In Contention

Tag: Best Original Song

  • Two ‘Up in the Air’ tracks join the race for Best Original Song

    George Clooney in Up in the AirWe’ve been getting you up to speed on the Best Original Song situation over the last couple of weeks.  After putting together a rough early look at some contenders, we revealed yesterday that Mary J. Blige would have a song in Lee Daniels’s “Precious.”  Today we’ve got the skinny on the music from one of the season’s most anticipated films.

    “Up in the Air,” which played like gangbusters in Telluride, will have two original tracks.  The first is a title song which runs over the closing credits and, like Blige’s “I See in Color,” it has an interesting backstory.

    After “Juno” was released in 2007, with its use of pre-existing songs and a hit soundtrack, director Jason Reitman told the first ever audience of “Up in the Air” at this weekend’s fest that he began receiving tons of music from people.  One night he was approached by a man who had recently lost his job and had written a song he thought might go well with the director’s latest film.

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  • Mary J. Blige joins the race for Best Original Song

    Mary J. BligeTwo weeks ago we were spit-balling contenders for this year’s Best Original Song category.  So far, the best bets seem to be tunes from “The Princess and the Frog,” “Nine” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”  There has been some movement since, however, so I thought it was a good time for an update.

    In that first piece, I mentioned Mariah Carey’s “100%” from Lee Daniels’s “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”  As it turns out, that song will no longer be included in the film.  Instead, a new contender has joined the fray: Mary J. Blige, whose original track “I See in Color” was included for the first time in a print of the film screened last week at Lionsgate in Santa Monica.  But it’s the story behind it’s inclusion that is most interesting.

    I’m told Blige reacted to “Precious” quite emotionally.  What she saw on the screen hit her so close to home that she became personally invested in the film and wanted to contribute in some way.  “I See in Color,” which plays during a key scene in the film (and therefore has a leg up with the music branch), is the result.

    Contenders in the original song category are beginning to firm up, so we’ll have more updates for you in the coming days.

  • WEEKLY WRAP: ‘Inception’ unwrapped, ‘Shutter’ unseated

    Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception• One day after the film’s trailer surfaced, we turned up some fresh plot information about Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Fan hysteria ensued.

    • Just in case you’d forgotten, “Shutter Island” was booted into 2010. Fan hysteria ensued.

    • To a quieter reaction, Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest” joined Scorsese’s film on the sidelines for next year.

    • In submitting “The White Ribbon,” Germany gave the foreign-language race its first major official contender.

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  • New tune contenders from ‘2012,’ ‘Wild Things’ — what else?

    Adam LambertBoy, the “Where the Wild Things Are” items are coming fast and furious this morning.  I didn’t plan it this way, I swear.

    Anyway, generally around late August I begin to start compiling a list of the original song contenders.  It’s generally the last category that begins to fall into place after all, so it’s folly to speculate from too far out (which is why you’re greeted with the “coming soon” note in the sidebar for seven months out of the year).

    A potential nominee could be in our midst with Karen O’s “All is Love” from “Where the Wild Things Are,” which you can listen to over at MySpace.  Any fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is bound to enjoy this bouncing little ditty.

    Meanwhile, Queen guitarist Brian May was apparently “blown away” by Adam Lambert’s original song for Roland Emmerich’s “2012.”  I’m sure that combination is nails on a chalkboard for more than a few people.

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  • The song, not the singer

    Penelope Cruz in NineIt’s a few days old, but I only just found this nugget buried at the tail of a (rather good) David Poland rumination on the potential demise of The Weinstein Company — and since many of you seem to be hungry for details of Rob Marshall’s “Nine,” I thought it worth sharing. Poland has been casting “Nine” as a “problem movie” for a while now, but here he elaborates slightly on his concerns:

    It has test screened… results were mixed… they face a problem with hardcore theater types being unhappy with a majority (all but 7) of the show’s songs being cut… but as “The Producers” showed, loyalty to a stage version is not necessarily a good bet.

    The film is still in post and you can be sure that all kinds of jiggering is being done, just as it was with “Chicago.” Just like “Class” in that show, there is a song on the bubble that may or may not make it. They added 3 brand new songs for the film and seriously reworked a 4th. The film is running good bit longer than “Chicago” (about 30 minutes at the last screening), though fixing that is a big part of what makes Harvey Harvey.

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  • On the Academy’s tune tribulations

    Eminem in 8 MileFor the most part, I feel like this Eric Felten op-ed (in a new weekly Wall Street Journal arts column called “De Gustibus”) has its heart in the right place.  But in chastising the Academy for all but doing away with the Best Original Song category with a recent rule change, he takes some rather cheap shots at the group for awarding, in fact, some of the most worthy movie tunes of the alst few years.

