Write On

From its beginnings in the 1940s through present day, American television has been shaped by the words and stories of writers. In recognition of the role of writing in sustaining this extraordinary medium, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) are launching 101 Best Written TV Series, the WGA’s list of outstanding television writing. Writers will be able to vote for their choices beginning on May 15, and results will be announced in the fall.

The “101 TV” list will celebrate the craft of television writing over seven decades and follows the WGA’s 101 Greatest Screenplays list announced in 2006. In casting their votes for “best written,” Guild members will have a broad and dynamic field to choose from – any series that aired from the early years of television through the present, on broadcast, basic or pay cable.

All genres of scripted series are eligible for consideration, including animation, children’s, comedy, daytime/serial, drama, scripted anthologies, miniseries with six hours or more of programming, and variety/talk series. (Individual episodes, specials, non-serialized or individual programs including telefilms/movies-of-the-week, and miniseries with less than six hours of programming, are not eligible.) The only other criteria: the series must have been written in English, have aired in the U.S., and featured onscreen writing credits.

“The best television shows are so much more than ‘popular’ entertainment. They’re touchstones that can both reflect and impact the culture,” said WGAW President Chris Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship in a joint statement. “And they all have one thing in common – they begin with the words of the writers who have created them. It is the writer who sets the blueprint for what becomes a memorable TV show. With ‘101 TV’ we look to honor that.”

by Alysha Westlake

With the enormous success this past weekend of THE AVENGERS, written and directed by Joss Whedon of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fame, I started thinking about my favorite screenplays. I enjoyed the witty quips of the superhero rag-tag Avengers crew, but is it this ah-mah-zing film everyone is making it out to be? With lines like, “Clench up, Legolas!” you can see why people loved the film. It’s witty and there is a huge directorial task to manage so many characters and story lines. But is THE AVENGERS an all time classic? I’m not so sure. The ultimate combination of witty dialogue, solid structure and memorable characters – seems to be the elusive triumvirate of filmmaking. Some of the scripts that articulate these qualities with their memorable writing are listed below – no offense to Thor or anything because after all he does sound like ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ (oh Robert Downey Jr., we do love you so).

BLACK SWAN
Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, dir. Darren Aronofsky
Right from the start, the opening pages of Black Swan suck you into an off kilter world of ballet and twisted familial relationships. Within those first few pages, the reader is filled with dread, expectation and intrigue. This is exactly what any screenwriting book – or any professional screenwriter or teacher will always tell you – “Grab your audience’s attention in the first ten pages.” The script for BLACK SWAN does this brilliantly – and is echoed onscreen by the visually disorientating cinematic style, creating a haunting and memorable film.

Except fromBLACK SWAN:

INT. SUBWAY TRAIN – DAY
Nina rides inside a crowded subway, staring absentmindedly at her faint reflection in the train’s window.
Suddenly, another train roars by on the opposite track, snapping her awake.
In the next train car, she sees the back of a BALLERINA standing in the midst of the crowd. Her head bops to music playing through iPod earphones.
Nina moves a strand of hair out of her eyes, and at that exact moment, the girl in the next car moves in the same way. Mirroring her.
Unnerved, Nina slowly lowers her arm. So does the other girl. Although Nina can’t quite see her face, the girl seems IDENTICAL from Nina’s vantage point.

THE ICE STORM written by James Schamus, dir. Ang Lee
This brilliant script (adapted from Rick Moody’s best-selling novel of the same name) about the ennui of life in the suburbs and a search for meaning in 1970s America is still relevant today. James Schamus does a convincing job of articulating characters that have a comfortable existence, but are incredibly uncomfortable in their day-to-day lives. Schamus’ characters are complex and flawed – in all the ways we know ourselves to be – but don’t readily like to admit. We may not be throwing our keys into the punch bowl to ‘swing,’ but we’ve all had our moments of foolish mistakes and searching for meaning in our relationships.

Excerpt from THE ICE STORM:

INT. WILLIAMS LIVING ROOM. NIGHT

The party progresses. Mikey and Sandy are lying on their
stomachs at the top of the stairs, out of sight.

