Couples, deaf actors, and an unlikely singer mark Oscar noms

By ANDREW DALTON
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — This year’s Oscar nominations brought double acknowledgment for two sets of couples. Penelope Cruz and her husband, Javier Bardem were both nominated for acting Oscars on Tuesday. And so were Kirsten Dunst and her partner, Jesse Plemons. Andrew Garfield, who sang on screen for the first time in “tick tick…BOOM!” became the 26th man to be nominated for best actor for a role in a musical, a club he never dreamed he would join. Troy Kotsur became just the second deaf actor to be nominated for an Oscar. He got a nod for his role in “CODA.”