Even the nominations have hosts.

After a scary time last year when stupidity on the part of the Academy was forcing me not to give a shit about their prom, I'm interested again. Well...

- Five out of nine Best Picture nominees seen. Not too bad.

- Lupita Nyong'o was passed over for her virtuoso work in Us. No doubt, she was amazing, even managing to (almost) put over that bullshit final twist, but let's be honest. She was never getting the nomination. Toni Collette didn't get one for Hereditary and she's as White as sour cream.

- They said it couldn't be done. Adam Sandler giving a performance so good he'd be an Oscar nominee. He crushed it, but the nomination was not to be. In fact, Uncut Gems was completely shut out. Editing, Cinematography, Picture. Well, it didn't happen for Jim Carrey, either, which is also bullshit.

- Maybe, the Academy just dislikes "Saturday Night Live", as Eddie Murphy's terrific work in Dolemite is My Name was also ignored. No Costume Design nod, either and you'd have thought that to be a slam dunk.

- I'm starting to think that Academy members have also stepped barefoot on a few too many Legos. The LEGO Movie 2: the Second Part (which I, personally, considered better than the original) got zilch. You're forced to wonder what needs to happen for one of these movies to get a nod. (Yeah, I know "Everything is Awesome" won for the first movie and while I'm glad that "Catchy Song" was shortlisted, I'd have liked to see some love for "Not Evil".)

- I’d have been happy for Joaquin Phoenix to get a nomination for Joker, but that the film would get 11 nods - more than any other movie - is the biggest joke of all.

- What seemed like sure bets for Oscar only picked up a handful of nods between them. Let’s pour one out for Ford v. Ferrari (Sound and Editing) and Knives Out (Original Screenplay).

- Still, this is more than was received by Booksmart or Hustlers. What a stunning crock of shit.

- She was the best thing about Bad Times at the El Royale and, so, too, was she in Harriet. Cynthia Erivo earned a first nomination for Best Actress. It really seemed like, amongst the Hollywood version of Harriet Tubman's story, she was playing as if the film around her was at her level. Oddly enough, the song she co-wrote from that movie, "Stand Up", was recognized, making her a two-time nominee. And speaking of two-time nominees...

- Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominee Scarlett Johansson. Seriously, who saw that coming?

- Beyond the usual 'these scores were good, but not quite the best of the year, in my opinion', I have no complaints about the Best Original Score category. It will likely go to Joker, though I can only wonder how many nominations Shirley Walker would've earned if the current climate existed 20 years ago.

- How about that Jojo Rabbit? I was sure that it would've been forgotten and yet, here it is for Costume Design, Adapted Screenplay, Editing and Picture.

- Congrats to first time nominees Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce. And while Florence Pugh earned the nod for Little Women, in my heart, she was nominated for Fighting with My Family.

- Though not as substantive as previous Laika releases, Missing Link was a good deal of fun and I sincerely hope that its win at the Golden Globes gives the film an edge.

- Seriously, was Alita: Battle Angel released too early in the year? Those effects were (are) award-worthy.

- You know, I can't help but think that the toxic reaction to Bohemian Rhapsody's Oscar glory is what led to (unfair) backlash against Rocketman. Granted, it got an Original Song nomination for its subject (how many movies can say that?), but when you see Taron Egerton acting and singing his heart out in one flashy outfit after another, how do you pass that over? What a gyp.

- Nothing for Cats, not even Visual Effects. Huzzah! The system works.

The ceremony takes place on...February 9th?! Damn, this year is flying by!