Interesting Stats About The 87th Oscars
Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 7:12PM 
DuPont has something in common with those other sociopaths Lisbeth Salander and James BondDid you know...
• The tiny grossing Foxcatcher is now tied with two blockbusters Skyfall and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for "most nominations without a Best Picture nomination" in the modern Best Picture expanded era. The all time record holder if you include years with only 5 Best Picture nominees is They Shoot Horses Don't They from 1969 which received 9 nominations but not Best Picture. And that one is better than all of the actual Best Picture nominees from its year.
• Grand Budapest Hotel, a very atypical nominee in so many ways (comic, uber-stylized, filled with slapstick) is also the highest grosser currently. The Oscars went very small this year after a few years of big hits peppering their Best Picture lineup
• That there are 42 years between Robert Duvall's first nomination (The Godfather) and his new one in the same category (The Judge). That's not a record (Katharine Hepburn holds that one) but this one is: he's also now the oldest male acting nominee of all time at 84 years of age.
• Alejandro Inarittu is the first Mexican director to have received two Oscar nominations for directing. The all time most honored person of color in this very white category is not Inarittu but Ang Lee who has 3 nominations and 2 wins for directing. Both men have also been nominated (if not officially since the country is listed as the nominee) in the foreign film category.
• Selma's Best Picture nomination makes Ava DuVernay the 8th woman to direct a Picture that she wasn't nominated in Director for. Naturally that list has been growing rapidly with the Best Picture expansion. I think it's a good sign that change is coming though. The more women that are invited into the director's branch the more likely we are to eventually see balance.
If you fancy yourself an Oscar expert, add more details in the comments and we'll add the best ones to this list later tonight...
Reader Comments (94)
@Henry - George Carlin used to do a bit, probably over 20 years ago, about how weird it is when people say someone "happens to be black."
It is strange that "people of color" is politically correct, while the phrase "colored people," which is also exactly the same (key word - almost) is offensive. It's been 50-60 years since the phrase "colored people" was popular and all we could do was switch the words around and add another.
Hey torrence, a dry sense of humor (or even a wet one for that matter) often gets lost as words on a screen. It can be a good idea to remind the reader that you're not serious as a heart attack.
(I'm counting one wink in four comments in this thread, fyi.)
@Sean Troutman: That is how she refers to herself (Actually, her complete phrase is "I'm a woman who happens to be black. That doesn't make me less of a woman."). I respect her far too much to question why.
I just read Meryl Streep has more total acting nominations than this years Lead Actress and Supporting Actress nominees COMBINED!
Bennet Miller has directed a Leading and a Supporting nominated performance in all three of his films.
I usually come across the phrase 'person of color' on tumblr, where it's usually used by people who consider themselves to be people of color.
'Hispanic' certainly does not mean nothing - it's basically the Spanish version of 'Francophone,' which also doesn't mean nothing. The difference is that Hispanic is more often used as a default racial term even though it technically does not denote race.
I got this from EW Radio, but:
If, (when) Julianne wins, she will be the 2nd Best Actress in a row playing a character married to Alec Baldwin.
This WILL (hopefully) be a great stat IF Keaton, Moore, Simmons, and Arquette triumph on February 22nd:
- This will mark the first year since the 1997 Oscars that all 4 of the acting winners played fictional characters. Since 1998, at least one winner has played a real-life person.
1998: Dench (“Elizabeth I”)
1999: Hilary Swank (“Brandon Teena”)
2000: Julia Roberts (“Erin Brockovich”), Marcia Gay Harden (“Lee Krasner”)
2001: Jim Broadbent (“John Baylely”), Jennifer Connelly (“Alicia Nash”)
2002: Adrien Brody (“Szpilman”), Nicole Kidman (“The Hours”)
2003: Charlize Theron (“Aileen Wuornos”)
2004: Jamie Foxx (“Ray Charles”), Cate Blanchett (“Katharine Hepburn”)
2005: PSH (“Truman Capote”), Reese Witherspoon (“June Carter”)
2006: Forest Whitaker (“Idi Amin”), Helen Mirren (“Elizabeth II”)
2007: Marion Cotillard (“Edith Piaf”)
2008: Sean Penn (“Harvey Milk”)
2009: Sandra Bullock (“Anne Tuohy”)
2010: Colin Firth (“George VI”), Christian Bale (“Dicky Eklund”), Melissa Leo (“Alice Eklund-Ward”)
2011: Meryl Streep (“Margaret Tatcher”)
2012: Daniel Day-Lewis (“Abraham Lincoln”)
2013: Matthew McConaughey (“Ron Woodroof”)
Sorry if this was already answered: Is this the first time an actress (Julianne Moore) will win Best Actress at the Oscars and at Cannes the same year for different roles?
