As the awards season grinds on, the Writers Guild presented their awards for scribes working in film/TV over the weekend at BB Kings on 42nd Street. But unlike most of these shows, the WGA Awards was a fun and boozy affair, most evident in the unusual presentation of an award by Jonathan Ames, the creator of HBO's recently cancelled show BORED TO DEATH.
I've been a fan of Ames work for years, particularly his novel THE EXTRA MAN, and this show about a detective who advertises on Craigslist was a shaggy dog of a show set and shot in Brooklyn. For three sublimy silly seasons, Jason Schwartzman played "Jonathan Ames" as he rambled about the city with Ted Danson (playing his stoner/mentor) getting into all sorts of trouble.
Anyway, Ames got on stage to present the award to longform drama (formerly known at TV Movie) and instead gave a stemwinder of a speech on topics ranging from the failure of his own show to effeminate audience members, all of it fueled by the wonders of perseco. You certainly won't find this sort of drunken improv at the Oscars or even the somewhat looser Globes. But you will definitely find it when a bunch of writers in New York City get together and start drinking heavily!
