State Champ Radio Academy Awards
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If you were expecting to see live performances of the five best original song nominees on the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, be prepared for something different this year.
Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and Janet Yang, Academy president, sent a letter to Academy members on Wednesday (Jan. 22) in which they said, “This year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.”
This is reminiscent of something the Grammy Awards did in 1981, when they had the songwriters of the song of the year nominees perform and discuss the nominated songs. As David Wild wrote in the 2007 book And the Grammy Goes To… The Official Story of Music’s Most Coveted Award, “One innovative moment came at the end of the show. Many years before shows like MTV’s Unplugged or VH1’s Storytellers, this Grammy show presented a group of songwriters nominated for song of the year – including Amanda McBroom (‘The Rose’), Christopher Cross (‘Sailing’), Fred Ebb and John Kander (‘New York, New York’), Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore (‘Fame’) and Lionel Richie (‘Lady’) – to both explain and perform stripped-down versions of the songs. It was a vivid reminder of the power of the songwriter.”
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In their letter to academy members, Kramer and Yang also wrote “We are thrilled to bring back our ‘Fab 5’ moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees.” This refers to a technique first used on the 2009 Oscar telecast and revived last year, in which five previous winners in each of the four acting categories take turns lauding this year’s nominees.
(In a press conference days before the 2024 Oscars telecast, Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner of the 2024 and 2025 Oscars, said he loved those introductions on the 2009 show and revived the idea. “It was this lovely storytelling,” he said. “And, again, it came down to connection. It was past winners speaking to present nominees, and just that lovely connection and that human interaction.”)
Kramer and Yang also said that the show will pay tribute to Los Angeles, which has experienced devastating wildfires in recent weeks. “We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.”
Here’s the letter from Kramer and Yang in full:
Dear Academy members,
Our deepest thanks to all of you for your compassion and support over the last few weeks. Our thoughts remain with those who were impacted by the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires. If you would like to join the Academy in supporting the ongoing relief efforts, please click here for a list of aid resources.
After continued consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, planning continues for the 97th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 2. This year’s Oscars will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.
As a reminder, our 97th Oscars Nominations will be announced tomorrow, January 23, at 5:30am PT via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook), ABC’s Good Morning America, and ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. American Sign Language (ASL) services will be available on YouTube.
As a precursor to tomorrow’s announcement, we wanted to share a little bit about this year’s show. Hosted by the incredible Conan O’Brien, our 97th Oscars will be a celebration of connection and collaboration – honoring the unifying spirit and creative synergy of moviemaking. We will highlight the transformative power of the teamwork that brings cinematic visions to life.
As part of this, we are thrilled to bring back our “Fab 5” moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees. Also, this year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.
And we will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.
There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future. We hope you will tune in tomorrow morning to watch the Nominations Announcement, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Academy and our film community. We are stronger together.
Bill Kramer and Janet Yang
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced updates to its 2025 Oscars key dates and schedule of events due to the impact of the Los Angeles-area fires. The Oscar telecast is still set for March 2, but the nominations announcement is being delayed for the second time to Jan. 23 — and will now be held virtually. The Oscars nominees luncheon, always an A-list event, will not be held this year.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.
“Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.
“Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry.
“Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts.
“We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.”
Updates are outlined as follows:
The nominations voting period is extended through Friday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. PT. The voting window was originally set to close on Sunday, Jan. 12. That was pushed back to Tuesday, Jan. 14, before being pushed back again today.
The nominations announcement is rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 a.m. PT. The live announcement will be a virtual event without in-person media coverage. The nominations were originally set to be announced on Friday, Jan. 17, which was pushed back to Sunday, Jan. 19, before being pushed back again today.
The Oscars nominees luncheon, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10, will not be held this year.
The Scientific and Technical Awards, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, will be rescheduled to a later date yet to be determined.
The Academy stresses that all dates are subject to change.
