Scorsese Nabs Director Award, Oscar Next?

Martin Scorsese is one step closer to snagging that ever-elusive best director Oscar at the Academy Awards later this month.

The Directors Guild of America named him filmmaker-of-the-year last night at its awards ceremony in Los Angeles for his mob movie, "The Departed."

It's Scorsese's first guild prize after six previous nominations. And the award has been a solid predictor of who might win the best directing Oscar. Since the first DGA award was handed out in 1949, 51 out of 57 winners went on to Oscar gold.

Awards watchers have been saying this could be Scorsese's year after being snubbed for the Academy Award five time before. He has been nominated for "Raging Bull," "GoodFellas," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Gangs of New York," and "The Aviator" — and never won.

He has also been Oscar-nominated for co-writing "Gangs of New York" and "The Age of Innocence."

Some of the other winners last night included Walter Hill for the DGA award last night for TV movie, with his Western "Broken Trail." Richard Shepard won for comedy directing for the pilot of the ABC hit, "Ugly Betty." Jon Cassar won the TV drama director award for an episode of "24."