New Oscar Records. An Evolving List
Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 4:00PM Refresh your screen for updates as we add to the list. If you suspect you've seen a statistic worth shouting about, put it in the comments.
Records Broken This Year
Jennifer Jones (Duel in the Sun, age 27) vs Jennifer Lawrence (Joy, age 25)• Jennifer Lawrence (who is 25 years old) breaks Jennifer Jones's record of quickest actor to 4 nominations. Jones had held that record -- she accomplished 4 nominations by the age of 27 -- since 1947. But no more. And how is this for a freaky detail about this record. As Joe Reid points out both of these Jennifers had a powerful "David O" in their corner, Russell for Lawrence and Selznick for Jones.
• John Williams, the Meryl Streep of Original Scores, broke his tie with the long dead composer Alfred E Newman (1900-1970) to score a 44th nominations for Original Score. He's won 5 times (not a record). This is his 50th nomination in total since he's also been nominated for Original Song.
• Sylvester Stallone has broken the obscure record of longest stretch between acting nods for playing the same character for Rocky (1976) and Creed (2015). The previous record holder was Paul Newman between The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986). Other actors who've done this double whammy character trick are Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth, Bing Crosby for Father O'Malley, Al Pacino for Michael Corleone and Peter O'Toole for Henry II.
• This is reportedly the only time in history that all 5 Original Song nominees have been their films only nomination. It's also reportedly the most nominations ever amassed by Australians though I don't have confirmation on what the number is.or what the previous record that was broken is.
• Carol becomes the Most Nominated Film in the modern expanded Best Picture field era to not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. The previous record was a three way tie between The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Skyfall (2012) and Foxcatcher (2014) which each received 5 nominations but were not included in Best Picture.
[Aside: The all time record holder, from back when there were only 5 Best Picture nominees and more room for this sort of "achievement" in not-quite-making-it, is They Shoot Horses Don't They (1969) -- which is the most amazing movie you MUST see it -- which received 9 nominations but no Best Picture bid. Of these four other pictures, all but Foxcatcher won at least one Oscar. So we'll see on Carol.]
2015 Specific Records
• Tom Hardy and Domnhall Gleeson are the most ubiquitous faces from the Best Picture lineup. Each actor appears in two nominees; Hardy headlines Mad Max: Fury Road and is nominated as supporting actor in The Revenant; Gleeson has supporting roles in Brooklyn and The Revenant. TFE crush Billy Magnussen also appears in two Best Picture nominees (Bridge of Spies and The Big Short) albeit in small roles.
• Sandy Powell (Costume Design for Carol & Cinderella) and Andy Nelson (Sound Mixing for The Force Awakens and Bridge of Spies) are the only double nominees in a single category this year. Powell and Nelson already have 3 and 2 Oscars respectively.
• Four of the five Best Director nominees are enjoying an additional nomination: George Miller and Alejandro G Inarittu are both nominated for producing (Best Picture). Tom McCarthy and Adam McKay are also nominated in Screenplay.
• Most Nominated Person in the running again this year: John Williams on his 50th nomination (he's won five time)
• Most Nominated Person this year who has never won: Thomas Newman (Score) and Roger Deakins (Cinematography). They're both on their unlucky 13th nomination. Newman comes from a big family of musicians and composers. His father Alfred Newman was nominated 45 times (second only to John Williams for composing) and won 9 Oscars. His brother David was nominated once. His cousin Randy Newman was nominated 20 times winning twice (both times in "Original Song" for Pixar movies) His uncle Emil was nominated once and there are more of them still out there...
Climbing The Ranks
Neither Russell or Inarritu are there yet but they're both quickly climbing the ranks for 'Directors who've had the most Best Picture nominees' and 'Directors who've directed the most nominated performances.' They both have exactly 3 Best Picture nominated films on their resumes now. One more for either of them and they're up there with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Elia Kazan and Alfred Hitchcock (who are all --- with many other men -- tied for 19th place of most Best Picture nominees). It'll be easier for them to climb that chart than it was for others due to the expansion of the Best Picture field.
