The Oscar rivals "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire" won top honors Saturday at the Writers Guild of America Awards. The much- talked-about Indian love story took yet another honor: Best Adapted Screenplay at tonight's 2009 Writers Guild Awards. “Milk” scored the Original Screenplay prize.

“Slumdog's” Simon Beaufoy defeated the writers of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” all of whom he'll face at the Oscars. Beaufoy, however, was not on hand to accept his WGA trophy as he was traveling to London for another awards ceremony given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Moreover "Slumdog" was named best movie by the Producers Guild of America, Briton Danny Boyle was picked best director by the Directors Guild of America, and the movie's actors were judged best ensemble cast by the Screen Actors Guild.
In a nutshell the film is considered a leading contender to collect an armful of gold statuettes at the February 22 award ceremony, including possible best picture honors.

However "Milk" has eight Academy Award nominations a well, including best picture and best actor for Sean Penn. At the same time the win for “Milk's” Dustin Lance Black reiterates his front-runner status in Oscar's original screenplay race: he was the only WGA nominee to even score a like Academy Award nod.

In other top film awards given out Saturday by the WGA, Israeli war film "Waltz with Bashir" was named best documentary.

The winners, based on voting by the 12,000 WGA members, were announced Saturday night at simultaneous ceremonies at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theater in New York. Last year's show in Los Angeles was canceled due to the WGA strike.