Nomination

Two words were spoken Friday night that have rarely come up on the trail or in prior debates: Mike Bloomberg.

Disney's hugely successful “Frozen 2" wasn't feeling any warmth on Monday as the much-awaited sequel to the Oscar-nominated original was left out in the cold — or lost in the woods, in the words of one of its more popular songs. The blockbuster animated feature (did we mention it was a hit?) did score a nomination for original song, for “Into the Unknown.” But in the top category it was iced out by “How to Train Your Dragon,” “I Lost My Body,” “Klaus,” “Missing Link,” and “Toy Story 4.”

“Little Women” was nominated for best picture, and many felt Gerwig was an extremely strong candidate for her second directing nomination (after “Lady Bird” in 2018.) It would have made her the only two-time female directing nominee. But Monday's nominations again reflected a persistent trend of passing over female directors.

Gerwig shares her life with Noah Baumbach, director of “Marriage Story,” and now part of their own marriage story is the fact that BOTH were denied directing nominations despite their movies getting nominated for best picture.

Lopez wasn't the only celebrated pop star to come up short. Beyoncé had been expected to score an original song nomination for “Spirit,” from “The Lion King,” but she wasn't feeling the love tonight (or this morning.) Those who made the cut included Erivo, a double nominee this year, for “Stand Up,” and Elton John, for his “Rocketman” song “(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again.”

Optimal Oscar nominations morning: Eight (picture, director, lead actress, lead actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, film editing, score)

Optimal Oscar nominations morning: 11 nods (picture, director, lead actor, twice in supporting actor, adapted screenplay, cinematography, costume design, film editing, production design, visual effects)

Optimal Oscar nominations morning: 10 (picture, director, adapted screenplay, cinematography, film editing, production design, score, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects)

Oscar voting begins the day after New Year's, meaning academy members should be busy powering through movies and preparing their hangover remedies so they can be good to go on Jan. 2.

Optimal Oscar nominations morning: Eight nods (picture, director, supporting actor, original screenplay, cinematography, film editing, production design, international film)

The Lompoc Beautification and Appearance Commission now is accepting nominations for its 25th annual Holiday Decoration Contest. Nominations must be submitted by noon Friday, Dec. 6. 

He’s suddenly the hottest ticket in Iowa, but Pete Buttigieg cannot win his party’s presidential nomination without dramatically improving his standing with the African-American voters who play a major role in subsequent states. Until that happens, much of the political establishment will continue to view the 37-year-old small-city mayor’s presidential bid with skepticism.

The Rev. Eric De La Cruz, pastor of In His Hands Ministries, has been revealed as the sixth nominee for the 2019 Valley of the Flowers Peace Prize.

“A Very English Scandal” (Amazon Prime) and “Fleabag” (Amazon Prime)

CBS All Access’ “Good Wife” spinoff only previously nabbed nominations in music-related categories, despite its consistently sharp storylines and Christine Baranski’s leading performance. It turned out 2019 is another year that Emmy voters have opted not to applaud the show, which is currently airing an encore run on CBS. Perhaps they’ll be sure to tune in for next year’s nominations.

Netflix’s genre-bending comedy-drama-mystery won viewers over with its insights on grief and female friendships, as demonstrated onscreen by Christina Applegate’s curious widow. Applegate snuck into the competitive category ten years after her last nomination for “Samantha Who?”