snub

Oscar nominations landed Thursday morning and you’d really have to be a curmudgeon to complain, what with the year’s two best films, “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” hauling in the most nods. One of these movies is going to win best picture (probably “One Battle”), continuing a nice little streak of top-shelf winners. “Oppenheimer” to “Anora” to “One Battle After Another”? That’s the best run since the early ’90s when “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Unforgiven” and “Schindler’s List” prevailed.

Of course, not everyone is celebrating this morning. “Wicked: For Good”? The complete disrespectation! The latest “Avatar” sequel? More ash than fire.

The Oscars cap their nominees at five per category (with the exception of best picture), leading, invariably, to some surprises and omissions — some egregious, some understandable. For alliteration and search engine optimization, we’ll call these “snubs,” though you’d have to be a true narcissist, say somebody who’d threaten to invade a country because he felt scorned over not winning a prize, to really take it personally.

Fortunately, Hollywood is free of ego, leaving us just to rationally contemplate the academy’s choices and examine the snubs and surprises of the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 15.

Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in “Wicked: For Good.”

(Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures/Giles Keyte / Universal Pictures)

SNUB: “Wicked: For Good” (picture)
The first “Wicked” earned 10 nominations last year, going on to win two Oscars. Surely, the sequel would be popular too. But the box office was down (more than $200 million globally), the reviews were mostly meh, and academy members took note. Duplicating the first movie’s Oscar haul was going to be a challenge, as some voters would naturally resist rewarding something they had just honored a year ago. And the material posed its own challenges, as the musical’s second act isn’t as fun or focused. But to go from 10 nominations to being completely shut out? What a difference a year makes.

SURPRISE: “F1” (picture)
There’s a demographic in the motion picture academy affectionately known as “steak-eaters,” men in the autumn of their years who appreciate a good Dad Movie centered on old(ish) guys who most definitely know best. With membership broadening, this demo has lost a bit of its influence over the years. But the dudes can take a victory lap today, celebrating the nomination of Joseph Kosinski’s swaggering, vroom-vroom sports movie.

SNUB: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (picture)
The third “Avatar” movie has grossed $1.3 billion worldwide, which is impressive, though still about $1 billion behind 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” That movie, like the first one, was nominated for best picture. But “Fire and Ash” couldn’t even manage a nod from the Producers Guild, a group that operates from a bigger-the-better mentality. There’s a feeling of fatigue about the franchise, with even creator James Cameron giving the distinct impression that he’s ready to move on. Here’s another signal that it’s time.

SNUB: “It Was Just an Accident” (picture)
The warning signs were there. Jafar Panahi’s searing (and often funny) social critique of authoritarianism did not fare well on the Oscar or BAFTA early lists. But with the current political climate and the alarming events transpiring in Panahi’s native Iran, it still felt like it’d make the best picture cut. Its absence feels like a big miss or, less charitably, a dereliction of duty.

Stellan Skarsgård, left, and Elle Fanning in a scene from director Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value.”

(Kasper Tuxen/Neon)

SURPRISE: Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value” (director)
Trier seemed to be slipping down the ranks of contenders, but voters no doubt appreciated his film’s salty view of Hollywood as well as the way “Sentimental Value” subtly shifted between past and present, hope and hurt. Trier also earned an original screenplay nomination, repeating the success he enjoyed with his last movie, “The Worst Person in the World,” also starring Renate Reinsve.

SNUB: Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein” (director)
Scorsese stumped for him, as did David Fincher, George Lucas and Jason Reitman. “It’s a remarkable work,” Scorsese said during a Q&A with Del Toro. “It stays with you. I dreamed of it.” The affable, movie-loving Del Toro has won many fans inside and outside the industry over the years, along with Oscars for directing and producing the 2017 best picture winner “The Shape of Water” and for “Pinocchio,” the enchanting 2022 movie that snagged animated feature. “Frankenstein” isn’t his best work, but Del Toro did snag a Directors Guild nod. And “Frankenstein” itself earned 9 Oscar nominations. The directors branch, though, went with Trier.

SNUB: Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident” (director)
Panahi has had quite the year: He won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May and was sentenced in December to one year in prison for “propaganda activities” related to his work. Both speak to the effectiveness of “It Was Just an Accident,” a withering critique of the cruelty and corruption of an authoritarian regime. Panahi did receive his first Oscar nomination, an original screenplay nod.

