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Oscar noms: Who’s in and out for the 84th Academy Awards

Plummer nominated for portrayal of older gay man

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Kodak Theatre, gay news, gay politics dc

The 84th Oscars will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. (via Wikimedia Commons)

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.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Baltimore Pride Parade

Thousands attend city’s 50th annual LGBTQ celebration

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Baltimore Pride Parade (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2025 Baltimore Pride Parade was held on Saturday, June 14. 

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

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