The writers of “Boyhood,” “Foxcatcher,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Nightcrawler” and “Whiplash” will compete tonight for the Writers Guild of America Award for best original screenplay, a category made notable by the absence of awards-season favorite “Birdman.”
The WGA nominees closely mirror the Oscar nominations list, which includes Golden Globe winner “Birdman” instead of “Whiplash.” “Whiplash” writer Damien Chazelle is nominated for an Oscar, but the script was classified as an adapted screenplay by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not an original work.
Competing for the WGA’s adapted screenplay honor are the writers of “American Sniper,” “Gone Girl,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Imitation Game” and “Wild.”
Winning the WGA honor does not guarantee success on Oscar night for writers. Spike Jonze won both prizes last year for “Her,” but the WGA’s adapted screenplay honor went to Billy Ray for “Captain Phillips” while the Oscar went to John Ridley for “12 Years a Slave.” In 2013, the WGA honored Mark Boal’s “Zero Dark Thirty” for original screenplay, but the Oscar went to Quentin Tarantino for “Django Unchained.”
WGA nominees for documentary screenplay are the writers of “Finding Vivian Maier,” “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz,” “Last Days in Vietnam” and “Red Army.”
Among television programs, the nominees for dramas are the writers of “Game of Thrones,” “The Good Wife,” “House of Cards,” “Mad Men” and “True Detective.” Comedy nominees are the writers of “Louie,” “Orange is the New Black,” “Silicon Valley,” “Transparent” and “Veep.”
For a new series, the writers of “The Affair,” “The Knick,” “Silicon Valley,” “Transparent” and “True Detective” are nominated.
The WGA Awards will be presented during simultaneous ceremonies in New York and at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City. Lisa Kudrow will host the Century City event.
Acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar will receive the guild’s Jean Renior Award, honoring an international writer who has “advanced the literature of motion pictures.” Margaret Nagle, the screenwriter of “The Good Lie” — the tale of a women who assists Sudanese refugees — will receive the Paul Selvin Award for shining a light on constitutional and civil rights issues.
Actor/director Ben Affleck will receive the Valentine Davies Award, which honors members whose humanitarian efforts “have brought dignity and honor to writers everywhere.” Television writer/producer Jeff Melvoin will receive the Morgan Cox Award for service to the guild.
Harold Ramis, the late actor/director/writer best known for co-writing films such as “Animal House,” “Caddyshack,” “Ghostbusters,” “Stripes” and “Groundhog Day,” will be honored with the guild’s Screen Laurel Award.
Here is a complete list of nominees:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
— “Boyhood,” written by Richard Linklater
— “Foxcatcher,” written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
— “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” screenplay by Wes Anderson; story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
— “Nightcrawler,” written by Dan Gilroy
— “Whiplash,” written by Damien Chazelle
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
— “American Sniper,” written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice
— “Gone Girl,” screenplay by Gillian Flynn, based on her novel
— “Guardians of the Galaxy,” written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, based on the Marvel comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
— “The Imitation Game,” written Graham Moore, based on the book “Alan Turing: The Enigma” by Andrew Hodges
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
— “Finding Vivian Maier,” written by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
— “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz,” written by Brian Knappenberger
— “Last Days in Vietnam,” written by Mark Bailey and Kevin McAlester
— “Red Army,” written by Gabe Polsky
DRAMA SERIES
— “Game of Thrones,” Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO
— “The Good Wife,” Written by Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, Matthew Hodgson, Ted Humphrey, Michelle King, Robert King, Erica Shelton Kodish, Matthew Montoya, Luke Schelhaas, Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Craig Turk, Julia Wolfe; CBS
— “House of Cards,” Written by Bill Cain, Laura Eason, Sam R. Forman, William Kennedy, Kenneth Lin, John Mankiewicz, David Manson, Beau Willimon; Netflix
— “Mad Men,” Written by Heather Jeng Bladt, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, David Iserson, Erin Levy, Matthew Weiner, Carly Wray; AMC
— “True Detective,” Written by Nic Pizzolatto; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
— “Louie,” Written by Louis CK; FX
