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The Most Shocking Snubs and Surprises of the 2023 Oscar Nominations

By Laila Abuelhawa
Viola Davis attends "The Woman King" Photo Call on September 09, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario. Mia Goth attends the "Pearl" red carpet at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 03, 2022 in Venice, Italy. Dolly De Leon attends the "Triangle Of Sadness" UK Premiere during the 66th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 11, 2022 in London, England.

This year’s Oscar nominations had its share of surprses. First, Everything Everywhere All At Once swept the competition, with a whopping 11 nods. The film joins a few other films who also had 11 nods: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Godfather (1972), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Joker (2019), to name a few.

As far as music goes, 82 songs from this year’s movies have qualified to enter the competition, Variety reports. Up to three songs can be entered per film, but most studios choose to enter just one or sometimes two in order to maximize the chance of one of them making the shortlist. Curiously, five films entered three songs apiece: 18 1/2, Killing Me Softly With His Songs, Me Vasantrao, 1660 Vine and Tuzhyasathi Kahihi.

See below who we, and the internet, believe were snubbed or surprised to get nominated:

  • Viola Davis -- Best Actress, 'The Woman King'

    This person on Twitter said it best: “Viola Davis not being nominated by The Woman King while we have a atrocity that was Blonde with Ana de Armas nominated, it’s beyond revolting.”

  • James Cameron -- Best Director, 'Avatar: The Way of Water'

    It was quite shocking Cameron was not nominated as best director for the Avatar sequel, as he was nominated in 2010 for the first movie for directing, film editing and best picture.

  • Tom Cruise -- Best Actor, 'Top Gun: Maverick'

    Tom Cruise hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar since 2000 with his supporting role in Magnolia. Michael Caine won that year for The Cider House Rules. And he has never won an Oscar. With Top Gun: Maverick being quite a success (96% Rotten Tomatoes), some fans were anticipating him to be at least nominated for the reprised role.

  • Doja Cat -- Best Song, 'Vegas' -- 'Elvis'

    The absence of Doja Cat’s “Vegas” from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis was likely ruled ineligible because it wasn’t entirely original: it interpolates the Presley ’50s classic “Hound Dog.”

  • Keke Palmer -- Supporting Actress, 'Nope'

    Fans were confused as to why Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated for best supporting actress when there were others who could (and should) have been given the nomination — Keke being one of them for her performance as Emerald Haywood.

  • Margot Robbie -- Best Actress, 'Babylon'

    Many fans of Babylon pointed out how Ana de Armas was nominated for a “not so great performance in an insulting movie but Margot Robbie isn’t for an amazing performance in a masterpiece.”

  • 'The Batman' -- Best Score, Cinematography

    Though recognized for best sound, The Batman was not nominated for the best cinematography or best score nominations.

  • Ryan Coogler -- Best Director, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

    Though Angela Bassett made history just by being the first actress nominated for a Marvel film, Coogler should have at least been in the conversation given that he had re-written the sequel to reflect the death of Chadwick Boseman and his character, T’Challa.

  • Jordan Peele -- Best Director, 'Nope'

    Jordan Peele’s Nope received zero nominations and we think there could have been some recognition for the talented director. His first movie, Get Out, was nominated for multiple Academy Awards — including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, which he won. Since then, Peele has been shut out of the Oscar race entirely. Us failed to receive a single nomination, despite an outstanding lead performance from Lupita Nyong’o, and history repeated itself with Nope.

  • 'Nope' -- Best Picture, Production Design, Cinematography, Best Sound

    One Twitter user hilariously postulated why NOPE may have been shut out: “NOPE said in no uncertain terms that Hollywood is a spectacle machine that ruins everything it touches, breaks good people and chews up living things, spitting what’s left all over the Southern California landscape.

    Academy members:”

    https://twitter.com/PhilNobileJr/status/1617890189212528640?s=20&t=TxqCTMhuSDRWRTRDbW61ug

  • Stephanie Hsu -- Best Supporting Actress, 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

    Hsu was the only member of the film that hasn’t been acknowledged much this awards season for her role as Evelyn Wang’s (Michelle Yeoh) daughter, Joy. Now, the actress has secured her nomination, which she so rightfully earned.

  • Angela Bassett -- Actress In A Supporting Role, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'

    Bassett became the first actress to be nominated for an Oscar for their performance in a Marvel movie. We remember watching the sequel in theaters and *spoiler alert* when Bassett’s Queen Ramonda dies, everyone in that theater was crying because she was all of our mothers at the moment.

  • Dolly De Leon -- Actress In A Supporting Role, 'Triangle of Sadness'

    Of all the nominations, most people were really mad about Jamie Lee Curtis being nominated as best supporting actress. Most folks either seriously questioned what she brought to Everything Everywhere, while others named other Dolly’s Abigail as who they thought was more deserving of the nod.

  • 'Decision To Leave' -- Best Cinematography, Best International Feature

    Of the best cinematography nominations, the Korean romance film should have been considered over the ones chosen by the Academy. Fans of the film shared their frustrations on Twitter, with one person saying, “yeah, not that I really care about the Oscars anymore, but Decision to Leave was far and away the best movie of 2022, and the fact that it’s been crowded out by some incredibly overhyped films is annoying.”

  • Alexander Skarsgard -- Best Actor, 'The Northman'

    Skarsgard delivered a brilliant performance in this Robert Eggers-directed flick as a Viking who meets a seeress who reminds him to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.

  • Mia Goth -- Best Actress, 'Pearl'

    Horror movies were snubbed, as they usually are in the Academy Awards, but that didn’t stop Twitter from wanting to recognize Goth’s performance in A24’s slasher, Pearl. One fan wrote, “Mia Goth had one of the best performances of the year and the fact that she’s being overlooked from Oscars,Emmys, Golden Globes, etc because Pearl was horror is sick.”

  • 'Bones And All' -- Best Picture

    Fans of the Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell romance horror film felt robbed for not having been nominated for this year’s Oscars. One person described it as “titanic but for weird people.”

  • Taylor Swift -- Best Song, "Carolina” --Where the Crawdads Sing

    Though it seems like Swift has been winning in every category she’s been nominated in over the last year, the musician’s song “Carolina” was not recognized by the Academy. Folks on Twitter gave mixed feelings about her absence, despite having three projects in contention. One user wrote, “Ohhh well, maybe she can try her luck at the Kids Choice Awards?!”

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