“LA La Land” will be the one to beat at this year’s Oscars, having scored a record-equaling 14 nominations. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are up for best actor and actress for their roles in the modern musical romance. It is also one of nine films up for the best picture award. Sci-fi film “Arrival” and coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” have eight nominations each. The 14 nominations of “La La Land” put it on the same footing as “All About Eve” and “Titanic,” which both received 14 nominations in 1951 and 1998 respectively. It is now the most nominated musical in Oscar history, having topped the 13 nods that “Mary Poppins” and “Chicago” received. Damien Chazelle is nominated both for his direction and original screenplay, while his film has two nominations in the best song category. The film, which received 11 Bafta nominations earlier this month, gets additional nods for its score, editing and cinematography. It is also shortlisted for its costume and production design and for its sound editing and mixing. Yet its double best song nomination means it is unlikely to pull off a clean sweep — unless, that is, there is a tie in that category. “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and the third “Lord of the Rings” film share the record for Oscar wins, having each won 11 awards. “Fences,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Hell or High Water,” “Hidden Figures,” “Lion” and “Manchester by the Sea” join “Arrival,” “La La Land” and “Moonlight” on the best picture shortlist. Britain’s Andrew Garfield is nominated alongside Gosling in the best actor category for his role in war drama “Hacksaw Ridge.” Casey Affleck, Viggo Mortensen and Denzel Washington are also shortlisted for “Manchester by the Sea,” “Captain Fantastic” and “Fences” respectively. Meryl Streep gets her 20th Oscar nomination, in the best actress category, for her role in “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga and France’s Isabelle Huppert are also in contention for their roles in “Jackie,” “Loving” and “Elle.” In a statement, Stone said she was “so grateful” for her best actress nomination and “overjoyed” “La La Land” had “connected with audiences.” Harris is joined in the supporting actress category by “Fences” star Viola Davis and Michelle Williams of “Manchester by the Sea.” Williams said making the film was “incredibly rewarding” and that it was “truly an honor to be included among such amazing women.” Previous Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer also receive nominations for “Lion” and “Hidden Figures.” “Lion” tells the true story of an Indian-born man who, having been adopted and raised in Tasmania, uses Google Earth to find the family he was parted from as a child. In a statement, Kidman thanked Ampas (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) “for all of the acknowledgements you have given this heartfelt film.” “But, most importantly, I want to thank the Brierley family for putting themselves in such a vulnerable place and sharing their story with the world.” Mahershala Ali of “Moonlight,” Lucas Hedges of “Manchester by the Sea” and Jeff Bridges of “Hell or High Water” are also up for best supporting actor. The lineup is completed by Michael Shannon, a surprise nominee for his role as a grizzled sheriff in Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals.” Many had expected his British co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson to be nominated following his triumph at the Golden Globes earlier this month. Shannon said: “I am thrilled! Loved making this film. I would work with Tom Ford anytime, anywhere.” If Chazelle wins best director, he will be the youngest person ever to receive the award. Mel Gibson is also up for the director prize, as is Denis Villeneuve of “Arrival,” Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” and Kenneth Lonergan of “Manchester by the Sea.” Gibson, shortlisted for “Hacksaw Ridge,” is the only previous Oscar winner to be shortlisted, though both Chazelle and Lonergan have been previously nominated for their writing. Non-white talent is well-represented in this year’s acting nominations, with at least one non-white actor included in each of the four categories. This contrasts with 2015 and 2016’s nominations, which were criticized for having all-white lineups in the acting categories. Other familiar names to have received nominations include pop star Justin Timberlake, who is up for best song for his chart-topping “Trolls” track “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” Sting’s citation in that category comes for “The Empty Chair.” The song appeared in “Jim: The James Foley Story,” a documentary about the American photojournalist killed by Islamic State militants in 2014. “How Far I’ll Go,” from Disney animation “Moana,” joins “La La Land” tracks “Audition” and “City of Stars” on the five-strong best song shortlist. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote “How Far I’ll Go,” celebrated his nomination with a series of Twitter emojis. Moana gets a second nomination for best animated feature alongside fellow Disney release “Zootopia.” French film “My Life As a Zucchini,” Japanese animation “The Red Turtle” and U.S. release “Kubo and the Two Strings” are also shortlisted. “Kubo” gets an additional nomination in the visual effects category — the first animated film to do so since 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Films from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Iran and Sweden make up the shortlist in the best foreign language film category. They include the German comedy “Toni Erdmann” and “Tanna,” the first film shot entirely in the group of South Pacific islands known as “Vanuatu,” which is Australia’s entry. The best score category sees Britain’s “Mica Levi” shortlisted for her work on Jacqueline Kennedy biopic “Jackie.” Her competition includes “Thomas Newman,” who receives his 14th Oscar nomination for his work on “Passengers.” The nominees also include the late playwright August Wilson, up for best adapted screenplay for Denzel Washington’s film “Fences.” U.S. comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host this year’s Oscar ceremony Feb. 26.(SD-Agencies) | 