Oscars 2015: Selma's director, The Lego Movie snubbed

An acting "King" David Oyelowo was denied the throne. A chance for history in the directing category the nomination of ablack woman, Ava DuVernay -- was missed. But Selma,which earneda best picture nod despite those omissions, wasn't the only filmThursday to feel the sting of an Oscar snub. Everything was NOTawesome for The Lego Movie,either.

No worries, though: DirectorPhil Lord displayed his own Oscar, made of Lego bricks, on Twitter.Will the others denied their Oscar moment have an equally wittyresponse? That remains to be seen. Here are some of Oscar's biggestsnubs and surprises:

Snub: A King denied

The most glaring omission in the acting categories was Oyelowo;the British star of Selmahad been widely praised for hisrestrained and layered performance as Martin Luther King Jr. It wasone of the standouts in a year of excellent portrayals of real-lifecharacters (in fact, four of five best-actor nominees were playing areal-life roles.)

Snub: and directing history, too

Snub: Lego dismantled

That sound you heard when the animated film nominees wereannounced was millions of Lego concoctions being dismantled andtossed to the floor in disgust. No nomination forThe LegoMovie?Really?

Surprise: Cooper sets aim on Oscar

While not really a shock, Bradley Cooper's nod for playing NavySEAL sniper Chris Kyle in the late-surging American Sniperhisthird career nomination surprised some who thought theheavyweight-packed best actor field was just too tight. It's beenquite a few months for Cooper: He's starring on Broadway, he justturned 40, and now he has to get the tux out again.

Surprise: Marion, encore!

French actress Marion Cotillard is no stranger to Oscar: She wonin 2008 for playing Edith Piaf. But her nod for the Belgian drama Two Days, One Nightdespite the film being left out of theforeign-language film category was a mild though pleasantsurprise, and she edged out contenders like Amy Adams in BigEyes,Jennifer Aniston in Cakeand Emily Blunt in Into theWoods.

Snub: Speaking of Adams...

Adams' snub was particularly noticeable since she just won aGolden Globe. At the Oscars, she's the perennial bridesmaid,nominated five times without a win. This year, she's not in thewedding party. Other acting snubs included Jake Gyllenhaal, socreepy in Nightcrawler.

Snub: Foxcatcher doesn't catch a best pic nod

Steve Carell scored a best actor nod, and Mark Ruffalo asupporting actor nomination. Foxcatcheralso scored nominationsfor best director (Bennett Miller) and original screenplay. So whywasn't it nominated for best picture? Adding to the confusion:American SniperDID get a best picture nod, but director ClintEastwood was left out in the sandstorm.

Snub: Life Itself

The late critic Roger Ebert, subject of the documentary LifeItself,was much loved, and director Steve James is highlyrespected. But that didn't help the film get a best-documentary nodeven though Hollywood loves movies about the movies.