— “Orange Is the New Black,” Written by Stephen Falk, Sian Heder, Tara Herrmann, Sara Hess, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Lauren Morelli, Alex Regnery, Hartley Voss; Netflix
— “Silicon Valley,” Written by John Altschuler, Alec Berg, Matteo Borghese, Jessica Gao, Mike Judge, Dave Krinsky, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Rob Turbovsky, Ron Weiner; HBO
— “Transparent,” Written by Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Prime
— “Veep,” Written by Simon Blackwell, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBONEW SERIES
— “The Affair,” Written by Dan LeFranc, Hagai Levi, Melanie Marnich, Eric Overmyer, Kate Robin, Sarah Treem; Showtime
— “The Knick,” Written by Jack Amiel, Michael Begler, Steven Katz; Cinemax
— “Silicon Valley,” Written by John Altschuler, Alec Berg, Matteo Borghese, Jessica Gao, Mike Judge, Dave Krinsky, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Rob Turbovsky, Ron Weiner; HBO
— “Transparent,” Written by Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Prime
— “True Detective,” Written by Nic Pizzolatto; HBO
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
— “Deliverance Creek,” Written by Melissa Carter; Lifetime
— “Return to Zero,” Written by Sean Hanish; Lifetime
LONG FORM ADAPTED
— “Houdini,” Written by Nicholas Meyer; Based on the book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.; History Channel
— “Klondike, Parts One, Three and Six,” Teleplay by Paul T. Scheuring, Parts Two, Four and Five, Teleplay by Josh Goldin & Rachel Abramowitz, Based on the book Gold Diggers by Charlotte Gray; Discovery Channel
— “The Normal Heart,” Teleplay by Larry Kramer, Based on his play The Normal Heart; HBO
— “Olive Kitteridge,” Teleplay by Jane Anderson, Based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout; HBO
— “Pilot (The Leftovers),” Teleplay by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta, Based on the book by Tom Perrotta; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
— “Apocalypse No” (Bad Shorts), Written by Ben Zelevansky; luckybirdsmedia.com
— “City of Angels” (Caper), Written by Amy Berg & Mike Sizemore; hulu.com
— “Episode 1 – Nature” (F To 7th), Written by Ingrid Jungermann; youtube.com
— “Episode 113: Rachel” (High Maintenance), Written by Katja Blichfeld & Ben Sinclair; helpingyoumaintain.com
— “Episode 204” (Vicky and Lysander), Written by Damon Cardasis and Shannon Walker; youtube.com
— “Episode 207” (Vicky and Lysander), Written by Damon Cardasis and Shannon Walker; youtube.com
ANIMATION
— “Bob and Deliver” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Greg Thompson; Fox
— “Brick Like Me” (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox
— “Covercraft” (The Simpsons), Written by Matt Selman; Fox
— “Pay Pal” (The Simpsons), Written by David Steinberg; Fox
— “Steal This Episode” (The Simpsons), Written by J. Stewart Burns; Fox
— “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Nora Smith; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
— “A Day’s Work” (Mad Men), Written by Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner; AMC
— “Devil You Know” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Howard Korder; HBO
— “Donald the Normal” (Rectify), Written by Kate Powers & Ray McKinnon; Sundance Channel
— “Friendless Child” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Riccardo DiLoreto & Cristine Chambers and Howard Korder; HBO
— “The Last Call” (The Good Wife), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS
— “The Lion and the Rose” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by George R.R. Martin; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDY
— “The Cold” (Modern Family), Written by Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz; ABC
— “Landline” (New Girl), Written by Rob Rosell; Fox
— “Low Self Esteem City” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Nick Jones; Netflix
— “So Did the Fat Lady” (Louie), Written by Louis C.K.; FX
— “Three Dinners” (Modern Family), Written by Abraham Higginbotham & Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman; ABC
— “The Wilderness” (Transparent), Written by Ethan Kuperberg; Amazon Prime
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
— “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Writers: Rory Albanese, Dan Amira, Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parsons, Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver, Jon Stewart, Delaney Yeager; Comedy Central
— “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; HBO
— “Inside Amy Schumer,” Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Emily Altman, Jeremy Beiler, Neil Casey, Kyle Dunnigan, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central
— “The Colbert Report,” Writers: Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Sam Kim, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Max Werner; Comedy Central
