home the award for Children's Script - Long Form Special...because they were the only nominees in the category.
Of course, the biggest winners of the evening are saved until the end. As Josh Brolin waits patiently in his seat, Dustin Lance Black wins Original Screenplay for Milk. Slumdog Millionaire takes home the Adapted Screenplay nod, and Waltz with Bashir wins the Documentary category. In the TV realm, Mad Men kills the Dramatic Series award, 30 Rock is the top Comedy Series. In Treatment is the best New Series, and Cranston comes back for more with a win in the Single Episodic Drama category for the pilot of his new show Breaking Bad.
The talent comes and goes all night, but most stay to take in the moment, and to support those that make so much of what they do possible: the writers. Indeed, this night is all about them, and when you consider that it didn't even happen last year because of the strike, it's wonderful to see just how important all this validation still is for everyone. And when Neil Patrick Harris says that "like so many actors, I owe my career to writers", you have to stand and applaud. Just like everyone else.
For a complete list of winners, please click here.
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