They’re here, they’re here! The nominations have been announced for the 89th  Academy Awards. While you can read the full list of nominees here, I’ve taken on the task of analyzing the results and figuring out what it all means.

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Source: US Magazine

History Makers

  • Viola Davis received her third Academy Award nomination, becoming the first black woman to do so.
  • La La Land received 14 nominations, tying All About Eve and Titanic for the most nominated film.
  • Joi McMillon is the first black woman to be nominated for editing for her work on Moonlight.
  • A far cry from last year’s #OscarSoWhite controversy, for the first time every acting category includes at least one black actor.
  • Also for the first time, a category has three black nominees. Viola Davis, Naomi Harris, and Octavia Spencer are all nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
  • Amazon is the first streaming service to receive a Best Picture nomination, with Manchester by the Sea.
  • Natalie Portman is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Jackie Kennedy. It’s the first time an actress has received a Best Actress nomination for playing a first lady.
  • Denzel Washington broke his own record for most nominations held by a black, male actor, earning his seventh for Fences.

Snubs

  • Nocturnal Animals was not nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay despite getting nominated for a Critics Choice Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Awards.
  • Although Amy Adams was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and BAFTA Awards for her performance in Arrival, she did not receive an Oscar nomination.
  • Manchester by the Sea was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, however it did not snag a Best Editing nomination. Why does this matter? A film has not won Best Picture without being nominated for Best Editing since Ordinary People in 1980. So yeah, the odds aren’t looking good for this tear fest.
  • 20th Century Women received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but it’s star, Annette Bening was not nominated.

Gone Girls

  • While the nominations were refreshingly more diverse in most categories, women were noticably missing from the directing and screenplay categories.

Possible History Makers

  • Lin-Manuel Miranda is nominated for Best Original Song for Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go”. With an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy already under his belt, an Oscar win would not only make Miranda an EGOT winner, it would make him the youngest person to ever achieve the honor.
  • Joi McMillon could become the first black woman to win for Best Editing.
  • Titanic currently holds the record for the most Oscar wins by a film with 11 wins. With its 14 nominations, La La Land has the opportunity to either tie or beat the record.

Categories to Watch

  • The Best Actor cateogry seems to be the most unpredictable at the moment. Casey Affleck won the Critics Choice Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, while Ryan Gosling won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, and Denzel Washington won the SAG Award for Best Actor.
  • Although La La Land seems like the obvious choice for Best Picture considering the amount of hype surrounding it, I wouldn’t be shocked if Moonlight took the top prize.

The Facts

  • It’s no secret that La La Land is expected to clean-up at the Oscars this year, however here’s some information that might prove that the musical is a shoo-in for Best Picture. La La Land received the Producers Guild of America’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award for top feature film of 2016. In the award’s 27 year history, it has reflected the winner of the Best Picture Oscar 19 times. Last year however, The Big Short won the PGA and Spotlight won the Oscar. So it’s not exactly a sure thing, but it’s still a pretty good indicator that La La Land has the odds in it’s favor.

Don’t miss the Oscars on February 26th and check out The Game of Nerd’s Oscars Fantasy Draft and play along with your friends!