    Forgive me but I happen to think Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” to be, however on the nose, powerful additions to their respective films, and the Academy uncharacteriztically brave for singling them out.

    That having been said, it is true that members of the Academy rarely seem to recognize song work that stands the test of time.

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  • AMPAS says there might not be an original song presentation

    A.R. Rahman at the 81st annual Academy AwardsThe headline is slightly misleading, but not entirely untrue.  Following Wednesday’s big shake-up regarding the addition of five more slots in the Best Picture category (which has spurred considerable debate in John’s column today), the Academy has issued this press release indicating that, if no song receives the agreed-upon score minimum, then the category will be nixed for that year and an Oscar for Best Original Song will not be presented.

    The release, in part:

    The governors approved the Music Branch Executive Committee recommendation that if no song achieves a minimum average score of 8.25 in the nominations voting, there be no original song nominees and thus no Oscar presented for the category. If only one song achieves the required minimum, it and the song with the next highest score will be deemed the nominees. If two or more songs achieve the minimum score, they will be the nominees though no more than five nominees can be selected. Previously, the rules dictated that there be no more than five but no fewer than three nominees in the category.

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  • With the emphasis on ‘Ho’

    Here’s an, um, interesting addition to “Slumdog Millionaire’s” long list of accomplishments: how many Best Original Song winners are treated to a Pussycat Dolls remix? Words fail me.

    (Memo to Ms. Scherzinger: it’s pronounced “jye,” not “jay.”)

  • TECH SUPPORT: Postmortem

    Tech Support at In ContentionWhat can I say? It was a big night for “Slumdog Millionaire” at the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday.

    While I do like the film a great deal, I found its dominance this awards season unnecessarily monotonous.  For instance, I preferred Thomas Newman’s work in both music categories this year, but I was nonetheless very happy with A.R. Rahman’s triumphs. The music branch needs to be seriously rewired, though.  Their choices in recent years have often been bizarre and at times terrible.

    Anthony Dod Mantle’s deserved victory in the cinematography feield means that Roger Deakins is still waiting for that first statuette. (Though, might I add, as effective as the work is in “The Reader,” I would have found it slightly disappointing if Deakins had finally won this year, considering Chris Menges shot most of the movie.) I would also like to think that Wally Pfister will eventually triumph in this category, considering Pfister has received three nominations in the last four years (all on Christopher Nolan projects).

    Chris Dickens winning Best Film Editing was probably the easiest call of all the tech categories. Though I would say Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter, Elliot Graham and especially Lee Smith have built up good will with their fellow editors, while Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley must be considered in contention whenever they make a prestigious film with Ron Howard.

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  • TECH SUPPORT: Final predictions

    Tech Support at In ContentionAfter six months of Tech Support previews and interviews, the films have arrived, the nominations have been announced and the guilds, the critics and BAFTA have all announced their preferences.  Today we take a final look at the races before the envelopes are opened on Sunday.

    BEST ART DIRECTION
    After guild and BAFTA wins, I would say “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has cemented its frontrunner status in this category. Spanning decades of the 20th Century, Donald Graham Burt’s production design was impossible not to notice and gave us gorgeous backdrops for its character’s predicaments.

    The other nominees all have the odds stacked against them, whether similar work has been seen before (Michael Carlin’s “The Duchess” and Kristi Zea’s “Revolutionary Road”), is just not showy enough (Nathan Crowley’s “The Dark Knight”) or the nominee is otherwise along for the ride (James Murakami’s “Changeling”).

    Will win: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Could win: “The Duchess”
    Should win: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

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  • Peter Gabriel pulls out of performing at the Oscars

    Peter GabrielHmm, I totally agree with him on principle but at the same time, it’ll be a shame for him to not grace Oscar’s stage.  Especially since he’s likely to win the award:

    I was delighted when Down to Earth was nominated for an Oscar. I was also pleased to have been asked to perform the song in the Oscar ceremony. However, in recent discussions with the Producers, it became clear that despite there being only three nominees, only 60-65 seconds was being offered, and that was also in a medley of the three songs. I don’t feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and have decided to withdraw from performing.

    I fully respect and look forward to the Producers’ right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the film making process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created, in part, at their expense.

    I still very much look forward to attending the ceremony.

    The news first dropped at Peter Gabriel’s official website via video message, though Nikki Finke apparently thinks she had it as an exclusive.

    Somebody call up Phil Collins…

  • Oh, one more reason the Academy missed the boat this year…

    The Grammys saw fit to give Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard the award for best score soundtrack last night. The HFPA, as you know, gave The Boss a Golden Globe earlier this year. Did the Academy distinguish itself by snubbing these two works or just further prove that music branch to be off its rocker?

