Snubs, monkeys and missing paperwork? Surprises from the Oscar nominations
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — There was some monkey business Thursday at the nominations for the 97th Academy Awards.
The nominees were revealed by comedic actors Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, who infused some humorous moments into the announcement. Though the morning was probably not as funny to those who didn’t receive noms, which annually sparks debate among award show viewers.
Here’s what we mean:
No Denzel, Selena, Angelina or Pam
Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, often hailed as one of the best actors to ever take to the stage and screen, has been all the buzz for his performance in “Gladiator II.” Many even have said he carried that film.
Academy voters, however, didn’t nominate Washington this time around.
Daniel Craig earned acclaim for his performance in “Queer,” but he, too, was shut out.
Previous Oscar-winning actresses Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman were overlooked for their performances in “Maria” and “Babygirl,” respectively.
And while “Emilia Pérez” scored the most nominations of any movie this year with 13, one of its stars, Selena Gomez, was not nominated. Another disappointment for some was the lack of recognition for Pamela Anderson for her star turn in “The Last Showgirl.”
It’s bananas how many monkeys got nominated
Not sure what’s happening, but monkeys are having a moment.
Three films featuring CGI monkeys - “The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, “Better Man” and “Wicked” - were nominated in the best visual arts category.
It caused presenter Yang to quip, “Lot of monkeys in those films, I just realized.”
Some Marvel fans felt the Academy monkeyed around by not nominating “Deadpool and Wolverine” in the category.
Nominees to be announced?
Sennott and Yang also got a chuckle about movie producers needing to get their “paperwork” in.
That’s because four of the ten best picture nominees - “Emilia Pérez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys” and “The Substance” - were announced in the category as “nominees to be determined” instead of the usual names of the films’ producers.
CNN has reached out to the Academy for comment regarding the missing names.
The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, takes place on March 2 and airs on ABC.
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