Names and faces

Captain Phillips and Her were the best adapted and original screenplays of the year, according to the Writers Guild of America, which gave out its prizes in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday. Both Spike Jonze, whose Her tells the story of a man romancing his computer operating system, and Billy Ray, who adapted Captain Phillips from the true story of Richard Phillips’ kidnapping by Somali pirates aboard the Maersk Alabama, accepted in Los Angeles. Stories We Tell, filmmaker Sarah Polley’s examination of her own family, won in the documentary category. In TV, Breaking Bad, 30 Rock, The Simpsons, House of Cards and The Colbert Report were also winners. The guild is an imperfect predictor of Oscar success - leading candidates like 12 Years a Slave, with a screenplay by John Ridley, were not eligible for the prize because of guild membership rules, and Stories We Tell is not an Oscar nominee. Colin Quinn, the host in New York, suggested some other prizes for future Writers Guild ceremonies: “Best leaked-to-Gawker screenplay. Best screenplay plagiarized by Shia LaBeouf. Best screenplay your agent skimmed. Most seconds in between Facebook checks.” Oscar-winning director Terry George had an idea for the form of the future Writers Guild of America trophy: “I always thought it should be two hands with clumps of hair,” he said.

A representative for Arcade Fire said the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band will perform in Haiti this month. Scott Rodger of Quest Management confirmed in an email that the Canadian band will play Feb. 21 as part of the country’s Carnival celebrations in the coastal town of Jacmel. The event generally features only local groups. Arcade Fire’s fourth and latest album, Reflektor, draws on Haitian musical traditions such as “rara.” It was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of last year. The Montreal-based band won a Grammy in 2011 for Album of the Year.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/04/2014

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