Deciding which tune will tickle the fancy of the largest number of academy members voting in the original song category for the 96th Oscars is one of the more difficult tasks of the awards year. But one thing that can really help a song stand out from the crowd is — perhaps ironically — just what the story is behind the song, and the songwriters. Here are some of the more interesting stories already increasing the buzz for potential nominees:
Veteran songwriter Diane Warren has gone home 14 times from the Academy Awards without winning one for an actual song. (True, she was the recipient of an honorary Governors Award Oscar in November 2022, but … c’mon.) A 15th nomination in 2024 could come from either “Gonna Be You†(from “80 for Bradyâ€) or “The Fire Inside†(from “Flamin’ Hotâ€), and would tie her with Marilyn Bergman as the most-nominated female songwriter in this category. (Bergman usually wrote with her husband, Alan.) A win would be … well, a most welcome way to break that streak. We’ll put our money on “Gonna Be You,†though — the all-star singers on the tune (Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry) would completely rock the house at the March 10 awards ceremony where the songs are usually performed.
Disney’s live-action version updates, and honors, ‘Part of Your World,’ ‘Under the Sea’ and more with help from a dance company and 86-piece orchestra.
Speaking of streaks, eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken is also up for his 15th nomination in this category, with “For the First Time,†from “The Little Mermaid.†He’s the current record holder for most competitive award wins by someone still living; a new win in this category would give him two more records: He’d be the person to win the most original song Oscars, and he’d be the first person to win Oscars for two versions of the same film. Menken won his first Oscar in 1990, for both the original score and the song “Under the Sea†from the animated “The Little Mermaid.â€
Yep, there are at least two people vying to complete their EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — this year: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt. Miranda is also up (like Menken) for “For the First Time,†and Platt for tunes from “Theater Camp†(like “Camp Isn’t Homeâ€). Miranda was first nominated in 2017 for his “Moana†contribution “How Far I’ll Go†and again in 2022 for his “Encanto†song “Dos Oruguitas.†Platt, so far, has no Academy Award nominations.
Those who may not know Neil Hannon, who has contributed original songs to the upcoming “Wonka,†should keep their antennae up for this dark horse. A founder of the band the Divine Comedy, Hannon has low-key contributed songs to such films as “Lola†and “Wide Open Spaces,†as well as TV series “The IT Crowd†for years, but has no Oscar nominations. His eccentric takes in songwriting make him an intriguing contender. (And let’s remember that “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory†from 1971 generated a No. 1 hit for Sammy Davis Jr., who sang “The Candy Man.â€)
Back in 2017, Ryan Gosling and “La La Land†co-star Emma Stone (who likely will be Oscar-nominated for her “Poor Things†performance this year) chose not to perform their song “City of Stars†on the telecast. (John Legend performed the song instead, and it went on to win the Oscar for Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.) But the power of “Barbie†may make Gosling rethink singing on stage if his scene-stealing song “I’m Just Ken†gets a nomination.
Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?’, co-written with her brother Finneas O’Connell, has transcended the smash-hit film it arrived with.
Speaking of “Barbie,†another song that’s likely to make the shortlist from the blockbuster is “What Was I Made For?†written by the sibling team of Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. They won in the category in 2022 for their “No Time to Die†song from the James Bond film of the same name. A win would make them the first songwriters to win two times within three years since Tim Rice, who won in 1995 and 1997 for songs from “The Lion King†and “Evita.â€
Director Anderson, along with Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley (both of the Britpop band Pulp) has a decent chance of scoring his first Oscar win with “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)†from “Asteroid City.†He’s done well with nominations thus far — seven of them in four categories (writing, directing, animated feature, best picture) from “The Royal Tenenbaums,†“Fantastic Mr. Fox,†“Moonrise Kingdom,†“The Grand Budapest Hotel†and “Isle of Dogs†but has no wins in any category thus far.
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
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