Here Are the 11 Biggest Oscar Snubs

#OscarsSoWhite was going around once again after 2020 nominations were announced
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 13, 2020 11:57 AM CST
Here Are the 11 Biggest Oscar Snubs
This image shows Jennifer Lopez, left, and Constance Wu in a scene from "Hustlers."   (STXfilms via AP)

Oscar nominations are out, and as always, some hopefuls were left out. One of the biggest snubs being mentioned is Jennifer Lopez's lack of a supporting actress nod for Hustlers; USA Today calls it a "complete shock," while People notes Lopez "has been a fixture this awards season" thanks to her role in the film, which had previously gotten her SAG, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globes nominations. The drama, in which J.Lo plays a stripper, scored the highest opening of Lopez's career, earning glowing reviews and generating major Oscars buzz. As NBC News notes, fans are pointing to yet another Oscars diversity problem, with some reviving the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag from 2015. "Jennifer Lopez was snubbed from her first ever Oscar nomination so others could be recognized for playing the same basic white women characters," tweeted one critic. More snubs:

  • Beyonce's "Spirit" from The Lion King failed to make the best original song cut.

  • Frozen 2, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, was not nominated for best animated film.
  • The Farewell has been making waves this awards season, including star Awkwafina winning a Golden Globe for her performance—the first Asian actress to win a best actress Globe. It was completely shut out of Oscar nominations.
  • Lupita Nyong'o missed out on a best actress nomination for her critically acclaimed turn in Us, playing not one but two characters.
  • Charlize Theron was nominated for best actress for her role as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, and Margot Robbie got a supporting actress nod for her role playing a composite character in the film, but Nicole Kidman, who played Gretchen Carlson, was overlooked.
  • Only men were nominated in the best director category, which Insecure star Issa Rae made note of while announcing the nominees alongside John Cho. "Congratulations to those men," said a straight-faced Rae after reading off the five names. Decider notes many on Twitter were applauding Rae, with film writer Ellen E Jones tweeting that the actress had "already summed up Oscars 2020." Notably, Greta Gerwig's omission for Little Women was making pretty much every "Oscar snubs" list.
  • At the Golden Globes, Eddie Murphy "surprisingly lost" to Rocketman's Taron Egerton in the best actor race. USAT predicts that had he won, he would have nabbed an Oscars nod for his role in Dolemite Is My Name; as it is, he was left behind.
  • But even Egerton was left out of the best actor Oscar nods, with Variety noting, "it doesn't seem fair that Rami Malek, who lip-synced as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, would win last year's best actor Oscar, while Egerton—who really did sing all of [Elton] John's songs—didn't get nominated."
  • Also shut out of the best actor race: Adam Sandler for his critically acclaimed role in Uncut Gems.
  • While 1917 was nominated 10 times, none of those nods were in acting categories. Variety says that's particularly "odd" when it comes to George MacKay, "who carries every scene of this World War I saga directed in two long takes."
As for #OscarsSoWhite, the Hollywood Reporter notes that after 2019's "historic strides" for women and minorities at the awards, this year's Oscars are "almost so white." (More Oscar nominations 2020 stories.)

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