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The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2022 Oscar nominations

Was Lady Gaga robbed?
by Christine Estima
February 8, 2022 12:09 p.m. EST
Getty Images Getty Images

This morning, Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan announced the 2022 Academy Award nominations, and within minutes, the list of hallowed nominees, culled from the greatest performances and pictures of the last year, sent shockwaves through Tinseltown.

Big names mean big surprises, and there were some people nominated -- and notably NOT nominated -- that got people talking.

The 94th annual Oscars will be held on March 27th, and it seems that night will be a big night for The Power of The Dog, Jane Campion's western drama, which earned a whopping 12 nods across all the major categories like Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Picture, and Best Director. Following closely behind was Denis Villeneuve's Dune with 10 nods, and tied at seven were Kenneth Branagh's Belfast and Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.

When you dig a little deeper into the nominations, there are some delightful surprises. For example, did you notice all the couples who were both nominated? Kirsten Dunst and fiance Jesse Plemons, who co-starred in The Power of the Dog as a married couple, were BOTH nominated in the Best Supporting Actress/Actor categories respectively. Does the Academy make His & Her Oscars? *fingers crossed*

Speaking of delightful surprises, Will Smith has received his third career Oscar nomination for his starring role in King Richard. He won the Golden Globe this year for this performance, which is usually a good indicator that an Oscar nom is on the way.

Interesting to note that he is up against Denzel Washington for the gilt trophy - the last time the two faced off for Best Actor was waaaaaay back in 2002, when Will was up for Ali, and Denzel was up for Training Day. Denzel walked away triumphant that night, but 21 years later, the showdown continues. Seeing as how The Fresh Prince has never clutched the trophy in his hands, will this be the year the Men In Black star finally wins an Oscar?

Speaking of first-timers, Kristen Stewart clinched a Best Actress nom for her critically-acclaimed role as Lady Diana in Spencer. She was infamously snubbed for a BAFTA for this role, which like the Golden Globes, is a good indicator of Oscar success. Will this nomination mean a huge win for the Twilight star?

Whether she wins or not, her nomination has already symbolized a lot for the LGBTQ+ community. It has been a long 20 years since the last openly gay actor was nominated for an Oscar - that was Ian McKellen who nabbed a nomination for Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring wayyyyyy in 2002.

In addition, this year we have two openly gay actors! Kristen is joined by West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose, who is nom'd in the Best Supporting Actress category. It's gonna be an exciting night for Pride!

Can we talk snubs for a minute? Because all the Little Monsters around the world are not happy that Mama Monster, Lady Gaga, was snubbed for the Best Actress nom for her banger performance in House of Gucci. She was nominated for every other award during the season - Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG.

Speaking of snubs, Catriona Balfe's name was noticeably absent in the Best Supporting Actress category for her powerful turn in Belfast, even though she got the BAFTA nom for it. Yet Judi Dench nabbed a spot on that nomination list, also for her role in Belfast, despite not receiving a BAFTA nom.

It's a curious conundrum - compounded by the fact that Passing's Ruth Negga was also snubbed for the Oscar Best Supporting Actress. If you're wondering, yes, she also got the BAFTA nom above Judi Dench. Dame Judi is an incredible performer, but her inclusion here is creating a lot of side-eye.

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