SURPRISE: Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue” (lead actress)
Hudson’s winning turn in this sincere heart-warmer about a husband-wife Neil Diamond tribute act gave the actor her first nomination since her spectacular arrival a quarter-century ago in “Almost Famous.” “Song Sung Blue” had its own lane in this race, appealing to voters starved for the kind of sincere adult drama that studios once routinely made. And Hudson had a number of famous friends — Demi Moore, Reba McEntire and, of course, her mom, Goldie Hawn — hosting screenings and singing her praises. Maybe even singing some Neil Diamond songs. Who can resist? Not voters.

Chase Infiniti in “One Battle After Another.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

SNUB: Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another” (lead actress)
Infiniti’s placement in the lead category, clearing the decks in supporting for co-star Teyana Taylor, raised a few eyebrows. She’s only in the movie for about half an hour, and though her character drives the action and ends the movie in spectacular fashion, that wasn’t enough in a category flush with weightier work.

SNUB: Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee” (lead actress)
For true believers in Seyfried’s frenzied work in Mona Fastvold’s story of devotion and delusion, it’s hard to shake this one off.

SNUB: Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good” (lead actress)
Here’s the rub: The second half of “Wicked” no longer centers Erivo’s Elphaba. When she’s on the screen — and not wearing that sex cardigan — she’s still great, masterfully conveying Elphaba’s vulnerability and sadness. But in a competitive lead actress category, Erivo simply didn’t have the screen time to convince voters to give her an encore nomination.

SURPRISE: Delroy Lindo, “Sinners” (supporting actor) Lindo finally earned his first Oscar nomination, riding the wave of “Sinners’” record haul. His portrayal of the world-weary Mississippi bluesman Delta Slim was central to the movie’s exploration of life in the Jim Crow South and included a powerful monologue that told the story of the lynching of a fellow musician. The movie wouldn’t have been as special without it.

Paul Mescal in “Hamnet.”

(Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features)

SNUB: Paul Mescal, “Hamnet” (supporting actor) He played Shakespeare, but voters weren’t in love. How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless audience.

SNUB: Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good” (supporting actress)
Grande functioned as a co-lead in the first “Wicked,” winning a supporting actress nomination last year, and took center stage in the sequel. But her Oscar fortunes waned as “Wicked: For Good” couldn’t replicate the spell the original cast on audiences. It’s possible too that, good as she is at light comedy, some voters didn’t buy Glinda’s transformation after spending nearly the entire movie betraying Elphaba at every turn. With friends like her, who needs enemies?

SURPRISE: Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value” (supporting actress)
SAG-AFTRA voters ignored the cast of “Sentimental Value” for the Actor Awards, but the ensemble came back in a big way with the academy. Fanning, playing an A-list American actress navigating the strained family dynamics of the auteur who hired her for his comeback, joined Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Stellan Skarsgård among the nominees.

SNUB: Odessa A’zion, “Marty Supreme” (supporting actress)
A’zion’s chances at a nomination seemed to rise along with the success of “Marty Supreme.” She picked up an Actor Award nomination earlier this month for playing Rachel, the film’s chaos-creating schemer. Oh well. Maybe we’ll see her at the Emmys later this year for her tumultuous turn as a Gen Z influencer in “I Love LA.”

SNUB: “No Other Choice” (international feature)
Oscar voters have been resistant to Park Chan-wook in the past, ignoring the likes of “Decision to Leave” and “The Handmaiden.” But “No Other Choice,” a humane — and darkly comic — look at ugly things people can do when desperate felt like a potential breakthrough. Park will have to wait … again.

WHEN Katie Price got married to Lee Andrews at breakneck speed, just days after they began dating, her loyal fans were left bewildered. 

For her family, the reaction has been even more stark. Here, insiders tell us how Pricey’s son Junior responded to the Dubai nuptials – and why her closest ally, sister Sophie, has been left reeling as concern for the mother- of-five reaches an all-time high. 

Hours after revealing her extravagant engagement, The Sun told how Katie and Lee had in fact got hitched with none of her family there. Her fourth marriage took place less than a week after she had met Lee. 

It was an unusually quiet ceremony for the former glamour model . An officiator was seen in front of the pair reading from a script as Katie, who wore a £12 dress from Shein, said her vows.

She gushed about how happy she was, telling fans: “All I can say is ‘fatale’, and this was a wedding at First Sight.”

Yet celebratory messages from her nearest and dearest have not been forthcoming, despite Price, 47, returning to the UK earlier this week without Lee, 43, who has since been accused of being a ‘swindler’.

There’s only so much Katie’s kids can take. It is really not fair.

Insider

One source said: “It’s just another day on Planet Katie, and everyone has to deal with the consequences.

“She will always have a close bond with her children, but there’s only so much they can take. It is really not fair.” 

