Movies News

Spielberg, Lucas and Coppola to give Best director's award

By Stone Martindale Feb 24, 2007, 23:20 GMT

This first Oscar secret is a biggie. Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and George Lucas together will be presenting the Best Director award for the Oscars tomorrow. 02/18/2007 - Martin Scorsese - 21st Annual ASC Awards - Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel - Century City, CA © David Gabber / Photorazzi

02/18/2007 - Martin Scorsese - 21st Annual ASC Awards - Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel - Century City, CA © David Gabber / PhotorazziFrontrunner Martin Scorsese was nominated five times previously for best director since the 1980 masterpiece "Raging Bull," Scorsese has gone home empty handed each year.With Scorsese's sixth directing nomination, this one for his return to the gangster gritty genre on "The Departed," seemingly everyone is pulling for him.His competition includes Clint Eastwood, who beat him for the directing Oscar two years ago and is nominated this time for the World War II saga "Letters From Iwo Jima."Also nominated are Stephen Frears for the palace drama "The Queen" and Paul Greengrass for the Sept. 11th drama "United 93," and Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the ensemble tale "Babel."Contemporaries of his, such as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, have long since won theirs. Hopefully they will be handing it to him Sunday.After winning the Directors Guild of America's top filmmaking honor which almost always is a precursor to an Oscar triumph, Scorsese was tight lipped when asked if this was his year to win an Oscar."I don't know," Scorsese said to the AP. "It's good to have a nomination, especially for this picture."