The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien for the first time, will still be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Due to the wind-whipped fires that have spread across the Los Angeles area in the last 24 hours, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has extended the Oscar nominations voting window by two days and also delayed the announcement of the 97th annual Oscar nominations by two days. Academy CEO Bill Kramer wrote […]
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In December, Robbie Williams‘ film biopic Better Man (Paramount Pictures) was released in cinemas globally, telling the story of the British pop icon, albeit with Williams replaced by a CGI monkey.
The film covers Williams’ rise to fame as a teenager in pop band Take That, his decision to go solo in 1995, his various controversies and struggles with addiction, his recovery and time in the limelight. The film was directed and co-written by The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey and divided critics and fans for its use of the CGI character instead of a traditional actor.
Better Man includes a number of Williams’ greatest hits including “Angels,” “Rock DJ,” and “She’s The One.” A new composition, “Forbidden Road,” is also featured in the movie, and last year was nominated for the Golden Globes as well as being shortlisted for best original song at the 2025 Oscars (March 2).
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That song, however, was eventually removed from the shortlist last month on the grounds that it incorporated material from an existing song that was not written for the film in which it appears. Williams co-wrote the song with Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences deemed that it shared similarities to “I Got a Name,” a 1973 ballad written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox for the Jeff Bridges film The Last American Hero. (The late Jim Croce had a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song.) In a statement to its members about the removal of the track, The Academy said: “This is a decision that both honors our rules and protects the special nature of the Original Song and Score categories.”
The song remained a nominee for best original song at Sunday night’s (Jan. 5) 82nd Golden Globes, where Williams walked the red carpet. Speaking to Deadline, he responded to the disqualification of the song from the Oscars shortlist. Watch the full interview below.
“Listen, the rules is the rules and you have to go by them. It would have been nice, but also as an introvert, it’s another party I don’t have to go to,” he said. “I went through it, I’m on the other side. It’s all good.”
Williams’ song lost the award at the Golden Globes to “El Mal,” co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard for the film Emilia Pérez, which also scooped best motion picture, musical or comedy.
Later this year, Williams will embark on a massive European tour and recently told NME that he was working on a new album which featured contributions from Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
Robbie Williams’ song “Forbidden Road” was removed from the 2025 Oscar shortlist for best original song on the grounds that song incorporates material from an existing song that was not written for the film in which it appears, Better Man (Paramount Pictures). Williams co-wrote the song with Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will not replace the song on the shortlist. Members of the music branch will choose the five nominees from a shortlist of 14 songs, rather than the customary 15.
The song is nominated for a Golden Globe for best original song. It is still listed on the Globes site as a nominee, though it has already been removed from the list of shortlisted songs that appears on the Oscars site.
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Here’s the text of a letter sent to Academy’s music branch members from the branch’s executive committee, explaining the decision:
“Dear Music Branch members,
The shortlisted Original Song achievement, “Forbidden Road,” from the film BETTER MAN, incorporates material from an existing song that was not written for this film.
The Music Branch Executive Committee has met and reviewed materials. It was determined the achievement does not meet the 97th Awards Rules criteria for eligibility in the Original Song category: An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. [Rule Eighteen, Section 1-B].
Therefore, the song has been deemed ineligible for award consideration for the 97th Oscars and will be removed from the Academy’s shortlist in the Original Song category.
This is a decision that both honors our rules and protects the special nature of the Original Song and Score categories.
Sincerely,
The Music Branch Executive Committee”
The Oscars run a very tight ship. Eleven years ago, a nominated songwriter, Bruce Broughton, was overzealous in promoting his song, running afoul of Academy regulations. The Academy rescinded the nomination. The explanation of what happened still appears on the Oscar site all these years later: “After the nominations were announced on January 16, 2014, it was determined that Mr. Broughton had taken actions in promoting the song that were inconsistent with the Academy’s campaign regulations. The Board of Governors voted to rescind the nomination on January 29, and only four songs were included on the final ballot.”
Better Man will have a limited release opening on Christmas Day. It will go wide on Jan. 10. Williams is portrayed by a computer-generated monkey in this film about his life which was co-written, produced and directed by Michael Gracey.
