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The 87th Academy Awards takes place on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Here are some facts and figures about this year’s extravaganza:
All white
Every single one of the 20 acting nominees is white, for only the third time in nearly two decades. The last time there were no non-white nominees was in 2011. Before that, 1998. Notable snubs include Britain’s David Oyelowo, widely tipped for playing Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma.
First-timers
Nearly half the acting nominees are first-timers vying for Hollywood’s biggest awards. They are Steve Carell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, JK Simmons, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike, Patricia Arquette and Emma Stone. Four nominees are previous winners: Robert Duvall, Marion Cotillard, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep.
Three in a row
Bradley Cooper is nominated for his third consecutive year — this year’s leading actor nod for American Sniper follows nominations for last year’s American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook the year before. The last actor to do the same was Renee Zellweger (2001-2003), preceded by Russell Crowe (1999-2001).
English not required
French actress Marion Cotillard received her second nomination for a role in a language other than English, in Two Days, One Night. She won for La Vie en Rose (2007). She is the fifth performer to receive two or more nods for a foreign language performance. Italian legend Marcello Mastroianni won three, while Sophia Loren, Liv Ullmann and Isabelle Adjani won two each.
Streep sweep
Meryl Streep extends her lead as the most nominated actor ever with her 19th nod for Into the Woods. She has won three times, most recently in 2012 as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Before that she won in 1980 for Kramer v. Kramer and in 1983 for Sophie’s Choice.
Black and white
Ida is the 11th mostly black and white film nominated for cinematography since 1967, when black and white was cut as a category. Previous films included Cold Blood (1967), The Last Picture Show (1971), Lenny (1974), Raging Bull (1981), Zelig (1983), Schindler’s List (1993), The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), The White Ribbon (2009), and The Artist (2011).
Battle of hulks
Two actors who have played muscle-bound Marvel superhero The Hulk are slugging it out in the best supporting actor category: Mark Ruffalo (up for Foxcatcher) and Edward Norton (Birdman.)
Double desplat
French composer Alexandre Desplat is a rare double nominee in the same category: best original score for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game. The last person to do so was Steven Soderbergh, nominated for best director for both Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000 (He won for Traffic.)
Gone (bond) girl
Britain’s Rosamund Pike becomes the third former Bond girl to be nominated for an Oscar, for Gone Girl. Both her predecessors won: Halle Berry for Monsters Ball in 2002 and Kim Basinger for LA Confidential in 1998.
Don’t miss it: In the UAE, the Oscar awards will air live on OSN Movies Festival HD at 5.30am on Monday, January 23.
