‘The Aviator’ Receives Top Award From Producers Guild of America

Michael Mann and Graham King, who produced the Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” took home the top award Saturday at the Producers Guild of America awards in Los Angeles.

Mann and King were given the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award. “The Aviator,” which also took the top dramatic prize at the Golden Globe Awards, is among the favored candidates in this year’s Oscars race.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce nominations for the 77th Oscars on Tuesday.

The guild honors are a solid predictor for the top Academy Awards winner.

The “Angels in America” production team won for best long-form television. The Stanley Kramer award, named for the producer who often tackled social issues, went to two productions. Sharing the prize were “Hotel Rwanda,” the real-life tale of an innkeeper sheltering refugees from genocide; and “Innocent Voices,” a fictionalized version of one boy’s experience during the Salvadoran civil war.

Wayne Brady hosted Saturday’s ceremony at the historic Culver Studios.

Other guild winners included:

* Episodic drama: “The Sopranos,” HBO.

* Episodic comedy: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO.

* Nonfiction television: “The Amazing Race,” CBS.

* Variety television: “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Syndicated.