Coens win top Directors Guild honor

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Hollywood directing duo of Joel and Ethan Coen have come away with top honors in this year's awards by the Directors Guild of America.

They were named best director last night in Los Angeles for their movie, "No Country for Old Men." The honor makes them the favorite for the same prize at next month's Academy Awards. It also gives a boost to "No Country" in the Oscar's best-picture sweepstakes.

When he and his brother picked up their Directors Guild trophies last night, a delighted Ethan Coen noted, "Oh, we get two of them."

Barry Sonnenfeld was a guild winner in the TV category for directing an episode of the comedy, "Pushing Daisies."

Unlike some of the other high-profile awards show, the Directors Guild awards are not televised.

The fate of the Academy Awards show is still up in the air because of the ongoing Writers Guild strike. That three-month walkout drastically downsized the Golden Globes awards earlier this month.

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