9 Incredible Facts About 2019's History-Making Oscar Nominees
The 2019 Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, January 22, and while there were several surprising snubs, there were also some pretty remarkable milestones. From historic firsts to impressive ties and more, here are nine of the most noteworthy facts about this year's nominees. The 2019 Oscars air Sunday, February 24, at 8pm ET/5pm PT on ABC. (Photos via Marvel Studios + Carlos Somonte/Netflix + Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures + Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox)
Black Panther: The Marvel blockbuster made Oscars history on Tuesday, becoming the first-ever superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture. The film also earned an impressive six other nominations, including Best Original Score, Best Original Song for "All the Stars," Production Design, Costume Design, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. (Photo via Marvel Studios)
Lady Gaga: As predicted, A Star Is Born earned several nominations, including Lady Gaga's Best Actress and Best Original Song nods, which make her the first person to be nominated for both categories in the same year. She follows Mudbound star Mary J. Blige, who, in 2018, became the first person to receive simultaneous Best Supporting Actress and Best Song nominations. Notably, Gaga is also the third woman to be nominated for Best Actress in A Star Is Born — Janet Gaynor and Judy Garland also earned noms for playing the lead in previous versions of the film. (Photo via Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Roma: Roma achieved several milestones with its 10 nominations, which tie the record set in 2001 by Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for the most nominations for a foreign-language film. Its Best Picture nod is Netflix's first-ever in the category, and director Alfonso Cuarón is now the first to earn both Best Director and Best Cinematography nominations in the same year.
Cuarón's directing nod is notable for another reason, too: The last time the directors of two Best Foreign Language Film nominees were nominated for Best Director was more than three decades ago. This year, Cuarón is included in the category with Cold War filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski.
And that's not all: As Roma's producer, director, writer, and cinematographer, Cuarón also ties Warren Beatty (Heaven Can Wait and Reds), Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast), and Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) for the most individual nominations for a single film. Impressive! (Photo via Carlos Somonte/Netflix)
Netflix: Netflix not only scored its first-ever Best Picture nomination with Roma, but also now boasts the first streaming film ever to get a nod in the category. The company now has more nominations than ever before: 10 for Roma, three for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (pictured above), and one for the documentary End Game. That's 14 this year alone, which matches its previous overall combined total. (Photo via Netflix)
Yalitza Aparicio: If you thought the incredible run of milestones for Roma was done, think again. On Tuesday, Yalitza Aparicio became the first-ever Indigenous nominee for Best Actress. She's also the first Latina to be nominated in the category in 14 years. Catalina Sandino Moreno received a nod in 2005 for Maria Full of Grace, but lost out to Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby. (Photo via Alfonso Cuarón/Netflix)
Spike Lee: Revered director Spike Lee earned his first-ever (and long overdue) Best Director nomination this year, for BlacKkKlansman. He also earned a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film earned nominations for Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actor (Adam Driver), and Best Picture. Lee celebrated accordingly. (Photo via David Lee/Focus Features)
Kendrick Lamar: Pulitzer-Prize winning rapper Kendrick Lamar earned his first-ever Oscar nomination for his Black Panther anthem "All the Stars," featuring Sza. (Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
Marc Shaiman:Mary Poppins Returns composer Marc Shaiman is nominated for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, and should he win, he'll be the latest to gain entry to the exclusive EGOT club. Had Viola Davis been nominated for Widows, she also would have been an Oscar away from an EGOT. Alas, she was sadly shut out. (Photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
LGBTQ+ Inclusion: According to GLAAD, the 2019 Oscar race is the most LGBTQ+ inclusive in history, with five of the eight Best Picture nominees — A Star is Born, Green Book, The Favourite, Vice, and Bohemian Rhapsody — telling queer stories and/or featuring queer characters. While some don't feel that the films are truly inclusive, GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis tweeted that the nominations "reflect a banner year for LGBTQ inclusion in film and a signal that the Academy and its members are rightfully prioritizing diverse storytelling at a time when audiences and critics alike are calling for it." (Photo via Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox)
