Best Director - Motion Picture: Martin Scorsese

And the nominees were:

Martin Scorsese for "Hugo"
Woody Allen for "Midnight in Paris"
George Clooney for "The Ides of March"
Alexander Payne for "The Descendants"
Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist"

Martin Scorsese's win on behalf of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association makes perfect sense given the "Hugo" director's support of foreign film. But he deserved his standing ovation and the award as "Hugo" was a lovely film, almost as lovely as his presenter Angelina Jolie.