I didn’t get my invite to the gala for this year’s Academy Awards, which will be given in person, two months later than usual, due to the pandemic. Still, what a wonderful signal that things are getting back to normal. Maybe. Chances are the participants and attendees will wear bling-festooned face masks, which should be fun to see.

This year’s awards offers many firsts – the first all-Black producing team nominated for best picture with “Judas and the Black Messiah,” the first Muslim actor – Riz Ahmed – as Best Actor nominee for “The Sound of Metal,” and Steven Yeun, nominated for his leading role in Minari, as the first Asian-American to be nominated in that category.

Here is the complete list of nominees.

Hurray for (Older) Hollywood

The good news, according to our Hollywood correspondent, Gill Pringle is that this is a pretty good year for older people in The Industry:

Actor in as Lead Role: Anthony Hopkins, 83 & Gary Oldman, 63

Actress in a Lead Role: Frances McDormand, 63

Actor in a Supporting Role: Paul Raci, 72

Actress in a Supporting Role: Glenn Close, 74 & Yuh-Jung Youn, 73

“So that makes it 6 seniors out of 20 lead and supporting Oscar nominations. Almost a third of all those crucial four categories are seniors.”

Of course, the standout category is Best Picture.  Which do you think will get the statuette?  Take our poll and let us know your opinions in the comments if you’ve seen any of them!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.