The DGA announced its best directing in feature film award nominees yesterday:

Steven Spielberg for Munich - 10-time nominee, 3 wins: Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, The Color Purple
Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain - 2-time nominee, 1 win: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Bennett Miller for Capote - first nomination
Paul Haggis for Crash - first nomination
George Clooney for Good Night, and Good Luck - first nomination

Television award nominees will be announced next week. For the first time, they will include a reality TV director's award (two words: Amazing Race).

The whole shindig takes place on January 28. Squinty Clint will get a lifetime achievement award. And there will be awards for career achievement for assistant director/production manager (this year, to Jerry H. Ziesmer), sports direction (Joseph R. Aceti), and associate director/stage manager (Donald Jacob).

While these gazillion best-of ceremonies can be dismissed as so much self-congratulatory hot air, we appreciate the guild awards. Because in among all the glitz and glamour, they manage to give some appreciation to the toiling workers of the biz. It is cool that a guy who directed five Olympic broadcasts and ABC's Wide World of Sports for a decade gets some props. You might not have thought about the guy directing the filming of The Thrilla in Manila, but that was Joseph Aceti. And anyone who says boxing isn't made great by good direction hasn't seen Raging Bull.