Her son Junior, 20, has refrained from posting to his half a million Instagram followers in the days following the whirlwind wedding – which is not legally binding. 

And it is not only Junior’s fans who have got the silent treatment from the singer.

Rather tellingly, we have been told that the rapper, who is “very close” to dad Peter and stepmum Dr Emily, has not contacted his mother to offer his congratulations on her marriage to Andrews. 

A source said: “Junior is used to Katie’s increasingly erratic behaviour, but even this took him by surprise.

“He is so fed up with his mum’s constant dramas. He wants no part in it. He’s hardly going to send a congratulations message about a bloke he hasn’t even met.”

But while Junior is more resilient, sister Princess, 18, has given clues to her hurt feelings, taking to TikTok in the days following her mum’s wedding ceremony to post two emotional videos on the social media platform, including one featuring a tearful girl.

Sophie is understandably horrified by it all. It’s been incredibly draining for her. The sisters are incredibly close so it was very hard for Sophie not to know what was going on. 

Insider

The writing on top of the clip reads: “I feel everything very deeply” with an accompanying voiceover on top of the clip that says: “I’m such an incredibly, stupidly, sensitive person that everything that happens to me I feel everything really intensely.”

Another featured a teen girl getting into bed and wiping tears from her eyes as she lets out a sigh.

The writing on top reads: “When the smallest thing upsets me, and now I have to be non-verbal and easily irritated for hours until I can let it go”.

Insiders say that despite the cryptic posts it is unlikely that Princess, who remains close to her mother, will publicly condemn her. But a pal of the star confided: “It is so selfish to create all this drama just before Princess is about to launch series two of The Princess Diaries. This should be her turn in the spotlight. Not her mums.”

In recent years as Katie’s fame has dwindled, she has become increasingly reliant on her younger half-sister Sophie, 36, who has devoted a large part of her life to looking after her.

Despite managing the wayward reality star, organising much of her chaotic life, and co-hosting a podcast together, Sophie was not invited to Katie’s wedding.

An insider said: “Sophie is understandably horrified by it all. It’s been incredibly draining for her. The sisters are incredibly close so it was very hard for Sophie not to know what was going on. 

“They were due to record a podcast like normal this week, but at the last minute, they decided not to go ahead.

Their mum is utterly beside herself with worry.

“Sophie felt the need to say sorry to her fans, while Katie kept silent. It is quite typical of their relationship that Sophie is the one picking up the slack, and she’s honestly struggling with it at the moment. It has caused tension between the siblings, with Sophie just desperate for Katie to be ok. 

“Their mum is utterly beside herself with worry – they have all been through so much with Katie, but thought the worst was over in recent years.

“They don’t believe Lee is the man he said he was and are just waiting for Katie to click. It was a huge relief when he did a U-turn on coming to the UK. Sophie was not ready to meet him and deal with all that.”

Sophie made her feelings very clear on the situation today as she shared a picture of the countryside and wrote: “This and never stepping foot in Dubai.”

Last night, Sophie took to social media to explain what was happening to the podcast.

Looking exhausted, she said: “Hi guys, how are you all? I know you’ve all been chomping at the bit to find out what has been going on. All our DMs have been going off,” she began in her video address.

“Let’s just say, it’s been one hell of a week. We have done over a 100 episodes of the podcast, which sounds absolutely nuts when it’s just me and Kate doing our b*s chat.

“We will be back next week as normal, and we will be able to update you guys on what’s been going on. It will be business as usual.”

Such was the emotion on display that one commentator posted: “’You are a good sister. Hope you’re ok, Sophie, you look like you’re holding back tears”

Sophie has always been outspoken about Katie’s relationships, while trying to be as supportive as possible.

Just a couple of weeks ago, she expressed her horror when Katie announced she was looking for a Richard Gere type.

She retorted: “Absolutely not, you need a break, you need time to yourself’.”

Katie completely ignored her, and when she announced her engagement, she gushed about finding her ‘real life Richard Gere’. The film is, of course, about a wealthy gentleman who sweeps a prostitute off her feet. 

The sisters –  who have an 11-year age gap- have talked in the past about being “like chalk and cheese”.

Sophie was just six years old when her big sister found fame, meaning that she doesn’t remember a time when Katie wasn’t in the spotlight.

However, Katie’s fame made her a target at school – and she was bullied by cruel classmates.

She recalled: “It was just girls saying nasty things, when you’re a teenager… You know what girls can be like.”

Yet a beautiful relationship blossomed, with the sisters becoming firm friends and podcast favourites.

But after the latest cruel snub, it might be a while before fans get a new episode of the podcast.