Oscar Nominations
Taylor Swift probably has mixed emotions about the Oscar shortlists, which were announced on Wednesday (Dec. 21). She is shortlisted for best original song for “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing. For a folk-style ballad that wasn’t a big hit, that’s great.
On the other hand, she was not shortlisted for best live action short film for “All Too Well,” which she directed. “All Too Well” won three MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28 — video of the year, best director and best long-form video.
Swift has had enough awards show experience to know that you win some and you lose some. But to not be shortlisted for a film that she cares deeply about and has worked hard to promote has to sting.
Swift’s pal Selena Gomez also got mixed news in the shortlists. “My Mind & Me,” which she co-wrote for Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, was shortlisted for best original song, though the film itself was not shortlisted for best documentary feature.
M.M. Keeravaani also knows the feeling. He was shortlisted for best original song for co-writing “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, though his score for that film failed to make the best original score shortlist.
Of course, some people got a double dose of good news. Ludwig Göransson, Alexandre Desplat, Simon Franglen and Ryan Lott of Son Lux are each shortlisted for both best original song and best original score.
The Motion Picture Academy released shortlists of between 10 and 15 semifinalists in 10 categories. Our focus here will be on the music categories – best original song and best original score – and two other categories that sometimes include music artists – documentary feature and live action short film.
Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Final round voting will be held March 2-7. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Here are some of the most notable snubs and surprises in the music shortlists.
Moonage Daydream, which explores David Bowie’s creative and musical journey, and Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, A Song, which looks at the life of Leonard Cohen through the prism of one of the most beloved songs of modern times, are among the 15 documentaries that were shortlisted for the Oscar for best documentary film on Wednesday (Dec. 21).
A total of 144 films were eligible in the category. Members of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
Here’s a complete list of the films that were shortlisted for best documentary film, listed alphabetically by title.
All That Breathes, HBO Documentary Films/Sideshow
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Neon
Bad Axe, IFC Films
Children of the Mist, Varan Vietnam/CAT& Docs
Descendant, Netflix
Fire of Love, National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, Sony Pictures Classics
Hidden Letters, Cargo Film & Releasing
A House Made of Splinters, Madman Entertainment
The Janes, HBO Documentary Films
Last Flight Home, MTV Documentary Films
Moonage Daydream, Neon
Navalny, CNN/Warner Bros.
Retrograde, National Geographic Films
The Territory, National Geographic
Eligible music docs that failed to make the shortlist (with capsule descriptions for films whose topic is not self-evident in the titles) include The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie; Fanny: The Right to Rock; Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen (about the stage-to-screen transfer of Fiddler on the Roof); Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (about the annual music and cultural festival); Killing Me Softly With His Songs (a look at Grammy-winning songwriter Charles Fox); Look at Me: XXXtentacion; Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues; Nothing Compares (tracing Sinéad O’Connor’s turbulent career path); The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile; Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me; and ¡Viva Maestro! (a portrait of Los Angeles Philharmonic music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel).
Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday Jan. 24, 2023. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Three of the biggest female music stars on the planet – Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga – were shortlisted for Oscars for best original song on Wednesday (Dec. 21), for “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing, and “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, respectively.
The three stars had previously been nominated for Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards in the same category for the same songs. These would be the first Oscar nominations for Rihanna and Swift; the fourth for Gaga, who was previously nominated in this category for “Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground (2015) and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born (2018), which won the award. She was also nominated for best actress for the latter film. “Take My Breath Away” from the original Top Gun won the 1986 award in this category.
The Weeknd was shortlisted for co-writing “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water. This could bring The Weeknd his second Oscar nomination. He was nominated seven years ago for co-writing “Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey.
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” has five credited songwriters. A second shortlisted song, “My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, has six. If either song wins the Oscar, the songwriters would receive a single statuette, which they would somehow have to share. The Academy will present no more than four Oscar statuettes for best original song.
Drake could be headed for his first Oscar nomination with “Time,” which he co-wrote for the film Amsterdam. Depending on how the nominations shake out, the 2023 Oscar telecast could be as studded with top pop hitmakers as this year’s broadcast was when Beyoncé opened the show with “Be Alive,” Megan Thee Stallion guested on “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and Billie Eilish performed “No Time to Die.”
Two of the shortlisted songs were co-written by the directors of the films that spawned the songs. Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is among the co-writers of “Lift Me Up.” Guillermo del Toro, who co-directed Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio with Mark Gustafson, is among the co-writers of “Ciao Papa.”
Diane Warren was shortlisted with “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman. With this song, Warren vies for her 14th nomination in the category. She would be the first songwriter or songwriting team to be nominated six years running since Marilyn & Alan Bergman’s 1968-1973 streak. Warren received a Governors Award from the Academy on Nov. 19.
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II was shortlisted for co-writing “Stand Up” from Till with Jazmine Sullivan. D’Mile won in this category two years ago with “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah. Should he win again, he’d become the first Black songwriter to win twice in this category.