— “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Head Writers: Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Gary Greenberg Writers: Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Bryan Paulk, Rick Rosner, Bridger Winegar; ABC
— “Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers: Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Alex Baze, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Leslie Jones, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, Claire Mulaney, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, John Solomon, Kent Sublette, Lakendra Tookes; NBC
— “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Head Writer: Billy Martin Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Danny Vermont; HBO
COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
— “The 68th Annual Tony Awards,” Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Jon Macks; CBS
— “71st Annual Golden Globe Awards,” Written by Barry Adelman; Special Material by Alex Baze, Dave Boone, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Jon Macks, Sam Means, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Mike Shoemaker; NBC
— “2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards,” Written by Gerry Duggan, Wayne Federman, Patton Oswalt, Erik Weiner; IFC
— “Bill Maher: Live from D.C.,” Written by Bill Maher; HBO
— “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles,” Written by Sarah Silverman; HBO
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
— “Hollywood Game Night,” Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter; NBC
— “Jeopardy!,” Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABCDAYTIME DRAMA
— “Days of Our Lives,” Written by Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Christopher Dunn, Janet Iacobuzio, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Melissa Salmons, Christopher Whitesell; NBC
— “General Hospital,” Written by Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
— “Girl Meets 1961” (Girl Meets World), Written by Matthew Nelson; Disney Channel
— “Haunted Heartthrob” (Haunted Hathaways), Written by Bob Smiley; Nickelodeon
— “Haunted Sisters” (Haunted Hathaways), Written by Boyce Bugliari & Jamie McLaughlin; Nickelodeon
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
— “Losing Iraq” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
— “United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost (Part Two)” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
— “United States of Secrets: The Program (Part One)” (Frontline); PBS; Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
— “Episode Five: The Rising Road (1933-1939)” (The Roosevelts: An Intimate History), Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; PBS
— “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
— “Standing Up in the Milky Way (Episode 1)” (COSMOS: A Space Time Odyssey), Written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter; Fox
TV NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
— “50th Anniversary of JFK’s Assassination” (CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines; CBS News
— “CBS This Morning,” Written by Duane Tollison, Chip Sorrentino, Bruce Meyer, Bill Crowley; CBS News
— “Nelson Mandela: A Man Who Changed the World” (World News with Diane Sawyer), Written by Diane Sawyer, Lisa Ferri, Dave Bloch; ABC NewsTV NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
— “Nowhere to Go” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados & Michael Rey; CBSRADIO NOMINEESRADIO DOCUMENTARY
— “Three Shots Rang Out: The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later,” Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC News RadioRADIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
— “6AM News,” Written by Philip Pilato; 1010 WINS Radio
— “8PM Hour,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM
— “New York City Loses a Radio News Legend,” Written by Bill Spadaro; CBS Radio/1010 WINS
— “World News This Week,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News RadioRADIO
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
— “Civil Rights at 50,” Written by Jane Tillman Irving; WCBS Radio
— “Remembering Nelson Mandela,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEESON-AIR PROMOTION (TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA OR RADIO)
— “How I Met Your Mother,” Written by Dan Greenberger; CBS
— “WABC-TV On-Air Promos,” Written by Brandon Nelson; WABC-TVVIDEO GAME WRITING
— “Alien: Isolation,” writers Dan Abnett, Dion Lay and Will Porter; SEGA
— “Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry,” lead scriptwriter Jill Murray; scriptwriter Melissa MacCoubrey; story by Jill Murray, Hugo Giard, Wesley Pincombe; Ubisoft
— “Assassin’s Creed: Unity,” story by Alexandre Amancio, Sylvain Bernard, Travis Stout; scriptwriting Alexandre Amancio, Travis Stout, Russell Lees, Darby McDevitt, Ceri Young; additional scriptwriting Jeffrey Yohalem; Ubisoft
— “The Last of Us: Left Behind,” written by Neil Druckmann; Sony Computer Entertainment.