Steven Spielberg is currently #2 of all time for 'Directors who've had the most Best Picture nominees' Bridge of Spies gives him his 11th Best Picture nominee. Two more and Spielberg will tie the all time leader William Wyler who directed 13 Best Picture nominees in his career. Spielberg isn't a strong factor in the 'Directors who've guided the most Oscar nominated performances' with 11 such examples in his long career but Russell and Inarritu are skyrocketing up that same chart. This year's nominations give Russell his 11th (tied with Spielberg now despite a much shorter career) and Inarritu his 10th. The only two living directors who are in the top ten in that regard are Martin Scorsese (22 performances, 3rd place of all time after William Wyler and Elia Kazan), Woody Allen (18 performances, 6th place of all time after those three plus George Cukor and Fred Zinneman).
Oops
• This one comes from Tim. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first film post Gone with the Wind (1939) to hold record for highest grossing film in the history of the U.S. box office that has not received a Best Picture nomination to go along with its cash haul. The others to hold that status at given points were (though box office statistics pre modern era are always somewhat debatable were) The Ten Commandments, The Sound of Music, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Titanic, and Avatar. It's worth noting that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first sequel in that list which could account for it being the first to not win the nomination.
Reader Comments (70)
John Magaro could have joined Hardy and Gleeson had Carol been nominated! Ugh!
Brokesboy- I got Duel in the Sun on my DVR. let's make this happen
Also lots of superheros are represented We have Hulk (Ruffalo)) Bane (Hardy) Batman (Bale)
and Blanchett and Mcadams will appear in marvel movies later this year
wow CAROL's record stings...
nathaniel, how HOW did this happen?!??!?!?!?!?!
the most Golden Globe and BAFTA noms.
unanimous acclaim and a Best Picture win from the most prestigious critics group
Harvey fuckin Weinstein
WHAT WENT WRONG?????
@tom that's going to become increasingly pedestrian as more and more actors find themselves going through the superhero circuit as a mandatory career stop-over
Re: Domhnall Gleeson. Not to mention that he's in FOUR movies that are being nominated this year. Is that also some kind of record?
Billy Magnussen is also in two Best Picture nominees (in tiny roles, but still). He's in The Big Short and Brige of Spies.
Blair...
carol's snub doesn't make sense. It was widely acclaimed and various branches embraced it . I really think "Brooklyn" cost it its slot... It's all about #1 ballot placement and the group of people carol was going to appeal to had a more tradional, warmer option in Ronan's film. Two indie, female centric 50's melodramas were never going to both make the cut. There was only room for one and what do you know, they voted for the safer/ traditional one 😔
Re: the Star Wars stat, wasn't Jurassic Park also the highest-grossing film at the US box office (in between E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Titanic)? That one didn't get nominated for Best Picture either.
Edward L - i don't think Jurassic Park ever beat ET. and anyway at some point Star Wars retook its title on release. ... not really sure.
Well, well...another film adapted from a Patricia Highsmith novel (the other being "talented mr. Ripely") thought to be a Best Picture nominee gets snubbed despite acting, writing and various craft nods
Also, I don't know if this counts as a stat, but I like to find connections between the Acting nominees (films they've been in together in the past, not counting the ones they're nominated for) and here are the ones I found so far with this crop:
Matt Damon & Leonardo DiCaprio: The Departed
Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hardy: Inception
Bryan Cranston & Matt Damon: Saving Private Ryan
Brie Larson & Jennifer Jason Leigh: Greenberg
Leonardo DiCaprio & Cate Blanchett: The Aviator
Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet: Titanic, Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet & Mark Ruffalo: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Bryan Cranston & Kate Winslet: Contagion
Leonardo DiCaprio & Mark Ruffalo: Shutter Island
Cate Blanchett & Eddie Redmayne: Elizabeth – The Golden Age
Matt Damon & Eddie Redmayne: The Good Shepherd
Michael Fassbender & Jennifer Lawrence: X-Men (First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse)
Christian Bale & Jennifer Lawrence: American Hustle
Christian Bale & Jennifer Jason Leigh: The Machinist
Rooney Mara & Brie Larson: Tanner Hall
Michael Fassbender & Alicia Vikander: The Light between Oceans
Christian Bale & Tom Hardy: The Dark Knight Rises
Christian Bale & Cate Blanchett: Knight of Cups
Cate Blanchett & Saoirse Ronan: Hanna
Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1993, but in the U.S., it fell short of E.T.'s first-run gross by just $2 million (also, E.T. had already had a re-release by then, so its record was even higher).
