DGA Noms Analysis

Here's the deal: we now have a good sense of what the Top Five Oscar nominees for Best Picture will be. They will likely match up with the DGA nominees below. The news here is that Clint Eastwood did not get nominated, again, and Bill Condon and Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton did. It makes sense that the larger, more populist DGA would go for these two music video directors made good. On the other hand, the Academy directors, a much smaller, more high-minded and snobby group, won't necessarily line up with the DGA rank-and-file directors. My sense is that the two Eastwood films, which have been more praised by the critics than embraced by more mainstream audiences, could still land Eastwood in the Academy group, if not in the Best Picture category. And someone like Pedro Almodovar or Guillermo del Toro has an outside shot at a slot, too.

By Carl DiOrio Jan 10, 2007 Prospects for either of Clint Eastwood's critically praised films figuring in Oscar's best-picture race dimmed considerably Tuesday when their absence from DGA award nominations represented the iconic hyphenate's second major kudo-season setback in under a week.

The DGA nominated Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for "Babel," Bill Condon for "Dreamgirls," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Little Miss Sunshine," Martin Scorsese for "The Departed" and Stephen Frears for "The Queen." The same five films previously attracted theatrical noms from the Producers Guild of America (HR, 1/4). The DGA and PGA awards are considered among the better forecasters of Oscar winners, though neither signaled the Academy's giving the best-pic statuette to "Crash" last year.

Last year, the DGA bestowed its feature-film award to Ang Lee for directing "Brokeback Mountain."

Nominations in TV categories of the 59th annual DGA Awards will be announced today, Wednesday and Thursday. Winners in all categories will be announced Feb. 3, when the DGA holds its annual awards gala at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.

A complete list of film nominees follows:
BILL CONDON

DREAMGIRLS
Paramount Pictures

Mr. Condon's Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager: Patricia Whitcher
First Assistant Director: Richard Graves
Second Assistant Director: Eric Sherman
Second Second Assistant Director: Renee Hill-Sweet

JONATHAN DAYTON & VALERIE FARIS

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Mr. Dayton and Ms. Faris' Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager: Michael Beugg
First Assistant Director: Thomas Patrick Smith
Second Assistant Director: Gregory Smith
Second Second Assistant Director: Kate Greenberg

STEPHEN FREARS

THE QUEEN
Miramax Films

Mr. Frears' Directorial Team:

Production Manager: Sue Claverly
First Assistant Director: Stuart Renfrew
Second Assistant Director: Rickay Graysmark
Third Assistant Director: Lucy Egerton

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ INARRITU

BABEL
Paramount Vantage

Mr. Inarritu's Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager: Ann Ruark
First Assistant Director: Sebastian Silva

MARTIN SCORSESE

THE DEPARTED
Warner Bros. Pictures

Mr. Scorsese's Directorial Team:

Unit Production Manager: Carol Cuddy
First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy
Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Second Assistant Director: John Silvestri