Christian Bale — who lashed out at Republicans during a Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this month — is among the nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards. The actor on Tuesday picked up the Oscar nomination in the "Leading Actor" category for his role as former Vice President Dick Cheney in the biopic “Vice.” Amy Adams, who plays the ex-VP’s wife, Lynne Cheney in the film, also received a “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” nomination, while Sam Rockwell was among the "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" nominees for playing former President George W. Bush. ADVERTISEMENT While accepting an award at the Golden Globes earlier this month, 44-year-old Bale referred to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSchumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission GOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene MORE (R-Ky.) and Cheney as “charisma-free assholes.” Bale said with a smile that “Vice’s” writer and director, Adam McKay, was tasked with casting somebody “who can be absolutely charisma-free and reviled by everybody.” Bale also added, “Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration on how to play this role.” The academy recognized a slew of projects featuring many different faces just four years after the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite became popularized as a criticism of a lack of diversity among the nominees and winners. Veteran filmmaker Spike Lee picked up his first-ever “Best Director” and “Best Picture” nominations for his movie, “BlacKkKlansman.” Lee is just the sixth black filmmaker to be nominated in the directing category. “Black Panther” also became the first superhero movie ever nominated in the “Best Picture” category. Other “Best Picture” contenders include: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” “Roma,” “Vice” and “A Star is Born.” The Academy Awards airs Feb. 24 on ABC.<doc-sep>Bohemian Rhapsody: Official trailer released FREE now and never miss the top Royal stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top Royal stories again. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. At 1:20pm UK time, the 2019 Oscars nominations will be announced and it almost goes without saying that Bohemian Rhapsody’s Freddie Mercury star Rami Malek will be nominated alongside Vice’s Dick Cheney actor Christian Bale. Meanwhile, A Star Is Born’s Bradley Cooper and a couple of others like Willem Dafoe and Viggo Mortensen are also likely to make the category. But really film fans closely watching this awards season know it’s a two horse race between Malek and Bale. But who will win? Well, both stars have already won in other major awards ceremonies this year. Malek took Best Drama Actor at the Golden Globes, while Bale won Best Comedy/Musical Actor on the same night. But come the Critics’ Choice Awards and Bale picked up Best Comedy Actor and then beat Malek in the Best Actor category. While we’re still waiting for the results of the Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTAs, in which they’re up against each other too. Oscars 2019: Bohemian Rhapsody’s Rami Malek and Christian Bale on SAME odds for Best Actor Who will take the Best Actor Oscar? But when it comes to their Best Actor Oscars odds, they’re neck-and-neck. Previously Malek was storming ahead and was odds on to win with Coral bookmakers, but now both he and Bale are 5-4 to win, while Bradley Cooper is just behind on 5-1. Malek does have a slight advantage overall though since he won the Best Drama Actor Golden Globe and every winner of that gong since 2013 has gone on to win the Oscar. Meanwhile, both he and Bale have the favour of having played historical figures. The Oscars nominations are announced at 1:20pm UK time<doc-sep>Vice (2018 movie) Close this dialog window Streaming Options On Feb. 24, winners will be crowned at the 91st Academy Awards. But before the red carpet is rolled out and envelopes are opened, Entertainment Weekly has inside intel on the 2019 nominees. Keep checking back at EW.com this week for spotlights on contenders in all the major categories. Christian Bale Starring In: Vice Age: 45 Oscar past: 3 nominations, 1 win Role call: Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Christian Bale made headlines by gaining 40 pounds and bleaching his eyebrows to transform into Vice’s Dick Cheney. But the Oscar Best Actor nominee also used a subtler trick to bring life to his performance: his breathing. Through wheezing and groaning, Bale plays the former VP as a man rotting from the inside, undermined by his failing heart and the moral compromises he makes to hold on to his power. (It also brings to mind Cheney’s most famous nickname: Darth Vader.) Bale didn’t initially think he was the right choice to play the now-78-year-old Cheney, but after reading Adam McKay’s script and immersing himself in research, he found he couldn’t stop thinking about the politician. “And there’s always that great idea that the next project you do might be your last because you balls it up so badly that nobody will ever hire you again,” Bale says with a laugh. “So that’s always a seduction.” Close this dialog window Streaming Options Related content:<doc-sep>
“Vice” was nominated for several Academy Awards on Tuesday morning. The film about Dick Cheney received nominations for the eight following awards: Best Picture Best Director (Adam McKay) Best Actor (Christian Bale) Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Amy Adams) Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Sam Rockwell) Best Film Editing Best Makeup and Hairstyling Best Original Screenplay I’m not sure how many of you saw this movie, but it’s worth checking out for the performances alone. I can’t speak to all the categories at the Oscars, but it will be a crime if Bale doesn’t win Best Actor for his portrayal of the former vice president. (RELATED: This Film Is The Heavy Favorite To Win The Oscar For Best Picture) As somebody told me after seeing the film, they wanted to be Dick Cheney after Bale’s acting performance. I don’t care what your politics are. Bale might be the best actor in the game right now, and his role in “Vice” is only the latest proof for all of us to analyze. The man was captivating as all hell on the screen in this movie. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vice Movie (@vicemovie) on Dec 27, 2018 at 12:00pm PST Was the movie a little bit over the top? Of course. Was it biased? Of course. Nobody is going to try to debate otherwise, and people should realize that when walking through the door. However, that doesn’t mean Bale and several other people on the list above don’t deserve those awards. Trust me, they absolutely do, and I think most people who see the film will agree. You can watch the Oscars Feb. 24 on ABC. Follow David Hookstead on Twitter