  • Hey voters — screw it, vote ‘Saya’ anyway

    We linked to Tom O’Neil’s story in the Oscarweb Round-up this morning, you know, the one reporting that Fox Searchlight is actually trying to get voters to spring for “Jai Ho” over “O…Saya” for fear of vote splitting.  The sad thing is the latter is the better track, and indeed, the best of the nominees.  So hey voters, don’t pay attention to what has to be considered a borderline insulting strategy (if you’re M.I.A.) and vote “O…Saya” anyway!

  • 2/7 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Laurence Mark and Bill Condon• Rochona Majumdar and Satyam Khanna discuss the “Slumdog Millionaire” controversy. [NPR]

    • Kim Voynar spotlights the Best Director category. [Movie City News]

    • David Poland spends 30 minutes with “WALL-E” writer and director Andrew Stanton. [The Hot Blog]

    • Five Oscar night surprises Mark Lisanti would like to see. [Little Gold Men]

    • Searchlight may be making a wise business decision, but they’re still abandoning the best of the nominated songs in the process. [Gold Derby]

    • Yet another “meet the Oscarcast producers” piece. [Associated Press]

  • 2/5 Oscarweb Round-up

    New Boy• Patrick Goldstein, in a well-reasoned piece that even I — a dedicated Boss fan — can’t disagree with, says Bruce Springsteen “had to stoop to conquer” Sunday night. [The Big Picture]

    • Jeffrey Wells bizarrely reviews Best Live Action Short nominee “New Boy.”  Beware careless spoilers. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Michael Cieply, reports on the on-going discussion of how to handle the Best Original Song performances, from a cost stand-point, of course. [The Carpetbagger]

    • David Carr, meanwhile, in addressing the Christian Bale situation, takes another swipe at “The Dark Knight.”  But he should really watch the film again and understand that the ending isn’t “unsatisfying,” but merely poorly integrated into the whole. [The Carpetbagger]

    • Speaking of Bale, Tom O’Neil wonders if the actor threw away his Oscar hopes for “Public Enemies” by shooting off at the mouth. [Gold Derby]

    • Dave Karger previews Saturday’s WGA awards.  “Milk” and “Slumdog” have it in the bag, right?  Anyone expecting an upset? [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Three weeks in the life of an Oscar ballot. [Little Gold Men]

    • David Fincher: “‘Benjamin Button’ was a semi-confection that became resonant.” [The Guardian]

    • Treading waters we were swimming through back when the film was set for a 2008 bow, Brad Brevet wonders if Stephen Frears’ “Chéri” is an Oscar contender.  Considering it’s Miramax’s best bet, then yeah, it probably is a contender. [Rope of Silicon]

  • The last time Taraji P. Henson was on Oscar’s stage

    I was inspired to hunt this clip down after that Three 6 Mafia item I mentioned yesterday.  Eesh, remember the awful scene recreations for the original song contenders that year?  Ouch.  Anyway, maybe Taraji will grace the stage on different auspices this year.  For now, this is what we’ve got:

    My guess is this will get yanked soon enough.  The Academy is pretty stingy with its content.

  • POLL: Who deserves it? — BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

    You know the drill.  Tell us in the sidebar poll.

  • Ways the Academy blew it, episode #4,623

    Bruce SpringsteenI haven’t really dug into the stinging Bruce Springsteen snub from eight days ago properly yet, but really, how off-the-mark could the Academy possibly be?  Not that the membership considers itself in the business of appearing relevant, but The Boss just played in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  He’s got a new album out as of Tuesday (though admittedly one of his weakest to date).  He’ll be performing in front of one of the largest audiences in the country tomorrow.

    Oh yeah, and his song was clearly the best “original song” from a movie this year.  One that combines the ethos of the central character and the performer in such a way that its existence over a credit roll simply shouldn’t have been a factor.

    Way to miss the boat.

    Of course, I thought this was going to be his second Oscar.  And maybe I’m biased, since I worship at Springsteen’s altar.  I’ve seen him play four times, once in London, and the guy simply puts on the best show in rock and roll.

    This would have been a fine way to prove yourself in the groove of what’s now, fresh, tangible.  I love the nomination of “O…Saya,” mind you.  I think it’s a much, MUCH better choice than “Jai Ho” (which never spoke to me), and of the nominees, the M.I.A./A.R. Rahman track is, I feel, the best of the lot.  And it’s hard to argue with “Down to Earth,” the likely winner (I’d imagine), but good lord.

    Am I alone here?