Directing Nominees Ranked!

Hmm. Almost every year has someone that it was out of their element and only got in because his/her (well, actually no her) film was a populist or sentimental choice.

Best Lineup: 2007 (the top 3 are almost untouchable, wish Joe Wright had been nominated); runnerups: 2001 (take out Howard and replace him with Baz Luhrman and I'd say that was the best lineup of the decade) and 2003 (despite me not having seen 2 of them)
Worst Lineup: 2008 - I do like Boyle and Fincher very much, but those are about the least interesting films they've ever done. Van Sant was worthy, though.

How the fuck does Stephen Daldry have 3 directing nominations? That's one more than females nominated this decade!!!

2009:
1. Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker***
2. Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
3. Lee Daniels - Precious
4. Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
5. James Cameron - Avator

2008:
1. Gus Van Sant - Milk
2. Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire***
3. David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Stephen Daldry - The Reader
5. Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

2007:
1. Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men***
2. Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
3. Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4. Jason Reitman - Juno
5. Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton

2006:
1. Martin Scorsese - The Departed***
2. Paul Greengrass - United 93
3. Stephen Freers - The Queen
4. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu - Babel
NS: Clint Eastwood - Letters From Iwo Jima

2005:
1. Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain***
2. George Clooney - Good Night and Good Luck
3. Bennett Miller - Capote
4. Steven Spielberg - Munich
5. Paul Haggis - Crash

2004:
1. Martin Scorsese - The Aviator
2. Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby***
3. Mike Leigh - Vera Drake
4. Alexander Payne - Sideways
5. Taylor Hackford - Ray

2003:
1. Sofia Coppola - Lost In Translation
2. Peter Weir - Master and Commander
3. Clint Eastwood - Mystic River
NS: Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King***, Fernanda Merielles - City of God

2002:
1. Rob Marshall - Chicago
2. Pedro Almodovar - Talk to Her
3. Roman Polanski - The Pianist***
4. Martin Scorsese - Gangs of New York
5. Stephen Daldry - The Hours

2001:
1. David Lynch - Mulholland Dr.
2. Robert Altman - Gosford Park
3. Ridley Scott - Black Hawk Down
4. Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
5. Ron Howard - A Beautiful Mind***

2000:
1. Ang Lee - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. Steven Soderbergh - Traffic***
3. Steven Soderbergh - Erin Brockovich
NS: Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliot; Ridley Scott - Gladiator