The nominations for the 94th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday and as usual, we have all the drama!  Lady Gaga was snubbed while Kristen Stewart, absent from BAFTA nominations, was vindicated. Truth be told, I was very happy that my top 3 favorite actresses from 2021 – Nicole Kidman, Stewart, and Olivia Colman – were all honored.

Here are some more fun facts:

  • My favorite film of 2021, “The Power of the Dog,” led with 12 nominations including best director for Jane Campion who is making history by being the first woman to be nominated more than once in this category.
  • With “West Side Story” getting nods including Best Picture, Steven Spielberg sets a new record by producing 11 films nominated for best picture.
  • Denzel Washington extended his record of being the most nominated African-American actor with “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” He has earned his 10th Oscar nomination including producing.
  • Ariana DeBose, my bet for Best Supporting Actress, may make history if she wins for “West Side Story.” She and Rita Moreno, who previously won an Oscar for the same role, would join a small group of pairs of actors to win the award for playing the same character.  Previously, only Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro (Vito Corleone for “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II, respectively) and Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix (Joker in “The Dark Knight” and “Joker,” respectively) have scored this feat.  Plus, DeBose and Moreno would be the first women and performers of color to nab this honor.
  • And why oh why is there no female winners in the Best Cinematography yet? Well, that soon could change with Ari Wegner’s nomination for “The Power of the Dog.”  She may be the first woman to get this award!

The Academy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Here’s your complete list of the 94th Academy Awards nominations:

Best Picture

“Belfast”
“CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West “Side Story”

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”

Best Actor

Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick, Boom”
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”

Best Supporting Actor

Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
JK Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”

Best Adapted Screenplay

“CODA,” Sian Heder
“Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion

Best Original Screenplay

“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay, Story by McKay and David Sirota
“King Richard,” Zack Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier

Best Animated Feature

“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”

Best Animated Short

“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper”

Best Live Action Short

“Ala Kachuu- Take and Run”
“The Dress”
“The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”

Best Cinematography

“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”

Best Costume Design

“Cruella”
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“West Side Story”

Best Documentary Feature

“Ascension”
“Attica”
“Flee”
“Summer of Soul”
“Writing with Fire”

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”

Best Editing

“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Tick, Tick, Boom”

Best International Feature Film

“Drive My Car”
“Flee”
“The Hand of God”
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
“The Worst Person in the World”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”

Best Production Design

“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”

Best Original Score

“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“Encanto”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”

Best Original Song

“Be Alive” from “King Richard”
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
“Down to Joy” from “Belfast”
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die”
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”

Best Sound

“Belfast”
“Dune”
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”

Best Visual Effects

“Dune”
“Free Guy”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”