P.S. Steve Golin is also up for two nominations in one category: he's one of the named producers on both The Revenant and Spotlight in Best Picture.
I pretty much expected the Carol snub the way things were going in the guilds, and my theory had evolved into the Academy members pigeonholing it as an actor's movie that they could recognize in the acting categories. A screenplay nom is always a nice bone they can throw at a movie they snub in BP, so that makes sense too. But with noms for cinematography, costume design and score as well, one has to wonder how anyone could justify leaving it out.
Jurassic Park never eclipsed E.T. (whether in its original run or in its rerelease).
P.S. Looking at the Jennifer x 2 pic, I actually thought to myself, They Break Oscar Records, Don't They? And then, you name checked that very film!
thanks darrin. ii could see that. brooklyn is more up their ally. i guess too carol's (artful) chilliness played a major part in its snub and why they were willing to honor it's artistic merits but not the film itself. in fact, that has been the most common complaint from my friends and colleagues who've seen it and didn't love it ("it was beautiful looking but was kinda cold"). and as we all know that doesn't usually sit well with oscar's top category
The Godfather should be added to that list of all-time top grossing films -- it toppled The Sound of Music in 1972, but only held the record 3 years, when Jaws surpassed it. (There was a very funny front lage ad in Variety showing the shark in the Jaws logo devouring the film.)
That Star Wars stat is confusingly written though. It makes it sound as if Gone With the Wind was not nominated for Best Picture (of course it was and it won).
Mad Max: Fury Road is the first 4th film in a series to be nominated for Best Picture
2nd ever sequel to be nominated for best picture when no predessesors were, following Tou Story 3.
I'd love for someone to check this for me.... But is this the first time two women featured in a lesbian relationship in their film have both been nominated?
For all the sequels made over the years, it's kind of amazing that The Force Awakens is the first one to be the highest grossing film domestically. I guess it's hard to hit the zeitgeist for a sequel, but The Force Awakens is a special case. At any rate, I wouldn't have minded if it was nominated for Best Pic (along with Carol of course) instead of Bridge of Spies or The Big Short. I just don't get them, but then again I'm not the target audience of old ass white men.
AMPAS really does love Spielberg, with all those meh films getting in lately (War Horse, BoS, Munich)
Hey tom, I am totally up for it! Jennifer Jones is a-mazing!
If I'm not wrong, Sylvester Stallone got nominations 39 years ago. The record of more difference between nominations was held previously by Helen Hayes.
at least they nominated an ACTUAL LESBIAN from the team behind "Carol"
Jennifer Lawrence is a living legend. Amazing actress making history.
Richter Scale: Nice list! Here are some more:
Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon - The Talented Mr Ripley
Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale - I'm Not There
Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara - Untitled Terrence Malick Project
chris -- haha. they could have had two if they had not frauded the conversation away from Sarah Paulson -- people need to stop pretending that supporting roles are too "small" to consider for supporting category. LOL. she was BRILLIANT in this movie. but no room to talk about her if leads are now "supporting" -- what does that make supporting characters with important roles in the narrative and a handful of key scenes -- cameo players?
There are reports floating around this morning that this is the most number of Australian's ever nominated. Trying to find out if that is true or not is proving to be difficult!
This is the first time that the five Best Original Song nominees are from five movies that received only one nomination each.
EZ -- hmmm. i'll see if our aussie friends know.
I'm pretty sure this is the first time a Best Director winner has been nominated the very next year since Woody Allen won for "Annie Hall" and was nominated the following year for "Interiors." You wouldn't think that would be so rare. It's also the first time since 2003/2004 (Clint Eastwood) a director got back-to-back nods.
Thanks, Nathaniel, Tim and Mareko re: Jurassic Park.
Ryan: I'd add Lincoln to that list too! I actually liked Bridge of Spies more...
I don't think the target audience of The Big Short is "old white men." Far from it.
Duh, ignore that last part - David O. Russell did in 2012/2013.
