Let’s talk about the Oscars! It’s a big year for diversity and many records have already been broken with just the nominations. I’m super excited for the gorgeous gowns and hopefully some big surprises. Here are thirteen things you need to know about the 89th Academy Awards before they premiere on February 26th, 2017.
Jimmy Kimmel is hosting.
It’s the first time Kimmel has hosted the Academy Awards. Maybe he’ll cover some Mean Tweets about the nominees?
Viola Davis, Naomie Harris and Octavia Spencer are making history.
For the first time in eighty-nine years, three African-American women have been nominated in an acting category, and this is the first time that people of color are the majority in any category. Also, with her supporting actress nomination, Viola Davis is now the most nominated black actress in history.
All four acting categories feature non-white actors, which hasn’t happened in a decade.
After last years #Oscarssowhite trend, the Academy is stepping up their game and finally giving non-white actors the recognition they deserve.
La La Land ties the record for most nominations with Titanic.
Fourteen nominations is insane. Only two other movies (Titanic and All about Eve) have earned that many, and let’s keep in mind there are only fifteen categories. Titanic, Ben Hur and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King currently are tied at the top spot for most Oscar awards (Eleven!). Maybe La La Land will be added to that list too.
Meryl Streep is nominated, for the 20th time.
Yup, twenty nominations makes her the most nominated performer EVER! In my opinion, that doesn’t sound overrated at all.
A documentary about OJ Simpson is the longest movie to be nominated.
This documentary clocks in at a massive 7 hours and 47 minutes long, which is longer than most college students sleep at night, but TBH I still want to see it.
Joi McMillon is the first woman to ever be nominated for film editing.
Her work on Moonlight, which is also nominated for Best Picture, led her to make some history as the first woman to be nominated for film editing. She’s also a woman of color, so that’s even more awesome.
It’s the first time Australia has ever been in the Foreign Film category.
The film Tanna tells the story of a sister’s loyalty and a forbidden love affair, all while living on a remote Pacific island with an active volcano. I’m adding it to my watch list right now.
Lin-Manuel Miranda could also make history.
With his Oscar nomination, Miranda could become the youngest winner to ever win the EGOT, which is an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. It’s no doubt that Miranda has exploded into pop culture with both the phenomenon of Hamilton and Moana.
Suicide Squad is nominated… for some reason.
Even bad movies can be nominated as long as they look good. Suicide Squad is nominated in the Best Hair and Makeup category.
Andrew Garfield is nominated and I’m excited.
This is a personal choice because I love Andrew Garfield. He is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Hacksaw Ridge. Emma Stone is also nominated for Best Actress so here’s to hoping they get back together during the ceremony.
If Natalie Portman wins, it will be her second time winning while pregnant.
The last time Natalie Portman won the Best Actress award was for 2011’s Black Swan, she was pregnant with her first child. Pregnant again, Portman is nominated for her performance as Jackie Kennedy in Jackie.
La La Land, Moonlight, and Manchester by the Sea are the frontrunners for best picture.
While writing this, I wanted to see which film was expected to win Best Picture, the most coveted award. To my surprise, it’s a tie between these three films. Even though La La Land is nominated for pretty much everything, it wouldn’t be surprising if it didn’t take away the big award. After all, the same situation has happened in previous years. But my vote is for Moonlight, so I’ll be tuning in on Sunday to see if my prediction is right!
Have I convinced you to tune in yet? It’s going to be a record-breaking year, I can feel it.