Eno, a documentary about legendary British musician Brian Eno, is shortlisted for an Oscar for best documentary feature. Gary Hustwit directed the film.
Eno, 76, has won seven Grammys for producing records by U2 and Coldplay. In 1993, he and his partner Daniel Lanois won a Grammy for producer of the year (non-classical) in a tie with Babyface & L.A. Reid. Eno was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of Roxy Music.
The documentary feature shortlist also includes Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, a film about the political activities of jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach during the Cold War. Johan Grimonprez directed the film.
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Will & Harper, the Netflix film about a cross-country road trip starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele is also on the shortlist. The film, directed by Josh Greenbaum, features Kristen Wiig’s “Harper and Will Go West,” which is shortlisted for best original song.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, best original score and best documentary feature on Tuesday (Dec. 17).
A total of 169 features vied to make the shortlist for documentary feature film. Just 15 made it. Among the music-focused films that failed to make the shortlist: Elton John: Never Too Late; The Greatest Night in Pop, about the recording session that produced “We Are the World”; I Am: Celine Dion; Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All; Luther: Never Too Much (about Luther Vandross); Mad About the Boy – The Noel Coward Story; Music by John Williams; Piece by Piece, about and featuring music by Pharrell Williams; and The World According to Allee Willis.
Also passed over: Following Harry, about Harry Belafonte’s social justice work; Studio One Forever (about the L.A. nightclub that is described as “America’s first gay disco”) and Flipside (about a comical attempt to save a New Jersey record store).
Here’s a complete list of this year’s 15 shortlisted films for documentary (feature).
Shortlisted Films
The Bibi FilesBlack Box DiariesDahomeyDaughtersEnoFridaHollywoodgateNo Other LandPorcelain WarQueendomThe Remarkable Life of IbelinSoundtrack to a Coup d’EtatSugarcaneUnionWill & Harper
Nominations-round voting runs from Jan. 8-12. Nominations will be announced Jan. 17. Final-round voting runs from Feb. 11-18. The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. The show will also stream live on Hulu for the first time.
Two composing teams are on the Oscar shortlist for best original score, along with 18 individual composers.
Clément Ducol and Camille are shortlisted for their work on Emilia Pérez (Netflix); Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are shortlisted for Challengers. A second Reznor/Ross score, Queer, didn’t make the cut. The Nine Inch Nails members have won two Oscars in this category, for The Social Network and Soul, the latter a collaboration with Jon Batiste.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released shortlists in 10 categories, including best original score, best original song, and best documentary feature on Tuesday (Dec. 17). The number of shortlisted scores jumped from 15 to 20 this year, on the grounds that there are so many entries in this category. This year, 145 scores were eligible in the category, compared to 89 songs in the best original song category. (The number of shortlisted songs remained at 15.)
Hans Zimmer in on the score shortlist for his work on Steve McQueen’s Blitz. Zimmer might have had two scores on the shortlist, but his score for Dune: Part Two was ruled ineligible due to exceeding the Academy’s limit on pre-existing music. Academy rules state: “In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20% of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.” Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two incorporates substantial elements from his Oscar-winning score for 2021’s Dune.
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Dune: Part Two was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for best original score. The other scores that are nominated for those two awards were all shortlisted for Oscars – Daniel Blumberg’s The Brutalist, Reznor & Ross’ Challengers, Volker Bertelmann’s Conclave, Ducol & Camille’s Emilia Pérez and Kris Bowers’ The Wild Robot.
John Powell’s score for Wicked made the shortlist. The film is closing in on Mamma Mia! as the top-grossing film ever adapted from a Broadway musical.
Andrea Datzman is shortlisted for Inside Out 2. With this release, Datzman became the first woman to score a Pixar feature film.
