Awards Watch: 'The Descendants' and 'Midnight in Paris' Win at WGA.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) have announced their winners. Many of the nominees have also been nominated for an Oscar, so the winners would have to be considered the favourites for an award next week. Woody Allen's script for Midnight in Paris, and the writing team behind The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, were the favourites, and took out the awards for Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay respectively. Here are the rest of the nominees:

Original Screenplay

50/50 - Will Reiser
Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen *WINNER*
Win Win - Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Triboni
Young Adult - Diablo Cody

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming. *WINNER*
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Steve Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson
The Help - Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett
Hugo - John Logan; Based on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Moneyball - Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis.

Documentary Screenplay

Better This World - Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega *WINNER*
If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front - Marshal Curry, Matthew Hamachek
Nostalgia For the Light - Patricia Guzman
Pina - Wim Wenders
Position Among the Stars - Netty Naaijkens - Retel Helmrich and Leonard Retel Helmrich
Senna - Manish Pandey

In other news, The Descendants has also picked up The Scripter Award at the 24th Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, and Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) Award at the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Awards.

The Artist picked up Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical) and Rango won Best Edited Animated Film. The win for The Descendants was a big shock - beating out Hugo, Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Interestingly, the winner of the Editing Award in the Dramatic category has won the Best Picture Oscar 15 times since 1990. Will that be the case this year? Though The Artist is the heavy favourite, The Descendants is the winner of the Golden Globe: Drama, and should not be written off entirely. The winners here make my Oscar Predictions in the Screenplay categories seem very bold.