The Oscar nominees are...
What to know:
And the Oscar nominees are… They’re here and yes, there are some surprises! Specifically, Drive My Car pulled into the Best Picture race, Kristen Stewart came back to get that Best Actress recognition, and Denis Villeneuve was shutout of Best Director. In general though, the wealth was spread far and wide — and while prognosticators think Power of the Dog is the favorite for Best Picture, I’m not so sure. Here are some of the most noteworthy nomination highlights! 🏆
Kenneth Branagh became the first person to be nominated in seven different categories throughout his career. 7️⃣
Flee made history with nominations for Best Documentary, Best Foreign Film, and Best Animated Feature. 😮
CODA’s Troy Kotsur became the first deaf male actor to land a nomination and second deaf performer in Oscar history (his co-star Marlee Matlin was the first). 🤟
Jane Campion became the first woman to be nominated for Best Director twice. 🎬
Real-life couples Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz and Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemmons all scored nominations. ❤️
Denzel Washington became the most nominated Black actor in Oscar history. ✊🏾
Steven Spielberg has been nominated for Oscars in six different decades. 6️⃣
And Drive My Car became the first Japanese film to ever be nominated for Best Picture 🇯🇵
Steve Yeun is looking up in a cowboy hat in Jordan Peele’s Nope first look… And we’re getting a Super Bowl trailer! I take back everything I said about Super Bowl trailers no longer being a thing. They’re back and better than ever! We’re finally going to find out what’s going on with Jordan Peele’s ominous cloud movie. 🪁
The new The Batman poster contains a secret that will let you see the movie early… This is a fun bit of fan-service marketing. Put those DC detective skills to work on the poster and see The Batman in the IMAX before the 4th of the March. 🦇
How to With John Wilson is getting a third season… This is the only entertainment story that really matters today. 📹
Pixar drops full Lightyear trailer; Taika Waititi and Keke Palmer join cast… So hyped for this. It looks fantastic. 🚀
Fox acquires Gumby universe… Do kids these days even know Gumby? We’re about to find out. 🐴
Ted Lasso season 3 likely delayed… This is definitely Nate’s fault. ⚽️
What’s new this week:
Kimi — Feb 10 | HBO Max thriller film | 🍅
I Want You Back — Feb 11 | Amazon rom-com film | 🍅
Inventing Anna — Feb 11 | Netflix drama miniseries | 🍅
Bel-Air — Feb 13 | Peacock drama series | 🍅
Super Bowl LVI — Feb 13 | NBC sporting event
For more pop culture news, discussion, and what-to-watch recommendations subscribe to my pals over on the Kickball Friends podcast. 🎙
What to watch:
TV Trailer: Life & Beth — March 18 on Hulu
Created by Amy Schumer, starring Schumer, Violet Young, Yamaneika Saunders, Michael Cera, Michael Rapaport, Arielle Siegel, Gary Gulman, Jon Glaser, Dave Attell, David Byrne and Laura Benanti.
This might be hard to remember since it’s been more than half a decade since Inside Amy Schumer and Trainwreck, but Amy Schumer has the goods. Her writing is sharp and her persona is well honed. I’m excited to see her return to form with Life & Beth. From its hard jokes and welcome cameos, this trailer feels like a spiritual sequel to Trainwreck. It’s reminding me why Schumer was so successful in the first place — and it’s also doing favors for Michael Cera, who deserves more stuff like this. And was that David Byrne dropping precious wisdom?! I’m pretty sure it was.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!