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Granted, Daniels still may end up losing out at a shot for Oscar. Only once in the past ten years has the Directors' Guild nominees matched up with those in the Oscars, for Best Director. In 2006, all five nominees matched, but aside from that, there's been plenty of minor disagreements. How is it that the directors end up voting differently? Who's to say for sure, but sometimes, the Academy's influence can be all-encompassing. Also, though Daniels has the weakest hold on a nomination (some prognosticators thought Neill Blomkamp, of District 9, or J.J. Abrams, of Star Trek could have pulled off a DGA nod), he's as likely to get in as his fellow nominees. Right now, though, these five films and helmers seem to be the probable frontrunners. Place your bets.

The other big guild to announce is the Producers Guild of America, which, like the Academy Awards, has chosen to expand its list of Best Picture nominees from five to ten. This year, their Best Picture nominees are, in alphabetical order, Avatar, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus,"Precious, Star Trek, Up, and Up in the Air. Before any of the fanboys in the room (and, to be fair, I'd have a similar reaction) go nuts with shock and delight, the likelihood is slim that the three big science-fiction films are all going to get Best Picture Oscar nominations. Now, don't get me wrong: Star Trek and District 9, previously considered dark horses of a kind, have gotten a big boost from the PGAs.

District 9, in particular, is potentially going to be the victor of the dark horse contenders here. On the one hand, it's a wild action movie about aliens and humans. On the other hand, it's from a first-time director, it was made on the cheap, it was produced by a previous Oscar winner, it made a lot of money, it was well-liked, and, most importantly, it has an underlying subtext. As much as I loved Star Trek, that was not a movie with a lot of hidden ideas. District 9, however, can claim to having been connected to the apartheid struggle in South Africa, and is such a well-written piece of entertainment that it may sneak through into the Academy Awards. There's a lot of hype for the script and its technical achievements, as well, so don't be shocked if this tiny, faux-documentary actioner is in the top ten.

Aside from Star Trek and District 9, the other eight PGA nominees have a lot of heat behind them, collectively. The other big news from these nominees was what wasn't on the list: Nine, the big, splashy musical from Chicago director Rob Marshall and producer Harvey Weinstein. Though the movie still has a chance of getting into the Best Picture list (one should never discount Weinstein's clout), the PGA was likely to be its biggest supporter among the guilds. The actors in the Academy could also back the film, but its tepid box office and reception from critics is proving too negative. Nine is looking like a flop in other respects, so its awards chances are getting very low. But, who knows? Harvey Weinstein could get a thank-you card from Captain Kirk.

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