8 Unusual facts about this year's Academy Awards

On Sunday comes the biggest night of the year in film: the 91st Academy Awards. It's hard to believe it's been almost a century since the first Oscar was handed out, but almost 100 years on, the ceremony continues to astound us with its many twists and turns and shock winners and losers.

But the 2019 award ceremony, in particular, will be special in more ways than one, and has an abundance of fascinating facts to offer us. For example, did you know all four of the acting prizes in 2019 could be for portrayals of lesbian, gay or bisexual characters? Or did you hear that Lady Gaga is up against her namesake? Enjoy these eight intriguing facts about this year's Academy Awards.

1. Glenn Close - who is nominated for her role in The Wife - is the actress with the most Oscar nominations to her name without a win

Her six previous nominations are for her roles in films including Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs and The Big Chill. Can she finally do it this year though?

Credit: Getty

2. Roma's star Yalitza Aparicio had never acted before when she was cast

Other stars to score a Best Actress Oscar nomination with their first movie include Quvenzhane Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Gabourey Sidibe for Precious and Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit.

Credit: Getty

3. All four of the acting prizes in 2019 could be for portrayals of lesbian, gay or bisexual characters

The Oscars often follow in the footsteps of the Baftas, where the winning actors were: Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz who played lesbian lovers in The Favourite, Mahershala Ali whose portrayal of Don Shirley in Green Book carried references to his homosexual encounters, and Rami Malek played Freddie Mercury, who was bisexual.

Credit: 20th Century Fox

4. Mary Poppins Returns hasn't received quite as much recognition as the original

Emily Blunt's sequel has four Oscar nominations - two for its music, plus best costume design and best production design - while Julie Andrews' original version won five of the 13 Oscars it was nominated for.

Credit: Getty

5. Lady Gaga is up against her namesake

Gaga took her stage name from the Queen song Radio Gaga. More than 10 years later, her film A Star Is Born will fight it out in the Best Picture category with Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Credit: Getty

6. Mahershala Ali could make history

Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Moonlight two years ago. This year he is nominated for the same award, and if he succeeds, it will be the fastest an actor has won the same Oscar twice since Tom Hanks, who won Best Actor in 1993 (for Forrest Gump) and 1994 (Philadelphia).

Credit: Getty

7. Can Incredibles 2 pull off something super?

Sequels have rarely won in the Best Animated Feature category since the Oscars introduced it in 2001. The last sequel to do it was 2010's Toy Story 3, but can Incredibles 2 manage it this year?

Credit: Walt Disney Studios

8. Films don't need to  be released during awards season to grab attention from the Academy

Get Out was released nearly a year before the Oscars ceremony it was nominated at and this year sees nods for Black Panther, which was released last March, and BlackKklansman, which hit screens last August.

Credit: Walt Disney Studios

Have these facts got you all riled up for Sunday night? We can't wait!