On Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the Academy mostly snubbed a movie about him.
In the whitest Oscar list in years, Academy voters failed to nominate a single black performer— and surprisingly, handed the Civil Rights film “Selma” just two nominations overall. (SEE THE FULL LIST OF OSCAR NOMINEES)
It was only the second time since 2000 that there was such a lack of diversity in the acting categories.
The two nods for “Selma” did include the big prize - best picture - but its heralded director, Ava DuVernay, was snubbed, as was its lauded star, David Oyelowo, who portrays the slain civil rights leader.
DuVernay could have been the first African-American woman nominated in that category.
APJennifer Aniston has a reason to cry after her powerful turn in ‘Cake’ was largely ignored by Academy voters.
Daniel McFadden/SPC
J.K. Simmons is the favorite in the Best Supporting Actor category for his turn in ‘Whiplash, ’ a small independent film that drummed up five nominations.
A big surprise snub occurred in the best actress category as Jennifer Aniston's turn in "Cake" got no slice of the field, despite a late push. Julianne Moore ("Still Alice"), Reese Witherspoon ("Wild") and Rosamund Pike ("Gone Girl") were the guarantees. Felicity Jones, a possible nominee in the supporting actress category in “The Theory of Everything, ” actually made it into the best actress category. Past winner Marion Cotillard ("La Vie En Rose") got the fifth spot for the Belgian drama, "Two Days, One Night."
The supporting categories had a couple of historic inclusions. Robert Duvall, at 84, became the oldest best supporting actor nominee, for "The Judge." It's Duvall's seventh Oscar nom. And Meryl Streep earned her 19th Oscar nomination — breaking her own record — for best supporting actress for "Into the Woods."
Richard Linklater ("Boyhood") and Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“Birdman”) were expected to be nominated for best director — and were. Their co-nominees are Bennett Miller ("Foxcatcher"), Wes Anderson ("The Grand Budapest Hotel") and, in a surprise, Morten Tyldum ("The Imitation Game.")
Keith Bernstein/Warner Bros. Pictures
Actor/producer Bradley Cooper and director/producer Clint Eastwood on the set of ‘American Sniper.’
. The fun-for-all-ages film did get a nomination for its signature song, “Everything is Awesome, ” but that felt too little, too late for the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year.
In its embrace of indie movies, this year's nominations echoed a moment almost 20 years ago, when the 1996 award show was dubbed "The Indie Oscars, " thanks to nominations for "The English Patient, " "Shine, " "Secrets & Lies, " "Fargo, " "Sling Blade" and "Breaking the Waves."
But "Boyhood, " the movie to beat for best picture, director and supporting actress (Patricia Arquette), is not only a product of an indie studio - IFC - but it's also a genuine labor of love. Linklater's coming-of-age film was 12 years in the making, part of a narrative that could propel it to the podium.