DOROTHY
And to think — they met at a key
party of all things.

ELENA
A key party?

DOROTHY
You know, it’s a California thing.
That scuzzy husband of hers dragged
her kicking and screaming to one
when they were out in L.A. you
know, the men put their car keys in
a bowl, and then at the end of the
evening the women line up and fish
them out and go home with whoever’s
keys they’ve got. Anyhow that’s how
she met this Rod person or whatever
his name is and he’s left his wife
and she’s packing for California.
Irwin is devastated. It’s so
ironic.

ANNIE HALL written and directed by Woody Allen
This classic Woody Allen film, exploring the relationships of fraught New Yorkers, is written in his imitable neurotic style. His characters waning expectations regarding romance and life in general, mirror the equally vacillating environs of the place they call home, New York City. Woody Allen’s gift for memorable characters is only bested by his sharp, observational, often times biting description of people, places and philosophies. Diane Keaton set the world ablaze with her relaxed, Charlie Chaplin-esque fashion and Woody Allen inked himself on the minds of a million pretenders who wish they could articulate their life experience with the same kind of witty quips and asides. He broke down the forth wall, bringing the audience even closer to the character’s existential angst.

Excerpt from ANNIE HALL:

EXT. MANHATTAN STREET-DAY

…Alvy and his best friend, Rob, deep in conversation. They eventually move
past the camera and off screen. Traffic noise is heard in the background.

ROB
Let’s get the hell outta this crazy city.

ALVY
Forget it, Max.

ROB
-we move to sunny L.A. All of show business
is out there, Max.

ALVY
No, I cannot. You keep bringing it up, but
I don’t wanna live in a city where the only
cultural advantage is that you can make a
right turn on a red light.

There are of course, many more brilliant scripts out there, too many to list in a few short paragraphs. Film writing that resonates with audiences is usually filled with characters that speak to our flaws, hopes, insecurities and triumphs. Yes, we love watching Mark Ruffalo turn into the Hulk and kick some butt in THE AVENGERS, but sometimes it’s great to see characters less green in their quest to find what ever it is they’re looking for. Maybe we’ll find what we’re looking for too in the shared humanity of great screenplays and writing. If not, there’s always IRON MAN 3.

by Timothy Cooper

I don’t have much time to sum this one up, for the same reason that this report is late in coming—I’ve been fielding too many calls from the press, MLB recruiters, and a few admiring, disturbingly eager fans after our stunning win on Monday.

The remainder of my voicemailbox, interestingly, is filled up with angry calls from Justin Long (the “I’m a Mac” guy from those ads). Weirdly, he wasn’t all that angry about our brutal dismantling of Apple; rather, he was just wondering why people still only recognize him as “the ‘I’m a Mac’ guy from those ads.”

Here are the highlights (mostly not counting the first inning, which we’ll ignore):

• Their pitcher had some issues in the first and second; combined with our solid batting, this brought us to a quick 9-3 lead. (Note that we were not just standing there like chumps, as did a certain team last week; these balls were genuinely too far outside the box to hit.)
• Zayd somehow got on Ump Mike’s good side again, and pitched commandingly.
• Marni stopped a potentially dangerous ball with a body part that won’t be appearing in Brave, or any other Pixar movie, anytime soon.
• Tina, at catcher, caught that foul tip like it was no thang.
• Shannon couldn’t stop scoring. She came home a total of at least four times, two of them running for Jo, who was hobbling more than a horse on the set of Luck (too soon?).
• Dave K. slipped and slid around on a field that was harder to get a grip on than Romney’s viewpoint on [insert any issue here].
• Zayd had a “hand of god” moment, inadvertently (depending on whom you ask) helping Apple’s runner get hit by his own teammate’s ball en route to second base.
• Jo snagged possibly every out from third base in the sixth inning.
• At one point, we got 8 unanswered runs in a row.
• Dave placed it perfectly in left on a monster hit.
• There was solid fielding by Jake, Stu, Julie, Zach, and Sam
• Zayd almost ran over Shannon on his way home, which made us wonder whether it’s legal to carry the person running in front of you to the base.
• There were huge numbers of RBIs from Jo, Marni, Dave, Parney, me, and probably also others I’ve forgotten, so sue me, the ink got smudged from the rain.
• It ended up being 13-6, narrowly missing the mercy rule, which is applied when one team is leading by 14.666 (or something; who knows what the number is this year?).