Sorry but I love stats, so I thought I put a little more about what I already posted.
Below are the percentage of winners in each category since 1998 that won for playing a real person.
Actor: 50% of winners played a real life role (8 of 16)
Actresses: 56% of winners played a real life role (9 of 16)
Supporting Actor: 13% of winners played a real life role (2 of 16)
Supporting Actress: 31% of winners played a real life role (5 of 16)
wow. i had no idea that would be controversial. I hear black people referring to thesmelves as "person of color" all the time. And it's an umbrella term which also includes hispanics and asians. it is not controversial where I live or on television even. I thought it was the preferred terminology -- i've heard so many people refer to themselves that way.-- but maybe some african american readers and hispanic and asian readers can speak up.
and from my understanding Hispanics are considered people of color while Spaniards are considered White Europeans. My best friend is Puerto Rican and he definitely doesn't think he's white! and refers to himself and his boyfriend (white) as a mixed race couple.
Anne Bancroft has had the narrowest gap between a Cannes win and an Oscar win (for two different roles): she won the 1962 Academy Award for The Miracle Worker in April '63 and the Cannes Prize for The Pumpkin Eater in May 1964.
I believe that Cher, of all people, comes in second: she won the Cannes Prize for Mask in May 1985, and the 1987 Academy Award for Moonstruck in April '88.
Being Mexican does not make Alejandro González Iñarritu a "person of color". Next thing you know, we'll be reading Emmy pieces referring to "person of color" Louie CK. They are both white.
So are Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, by the way! I have read people saying this is the first year since 1997 where all acting nominees are white, but that's not true. The last time it happened was 2010, unless you consider Hailee Steinfeld a "woman of color", because she is about 1/12th Filipina.
1) "Person of color" is horrendous, why?
If only because it's a term invented by white men to refer to everything non-white, to the other, to the different one. That one is different from that other one? Who cares? They're just non-white, why should we care about distinguishing who they are?
Btw, host, it never ceases to amaze me how someone using a computer as his working tool can't even bother to check that the spelling of a name is right. So many dumbasses, so little time
But that's the thing Nathaniel. The racial demographic in Latin América is complex and more complicated than "my puerto rican friend". Just because it works for him it doesnt mean that's how it is for an entire continent.
Many latin american people are from pure european ancestry. What makes them racially diferent from those born in european soil? There are many jews in South América-Chile Brasil Argentina. There are arabs. Asians. Pure blacks. The north-american invented "umbrella term" hispanic does not serve to classify all these people who have nothing to do with each other, as far as their ethinicity is concerned.
Would you Call alexis Bledel a person of color? Because she is 100% hispanic. Cameron Diaz could be considered one? What about Brazilian directors Walter Salles and Fernando Meirelles? What about Rita Hayworth, Linda Carter, that girl who played Juliet on zeffirelli's R&J who's name now escapes me?
What about the full blacks from latin América? What about the jews?
The people I mentioned on my previous post-Ruffalo, brando, kardashian, and add keira knightley to the mix since we are discussing this years nominees-have the exact same coloring as many people in South América. And some South americans are as fair as arquette or dern. And some full black.
And no the hispanic term means nothing. If you are talking about languages, there is the term latin languages that refers to french, spanish, portuguese, italian and romanian.
Ethinically and racially, it doesnt mean anything and it couldnt mean anything.
It is just some term for other-one not like me-that erases diferences and complexities.
If Keaton, Moore, Simmons and Arquette win, it will also be the first time since 1997 that all 4 acting winners are American.
Patricia Arquette is 46, Julianne Moore 54. They average 50.
Someone whip up a statistic for the average age of female winners each year :p
Even looking at the past few years the lead and supporting actress age was a bit lower...heck, with Hathaway and Lawrence, their combined ages was just barely above Arquette and Moore's AVERAGE.
