Thursday morning, the 2014 Oscar nominations were announced and those named are no surprise. Especially since the Golden Globe awards pretty much set the tone for who and what will be awarded.
As expected, nearly the entire cast of 12 Years a Slave was nominated. With a total of nine nominations for the film, newcomer actress Lupita Nyong’o is in the best supporting actress category for her very first film role in 12 Years a Slave along side Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle. Veteran thespian Michael Fassbender received a best supporting actor nod next to Captain Phillip's Barkhad Abdi. 12 Years writer John Ridley (who just inked a TV deal with ABC) is in the best adapted screenplay category. Director Steve McQueen, who is said to have a fast moving, directing style, is up against phenomenon Martin Scorsese in the best director category. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is nominated next to Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor. And rounding out the nominations is the big one – Best Picture – landing 12 Years a Slave along side American Hustle which received ten nods, Wolf of Wall Street (5 total nods), and Gravity (10 nods).
Probably the biggest surprise was Pharrell's nomination in the Best Original Song category for his single "Happy," from Despicable Me 2.
When it comes to acting and cinema, of course The Shadow League favorite is 12 Years a Slave, fitting into our love of black film. But after Sunday’s Golden Globes, where the drama about a freeman kidnapped into slavery was snubbed of every award except Best Picture, we’re wondering if the Oscars will be play like a dusty rerun we’ve seen a million times – with black folks walking away having nothing more than a nominated golf clap.
RELATED: 12 Years a Slave Wins Best Picture Golden Globe
But perhaps we should remain hopeful. With all of the nods this year packed with a slew of amazing films, we’ll be watching, rooting, hoping for a Superbowl like win for the one movie that we’ve had our eye on since 2013.
The Oscars will air Sunday, March 2 on ABC.
For a full List of Nominees go to Oscar.go.com.