@Bruno - I think your point about "Carol" being slotted as an actors/auteur/arthouse project is valid. Joe Wright has never received a nomination for best picture either, Atonement, Anna Karenina, and P&P didn't catch a BP nomination. Same for Cronenberg. A number of directors and films fall into this category.
Nathaniel - I am an Aussie, but I am finding it hard to verify the info. Perhaps those Aussies more in the know can fill us in. Cate is obviously our only acting nom. By my count their are 13 Aussies nominated for Mad Max...I think the previous record was set by Moulin Rouge in 2002 when there were 13 Aussies up for a gong...
Atonement was nominated for Best Picture I think? I'll have to double check.
For Carol, more than not getting a BP nomination ( I never care too much for this category, save a few years like this when I actually really really liked a movie ) hurts the omission of Todd Haynes. Such a brilliant director. I'm afraid it'll take another 8 years for him to make a movie.
I think Carol missed best picture for similar reasons Foxcatcher missed last year. Both are "chilly" films in the sense that there's absolutely no sentimentalism. Both were admired deeply for their performances, writing, and craftsmanship, but they lack that passion to get enough #1 votes like Brooklyn and Room could muster. I don't agree with it, but I'm not surprised.
What Paul Outlaw said.
I also don't think Spielberg makes "meh" films.
@Paul Outlaw
THANK YOU! The Big Short is not an "old white men" movie. Its brand of cynicism and brashness undoubtedly appeals to millenials IMO. I'm sure the old guard of the Academy went for Bridge of Spies and Brooklyn :)
@Steve - you're right Atonement did get a BP nom but Joe Wright did not get a Best Director nom.
I think my point is still valid, "Carol" was considered to be an artistic achievement but not a best picture, which happened to "Anna Karenina" as well.
Not a record (and her nomination was not a surprise), but I think still a remarkable achievement (if I'm not wrong about it): Saoirse Ronan is now the first actor (male or female) since and the only actor besides Jodie Foster to "graduate" from an Oscar nominated child actor to an Oscar nominated grown-up actor, isn't she?
I'm happy for her and also for Jennifer Jason Leigh because I've always liked them, and to a lesser extent also for Tom Hardy for the same reason (I haven't seen any of their films), and beside that: screw the Oscars!
Oh, and could it be that Sly is the first actor ever to be nominated for playing the same character twice.... no ... Al Pacino - Michael Corleone - right? Never mind. But are there any others?
Not exactly an important stat but I thought maybe some of the other actressexuals here might find it interesting: Rachel McAdams has become the first Oscar nominated actress born in the calendar year 1978. So now 1984 is the first year since 1895 without a nominated actress (come on ScarJo). Also with Brie Larson representing 1989, now only 1984 and 1986 are without an Oscar nominated actress from the 80's.
Having said that, the birth years of actresses are always subject to be corrected, as recently it turned out that Cicely Tyson was actually born in 1924, not 1933.
Dominik - There's Paul Newman for playing Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler and The Color of Money. Of course, he won for the second film.
@Suzanne ... and Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I. ... Appearently it's not als uncommon as you'd think...
'Brooklyn' received three nominations; Best Picture, Lead Actress and Adapted Screenplay. The exact same nominations were exclusively rewarded to 'An Education', which had the exact same producers and screenwriter nominated. The only difference is that Saoirse Ronan is nominated and not Carey Mulligan, otherwise the nominations are parallel to each other.
you bitches are forgetting the most important stat... Rachel McAdams/ Regina George is the FIRST "mean girl" to be nominated for an oscar. crazy back in 04 we would have thought lindsay (or tina)!!!
Can't claim this one as my own, but apparently this is the first time ever that the Original Song nominees come from movies that have no other nominations. Also the first time two documentaries have been nominated in that category.
Hahahahha Chris!!!
I would predict Tina (for writing) to be next but she's so focused on tv im betting it's Amanda
Longest time between two nominations for the same role: Stallone as Rocky, 39 years. Previously held by Paul Newman (25 years).
Not a record, but rather a fun trivia. Let's call it the six degrees of Leonardo DiCaprio: He worked with at leadt one of the nominees in every acting category: Matt Damon in The Departed, Cate Blanchett in The Aviator, Mark Ruffalo in Shutter Island and Kate Winslet in Titanic and Revolutionary Road.