'12 Years a Slave' holds nine nominations for the 2014 Oscars, scheduled to air at 7 p.m. March 2.  Credit: Courtesy of MCT

’12 Years a Slave’ holds nine nominations for the 2014 Oscars, scheduled to air at 7 p.m. March 2.
Credit: Courtesy of MCT

Comedy fans rejoice, because for the first time in Oscar history, a comedic film may win best picture.

Oscar nominations came out Thursday, and it does not seem impossible for a comedy film to sweep away wins in many of the categories.

The films nominated in each category were not a surprise for me, as the nominations nearly mirror the nominees that were seen at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

“12 Years A Slave”  and “American Hustle” are nominated for the most categories, the former nominated in nine with the latter nominated in 10, so I expect for these films to see a majority of the awards.

“12 Years A Slave” is a horrific film about the life of a slave, based on a memoir of a free black man who had been sold into slavery. This dark, eye-opening film left me speechless as I left the theater.

“American Hustle” left me with mixed feelings after the showing. Though Jennifer Lawrence was spectacular as usual, it took nearly an hour into the film to get the action started. This comedic story of two con artists in the ‘70s has talented actors, and I will not be surprised if Lawrence and Amy Adams take the wins for best supporting actress and best lead actress, as they did in the Golden Globes.

The nominees for best picture include “12 Years A Slave,” “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

It  has been rumored that Sandra Bullock gave the best acting of her career in “Gravity,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” was a hit in the box office. But my picks for the best picture of the year come between a comedy and a drama: “American Hustle” and “12 Years A Slave.”

Though “American Hustle” and “12 Years A Slave” are my expected wins in most of the categories, I have a glimmer of hope for my personal favorite film of the year, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” to take home some of the awards.

As for best actor, I think it is finally Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn to win for his hilarious and stunning performance in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” I spent all three hours of this film laughing in the theater at DiCaprio’s character.

A film about the life of an investment broker on Wall Street, DiCaprio perfectly portrays his typical role as a beautiful, wealthy and arrogant man. Though the film may be too racy to win best picture, I have high hopes that DiCaprio will win best actor.

Comedies “American Hustle” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” are my hopefuls for the wins at this year’s Oscars. With 86 years of the Oscars being saturated with wins in the drama genre, it is time to shine light on the comedic community.

The Oscars are slated to air at 7 p.m. March 2, hosted by the talented Ellen DeGeneres.