Here’s a complete list of this year’s 20 shortlisted scores for best original score:
Shortlisted
Alien: Romulus (20th Century Studios) – Benjamin Wallfisch
Babygirl (A24) – Critobal Tapia de Veer
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures) – Danny Elfman
Blink Twice (Amazon MGM Studios) – Chanda Dancy
Blitz (Apple Original Films) — Hans Zimmer
The Brutalist (A24) — Daniel Blumberg
Challengers (Amazon MGM) — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave (Focus Features) — Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez (Netflix) — Clément Ducol, Camille
The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM) — Tamar-kali
Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) — Harry Gregson-Williams
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (New Line Cinema) – John Debney
Inside Out 2 (Pixar) — Andrea Datzman
Nosferatu (Focus Features) – Robin Carolan
The Room Next Door (Sony Pictures Classics) — Alberto Iglesias
Sing Sing (A24) — Bryce Dessner
The Six Triple Eight (Netflix) – Aaron Zigman
Wicked (Universal Pictures) – John Powell
The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation) — Kris Bowers
Young Woman and the Sea (Walt Disney Pictures) — Amelia Warner
And here are some of the highly-touted scores that were passed over for the shortlist.
Not Shortlisted
Deadpool & Wolverine (Marvel Studios) — Rob Simonsen
Drive-Away Dolls (Focus Features) — Carter Burwell
Flow (Janus Films/Sideshow) — Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zalupe
Hard Truths (Bleecker Street) — Gary Yershon
Here (Sony Pictures) — Alan Silvestri
IF (Paramount Pictures) — Michael Giacchino
I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics) — Warren Ellis
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films) — Elena Kats-Chernin
Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures) — Nicholas Britell, Dave Metzger, Pharrell Williams
Moana 2 (Walt Disney Pictures) — Mark Mancina, Opetaia Foaʻi
The Piano Lesson (Netflix) — Alexandre Desplat
Queer (A24) — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Saturday Night (Sony Pictures) — Jon Batiste
September 5 (Paramount Pictures) — Lorenz Dangel
The Substance (Mubi) — Raffertie
Transformers One (Paramount Pictures) — Brian Tyler
We Live in Time (A24) — Bryce Dessner
Nominations-round voting runs from Jan. 8-12. Nominations will be announced Jan. 17. Final-round voting runs from Feb. 11-18. The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. The show will also stream live on Hulu for the first time.
For the first time since the Oscars were first televised in 1953, the 2025 edition of the granddaddy of all award shows will stream live on Hulu for all subscribers, in addition to airing live on ABC. Many award shows, even those still airing on broadcast networks, have taken on streaming partners in recent years. […]
Numerous music documentaries are among 169 features that are vying for Oscar nominations for documentary feature film.
Music docs on the entry list include Elton John: Never Too Late; Eno (about Brian Eno); I Am: Celine Dion; Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All; Luther: Never Too Much (about Luther Vandross); Mad About the Boy – The Noel Coward Story; Music by John Williams; Piece by Piece (about Pharrell Williams); and The World According to Allee Willis.
John Williams is a five-time Oscar winner for his scores. Pharrell Williams has been nominated twice – best original song for “Happy from Despicable Me 2 and as a producer of best picture nominee Hidden Figures. Elton John is a two-time Oscar-winner for best original song.
The Greatest Night in Pop, the Netflix film about the 1985 recording session that produced “We Are the World,” is also on the eligible list. The much-decorated film was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special and is a current Grammy nominee for best music film.
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Also eligible: Following Harry, about Harry Belafonte’s social justice work; Studio One Forever (about the L.A. nightclub that is described as “America’s first gay disco”) and Flipside (about a comical attempt to save a New Jersey record store).
Non-music, but music-adjacent, docs that are eligible in the category include Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, Jim Henson Idea Man and Remembering Gene Wilder.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences notes that “Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.”
Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Academy also announced feature films eligible for consideration in the animated feature film and international feature film categories.
Thirty-one features are eligible for consideration in the animated feature film category. To determine the five nominees, members of the Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Eighty-five countries or regions have submitted films that are eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the U.S. with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Preliminary voting for the 97th Academy Awards will begin on Monday, Dec. 9, and end on Friday, Dec. 13. Shortlists in select categories will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Nominations will be announced on Friday, Jan. 17.The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