Idk, thought it was interesting and awesome because I wish women in Hollywood didn't have to feel so often that they have an expiration date, so hopefully it's changing a bit.
Folks,
maybe you could have paid attention to the post following my first one, in which I state SINCE CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978).
Both A STAR IS BORN and Bette Davis's film are PRIOR TO THAT.
Has it ever happened before that the two most nominated films are comedies?
Rosamund Pike (if I'm not mistaken) is the 14th Bond actor to be nominated-Sean Connery, Halle Berry, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Benicio del Toro, Kim Basinger, and Christopher Walken among the winners.
Robert Shaw, Topol, Ralph Fiennes, Max von Sydow, Telly Savalas and Klaus Maria B. among the nominees
Alejandro I.G. now has driven 8 actors to nominations
Rob Marshall 6
David Fincher 5
Ed Norton and Tom Wilkinson were in 2 BP nominated films this year.
Sienna Miller was pretty lose
Also, Wes Anderson, Rosamund PIke, Keira Knightley, Ethan Hawke, Ed Norton, Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch all being nominated is certifiably awesome. Great year.
PoC is American terminology. I see it on the internet but it's really not used in other countries. For people outside the US it's quite jarring as it's so similar to offensive terms like "coloured". Most non-white non-Americans would greet being referred to as a PoC with a WTF, a F-off, some sideye, and possibly a slap.
Here's another one:
If Julianne Moore takes Best Actress, she will only be the SECOND actress in her 50's to win. The last time a woman in her 50's won was Shirley Booth (54 at the time) in 1952 for "Come Back, Little Sheba."
Additionally, if Julianne Moore wins, she will be the 9th oldest Best Actress winner.
Tandy, 80
Hepburn, 74
Dressler, 63
Streep, 62
Hepburn, 61
Mirren, 61
Page, 61
Hepburn, 60
MOORE, 54
Zooey. Joan Cusack was nominated for In & Out, which featured the Oscars quite prominently. She even ends up with Oscar winner Matt Dillon.
Marion Cotillard is on track to unseat and upset the presumptive winner/front-runner for Best Actress, a veteran actress named Julie playing an Alzheimer's victim: Julie Christie in Away from Her (2207) vs. Julianne Moore in Still Alice.
Julianne escapes the double whammy curse. Of the eleven people nominated twice in acting in a single year, five have never been re-nominated. Three (Bainter, Hunter, Moore) had to wait ten or more years for their next nomination. Only Jessica Lange and Emma Thompson were re-nominated within three years.
I believe now is the first time in history a majority of the double nominees have been re-nominated.
@ Philip H. - we only have to go back 3 years for a Best Actress/Supporting Actress whose average age is higher than the presumed Moore/Arquette average. Meryl Streep was 62 and Octavia Spencer 41 when they won their Oscars for 2011. However, this year's would be the highest besides that since at least 1989, when what may be the all-time record was set, with Jessica Tandy's 80 and Brenda Fricker's 44, averaging out to 62. I'd have to dig to see if there was anything greater than that prior to '89.
Yeah, this whole PoC outrage thing is weird. I mean, I literally just read the term on IndieWire, and they were quoting the NYT.
Also, it's used in Mean Girls! (Which, granted, was written by a white woman.)
Anyway, loving the stats!
@gwynn @Philip I doubt anything would beat '81 when fifty-something Maureen Stapleton and seventy-something Katharine Hepburn won.
In '68, you had a 60+ club members (Hepburn and Ruth Gordon) winning both lead and supporting, but also Barbra winning lead.
American Sniper is headed for a 45 million opening this weekend. It will become the highest grossing Best Pic nominee by the end of next week. It will do very well in middle America and has been doing great business in limited release in urban areas.
"Intersteller" got five nominations also this year making it tied with "Foxcatcher", "Skyfall" and "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as the most nominationed film without a BP nomination in the new expanded era. Also, forgive me if I'm repeating what other people have said, but it's hard going through 70+ posted to check for duplication. "Foxcatcher" the first movie in the expanded era to get a director nomination without a corresponding BP nomination.
Its interesting that out of the three "amigos" Iñarritu is the "darkest" as far as coloring is concerned.
The fact that anyone would classify Guillermo Del Toro as a Person of Color is bizarre to me....
