I actually voted for Gus Van Sant, but that was only because I knew Ang Lee would win. He totally deserves it (but GVS has made several of my favorite movies of the last 20 years).

With or without Ianto, I think Alan Ball is by far the better writer. Also let's not forget Captain Jack was created by Moffat, not RTD, the best IMO Jack/Ianto moments in Torchwood weren't written by RTD either. It is great that him as producer let them happen, but that is a different thing.

David Sedaris is kind of awesome :)

I voted for Greg Berlanti based on Jack for "Dawson's Creek" and Kevin and Scotty et all from "Brothers and Sisters."  However, I certainly can't quibble with Alan Ball, especially if one considers his characters that are gay men of color.

Even if RTD deserves credit for the development of Janto as being his actual idea and not just something he allowed as a producer (Though the thinking has been that it came from the series writers inspired by the performances of and chemistry between John Barrowman and Gareth  David-Lloyd).  RTD loses that credit and then some because in one reckless stroke of his perplexing pen he needlessly did away with the beloved character that Ianto was on his own and more importantly with Jack & Ianto as a couple.  A horrible miscalculation when there was still so much interest in seeing where it all had yet to go.  With no more Ianto, in the person of the darling GDL, as a member of TW and without the continued adventures of Jack & Ianto’s relationship to look forward to the prospect of watching any future Torchwood repels completely. 

That is not good work done.

Like any good entertainment wheeler-dealer RTD excels at claiming credit for the labor of others. In the case of Torchwood his most notable accomplishment was destroying it utterly. However, all evidence suggests that RTD doesn't like to be attached to anything for too long or too extensively. If he can claim credit for the work of other writers then so much the better. He actually wrote very little of Torchwood other than CoE. He also gets away with a lot of re-use of ideas. For example, the "blood control" used in Doctor Who; The Christmas Invasion and the nearly identical plot device of the 456 controlling and speaking through the children in CoE.

He does write a lot of fun stuff sometimes, but it's rather like fanfiction that has been funded to turn into canon by the BBC. I don't consider it high quality by any means in the same way I don't think children's cartoons are generally great drama.

Everyone picked very well (I forgot to vote).  I love David Sedaris!!!   Did I mention I love him???  He makes me realise that everyone in the world is their own special brand of crazy.  There are no 'normal' people.

And Ang Lee is fantastic.  The Wedding Banquet is one of my favourite movies and I dont think anyone could deny that True Blood rocks cause Alan is a genius. 

'Life is short and hard, like a body-building elf.'

and he can get back to writing non-sci-fi/fantasy material. Plotting has never been his strong point. Character and dialogue are his real strength.

I read that he has an idea to do a show about middle-aged gay men with QAF/Bob & Rose producer, Nicola Shindler. If he reads AE (as if!), do it RTD!!!