Our next game is against ABC. It’s hard to know what the aforementioned press is wondering more: Will we beat ABC like we did the first time we played them? OR: Will our shirts finally arrive? Only time, and Ump Mike’s mood, and the U.S. Postal Service, will tell.

This past weekend, Comedy Central presented its second annual comedy awards. It begs the question, do we need another awards show? Probably not. Do we need more comedy in our lives? Heck yeah!

The awards show itself is definitely in a teething period. From the start, it was obvious who the winners were – as best ‘Club Comic,’ Hannibal Burress pointed out – ‘no one else is here from my category’. However, there were less glaring moments of obviousness during the show. Many of the comedians wrote their own intros, some with greater success than others. Will Arnett had the most charming and self-effacing spiel – my favorite introduction of the evening – with his send up of yet another celebrity gift bag. He reached into a Comedy Awards bag and pulled out a carton of KOOL cigarettes (they still make those?), a coupon for ‘Eastern Airlines,’ and an actual live turtle – ‘seems like a lot of responsibility’. Indeed. And so, would I argue for Comedy Central putting on its awards show? It could be great, but it ain’t there yet. Looking on the website for details of writers on the nominated shows for example – none to be found. In this digital age, where people have access to information at their fingertips, points like these are important for all the creatives being nominated, on any show.

The spotlight seemed to shine brightest for the ‘writer/performer’ nominees. There was the ubiquitous Tina Fey, with her team of writers, winning the award for best ‘Comedy Writing – TV’ for the sharply observant and intelligent 30 ROCK. Her elevation of comedy to its most absurd and profoundly funny moments on television, can never be overestimated. Jack Donaghy has to be one of the best characters ever – his proud Republican heart and razor sharp quips, skewered in the more liberal world of the entertainment industry, is priceless.

Louis C.K. took home so many awards all given to him by yet ‘another black man’ (his words, not mine) for Comedy Director, Comedy Special of the Year and Stand-Up Tour. He too writes and performs his own material.

Finally, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo won for their comedy screenplay, BRIDESMAIDS. Accepting their award, they fell to the ground and literally wrestled each other – fancy outfits and all – for sole ownership of the award. The ladies are not afraid to get dirty for comedy.

A delicious extra was a live installment of ‘Angry Obama’ by writer/performers, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of ‘Key and Peele’ fame. Their honest portrayal of the imagined (or some might say, accurate) portrayal of presidential frustrations, is eminently watchable. Jordan Peele does a spot on calm, cool and collected President Obama, while Keegan-Michael Key uses his boundless energy for ‘Angry Luther’ to amply vocalize the insanity of American politics. Interviewing them afterwards, they mentioned doing more ‘Angry Obama’ webisodes for the upcoming election. I’m certain they will have plenty of material.

For these moments alone, it’s worth watching The Comedy Awards on Comedy Central, Sunday May 6 at 9pm EST. Let’s hope next year, more up and coming talent is recognized, and more live animals are given out in the gift bags. Because I could totally see Will Arnett taking home a furry pet tamarin.

The Writers Guild of America, East applauds the co-sponsors of the expanded Digital Content NewFronts (DCNF), which will be presented in New York from April 19 to May 3.

Modeled on the traditional television industry “up fronts,” the DCNFs offer digital-content creators and distributors the opportunity to market their work and their services to online advertisers. (DCNF co-sponsors include Hulu, AOL, Microsoft Advertising, Digitas, Yahoo! and Google/YouTube.)

“The Digital Content NewFronts demonstrate the value of made-for-digital programs. Brands and other advertisers are smart to catch the wave and expand their presence in the digital world,” said WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson. “The best way for content distributors, brands and advertisers to attract audiences is to present compelling stories, well-told. That is what Writers Guild members do best.”

