Arts & Entertainment
Oscar noms: Who’s in and out for the 84th Academy Awards
Plummer nominated for portrayal of older gay man
Nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards were announced this morning in Los Angeles.
Jennifer Lawrence, nominated last year for the film “Winter’s Bone” and who appears this year in “The Hunger Games,” and Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories for the Feb. 26th presentation.
Christopher Plummer was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his turn as a man who comes out as gay to his adult son late in his 70s in ‘Beginners.’ Plummer is familiar to the Oscars stage — in 1965 he joined Julie Andrews and the cast and crew of ‘The Sound of Music,’ when the film won best picture. He was also nominated in this same category two years ago for playing Leo Tolstoy in “The Last Station.”
Plummer is coming off a Golden Globes win for his character Hal Fields, a late-blooming widower who must learn to navigate the rather tricky waters of being single and gay in your 70s, while dealing with a son coming to grips with the news (played by gay favorite Ewan McGregor).
Gay New York blogger, Scott Wooledge was disappointed that one gay-themed movie missed the list, however.
“On the topic of movies, I’m sorry to see Pariah didn’t get any nods, it deserves a handful,” the Daily Kos regular told the Blade. “I suspect that may be because it was released so very late and Focus Features may not have campaigned on its behalf.”
Wooledge says he was “just blown away” by the Spike Lee produced film about a 17 year-old Brooklyn African-American lesbian and the effect that coming out had on her family. The film also features Adeprero Oduye and Kim Wayans.
“If anyone has ever complained there are not middle class, queer people of color in pop culture,” Wooledge says, “I implore you to run don’t walk, open your wallet and reward the director, Dee Rees and the studio for serving up a beautiful and heartfelt film that features exactly that.”
Glenn Close is a contender for Best Actress for her role as a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland in ‘Albert Nobbs.’ ‘Nobbs’ also garnered a nod in the supporting actress category for Janet McTeer, as well as in the makeup category.
Up for Best Original Screenplay is ‘Margin Call,’ a film about the financial meltdown of the last decade, produced by recently out ‘Heroes’ and ‘Star Trek’ actor Zachary Quinto, who also starred in the film. Quinto recently starred as a gay ghost on gay creator Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Horror Story.’
Among the films nominated, ‘The Help’ received three nominations (Octavia Spencer & Jessica Chastain for Best Supporting Actress and Viola Davis for Best Actress); ‘The Descendants’ received five (Alexander Payne for Best Director, George Clooney for Best Actor, film editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture); and ‘Moneyball’ garnered noms for Best Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill, Best Actor for Brad Pitt, Best Adapted Screenplay, film editing and Best Picture.
The big winner, however, is most likely ‘The Artist’ which received 10 nods including Berenice Bejo for Best Supporting Actress, Michel Hazanavicius for Best Director, Jean Dujardin for Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, music, art direction, film editing, costume design, cinematography and Best Picture. Set in 1930s Hollywood, the modern silent film has been described as “a love letter to the silver screen,” by NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast.
Also receiving several nods was the Michelle Williams-helmed ‘My Week with Marilyn’ for which she is nominated in the Best Actress category. Kenneth Branagh is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Williams shed her teen drama ‘Dawson’s Creek’ role forever when she appeared in the critically acclaimed 2005 film ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ playing wife to closeted gay cowboy Heath Ledger, in a role that earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2006. Another fan favorite ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ has offered up Max von Sydow for Best Supporting Actor, and is up for Best Picture.
Predictably, Meryl Streep snagged a Best Actress nomination for ‘The Iron Lady,’ as did Gary Oldman a Best Actor nod for ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.’ ‘Iron Lady’ is also up in the makeup category, and ‘Tinker’ is up for music and writing awards.
One LGBT favorite for Best Supporting Actress is standout Melissa McCarthy in ‘Bridesmaids,’ as the loveable friend who gets Kristen Wiig out of her funk in time to save the wedding (and steals a van full of adorable puppies on her way). The movie is also up for Best Original Screenplay.
The other Best Picture nominees were ‘Hugo,’ which also grabbed a Best Director nod for Martin Scorsese as well as art direction, writing, film editing, music, and costume design nominations; ‘Midnight in Paris,’ for which Woody Allen will also be up in the Best Director category as well as Best Original Screenplay and Art Direction; ‘War Horse,’ which will also be up in art direction, music, and cinematography, and ‘The Tree of Life,’ which also scored a nomination for Best Director (Terrence Malick) and cinematography.
Late last year, the Oscars parted ways with producer Brett Ratner after a homophobic rant in which he said “rehearsing is for fags.” The incident prompted the scheduled host, Eddie Murphy, to also resign in protest. The Academy turned to veteran host and fan favorite Billy Crystal, who has hosted the Oscars eight times to much success. Ratner and Murphy’s film ‘Tower Heist’ did not receive any Oscar nominations and did not do well at the box office.
Other nominees of note are Best Actress Rooney Mara in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ — a movie also up in the cinematography and film editing categories — Best Supporting Actor Nick Nolte in ‘Warriors,’ and Demián Bichir for Best Actor in ‘A Better Life.’
Animated feature film nods go to ‘A Cat in Paris,’ ‘Chico & Rita,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda 2,’ ‘Puss in Boots,’ and ‘Rango.’
Best feature length documentary nominations go to ‘Hell and Back Again,’ ‘If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,’ ‘Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,’ ‘Pina,’ and ‘Undefeated.’
Best foreign language film noms went to Belgium’s ‘Bullhead,’ Israel’s ‘Footnote,’ Poland’s ‘In Darkness,’ Canada’s ‘Monsieur Lazhar,’ and Iran’s ‘A Separation.’
Another critically acclaimed gay film that didn’t make the cut in this year of heavy hitters was ‘Weekend’ which won the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association’s ‘Dorian Award’ for best picture.
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
Friday, June 12
Bet Mishpachah will host “Pride Shabbat Happy Hour” at 6 p.m. at Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center. This is an in-person happy hour with an open wine and beer bar, great company, and joyful conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Women in their Twenties and Thirties will meet at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, visit Facebook.
Saturday, June 13
Out N Bad will host “SWEET WHINE: DC Pride Queer Caribbean Slow Whine Function” at 9 p.m. at Decades DC. This is a late-night escape into slow and steamy Dancehall & Kompa only. No splits. No headtops. No pressure. Tickets are $22.14 and are available on Eventbrite.
The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center will host a screening of “10s Across the Borders,” a bold pan-Asian queer film that confronts homophobia, transphobia, and racism while celebrating Southeast Asia’s underground ballroom scene. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Sunday, June 14
Beth A Wolfe Yoga will host “Pride Baby Goat Yoga” at 1 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington, Va. The goats will be decked out in their finest Pride apparel, and human participants are welcome to do the same. Proceeds from this event will go to the Trevor Project. Tickets cost $44.52 and are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, June 15
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, June 16
“Self-Defense Class with Avi Rome” will be at 12:30 p.m. Rome is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and a full-time Martial Arts instructor with 25 years of teaching experience. He holds a 5th Degree Black Belt in Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do and is the director of the studio’s Adaptive Tae Kwon Do program for students with special needs. He has also run numerous self-defense workshops for various groups and situations. For more details, visit the center’s website.
Center Bi+ Roundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting.Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Wednesday, June 17
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, June 18
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.

