Tracee Ellis Ross and previous Academy Award-nominee Kumail Nanjiani announced the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards on Tuesday morning.

This year’s crop of nominees is distinguished in both breadth and diversity, highlighting a number of films that have been overlooked or underappreciated at other awards ceremonies this year.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” the latest effort from the Coen Brothers, which received zero Golden Globe nominations, earned three Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design, Screenplay and Original Song.

However, “Scruggs” faces formidable competition in the Best Original Song category, standing alongside Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Jennifer Hudson and nine-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren.

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” a crime drama largely ignored by major award shows until now, also received three nominations: two for actors Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant, and one for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Continuing the trend of welcome surprises, Paul Schrader received his first Oscar nomination for his screenplay of the critically-acclaimed spiritual drama “First Reformed.” That’s right: the screenwriter of “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” does not, at least yet, have an Academy Award.

For “BlacKkKlansman,” industry veteran Spike Lee earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Director, despite receiving an Honorary Oscar in 2016. Lee is found among an international cast of fellow nominees, including Yorgos Lanthimos for “The Favourite,” past winner Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma” and surprise nominee Paweł Pawlikowski for the Polish-language drama “Cold War.”

There are a number of both fresh-faces as well as instantly recognizable names among the acting categories.
Previous Oscar recipients Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell, Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz were all nominated.
Amy Adams (“Vice”) and Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) both claim a career-total of six Oscar nominations, while Glenn Close (“The Wife”) leads the pack with seven all-time nominations but no wins (yet).

Lady Gaga, who won a Golden Globe earlier this month for Best Original Song, scored her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Sam Elliott, who made his uncredited film debut in 1967, also received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
However, the most exciting inclusion among the acting nominees must be the nominations of Marina de Tavira and first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio for “Roma.”

“The Favourite” and “Roma” came out on top with 10 nominations each, including Best Picture. “Vice” and “A Star Is Born,” both vying for Best Picture, each earned 8 nominations.

But the focus is on “Black Panther,” which tallied an impressive seven nominations and introduced superhero films to the Best Picture category. Other nominees in that category include “BlacKkKlansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Green Book.”

There remain a number of notable snubs this year. Ryan Coogler did not receive a Best Director nomination for “Black Panther.” Toni Collette, who earned rave reviews for her terrifying performance in “Hereditary,” was also left out — as was Emily Blunt for “Mary Poppins Returns.” Steve McQueen’s “Widows” and Felix Van Groeningen’s “Beautiful Boy,” featuring an Oscar-tipped performance from Timothée Chalamet, also failed to secure any nominations.

Also absent from the list of nominees is a bit of film history: Orson Welles’s wild, final film, “The Other Side of the Wind.”
Regardless of the outcome on Oscar Sunday, there is one clear winner here: Netflix, which now claims its first Best Picture nominee in “Roma.” The streaming service and distributor of “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and “End Game,” nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject, picked up 14 nominations this year.

The 91st Academy Awards, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, will air Feb. 24 on ABC. After an extended controversy, the ceremony will be presented without a host for the first time since 1989.

By Ryan Di Corpo