The WGAE and its members are active participants in digital-media content creation. Since 2010, the union has offered to its members a comprehensive training program on all aspects of digital media — including how to create webisodes, online news production and distribution, software skills, social media promotion, transmedia production, legal issues, digital storytelling, the economics of new media and branded content.

WGAE staff and members attend and present at conferences and panel discussions, and the Guild has signed collective bargaining agreements with approximately 100 companies that create digital content. The union has a large and active caucus of digital-media writers and writer/producers.

“We know that the business and creative models in digital media are still being formed,” said Peterson. “Our goal is to ensure that writers and other creators are at the table from the beginning, as the important decisions are made and as money begins to flow into this space. We think our members are uniquely qualified to enable distributors and sponsors to reach and build audiences.”

Yesterday was a triumph of an opening day.

Our opponents, WABC, lived up to their motto, getting Eyewitness News coverage of a breaking event — their own loss.

After opening an early 3-0 lead, we traded runs with WABC. Then they surged in the fourth to tie it up at 4-4. After our tentative catch-up-run, they tied it again in the top of the sixth—until we ran away with 5 more runs in the bottom of the sixth, then shut them out completely in the final inning. At no point were they in the lead.

That means we now have an unprecedented 1.000 win percentage, statistically speaking. Only four teams in the MLB currently have that strong a record right now: Tampa Bay, Detroit, the Mets, and Arizona. Technically, we’re doing better than the Yankees.

The only thing that broke more than the news…was their spirits.

It’s hard to single out individual standouts in such a mega-solid all-around game. Our defense simply didn’t make very many mistakes. And our offense functioned exactly as it has to in this game—a solid stream of singles, including an absurd five in a row(!) at the bottom of the sixth. Dave, seeking vengeance, had an incredible 3 RBIs. Erik had a basically flawless game at short. Sam was under the ball for a crucial bomb to left, Alan got right back into the thick of it, Marcia was strong at home, Mimi experienced our outfield for the first time, Julie had a critical RBI, and Zach, Jo, and Susie got on base pretty much every time. Doug’s superb pitching found the pocket repeatedly; could this be the year that we finally get on whimsically capricious ump Mike’s good side? Probably not.

They had an Eye in the Sky… to witness their failure.

A core group got in some good BP afterward, then retired to Malachy’s for the traditional undoing of whatever antiatherosclerotic benefits we incurred from the bit of exercise we’d accidentally engaged in during the game.

Their Doppler 4000 detected gloom… with a 100% chance of defeat.

A special welcome to first-timers David, Clayton, John, Mimi, Chris, Nurit, and Jonna (who’s not actually new, but may be new to many). If I forgot you, forgive me, but there were many newcomers. Welcome or welcome back, one and all.

They delivered traffic and weather together. But their traffic (on the base paths) was exceedingly light, and their weather was precipitous…ly bad. 

Some were sorely missed, but new blood is here to fill in the gaps. Not a shabby way to kick off the year, folks.

Attn: Human Resources

Dear Sir or Madame:

Please consider me for the bathroom attendant internship. My experience in the entertainment industry provides a solid foundation to serve in lavatory services, as I’ve cleaned up, been handed, and massaged a boatload of crap. Like my first boss, an established producer, who couldn’t afford to pay or give me credit for penning what spun off into a blockbuster that’s now a franchise, complete with a book series, luggage collection, and Ben and Jerry’s flavor called (Ice) Scream. That said, he did compliment me on my touch-typing and vocal chords. See how I bragged about doing the bare minimum and then played it off as if it was a skill? Another tool I picked up in Hollywood!

On a practical level, my skills as a writer will cross over to attending bathrooms. For starters, I can sit stationary without sunlight, exercise, or human contact for hours. I am used to being ignored. I don’t expect tips to be worth much, although I remain grateful to my agent who has taught me, by example, how to sleep with one’s eyes open. Moreover, I know not to take things personally, like when a fellow staff writer accidentally flushed my script down the toilet. What’s black and white and wet all over? My baby floating in a basin.

