The 90th Annual Academy Awards airs on March 4. It’s time to catch up on movies you haven’t seen yet and place bets on the nominees. Even for a casual moviegoer, it’s exciting to see famous people get dressed up and eagerly wait to hear who wins.
Fast facts:
- Firsts: Kobe Bryant is the first NBA player nominated for his short “Dear Basketball.” Dee Rees is the first gay African American woman to be nominated for her adapted screenplay “Mudbound.” Yance Ford is the first transgender director to be nominated for the documentary “Strong Island.”
- Directors in Fives: There are five nominated directors. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) is the fifth woman, Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) is the fifth Latin American and Jordan Peele (Get Out) is the fifth African American to be nominated for Best Director.
- Hilarious Irony: Christopher Plummer is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in “All the Money in the World,” which was originally Kevin Spacey’s role before he was fired in light of his recent sexual assault allegations. If it wasn’t for the allegations, that could have been his third Oscar nomination.
