Here are some quotes I’ve read over the last 12 or 13 hours since the news broke that Tom Hooper has won the DGA award for best feature directing, and thus more or less confirming a forthcoming Best Picture Oscar win by The King’s Speech.

(l. to r.) DGA nominees Tom Hooper, David O. Russell, Darren Aronofsky, Chris Nolan and David Fincher at last night’s event.

“Being in the room last night for the DGA Awards, I can tell you the audience was stunned over the Hooper win…Kathryn Bigelow (who read the winner) was visibly shocked…one of the other directors (not Fincher) couldn’t contain himself and let out a howl of laughter. Having been to a lot of these award shows this season a bit…I’m sure all of the directors want to win themselves, but get the feeling they don’t mind losing to Fincher, but I think they do mind losing to Hooper.” — HE commenter “julieW.”

“I have enormous respect and admiration for Tom Hooper. I like the guy. And unlike other directors in the race, he has been generous with his time and thoughts. [But] the inherent ambition of at least 3 of the other 4 nominees is simply on another level. I have no problem when people vote for a movie they like or love, but this is directors voting for achievement in direction. When I see Hooper this week, I will pat him on the back and honestly say, ‘Good on ya.’ But for Fincher and Aronofsky and Nolan and Russell, they have to feel a little brutalized, but should realize that it’s not about pushing for new levels, but a movie popularity contest amongst a narrow base of movie lovers.” — David Poland, “The Hot Blog,” 1.30.11.

“Forgive me but with Oscar analysis it helps to be observant, receptive, objective — and not prescriptive.”– a tweet from Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson. Yes, yes…and to hell with that. This is a moment of terrible shock — a cultural-spiritual tragedy that will be looked back upon with disdain and shudders and embarassment for decades to come.

“So what shit sandwich are we going to have to eat tonight regarding the SAG awards?” — tweet from Awards Daily‘s Sasha Stone.

“We shoulda known Oscar would go gaga. The King’s Speech is the only nominee with Nazis in it.” — The Film Experience‘s Nathaniel R.

“The King’s Speech wins DGA? Wow, I’m gonna have to look at the movie again. Everybody loves it except me. Blows whistle I cannot hear Look at it this way: The King’s Speech is as much about how new media changes way people connect as The Social Network. TKS is all about finding a new way to speak when there’s new way to be spoken to. Academy fogies & guild voters relate subconsciously.” — tweets from N.Y. Times media columnist David Carr.

“Hey, it’s not over yet. Maybe now everyone starts switching to King’s Speech and Social Network wins anyway. I’m sorry but winning every single critics group, NBR and the Golden Globes is a big deal. I still can’t figure out how the PGA and the DGA both can think The King’s Speech is a better or worthy movie. Baffles me.” — non-attrib.

“And to think [that] the odds to bet Tom Hooper for Best Director yesterday were 6-1 while Fincher you had to be $1600 to make $100. Yeah, a pretty stunning development. And it feels like just yesterday I was being shouted down early in the season for saying The King’s Speech had a great chance. I think we all assumed that at the very least Fincher and Sorkin were going to be locks. And I had a stat on the radio the other night where going back to 1980, there have been 18 films that won director and one of the screenplay categories. 16 of those won Best Picture. The only two that did not were Brokeback Mountain and Traffic.” — anonymous.