In writing this cover letter, I have come to realize that being a screenwriter is my passion, commonly known to civilians as delusion. Since the I.R.S. has recommended I explore alternative income streams, I can intern for you. I’d greatly appreciate it if everyone at The Gentlemen’s Club refers to the bathroom as my office, and not just as a euphemism. Also, in lieu of a stipend for public transportation, could you reimburse me for printer cartridges?  Lastly, once my spec is bought, made, and shown to audiences—who will no doubt declare it an instant classic—I promise to thank you in my Oscar awards speech.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours,

Catie Lazarus

Catie Lazarus is a writer. She created The On Time Show and hosts the monthly podcast EMPLOYEE of the MONTH about dreamy jobs at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. 

Letty Aronson accepts Woody Allen's WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay. Photo: Ken Goodman

Is a WGA Award a true predictor of Oscar gold? That was certainly the case this year, as both the WGA and AMPAS chose The Descendants and Midnight in Paris as respective winners in their Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay categories. (This year’s only noticeable difference, it turns out, was but one of presentation: at the Writers Guild Awards, Letty Aronson, producer of Midnight in Paris and Woody Allen’s sister, was allowed onstage to accept Allen’s statuette.) But pomp and circumstance aside, The Descendants’ and Midnight in Paris’ 2012 WGA-Oscar “doubles” illustrate a growing convergence in awards-season decisions between WGA and the Academy.

Indeed, 2012 marked the sixth time in the last eight years that both WGA and the Academy opted to honor the same writers for Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplays.

With two exceptions–in 2011, when the Academy chose The King’s Speech over WGA Award­-winner Inception for Best Original Screenplay; and in 2010, when the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay went to Precious after the WGA Award had gone to Up in the Air—recent history of the two Best Screenplay awards has been noteworthy for Guild-Oscar synergy. From 2005 to 2009, the WGA and Academy agreed on their Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay winners every year.

Before the beginning of that streak, however, the WGA and the Academy had demonstrated across-the-board agreement only five times since 1985, the year WGA adopted its current two-fold “Best Adapted” and “Best Original” categorizations.

While both the WGA and Academy seek to honor the finest in screenwriting in a given year, the differing imperatives of the two organizations can explain incongruities in their choices of winners. The Writers Guild of America is, of course, a labor union whose prime directive is the representation of the rights of screenwriters in the workplace. To that end, then, only films produced under the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild of America (or an affiliate Guild) are eligible for consideration for WGA Awards. The Academy does not consider the terms and conditions under which nominee films were created.

The recent harmony among WGA and Oscar-winners, then, is heartening. By awarding Oscars to screenplays that have already met the WGA’s stricter eligibility requirements, the Academy is, in effect, tacitly validating the Guild’s mission of honoring both great art and the artists who labor to create it.

“Our goal is not to provide spin for the Oscars,” says Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East, “but to give writers the opportunity to honor other writers. We believe writers should be paid decently, and should receive the benefits negotiated by the Guild or by our sister guilds abroad. The Academy doesn’t require that writers be treated well, and sometimes non-Guild films are nominated for writing Oscars. But that is increasingly rare.”

More than 175 members of the WGAE in the “staff” (that is, news) category answered a Guild questionnaire about trends in broadcast news. We want to engage in a conversation with Guild members about the future, how it will affect members and what the union should be doing about it.

Although most members who answered the questionnaire believe their employers will remain in the business for quite some time, most also think audiences for broadcast news will shrink, and that more and more material will be distributed on the Internet, including material that won’t be broadcast via TV or radio at all. More than two-thirds of the respondents said their employers will assign more work to people who work solely on the Internet. About 40% said their employers had assigned them digital media work. More than 60% reported increased workloads in general, and the same number think their jobs are less secure now than they were five years ago. When asked if they would advise a young person to pursue a career in broadcast news, less than 40% answered “yes”.

To understand what members think about where the Guild should focus its efforts and resources, we asked them to rank six options. The number one choice, by a significant margin: Enhance members’ skills. This won the most number-one rankings from respondents and was at the top in other measures, as well (e.g., adding together number-one and number-two rankings, and adding together the top three). Two other options also ranked high: encouraging the companies to broaden the work performed by members, and protecting the percentage of Guild-represented employees in each shop. We won provisions which protect the percentage of Guild representation for the first time in the 2010 negotiations, covering local station operations at CBS and ABC.

