Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Billie Eilish,
H.E.R.,
Brian Wilson and
Lin-Manuel Miranda are among the songwriters whose songs from films have made the
Oscar shortlist for the five nomination slots.
Eilish and
FINNEAS’
James Bond theme, “No Time to Die,” is a front-runner for Best Original Song, having already won a
Grammy and a
Golden Globe. And last year’s winner, H.E.R., has made the cut of 15 finalists with “Automatic Woman” from
Bruised.
The list is big on pop star power:
Beyoncé has “Be Alive” from
King Richard;
Jay-Z, along with
Kid Cudi and
Jeymes Samuel, has “Guns Go Bang” from
The Harder They Fall; and
Ariana Grande and
Kid Cudi (with
Nicholas Britell and
Taura Stinson) are vying with “Just Look Up” from
Don’t Look Up.
Beach Boys creative genius Wilson, whose “Right Where I Belong” is in the documentary
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, is one of several veteran acts under consideration.
Carole King is in the running with the number she wrote with
Jennifer Hudson and
Jamie Hartman for the
Aretha Franklin biopic
Respect, “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”;
Sparks has “So May We Start?” from
Annette; and
Van Morrison penned “Down to Joy” for
Belfast.
Diane Warren, a 12-time Oscar nominee who has yet to win, has “Somehow You Do” from
Four Good Days.
Miranda will EGOT if he wins for “Dos Oruguitas” from the suddenly hot soundtrack to
Disney’s
Encanto. The other contender heard in an animated film is
U2’s “Your Song Saved My Life” from
Sing 2.
Oscar winners
Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul return with “The Anonymous Ones” from
Dear Evan Hansen. Marius de Vries and
Sian Heder’s song for
CODA, “Beyond the Shore,” and
Idina Menzel’s “Dream Girls” from
Cinderella have been slotted in as well.
Three music-related films made the documentary shortlist,
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Questlove’s
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) and
Todd Haynes’
The Velvet Underground.
The
Motion Picture Academy will announce the nominations on 2/8.