New Oscar Records!

Refresh your screen for updates as this post is in progress. It's always fun to look at new records or trivia after nominations. So let's go! 

 ACTING

• Anthony Hopkins is now the Oldest Best Actor nominee ever at 83 years of age and the first octogenarian ever nominated in leading actor. Previously the oldest nominee record in the category was held by Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story (1999) who was 78.

• Chadwick Boseman becomes the first black actor to be nominated posthumously.

• Maria Bakalova is the first Bulgarian actor ever nominated.

• Riz Ahmed is the first actor of Pakistani descent to ever be nominated as well as the first Muslim actor nominated in the lead category...

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93rd Oscars - The Nominations are here!

by Nathaniel R

Mank led the honors for the 93rd Oscars with 10 nominations though it missed in two surprising places (Bset Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing). With most of the Bst Picture contenders scoring six nominations each, Nomadland clearly remains the frontrunner and Chloe Zhao made history becoming the first woman ever to score four nominations in one year (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing). The nominations and more commentary are after the jump. The oscar charts are being updated and will be going up throughout the day

BEST PICTURE

"The Father"

"Judas and the Black Messiah"

"Mank"

"Minari"

"Nomadland"

"Promising Young Woman"

"Sound of Metal"

"The Trial of the Chicago 7″...

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Jane Austen @ the Oscars

by Cláudio Alves

After multiple articles about Jane Austen movie adaptations over the past year, you might have figured out I'm a big fan of the Regency writer. Her delightful mix of social satire and comical romance is pretty irresistible as are many of the films that have been made out of the author's works. Since the Oscar nominations are upon us, it feels appropriate to consider these two personal obsessions together, awards love and Austenian fandom. As it stands, many are predicting Autumn de Wilde's Emma. to score a couple of nods in the Moulin Rouge! categories of Production and Costume Design. If that happens, this latest entry in the Jane Austen cinematic universe will join a select group of movies…

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Showbiz History: Ellen Burstyn's big month and Corey Stoll appreciation

8 random things that happened on this day, March 14th, in history...

1885 The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan's beloved comic opera, premieres in London. The Oscar winning film Topsy Turvy (1999) depicts its production in exquisite detail. Topsy-Turvy was a very late entry in the 1999 Oscar race and threw a lot of categories out of whack -- proving a formidable competitor to design heavy films like The Talented Mr Ripley and Sleepy Hollow. In the end it won Costume Design and Makeup and received nominations for Screenplay and Production Design. 1999 was a damn good film year, even if the actual Best Picture list was a sorry sorry slate... 

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2 days til Oscar nominations - The rarity of father/daughter Oscar noms

by Nathaniel R

The final Oscar nomination predictions are up if you're just joining us. But if you've already discussed those, here's another discussion prompt with two as the magical number. Looking through the Oscar probabilities we don't have many familial pairs in the acting category competition this time like siblings or father/sons or mother/child etcetera.  What we do have is not one but three pairs of onscreen father & daughter teams, one only spiritually but it counts:

• Anthony Hopkins & Olivia Colman - The Father
• Sacha Baron Cohen & Maria Bakalova - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• Tom Hanks & Helena Zengel - News of the World

How often are father/daughter onscreen teams nominated? Turns out quite rarely...

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