For the second year in a row, the Academy did not nominate any black actors to any of the 20 slots in the four acting categories. 
 
 If last year’s minority-free acting nominations led to the protest hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, this year’s all-white lineup is sure to trigger a fresh expression of outrage, #OscarsStillSoWhite. 
 
 Once again, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not nominate any black actors to any of the 20 slots in the four acting categories. 
 
 Further compounding the lack of diversity among the top categories, Straight Outta Compton, the drama about the rise of the rap group N.W.A, although it got an original screenwriting nomination, failed to earn a best picture nomination, even though the critically acclaimed movie has been recognized by other groups like SAG-AFTRA, which nominated its cast for a best ensemble award. 
 
 "It almost seems like a sequel to last year," commented Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association. "Certainly, the people who were nominated gave performances that were deserving of noms. But one would have hoped that given the nominations a film like Straight Outta Compton has received from other guilds, it would have received a best picture nomination. That just leaves you scratching your head, because there is overlap between the Academy and the other groups. So where does the disconnect take place?" 
 
 The Academy has made a concerted effort to diversify its own membership, which traditionally has been heavily older, white and male, inviting 322 new members this past July that included Selma star David Oyelowo, British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who appears in Concussion, and Compton director F. Gary Gray. And Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has also announced a new initiative called A2020 to further diversify the Academy itself and also encourage the industry to open up more opportunities for women and minorities. It's also selected Chris Rock to make his second appearance as emcee of the Oscar broadcast, which this years airs Feb. 28. 
 
 When it comes to voting for its annual awards, the Academy is at the mercy of the industry itself and whatever films are produced and released in a given year. 
 
 This year, only a handful of awards-caliber films focused on black stories, like Compton or the Africa-set Beasts of No Nation, or featured black actors in prominent roles like Will Smith in Concussion, Michael B. Jordan in Creed, Idris Elba in Beasts and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight. 
 
 Other minority performers — like the Puerto Rico-born Benicio Del Toro, who was touted as a possible best supporting actor nominee for his performance as a CIA operative with a private agenda in Sicario. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, the transgender actresses were were nominated for Spirit Awards for Tangerine — were also overlooked. 
 
 Elba was nominated by BAFTA, SAG-AFTRA and the Golden Globes for his performance as an African warlord in Beasts, and Del Toro, a past Oscar winner for Traffic, was nominated by BAFTA for Sicario. 
 
 But though the Academy itself had opportunities to recognize performers of color, it didn’t take them. 
 
 "The Academy really must redouble its efforts to be more diverse in terms of its membership," Robertson said, "because its members are seeing things through a totally different lens that every other group around town." ||||| While many Oscar hopefuls were celebrating on Thursday morning as this year's nominations were announced, other likely contenders were surprisingly left out. 
 
 Notable omissions included helmers Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg, who failed to land best directing nominations despite their films scoring nominations in other categories; Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs screenplay, left out of the best adapted screenplay category; Alex Gibney's Scientology exposé Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, which didn't receive a best documentary mention; and projected best original song frontrunner "See You Again," the Paul Walker tribute song from Furious 7, which didn't make the cut. 
 
 Read on for more on this year's noteworthy Oscar snubs. ||||| STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is an American anthem to the explosive power of art. This potent, pulsing ... More 
 
 STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is an American anthem to the explosive power of art. This potent, pulsing story of the rise and fall of N.W.A is a raging tonic for troubled times - and F. Gary Gray's ode to the strength of street knowledge stands as a celebration of talent, courage and voices rising against injustice. O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell inhabit their iconic roles as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E with righteous attitude, honoring a rich legacy while expressing themselves to a new generation. ||||| 'Straight Outta Compton' Shut Out of Oscars Except for 2 White People 
 
 'Straight Outta Compton' Shut Out of Oscars: Except for 2 White People 
 
 In a stunning move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences turned thumbs down to "Straight ﻿Outta Compton" -- the only nom it got were the screenwriters -- a white guy and a white woman. 
 
 It's amazing ... not only did the movie get overlooked for best pic, only 8 movies were nominated and there could have been 10, but clearly they didn't think the biopic passed muster. 
 
 The Academy was under a microscope for this one ... a lot of people thought this would clearly show if they were bias against black movies. 
 
 Others have beef ... 'Stars Wars' didn't get nominated for best pic, nor did J.J. Abrams for best director. ||||| Oscar Snubs: Straight Outta Compton, Johnny Depp Left Off 2016 Nominees List 
 
 Jaimie Trueblood 
 
 A24 
 
 Netflix 
 
 Disney / Pixar 
 
 RELATED: And the Award for Most Memorable Oscar Speech Goes To ... 
 