The two top-rated action items — enhancing members’ skills and encouraging the companies to broaden members’ work — are in a sense two sides of one coin. They seem to reflect that, as the technology and economics of news are transformed, the duties to be performed are also changing. The ratings suggest that members believe the best way for them, and thus the Guild, to maintain their key positions in the industry is to adapt to these changes by learning new skills and taking on new tasks. And this is borne out by members’ advice for young people contemplating careers in news. Some examples: “A newsperson needs to be well informed and trained in all media: i.e.: internet, social media, as well as broadcast and computer skills — and for God’s sake — spelling, grammar and punctuation.” And “facility with internet friendly formats, multi-media skills, entrepreneurship, self-motivation and an understanding that the news business does not pay much but is worth it.” Of course, members also stressed the fundamentals: “I would tell them to work on their writing — the person who can write and write well usually does the best in this business.” And, “Be a story teller.”

Questionnaire respondents wrote about the effect of the Internet on the news business: “I wish the Guild would understand that there is no such thing as ‘broadcast news’ anymore. Shows may go on at a certain time every day, but when has it really broken real, up-to-the minute news that you didn’t already know?” And, “I think the importance of network television in the traditional sense will continue to decrease over the next few years. There will continue to be growth in the online sector of all news products.” And, perhaps more dramatically: “Broadcast news is dead–the networks just haven’t realized it yet. Everything is shifting to the internet and WGA members need to be skilled in content creation for the net.”

This, too, suggests that broadening the work done by Guild members – particularly online and other digital news work – will be important to members’ long-term prospects. It also suggests, as a corollary, that organizing new members working primarily on employers’ web sites could also be important to maintaining the Guild’s place in the news industry.

Click HERE to view the complete questionnaire results, and HERE to read members’ comments.

Norman Corwin, 1910-2011. Photo by Arrowcatcher at en.wikipedia.

The recent passing of radio great Norman Corwin led dramatist and television writer Jerome Coopersmith, a Jablow Award–winner and former Writers Guild of America, East, council member, to contribute this appreciation of Corwin’s career. 

We studied him when I was in college, and we performed his radio plays as best we could in classrooms and on the college radio station. We lifted them from a collection called “13 By Corwin.” It was the best possible source to pirate from. Corwin was a giant in radio writing.

When I learned of his death in October last year at the age of 101, all I could think of saying was, “I hope you find Pootzy.” It was a reference to “The Odyssey of Runyon Jones,” his radio play about a little boy whose dog has died, and who sets out on an interstellar journey to find the pet. Is Pootzy in Dog Heaven or — God forbid — in Curgatory? The boy visits those places and meets such characters as Father Time and Mother Nature, getting from each of them some clues as to where Pootzy might be, until — hold onto your hat — until — did you think I would tell you the ending and rob you of that beautiful surprise? You’ll have to find out for yourself.

If you do, you’ll have caught the magic of Corwin. You’re not alone. His visions could easily be conveyed to anyone who reads or listens to his work — any child, any grownup, any President of the United States. When we entered World War II, when much of the world was engulfed in darkness, President Roosevelt proclaimed as our credo, “We Hold These Truths,” the masterful radio play by Corwin that celebrates our Bill of Rights. With Roosevelt’s approval, it was broadcast over four networks to an audience that was half of America’s population. And when the war ended, Corwin’s epic “On A Note of Triumph” was broadcast. It showed us again the kind of person he was.  No “hip-hip-hooray, we won!” was heard, but rather a stirring prayer for a future of peace among all of mankind.

A grateful nation responded with a One World Award, two Peabody Medals, an Oscar® Nomination, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an unofficial title: Poet Laureate of the American Airwaves. But I like to think that Norman Corwin would have been warmed by a greater satisfaction — that of seeing the readers of this blog rushing out to their libraries… to find out what happened to Pootzy.