In duel ceremonies currently underway in both Los Angeles and New York, the Writers Guild of America is handing out the 71st annual WGA Awards for excellence in writing in the fields of motion picture and television at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. and at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

Already given out and announced was the winner in the Daytime Drama category and the winning writing team was ABCs General Hospital which bested the only other nominees in the category, Days of our Lives.

The team consisting of head writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles, took home the prestigious honor.

The envelopes are being ripped open as we report this with the screenplay awards for motion pictures to come and more. For a live list of winners click here.

Congratulations to the team from Port Charles and General Hospital on their WGA Award win.  So, what do you think of GH besting DAYS?  Glad the ABC daytime drama won? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

On Saturday night, The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylist Guild Awards (MUAH) were doled out in ceremonies held in Los Angeles recognizing the work of series and features in television and movies.  The award is given out in 23 categories.

In the categories of Hair and Make-Up in Daytime Television, the winners were The Young and the Restless.  The winning team for Y&R make-up was: Patricia Denney, Marlene Mason, Kathy Jones, and for Hair: Regina Rodriguez, Adriana Lucio, Vanessa Bragdon.

Y&R won on a night that saw such standout shows as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jesus Christ Superstar, and films: A Star is Born, Vice, and Mary Queen of Scots taking home the prize in major categories.   See complete winners list here.

Photo: PDenneyFacebook

The MUAHS were presented just out one day after the Academy Awards reversed its decision to hand out the Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling during commercial breaks.

They had previously announced that it would present the categories of: cinematography, film editing, live action short, and make-up and hair during commercials and then later playback the acceptance speeches later in the broadcast.  However, due to the uproar of that decision, it was quickly reversed and now all categories, per usual, will be presented on-air.

So, what do you think of Y&R wins last night in the Daytime category?  Do the characters of Genoa City look the best in daytime? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

Saturday has brought with it some major twists and developments into the alleged assault on Empire star, Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon) through multiple reports.  Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the on-going investigation told CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollet paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him.

The men in question, who are brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, were originally arrested on Wednesday, but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited: “Due to new evidence as a result of today’s interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete.”  Reports also say that the two men are fully cooperating with law enforcement.

Of note is: that the brothers are of Nigerian descent and teach online body building classes. The Chicago Tribune reports that Smollett follows the brothers’ workout page on Instagram.   One brother reportedly appeared in an episode of Empire, but was not credited it for it.

Smollett’s attack happened in the early hours of January 29th on the streets of Chicago, when Smollett told authorities that two men were “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs.”  He also noted that one of the attackers put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him.

The sources told CNN there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett’s neck at an Ace Hardware store in Chicago.

“The new direction of the investigation is now based on the premise that Mr. Smollett was an active participant in the incident,” a law enforcement source close to the situation told Deadline.

In a statement from Chicago PD late Saturday: “We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We’ve reached out to the ‘Empire’ cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”

In an update to this story: Jussie’s lawyers said in statement over the weekend that one of the brothers taken in to custody was Smollett’s personal trainer, and the actor finds it “impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.”

So, what do you believe at this juncture?  Do you think Smollett would stage a hate crime on himself? Could the police just not have found the true culprits? Share your theories on this developing story.