‘Argo’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ win WGA Awards

“Argo” won Best Adapted Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards, thereby dashing the hope that “Lincoln” might rally with guild voters first, then in the equivalent race at the Oscars, then pull off an upset for Best Picture. The WGA champ tends to repeat on Oscar night.

The “Argo” victory surprised most of Gold Derby’s Experts, Editors and site users, who bet on “Lincoln.” See the Experts’ predictions here and the odds breakdown.

-ADDPREDICTION:85:11:Click to predict Adapted Screenplay Oscar:ADDPREDICTION-

All three groups correctly predicted the WGA victory by “Zero Dark Thirty” as Best Original Screenplay, but its opposition was weak since its two chief Oscar foes weren’t eligible: “Django Unchained” and “Amour.”

-ADDPREDICTION:85:10:Click to predict Original Screenplay Oscar:ADDPREDICTION-

“Searching for Sugar Man” continued its march through kudosland, snagging the WGA trophy as Best Documentary.

FILM

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Argo”
Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Zero Dark Thirty”
Written by Mark Boal

BEST DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Searching for Sugar Man”
Written by Malik Bendjelloul

TELEVISION

BEST WRITING IN A TV DRAMA SERIES
“Breaking Bad”
Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett

BEST WRITING IN A TV COMEDY SERIES
“Louie”
Written by Pamela Adlon, Vernon Chatman, Louis C.K.

BEST WRITING IN A TV NEWS SERIES
“Girls”
Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling

BEST WRITING IN A TV MOVIE/MINI (ORIGINAL)
“Hatfields & McCoys” – “Nights Two and Three”
Teleplay by Ted Mann and Ronald Parker; Story by Bill Kerby and Ted Mann

BEST WRITING IN A TV MOVIE/MINI (ADAPTED)
“Game Change”
Written by Danny Strong
Based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Hellemann

BEST EPISODE: TV DRAMA SERIES
“Mad Men” – “The Other Woman”
Written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner

BEST EPISODE: TV COMEDY SERIES
“Modern Family” – “Virgin Territory”
Written by Elaine Ko

BEST WRITING IN TV ANIMATION
“The Simpsons” – “Ned ‘N Edna’s Blend Agenda”
Written by Jeff Westbrook

BEST WRITING OF DAYTIME TV DRAMA SERIES
“The Young and the Restless”
Written by Amanda Beall, Jeff Beldner, Susan Dansby, Janice Ferri Esser, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Marla Kanelos, Natalie Minardi Slater, Beth Milstein, Michael Montgomery, Anne Schoettle, Linda Schreiber, Sarah K. Smith, Christopher J. Whitesell, Teresa Zimmerman

BEST TV NEWS WRITING: REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT
“Tragedy In Colorado: The Movie Theater Massacre”
Written by Lisa Ferri, Joel Siegel

BEST TV NEWS WRITING: ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY
“Moyers & Company” – “The Ghost of Joe McCarthy”
Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY WRITING: CURRENT EVENTS
“Frontline” – “Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One”
Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY WRITING: OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Nova” – “The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap”
Telescript by Randall MacLowry
Story by Joseph McMaster and Randaall MacLowry

BEST WRITING FOR CHILDREN’S TV: EPISODIC & SPECIALS
“Sesame Street” – “The Good Sport”
Written by Christine Ferraro

BEST WRITING FOR CHILDREN’S TV: LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Girl vs. Monster”
Story by Annie DeYoung
Teleplay by Annie DeYoung and Ron McGee

BEST WRITING FOR TV COMEDY/ VARIETY/ TALK SERIES
“Portlandia”
Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Karey Dornetto, Jonathan Krisel, Bill Oakley

BEST WRITING FOR TV COMEDY/ VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
“66th Annual Tony Awards”
Written by Dave Boone
Special Material by Paul Greenberg
Opening and Closing Songs by David Javerbaum, Adam Schlesinger

RADIO

BEST WRITING OF REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWS OR BREAKING REPORT
“World News This Year 2011”
Written by Darren Reynolds

BEST TV NEWS WRITING: ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY
“Dishin Digital”
Written by Robert Hawley

BEST PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ANIMATION
On-Air Promotion (Radio or Television)
“Partners”
Written by Dan A. Greenberger

NEW MEDIA

BEST WRITING: DERIVATIVE NEW MEDIA
“The Walking Dead: Cold Storage” – “Parting Shots”
Written by John Esposito

BEST WRITING: ORIGINAL NEW MEDIA
“Jack in a Box” – “The Future, Episode 7/Series Finale”
Written by Michael Cyril Creighton

VIDEO GAME

BEST WRITING: VIDEO GAMES
“Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation”
Scriptwriting by Richard Farrese, Jill Murray

HONORARY AWARDS

PAUL SELVIN AWARD
Tony Kushner

VALENTINE DAVIES AWARD
Phil Rosenthal

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Tom Stoppard