OSCARS
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12/12/2023
Many of these films also got some Oscar love in this category — but not all.
12/12/2023
Jada Pinkett Smith is crediting Will Smith‘s Oscars slap of comedian Chris Rock with saving the couple’s marriage. The Daytime Emmy-winning talk show host and actress opened up in an interview with the Daily Mail about how her husband’s infamous slap during the 2022 Academy Awards helped her realize that they will always be together. […]
At least 15 music docs are among 167 features that are eligible for consideration in the documentary feature film category at the 2024 Oscars. These include films that tell the stories of such varied musicians as Jon Batiste, Carlos Santana, Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, Joan Baez, Little Richard, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Thelonious Monk and […]
East Coasters, rejoice! You can finally watch the Oscars to their conclusion and turn in at a reasonable hour. ABC announced on Thursday (Nov. 30) that the 2024 Oscars will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, March 10, in a new earlier time slot (7-10:30 p.m. ET/4-7:30 p.m. PT). A 30-minute pre-show will lead into the […]
Barbie is likely to be well represented when the Academy Award shortlists are revealed Dec. 21. At least two (and maybe even three) songs from the box-office juggernaut could be in contention for best original song (though only two from a film can be nominated, according to a 2008 rule change).
Diane Warren and Alan Menken are each looking to score their 15th best original song nominations, a benchmark that only five songwriters have reached. If John Williams and the late Robbie Robertson are nominated for best original score, each could make history.
“I’m Just Ken”Mark Ronson, Andrew WyattBarbie, Warner Bros.
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Ronson and Wyatt won in this category five years ago for co-writing “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. “I’m Just Ken,” sung by Ryan Gosling, provided one of the funniest sequences in Barbie. Ronson and Wyatt could have a second Barbie song on the shortlist — the bubbly “Dance the Night,” which they co-wrote with Dua Lipa and Caroline Ailin.
“What Was I Made For?”Billie Eilish, FINNEASBarbie, Warner Bros.
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The siblings won in this category two years ago for their title song to the James Bond film No Time To Die. They’re likely to be nominated for this tender ballad, which Barbie director Greta Gerwig has described as her movie’s “heart” song. Barbie is vying to become the first film with two best original song nominees since La La Land seven years ago.
“Keep It Movin’”Halle Bailey, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, Morten RistorpThe Color Purple, Warner Bros.
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Bailey (as young Nettie) and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi (as young Celie) sing this song onscreen in this new iteration of The Color Purple. “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” from the original 1985 film, was nominated in this category. Quincy Jones, who co-wrote that song with Rod Temperton and Lionel Richie, served as a producer of both films.
“Out Alpha the Alpha”Marius de Vries, Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson, Karl Saint LucyDicks: The Musical, A24
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Megan Thee Stallion sings this ribald song onscreen in Dicks: The Musical, which is based on an off-Broadway show with an even more risqué title, F–king Identical Twins. The rap star is also in the cast, along with another famous Megan (Mullally), as well as Bowen Yang and Nathan Lane. Megan Thee Stallion took part in an all-star performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” on the Oscar telecast two years ago.
“The Fire Inside”Diane WarrenFlamin’ Hot, Hulu/Searchlight Pictures
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Warren has been nominated in this category the last six years in a row. If she makes it again this year, she’ll have the longest consecutive streak of best original song nods since Sammy Cahn was nominated eight years running (1954-61). The indefatigable Warren has a second song in play, “Gonna Be You” from 80 for Brady.
“High Life”Gary Clark, John CarneyFlora and Son, Apple
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In addition to co-writing this song, Carney wrote and directed the film. Two of Carney’s previous films, Once and Begin Again, yielded best original song nominees (and a winner in the case of Once). Clark, a Scottish musician-songwriter, was the frontman of 1980s pop band Danny Wilson. Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan and Jack Reynor sing “High Life” onscreen in Flora and Son.
“Can’t Catch Me Now”Dan Nigro, Olivia RodrigoThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lionsgate
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The Hunger Games franchise has yet to receive an Oscar nod in any category, but the red-hot Rodrigo is at the point in her career that the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is likely to pay notice. She and Nigro have received two Grammy nods for song of the year, for “drivers license” and “Vampire.” Will the moody and atmospheric “Can’t Catch Me Now” find favor here?
