Nominations for the 2015 Oscars were announced Thursday morning and, as always, there are a few snubs and shockers. Just a few hours after the nominations, attention was already being called to the extreme whiteness of this year’s list of nominees.
How the 2015 Oscars selfie might look http://t.co/kHo0gaWcZa pic.twitter.com/Yhcjtkt6aZ
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) January 15, 2015
The most glaring error is in the list of nominations for Best Director. It is a complete disappointment that Ava DuVernay’s name is not on there. But is it a surprise? Not really. Ava DuVernay falls into two categories that are often ignored by the Academy: she is Black and she is a woman. And in spite of the glowing reviews and critical accolades Selma has received, there was no way they were going to honor Ava DuVernay for her hard work and incredible talent.
Another surprise-but-not-really is the omission of David Oyelowo from the Best Actor category for his role as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma. All hopes lie with the film’s nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song.
Happy Birthday, Dr. King. An Oscar gift for you. To SELMA cast + crew led by our miracle David Oyelowo! To Common + Legend! Kudos! March on!
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) January 15, 2015
I feel like I'm in 1929 watching the #Oscarnoms. No female or black directors, no actors of color, and only 1 black nom goes to #SelmaMovie
— Chris Witherspoon (@WitherspoonC) January 15, 2015
"SELMA? One of the best pics of the year. But the directing, script, all the acting, & cinematography? Meh.
Nice song, though."
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) January 15, 2015
A few surprises in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories… Jennifer Aniston wasn’t nominated, which shocked a lot of fans. Her portrayal of a drug addict in Cake did earn her nominations from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild but nothing from the Oscars.
Jennifer Aniston didn’t get an Oscar nomination pic.twitter.com/ZXImmCoMlw
— LE∆N∆TIC (@MsProudLeanatic) January 15, 2015
I guess this wasn't Jennifer Aniston's day, or week, or month, or even her year. #OscarNoms
— James Crampton (@JimCramptonWPG) January 15, 2015
Marion Cotillard took one of the five spots, thanks to her performance in Two Days, One Night. Amy Adams wasn’t nominated, which is surprising only because of Hollywood’s fascination with her. Although Laura Dern didn’t receive any nominations for Golden Globe or SAG awards, she did end up on the list of Oscar nominees for her role in Wild.
Marion Cotillard, you have a call from Jennifer Aniston on Line 1. #oscarnoms
— Joe Williams (@joethecritic) January 15, 2015
Congratulations @LauraDern ! I love you woman! So happy for you.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) January 15, 2015
Bradley Cooper was nominated… again. This makes the third year in a row that he’s been nominated. This year, it’s for his role as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle in American Sniper. (Last year, it was American Hustle and before that, it was for Silver Linings Playbook.)
I couldn't be happier that the awesome Bradley Cooper got a Best Actor nomination for his role as Rocket Racoon!
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 15, 2015
I just have one question: Is Hangover 8 trailer going to say "Starring Two-time Academy Award Nominated Actor #BradleyCooper"?
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) January 15, 2015
And the award for Best Reaction to an Oscar Snub goes to Philip Lord, co-writer and director of The Lego Movie, which didn’t receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.
It's okay. Made my own! pic.twitter.com/kgyu1GRHGR
— Phil Lord #BlackLivesMatter #WearAMask (@philiplord) January 15, 2015
But the best Oscar nomination tweets were the reactions to a slip-up in the announcements when Dick Pope’s name was mistakenly pronounced as “Dick Poop”.
https://twitter.com/leducviolet/status/555762377308651521
Dick Poop is the gift that keeps on giving.
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) January 15, 2015
https://twitter.com/devincf/status/555724494082293761
"Hold on, tragedies and injustices that deserve attention. Someone said 'Dick Poop' out loud. We'll get back to you in a week or so." – USA
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) January 15, 2015
https://twitter.com/mikeryan/status/555725832430583808
Guys, we just Googled Dick Poop to see if he was real. Take it from us: don't go there. DO NOT GO THERE.
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) January 15, 2015
I am very excited for Dick Poop's Oscar Nomination! I hope he wins!!
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) January 15, 2015
I think we can all agree John Travolta should present the #oscar for Best Cinematography, just so we can hear him say Dick Poop.
— Steven Friedman (@Steven_Friedman) January 15, 2015
Within a few hours, a new hashtag, started by @ReignOfApril, started trending, beginning with this tweet:
#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair.
— April (@ReignOfApril) January 15, 2015
"@MrPooni: #OscarsSoWhite they haven't shifted their selection process in 87 years#OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/8vDx4bYHFM"
— After almost 10 years… (@Happy2beDee) January 15, 2015
Chile, with this pic, I'm gonna need some sun block #OscarsSoWhite pic.twitter.com/7DhVGlVAjH
— Brother Nyght (@wondermann5) January 15, 2015
#OscarsSoWhite Macklemore and Iggy Azalea have been asked to host
— Black Girl Nerds (@BlackGirlNerds) January 15, 2015
#OscarsSoWhite, they put mayonnaise in grits.
— ⚖️Imani Gandy ⚖️ (@AngryBlackLady) January 15, 2015
#OscarsSoWhite a grand jury won’t indict them
— Harold Itzkowitz (@HaroldItz) January 15, 2015
#OscarsSoWhite it will claim #AllLivesMatter.
— Preston Mitchum (@PrestonMitchum) January 15, 2015
Thoughts? Who did or didn’t deserve to be nominated? Who do you think will or should win? (Please don’t say Dick Poop.)
One reply on “Oscar Nomination Shocks and Surprises (and Twitter’s Reaction)”
I can’t even handle the Selma nomination news. It’s a mixture of fury and complete disappointment. The whole thing is just so white when some of the best roles and standout characters in film (and tv) are amazingly diverse. I guess it’s why great actors and Oscar winners/nominees of color are heading to TV.
We will definitely continue this conversation in the PoC News roundup on Monday.