‘La La Land’ leads list of Oscar nominated films

Damien Chazelle’s whimsical tribute to Hollywood’s Golden Age of musicals was nominated for best picture, best director and for its two stars, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, “Fences”; Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”; Nicole Kidman, “Lion”; Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”; Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”.

This year’s Academy [of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences], whose members choose the nominees, is also more diverse.

The biggest surprise of the morning was the strong boost of support for Mel Gibson, who had always been shunned in Hollywood. It’s even nominated twice in the Best Original Song category (for “Audition” and “City of Stars“), along with the Justin Timberlake Trolls song you can’t stop love-hating. Casey Affleck is the favorite to win best actor for Manchester by the Sea, so Gosling will likely walk away empty-handed.

Michael Shannon’s performance in “Nocturnal Animals” was one of the best things about the film – but it was still a bit startling to hear his name called as one of the nominees for best supporting actor, taking the spot most had reserved for Hugh Grant (“Florence Foster Jenkins“).

In a key difference from 2106 and 2015, seven people of color were among the acting nominees, and four of the five best picture contenders told African-American or Indian stories.

“La La Land” has equalled the record for Oscar nominations. Moonlight picked up eight Oscar nods on Tuesday.

Instead of announcing nominees live in Los Angeles, pre-produced videos of previous winners introduced each category on Tuesday morning. “Deadpool” has launched its own cheeky Oscar campaign with a letter asking voters to consider a movie whose budget “would barely cover the cocaine costs on most studio films”. Golden Globe victor Isabelle Huppert could also land among the nominees for the French film “Elle“.

The online marketer Amazon earned its first Best Picture nomination with “Manchester by the Sea“.

The Oscars will air February 26 on ABC.

” You are seeing more stories that really show you the interior of people’s lives and I think within that you find out with “Hidden Figures” you see the tale basically of women who are just simply looking for an opportunity to show what they can do”.

The last film to flatter Oscar voters with a portrayal of their business, The Artist, set in the silent movie industry, won Best Picture in 2011.

The choice of nominees promises diversity but not too much.