Woody Allen scoops Writers Guild prize

Woody Allen's romance movie 'Midnight in Paris' - starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams - won Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards yesterday (19.02.12).

Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris' picked up Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America awards yesterday (19.02.12).

The romance film - starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy - beat 'Bridesmaids', 'Young Adult', 'Win Win' and '50/50' to take home the prize.

The Adapted Screenplay award went to 'The Descendants' - about a man who is dealing with his family and his life falling apart in Hawaii - with writers Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash winning for their work on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming.

It beat competition from 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'The Help', 'Hugo' and 'Moneyball'.

In the television category, 'Modern Family' won two awards for Best Comedy and Best Comedy Episode, as did critically-acclaimed 'Homeland'

'New Girl' star Zooey Deschanel, who was co-hosting the event at the Hollywood Palladium with Joel McHale, tried to make light of the geeky nature of writers when she opened the ceremony.

She said: "Hi and welcome to nerd prom! Male Writers: You are all hot because of your minds."

Complete list of winners at the Writers Guild of America awards:

Film:

Original Screenplay - 'Midnight in Paris'

Adapted Screenplay - 'The Descendants'

Documentary Screenplay - 'Better This World'

Television:

Drama Series - 'Breaking Bad'

Comedy Series - 'Homeland'

Episodic Drama - 'Box Cutter' ('Breaking Bad') and 'The Good Soldier' ('Homeland')

Episodic Comedy - 'Caught in the Act' ('Modern Family')

Long Form Original - 'Cinema Verite'

Long Form Adapted - 'Too Big to Fail'

Animation - 'Home the Father' ('The Simpsons')

Comedy/Variety Series - 'The Colbert Report'