A total of 81 songs were eligible in this category. Members of the music branch will vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
Here’s a complete list of the 15 songs that were shortlisted for best original song. Per Academy custom, they are listed alphabetically by film title:
“Time”
Drake, Giveon Evans, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Daniel Pemberton
Amsterdam, 20th Century Studios
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”
The Weeknd, Steve Angello Josefsson, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axel Hedfords, Simon Franglen
Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios
“Lift Me Up”
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios
“This Is a Life”
David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24
“Ciao Papa”
Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix
“Til You’re Home”
Rita Wilson
A Man Called Otto, Sony Pictures
“Naatu Naatu”
Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj
RRR, Variance Films
“My Mind & Me”
Amy Allen, Jonathan Bellion, Selena Gomez, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Michael Pollack
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Apple Original Films
“Good Afternoon”Benj Pasek, Justin PaulSpirited, Apple Originals
“Applause”
Diane Warren
Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films
“Stand Up”
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Jazmine Sullivan
Till, Orion/United Artists Releasing
“Hold My Hand”
BloodPop (Michael Tucker), Lady Gaga
Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures
“Dust & Ash”
J. Ralph
The Voice of Dust and Ash, Matilda Productions
“Carolina”
Taylor Swift
Where the Crawdads Sing, Sony Pictures
“New Body Rhumba”
Pat Mahoney, James Murphy, Nancy Whang
White Noise, Netflix
Inevitably, several high-profile songs were passed over for the shortlist. Among them: “Love Is Not Love” (Marc Shaiman, Billy Eichner) from Bros; “(You Made It Feel Like) Home” (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross) fromBones and All; “Not Alone” (Joe Jonas, Ryan Tedder, HARV, Khalid)from Devotion; “Turn Up the Sunshine” (Jack Antonoff, Patrik Berger, Sam Dew, Kevin Parker)from Minions: The Rise of Gru; “Ready As I’ll Ever Be” (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker)fromThe Return of Tanya Tucker featuring Brandi Carlile; “I Ain’t Worried” (Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Tyler Spry, John Eriksson) from Top Gun: Maverick; and “Nobody Like U” (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell) from Turning Red. Eilish and Finneas are the reigning champs in the category for co-writing the title song from No Time to Die.
“Vegas,” the biggest hit from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, had previously been ruled ineligible because it borrows so heavily from “Hound Dog,” the 1950s classic co-written by Mike Stoller and the late Jerry Leiber.No one expected to see Leiber and Stoller shortlisted, but the song’s proponents hoped the song’s other writers – Doja Cat, Rogét Chahayed and Yeti Beats – would be honored.
Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday Jan. 24, 2023. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
John Williams’ score for The Fabelmans made the shortlist of 15 original scores that are vying for Oscars on Wednesday (Dec. 21). If it is nominated, it would be Williams’ record-extending 48th nomination in a scoring category. Moreover, it would give him scoring nods in seven consecutive decades.
Should he win, Williams, 90, would become the oldest winner in any competitive category, topping James Ivory who was 89 when he won best adapted screenplay for Call Me By Your Name.
Two scores by female composers – Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Women Talking and Chanda Dancy’s Devotion – were shortlisted. This would be Hildur’s second scoring nod. She won three years ago for Joker. The Icelandic composer would become just the third woman to receive multiple nominations in this category, following the late Angela Morley (who had two nods) and Rachel Portman (who has had three).
Ludwig Göransson was shortlisted for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Göransson won in this category four years ago for the original Black Panther. Should he win for this sequel, he’ll become the second composer to win for two installments of the same franchise. Howard Shore won for two films in The Lord of the Rings franchise.
Terence Blanchard was shortlisted for The Woman King. This would be Blanchard’s third nomination in this category, which would put him in a tie with Quincy Jones as the Black composer with the most scoring nods. Jones was nominated for In Cold Blood, The Wiz and The Color Purple.
Alexandre Desplat was shortlisted for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Desplat won for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2004) and The Shape of Water (2017). Should he win again, he’ll tie the late Maurice Jarre as the Frenchman with the most scoring Oscars. Jarre won for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India.
A total of 147 scores were eligible in this category. Members of the music branch will vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
Here’s a complete list of the 15 scores that were shortlisted for best original score, listed in alphabetical order by film.
All Quiet on the Western Front, Netflix
Volker Bertelmann
Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios
Simon Franglen
Babylon, Paramount Pictures
Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin, Searchlight Pictures
Carter Burwell
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios
Ludwig Göransson
Devotion, Sony Pictures
Chanda Dancy
Don’t Worry Darling, Warner Bros.
John Powell
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24
Son Lux
The Fabelmans, Universal Pictures
John Williams
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Netflix
Nathan Johnson
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix
Alexandre Desplat
Nope, Universal Pictures
Michael Abels
She Said, Universal Pictures
Nicholas Britell
The Woman King, Sony Pictures
Terence Blanchard
Women Talking, MGM/United Artists Releasing
Hildur Guðnadóttir
Inevitably, several high-profile scores were passed over for the shortlist. Among them: The Batman (Michael Giacchino), Emancipation (Marcelo Zarvos), Empire of Light (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross), Living (Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch), A Man Called Otto (Thomas Newman), RRR (M.M. Keeravaani), The Son (Hans Zimmer), Strange World (Henry Jackman) and White Noise (Danny Elfman). Zimmer is the reigning champ in the category. He won in April for Dune.
Two other high-profile scores – Tár (composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir) and Top Gun: Maverick (composed by Hans Zimmer, Harold Faltermeyer, Lorne Balfe and Lady Gaga) had earlier been ruled ineligible.
Sources told Variety that Tár was deemed ineligible because the amount of original, audible music was insufficient, and ran afoul of a second rule that “a score shall not be eligible if it has been diluted by the use of pre-existing music.” Sources said that Top Gun: Maverick failed to qualify for two reasons: it fell short of the amount of original music required (a sequel “must consist of more than 80% newly composed music”) and it was “assembled from the music of more than one composer.”
Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday Jan. 24, 2023. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
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