Amanda <3 <3 <3
The PoC term controversy is a bit strange since I thought it was accepted therm in the US (even though I usually see it only used in Tumblr). But I am from Finland so I do actually agree with the arguments made why it is problematic (maybe everybody making comments are not from US?).
I think PoC is problematic since the arguments why it should not be used are the same as to why collared should not be used apart from the historical reasons. And if I would translate PoC to Finnish the translation "värilliset" would be exactly the same as for colored which is why I do not like using it.
First time since 1971 (Macbeth) that a NBR winner is not nominated for any award at the oscars.
Sad man, unless Hollywood Reporter has jumped the gun, I owe you an apology. Or a mea culpa.
Box Office: 'American Sniper' Soars Friday for Biggest January Opening of All Time
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-american-sniper-soars-764330
Haha. No apology needed! I really hope they are wrong but I doubt it. That money should go to Selma. It is MLK weekend after all and the fans of the film need some comfort right now.
The TV news here told me that it is the first time in 19 years that there has been no Australian nominated for acting. I have not checked this. They did find two technical nominees to interview.
While "Person of Color" may be an accepted phrase in USA, Ang Lee and Iñarritu are not from USA and so I doubt it is a term they would think of in describing themselves or each other.
Whoa. Jason Hall, the writer of American Sniper, was the leader singer in Oz's band on Buffy. Does everyone already know this??
So he's the first Buffy alum nominated for writing. I was sure that would be Danny Strong.
Vaus, it would be inappropriate for anyone to describe Iñarritu that way.
I'd just think that Duvall nomination this year is to make up for his snub for "Network"
@vaus. I think you misheard fourth as first. It's the fourth time in 19 years that no Aussies have been nominated for acting. Not a big drama, Australia punches above its weight in acting but we're a long way behind Britain in the foreign actors tally.
Zooey: "Ida"'s nominations are not that rare actually. "The White Ribbon", also a Foreign B&W film, got the same ones 5 years ago (Foreign Language Film & Cinematography).
Orrin K: with Christoph Waltz announced in "Spectre", there are now 15 Oscar-nominated Bond actors.
Also, I would add this trivia:
- For the 4th time in a row, David Fincher's leading actor/actress gets an Oscar nomination (Brad Pitt, Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Rosamund Pike). Has any other director achieved that? Bennett Miller could do it with his next film.
- First time in 6 years that the Cinematography & VFX Oscars won't go to the same film.
@ Charlie
William Wyler's consecutive features (1938-1949):
Jezebel (Best Actress/Supporting Actress winners)
Wuthering Heights (Best Actor/Supporting Actress winners)
The Westerner (Best Supporting Actor winner)
The Letter (Best Actress/Supporting Actor nominee)
The Little Foxes (Best Actress/Supporting Actresss [2] nominees)
Mrs. Miniver (Best Actress/Supporting Actress winners; Best Actor/Supporting Actor/Supporting Actress nominees)
The Best Years of Our Lives (Best Actor/Supporting Actor winners)
The Heiress (Best Actress winner/Supporting Actor nominee)
Detective Story (Best Actress/Supporting Actress nominees)
The last three Best Actress winners which came from the movie's sole nomination were also the last three times three actresses were their movie's sole nomination in that year.
1990 Misery, Pretty Woman, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
1994 Blue Skies, Nell, The Client
2003 Monster, Something's Gotta Give, Whale Rider
So that's good, probably, for Julianne Moore with 2014's Still Alive, Gone Girl, Two Nights and a Day.
And finally(!), as someone already posted, all four-acting-winners will be for non-fictional characters.
Orrin K: Re: nominated Bond actors, there’s also Lotte Lenya, nominated in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone before playing Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love. And as you're counting Never Say Never Again with Brandauer and Von Sydow, I guess we should also include the 1967 Casino Royale, in which case the list instantly expands (Peter Sellers, David Niven, Woody Allen, Orson Welles...).
Zooey: I have also wondered whether it's ever happened before that the two nomination-leaders are comedies, but I can't think of an example yet.
Charlie: Yes, Sidney Lumet has achieved it, with Murder on the Orient Express (Albert Finney), Dog Day Afternoon (Al Pacino), Network (Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch and William Holden) and Equus (Richard Burton). So that's six leading performances - and even more impressively, it happened across four consecutive years (1974-1977).