“For the First Time”Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel MirandaThe Little Mermaid, Disney
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Menken is an EGOT winner, and Miranda will be one as soon as he wins an Oscar. Menken won his first of four Oscars in this category for “Under the Sea” from the original 1989 iteration of The Little Mermaid. Halle Bailey sings “For the First Time” onscreen in the film. Two other Menken-Miranda songs from the film, “Wild Uncharted Waters” and “The Scuttlebutt,” are also in play.
“Find a Way”Linda PerryNyad, Netflix
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This would be the first Oscar nod for Perry, a two-time Grammy nominee for song of the year. Annette Bening and Jodie Foster star in the film, which tells the story of Diana Nyad who, at age 64, undertook a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Perry named her song after the title of Nyad’s book, on which the movie is based.
“Road to Freedom”Lenny KravitzRustin, Netflix
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Kravitz, a four-time Grammy winner for best male rock vocal performance, could score his first Oscar nod for this song from a biopic about Bayard Rustin, a lesser-known but crucial figure in the civil rights struggle. The film’s director, George C. Wolfe, helmed the 2020 movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which received five Oscar nods.
“Addicted to Romance”Patti Scialfa, Bruce SpringsteenShe Came to Me, Vertical Entertainment
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Springsteen won an Oscar in 1994 for “Streets of Philadelphia” and was nominated again two years later for “Dead Man Walkin’.” This would be his first nomination with a collaborator — his wife, Scialfa. The original score was composed by The National’s Bryce Dessner. Peter Dinklage and Marisa Tomei star in the film.
“Am I Dreaming”A$AP Rocky, Metro Boomin, Michael Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Roisee, ScriptpluggSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse won an Oscar for best animated feature film five years ago, though its biggest hit, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, missed out on a best original song nod. Metro Boomin curated the soundtrack to this film, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in June. A$AP Rocky’s partner, Rihanna, was nominated in this category last year.
“Peaches”Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, John SpikerThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination/Nintendo/Universal
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This was the year’s second-biggest hit at the box office, behind Barbie. In addition to co-writing and performing the song, Black was in the animated film’s voice cast as Bowser. This would be the first Oscar nomination for Black, who won a Grammy for best metal performance nine years ago for a track he recorded with Tenacious D for a Ronnie James Dio tribute album.
“Better Place”Amy Allen, Shellback, Justin TimberlakeTrolls Band Together, DreamWorks Animation
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Animated characters portraying *NSYNC perform this song onscreen in the movie. Timberlake was nominated in this category seven years ago for co-writing “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” for the first Trolls film. He and the other members of *NSYNC are in the voice cast, along with Anna Kendrick, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello and Anderson .Paak, among others.
“This Wish”Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, JP SaxeWish, Disney
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Michaels and Saxe received a Grammy nod for song of the year three years ago for their collaboration “If the World Was Ending.” It was Michaels’ second nod in that category; her first was for co-writing her breakthrough hit, “Issues.” Ariana DeBose, an Oscar winner for the West Side Story remake, sings “This Wish.” She’s also in the voice cast, along with Chris Pine and Victor Garber.
American Fiction (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM)Laura Karpman
Karpman could be headed for her first Oscar nod for her score to this satirical film that was written and directed by Cord Jefferson (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. Karpman won a Primetime Emmy three years ago for scoring The Discovery Channel’s Why We Hate.
Barbie (Warner Bros.)Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Ronson and Wyatt, who executive-produced the hit soundtrack album — and were involved in writing and producing several of its tracks — could be headed for their first nod in this category. Wyatt has co-written songs for several Ronson albums. In 2012, the two musicians collaborated on a ballet score for The Royal Ballet of London.
Elemental (Pixar)Thomas Newman
If Newman is nominated, this would be his 15th nod in the category, a total so far achieved by only eight composers in Oscar history. Unlike them, though, he has yet to win. Newman is the youngest son of the late Alfred Newman, who amassed 41 nominations in this category, winning a record nine times.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney)John Williams
This would be Williams’ record-extending 49th nod in a scoring category and his fourth for a film in the Indiana Jones franchise. In total, it would be Williams’ 54th Oscar nomination (the other five are for best original song), which would pull him closer to Walt Disney’s all-time record of 59 for an individual.
