The Producers Guild of America picked Gladiator for the union's top Golden Laurel, while the Writers Guild of America tapped the scribes behind Traffic and You Can Count on Me for its big screenplay trophies.
At the 53rd Annual Writers Guild of America Awards Sunday night, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan won best original screenplay for You Can Count On Me, his intimate family drama of a single mother reconciling with her prodigal brother.
Also taking home hardware was Stephen Gaghan for the sprawling drug saga Traffic, which he adapted from the British TV series Traffik.
The WGA honors might put both its writers over the top for their respective Oscar categories. Lonergan has already earned writing kudos from several critics groups, including the National Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the New York Film Critics Circle. Among those writers Lonergan beat out for the Guild prize were scribes Susannah Grant for Erin Brockovich, Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous, Lee Hall for Billy Elliot and Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy for Best In Show.
Gaghan took home a Golden Globe in January for his skillful interweaving of several stories. And his script tied with Wonder Boys for best adaptation from the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
On the tube side, Aaron Sorkin and writing partner Rick Cleveland won the Guild's episodic drama trophy for the "In Excelsis Deo" episode of NBC's The West Wing. While Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan scored in the episodic comedy category for their "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" episode of Frasier.
And for the first time ever, the WGA honored a deceased writer. The late Rod Serling, legendary creator of The Twilight Zone who died in 1975, collected the best children's script prize for Showtime's A Summer Storm, tying with scribe Paris Qualles, who also won for Disney's The Color of Friendship. Serling originally wrote Storm for a 1970 Hallmark Hall of Fame episode and the version that aired on Showtime was based on several of his earlier drafts.
Meanwhile, at Saturday night's 12th Golden Laurel Awards, the PGA saluted the Gladiator producing team of Douglas Wick and Branko Lustig. Their competition included a couple of fellow Oscar contenders (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Erin Brockovich), as well as Almost Famous and Billy Elliot.
Producer John Wells once again won the Norman Felton award for best dramatic TV series for The West Wing. Wells, also president of the Writers' Guild of America west, put politics aside during his acceptance speech and did not comment on the status of his union's contract negotiations with studios, which were suspended last week.
HBO's Sex and the City picked up the Danny Thomas trophy for best TV comedy series, while Showtime's Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman won the David L. Wolper Award for long-form television.
Of the two awards, the PGA is the more accurate Oscar predictor. In eight of the past 11 awards seasons, the winners of the PGA's Darryl F. Zanuck Theatrical Producer of the Year prize winner has captured the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The WGA Awards aren't quite as reliable when it comes to Oscar crystal balling. Last year, for instance, it was a split decision. American Beauty won original screenplay props at both the WGAs and Academy Awards, while Election won the adapted trophy at the WGAs and Cider House Rules took home the Oscar. (The last time the WGAs and Oscars matched up in both the adapted and original categories was in 1997.)
Here's a complete rundown of winners at the WGA Awards:
FEATURE FILMS Original Screenplay: You Can Count on Me, Kenneth Lonergan, Adapted Screenplay: Traffic, Stephan Gaghan, based on the British TV series Traffik by Simon Moore TELEVISION Original Long-Form: (tie)Freedom Song,Phil Alden Robinson and Stanley Weiser, TNT; Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (Part I), Tina Andrew Adapted Long-Form: (tie) RKO 281, John Logan, based in part on the documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane; Tuesdays with Morrie,Tom Rickman, based on the book by Mitch Albom Episodic Drama: "In Excelsis Deo" (The West Wing), Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland Episodic Comedy: "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" (Frasier), Christopher Lloyd & Joe Keenan Comedy/Variety Special: Saturday Night Live: The 25th Anniversary Special, writing supervised by Tina Fey; written by Anne Beatts, Tom Davis, Tina Fey, Steve Higgins, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Paula Pell, Paul Schaffer, T. Sean Shannon, Michael Shoemaker, Robert Smigel Comedy/Variety Series: Dennis Miller Live, writing supervised by Eddie Feldmann; written by Jose Arroyo, David Feldman, Jim Hanna, Leah Krinsky Atkins, Dennis Miller, Jacob Sager Weinstein, David Weiss Daytime Serials: All My Children, Agnes Nixon, Jean Passanante, Craig Carlson, Frederick Johnson, N. Gail Lawrence, Victor Miller, Juliet Law Packer, Addie Walsh, Mimi Leahey, Bettina F. Bradbury, Caroline Franz, Charlotte Gibson, David Hiltbrand, Janet Iacobuzio, Royal Miller, John Piroman, Rebecca Taylor Children's Script: (tie) The Color of Friendship, Paris Qualles; A Storm in Summer, Rod Serling Documentary (current events): John Paul II: The Millennial Pope (Frontline), Helen Whitney & Jane Barnes Documentary (other): : George Wallace Settin' the Woods on Fire (The American Experience), Steven Fayer and Daniel McCabe & Paul Stekler News (regularly scheduled): Sunday Morning Headlines, Gail Lee News analysis (feature/commentary): Hurricane: Eyewitness to a Storm, Glenn Steinfast & Darcy Bonfils RADIO Radio Documentary: CBS News 20th Century Round-Up, Paul Farry & Steve Kathan News (regularly scheduled): (tie) CBS News on the Hour, Steven Gosset; ABC World News This Week, Michelle Gillan Fisher News (feature/commentary): The Wedding Dress, Mike Silverstein On-air Promotion: NBC Promotions, Lori Sunshine