WRITERS HALT STRIKE TO ANNOUNCE AWARD NOMINEES

WRITERS HALT STRIKE TO ANNOUNCE AWARD NOMINEES

Hollywood's striking writers have halted their picketing to announce the nominees for their annual awards show. Despite conducting a two-month strike that has threatened other award shows, and prompted the cancellation of Sunday's (13Jan07) Golden Globes ceremony, the Writers Guild of America plans to press on with its own prizegiving on 9 February (08). Nominees, announced on Friday (11Jan08), included Juno's Diablo Cody, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton and Tamara Jenkins for The Savages, who will compete for the Original Screenplay honour. Oscar favourites Ethan and Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men) and Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) will compete with Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell + The Butterfly), Sean Penn (Into the Wild) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) for the Best Adapted Screenplay prize. The Documentary Screenplay award nominees are Anthony Giacchino (The Camden 28), Bill Guttentag + Dan Sturman (Nanking), Charles Ferguson (No End In Sight), Alex Gibney (Taxi To The Dark Side), Richard Berge, Nicole Newnham + Bonni Cohen (The Rape Of Europa) and Michael Moore (Sicko).