Nairobi, Jan. 14 -- Dark comic book tale "Joker" topped the Oscar nominations Monday, picking up 11 nods including best picture and best director, as women and ethnic minorities were largely shut out once again.
The pre-dawn Academy Award announcement capped months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, revealing which stars and movies have a shot at Hollywood's ultimate prize next month.
Todd Phillips's "Joker," a bleak, arthouse origin story about Batman's nemesis starring Joaquin Phoenix, was just ahead of three films.
Quentin Tarantino's 1960s Tinseltown homage "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," Sam Mendes's World War I odyssey "1917" and Martin
Scorsese's "The Irishman" each earned 10 nominations, including best pictur...