In the Oscars, the writing categories are just on the cusp of the “big awards”. For years people have always cared who won best actor or actress, and of course best picture and director, but lately the writing awards have been given more weight by the public. That seems appropriate considering without the writers the movies really wouldn’t amount to much of anything.

The predictor awards for the Oscar writing awards - the Writers Guild of America Annual Awards - were held Saturday night. Unlike every other predictor awards ceremony this year, the WGA went with press expectations and delivered awards to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for Sideways, and Charlie Kaufman, Michele Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplays respectively.

Both Sideways and Sunshine are nominated in their respective Oscar categories as well, and if the WGA awards are any indication, should do well. Of course the WGA has only picked six out of the last ten winners, so you’re looking at just over fifty percent chance those will be the Oscar winners.

Other winners for the WGA awards included “Angels in America” (Long Form - Adapted), “Arrested Development” (Episodic Comedy - tied with “Malcolm in the Middle”), and “The Simpsons” (Animation).