 The Weinstein Company 
 
 After some shocking oversights with last weekend's Golden Globes contenders and some surprising nods from the Screen Actors Guild , the big day has arrived: the Academy Award nominations are in!As usual, some of the year's frontrunners and favorites of critics and moviegoers alike didn't wake up to congratulatory messages. Most notably, no actors of color were tapped in the individual acting categories – the second year in a row From Johnny Depp to Straight Outta Compton, here's who and what was left out in the cold for the Oscars, which airs on Feb. 28.Straight Outta Compton was only recognized for Best Original Screenplay after surprise nominations at this season's other award derbies.The snub further exemplifies the lack of diversity among this year's top categories.The pint-size Room star scored a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild but was ignored at last weekend's Golden Globes and, now, by the Academy.At only 9, a nomination for Jacob Tremblay would have set him up to be the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award. Helen Mirren 's portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in Trumbo earned her nods from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Screen Actors Guild, but, unfortunately she won't face off against Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander.Mirren's costar Bryan Cranston , however, is nominated for his turn as the blacklisted screenwriter.Elba's portrayal of a West African battalion leader in Netflix's first feature film offering Beasts of No Nation seemed like a sure thing.Unfortunately, Cary Joji Fukunaga's gripping drama received no love from the Academy.While Sylvester Stallone has received an overwhelming amount of love for reprising his role as Rocky Balboa in Creed, the film's lead actor has been shut out of the award circuit. Jordan may be one of Hollywood's most promising rising stars, but this is the second time the 28-year-old actor has been overlooked by the Academy – he was snubbed for his breakout role in Fruitvale in 2013. Now, despite his impressive physical transformation in Creed – and the film's impressive $106 million domestic haul – he's been ignored again.Stewart received the French equivalent of the Oscar, the Cesar Award, in December 2014 for Clouds of Sils Maria. Her Best Supporting Actress trophy was the first time an American woman has ever been given the honor, so it's a surprise the Academy didn't follow suit.While 99 Homes was a sleeper hit when it was released this past September, Shannon's portrayal of a merciless real-estate broker was recognized by the Screen Actors Guild.Instead, Sylvester Stallone 's latest turn as the iconic Rocky Balboa nabbed the coveted fifth spot at the Oscars.Depp will not be up for an Academy Award, despite an eerie transformation into Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger in Black Mass and early raves for his menacing performance.While the beloved Inside Out – a big winner at the Golden Globes – scored a nod, Pixar's other 2015 offering, The Good Dinosaur, did not.The movie was Pixar and Disney's second offering of 2015 – up next is Finding Dory, the Finding Nemo spin-off, and then the third Cars installment. 2017's Coco will be the next completely new story from the studio.While Carol's stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett scored individual nominations, the film – an assumed shoo-in for Best Picture – was left off the list of eight.Instead, Bridge of Spies – which wasn't recognized in the picture category by either the Hollywood Foreign Press Association or the Screen Actors Guild – nabbed a coveted spot.While Scott's The Martian was tapped with a Best Picture nomination and a Best Actor nod for Matt Damon, the director wasn't among the five names released on Thursday.Scott has been nominated three times in the category – for Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, with no wins.Going Clear was something of a phenomenon when it debuted on HBO in 2015. The documentary, which examined life inside the Church of Scientology, garnered a ton of attention and even inspired an Saturday Night Live spoof – despite backlash from the church.While he's garnered lots of love from the Academy in years past, Tarantino went largely unnoticed for his latest effort, The Hateful Eight The auteur has been previously nominated five times, including two wins for Best Original Screenplay, but went largely overlooked this year. The Hateful Eight did receive nods for Best Supporting Actress ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ), Best Original Score and Best Cinematography, but was not nominated for Best Picture despite generating considerable buzz.Despite taking home the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Steve Jobs, Sorkin was not even nominated for the Academy's equivalent award.The wordsmith already has one gold statue under his belt for The Social Network in 2010, and was nominated again in 2012 for his adaptation of Moneyball. ||||| CLOSE Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and Gil Robertson, President of African American Film Critics Association react to this years Oscar nominations which included no black actors in any category. USA TODAY 
 
 Samuel L. Jackson is a former Union soldier turned bounty hunter in 'The Hateful Eight.' (Photo: Weinstein Company) 
 
 What this year's Academy Awards nominations boast in well-reviewed blockbusters and A-list stars, they lack in diversity across most major categories. 
 
 For the second year in a row, all 20 slots in the lead and supporting acting categories went to white actors. Last year's "whiteout" (the first since 1998) sparked social media outrage and inspired the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, which was revived Thursday in response to this year's picks. 
 
 "I thought I was watching a sequel," says Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association. "It’s almost the exact same scenario, but more offensive. ... There needs to be changes across the board. It's like beating an old horse every year." 
 
 "The Academy Awards need to do a better job at acknowledging the diversity in Hollywood right now," Fandango managing editor Erik Davis says. "There are some great performances and films out there that are just being underlooked." 
 
 Among them: Idris Elba's menacing turn as an African warlord in Beasts of No Nation. The British actor earned Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for the role, and 21 out of 24 experts at awards prognisticator GoldDerby.com expected him to receive a supporting actor nomination. 
 
 Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight), Benicio del Toro (Sicario) and Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) also missed out, though their films earned nominations in other categories (including a supporting actress nomination for Hateful's Jennifer Jason Leigh). 
 
 Earlier this awards season, Will Smith picked up a Golden Globe acting nomination for football drama Concussion, and Creed breakout Michael B. Jordan won a National Society of Film Critics Award for best actor. Still, both actors were snubbed by Oscar. 
 
 No women of color were represented in the acting fields, either. Although considered a long-shot contender, Tessa Thompson earned some critics' prizes this season for her understated work in Creed. Tangerine's transgender black stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor also received Independent Spirit Awards nominations for their performances, boosted by a history-making awards campaign from producers Mark and Jay Duplass. 
 
 Reaction to the lack of diversity came fast and furious on social media. 
 
 No love for Tangerine stars? Where's Will Smith? Why is the breakout star of 'Creed' a white dude? #Oscars still feel pretty....#Oscars2016 — Janet Mock (@janetmock) January 14, 2016 
 
 Why did the Oscars announce all the white nominees first? — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 14, 2016 
 
 All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher u climb the whiter. — Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 14, 2016 
 
 When are the black oscars? — adam pally (@adampally) January 14, 2016 
 
 The oversights may not seem surprising, considering the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: 94% white and 77% male, according to a 2012 Los Angeles Times study. Since becoming the Academy's first African-American president in 2013, Cheryl Boone Isaacs has made strides in shifting those demographics; more than 300 new members were invited to join the group last summer, many of whom are of different races, ages and ethnic backgrounds. 
 
 Speaking with USA TODAY, Isaacs expressed her frustration with this year's picks, calling them a "missed opportunity." 
 
 “I was disappointed," Isaacs says. "A lot of great work was done this year. However, we are not stopping. We are not deterred. We are moving forward, and will continue to move forward with a conversation and action. That needs to happen not just within the Academy, but the entire motion picture industry: to nurture, grow (and) promote talent, in front of or behind the camera." 
 
 This year, black filmmakers Ryan Coogler (Creed) and F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) were both considered on-the-bubble contenders, but were left out of the best director race. The only minority among the five male nominees is Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who won last year for Birdman. 
 
 The sole nominations Creed and Compton did receive were given to white men and women: Globe winner Sylvester Stallone, a best supporting actor hopeful for Creed, and Compton writers Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, for best original screenplay. 
 
 "These were worthy movies," says Deadline awards columnist and film critic Pete Hammond. "Straight Outta Compton was very popular with Academy voters, I don’t know what happened there. People are going to talk about this, there’s no question." 
 
 Herman found the lack of diversity disheartening. "There should have been more people of color represented in the nominees," he said. "There would be no script without N.W.A — without Ice Cube and Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. We were just bringing to life a story that was already happening. Hopefully, we can continue that conversation and change things." 
 
 The shutout of minorities in major categories is reminiscent of last year's Oscar race, when Martin Luther King Jr. drama Selma was nominated for best picture, but director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo were passed over. 
 
 It's a step back from the 2014 Oscar nominations, when Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) earned nods for best director. Cuaron went on to win the prize, while McQueen shared in the best picture award for Slave. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Slave) and Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) earned nods for actor and supporting actor, respectively, while Lupita Nyong'o won supporting actress for her breakout Slave performance. 
 
 The contenders were similarly more diverse in 2013, with acting nominations for Denzel Washington (Flight) and Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), and a director win for Ang Lee (Life of Pi). 
 
 Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Andrea Mandell andBrian Truitt 
 
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– Once again, every single one of the 20 actors nominated for an Oscar this year is white. The Hollywood Reporter points out a number of minority actors who were overlooked, including Benicio Del Toro in Sicario and Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation, both of whom were nominated for BAFTAs. Elba was also nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG-AFTRA. Will Smith (Concussion) and Michael B. Jordan (Creed) were also snubbed by the Oscars despite being nominated by other groups, USA Today reports, and both Concussion and Beasts were completely shut out. Furthermore, Straight Outta Compton was nominated for Original Screenplay but not for Best Picture, despite being nominated for or winning similar awards from numerous other groups. As TMZ points out, the only people from the NWA biopic to get Oscar nods were the screenwriters, who are both white. And just eight movies were nominated for Best Picture, so there was still room for the film if the Academy wanted to include it. The Hollywood Reporter and People run down other snubs. Some of the biggest surprises: Carol, seen as a "shoo-in" for Best Picture, didn't get a nomination. The Martian did get a Best Picture nod, but director Ridley Scott wasn't nominated in his category. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief was big news, but failed to get a Best Documentary nod. Steve Jobs got acting nominations, but screenwriter Aaron Sorkin wasn't nominated despite winning the Golden Globe in the category on Sunday. Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight was nominated for a number of awards, but not Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Adapted Screenplay. The Paul Walker tribute song, "See You Again," from Furious 7 was not nominated in the Best Original Song category. Helen Mirren missed out on both a potential Best Actress nod (Woman in Gold) and Best Supporting Actress nod (Trumbo).