The Killer (Netflix)Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
This would be the fourth nod in this category for Reznor and Ross following The Social Network, Mank and Soul (a collaboration with Jon Batiste). David Fincher, who directed The Social Network and Mank, also directed The Killer. Reznor and Ross won for both The Social Network and Soul. Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton star in The Killer.
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)Robbie Robertson
This was the 12th and last Martin Scorsese film that Robertson worked on. Robertson, who died in June at age 80, would become the first composer to be nominated in this category posthumously since Bernard Herrmann was cited in 1976 for both Obsession and Taxi Driver. Two other Scorsese regulars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, star in the film.
Nyad (Netflix)Alexandre Desplat
This would be Desplat’s 12th nomination in this category, all since 2006. That’s more than anyone else has accumulated in that period. The French composer has won twice, for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water. This would be Desplat’s first nod in the 2020s, following three in the 2000s and eight in the 2010s.
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)Ludwig Göransson
The Swedish composer won in this category five years ago for scoring Black Panther. He was nominated for an Oscar last year for co-writing a song for the sequel. Oppenheimer was the year’s fifth-biggest box-office hit, a strong showing for a three-hour adult drama. The Christopher Nolan film was based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Clockwise: Elemental, Killers of the Flower Moon, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Oppenheimer.
Disney/Pixar; Melinda Sue Gordon; Sony Pictures.
Origin (Neon)Kris Bowers
Origin is the fifth feature film directed by Ava DuVernay. Her 2014 historical drama, Selma, yielded the Oscar-winning song “Glory” by Common and John Legend. Bowers was nominated for documentary (short subject) three years ago for co-directing A Concerto Is a Conversation, which centered on his conversations with his jazz pianist grandfather. This would be his first nod in a scoring category.
Past Lives (A24)Christopher Bear & Daniel Rossen
Past Lives was written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut. The film, which stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro, follows the relationship between two childhood friends over 24 years. Bear and Rossen are members of veteran indie rock band Grizzly Bear, which has landed two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200.
Rustin (Netflix)Branford Marsalis
This would be the first Oscar nomination for jazz saxophonist Marsalis, who is a three-time Grammy winner. Marsalis received a Primetime Emmy nod two years ago for outstanding music composition for a documentary series or special for Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre, which aired on the HISTORY Channel.
Saltburn (Amazon/MGM)Anthony Willis
This would be the Australian composer’s first Oscar nod after building a reputation with his scores for How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019), Promising Young Woman (2020) and M3GAN (2022). Saltburn is the second film to be written, directed and co-produced by Emerald Fennell following Promising Young Woman. Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike star in the psychological thriller.
Society of the Snow (Netflix)Michael Giacchino
This would be Giacchino’s third nomination in this category following Ratatouille (2007) and Up (2009). He won for the latter. Society of the Snow is a 2023 survival thriller about a 1972 flight disaster in Argentina’s Andes Mountains. The cast comprises Uruguayan and Argentine actors, most of whom are newcomers to the craft. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on Dec. 15.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)Daniel Pemberton
The English composer has yet to be nominated in this category. His only Oscar nod is for co-writing “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7, a best original song nominee three years ago. This film is a sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which Pemberton also scored.
The Zone of Interest (A24)Mica Levi
The English composer was nominated in this category seven years ago for Jackie. The Zone of Interest, based on a Martin Amis novel, revolves around Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife and their plans to build a dream life next to the concentration camp. The film, which was written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, is set to be released in the United States on Dec. 15.
Additional reporting by Melinda Newman.
This story will appear in the Nov. 18, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the 2024 Oscars, which will be held March 10, 2024, at its usual home, the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. It will mark Kimmel’s fourth time as host. “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” Kimmel quipped in a statement.
Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017, the year of the debacle in which La La Land was announced in error as the best picture winner, before Moonlight was declared the actual winner. Kimmel returned to host the show in 2018 and 2023.
Kimmel will become only the sixth person to host the Oscars four or more times. Bob Hope hosted the show 19 times, followed by Billy Crystal (nine), Johnny Carson (five), and Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Lemmon and now Kimmel (four each).
Molly McNearney, who serves as executive producer and co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, will return for the second consecutive year to serve as an executive producer for the Oscars.
“We are thrilled about Jimmy returning to host and Molly returning as executive producer for the Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “They share our love of movies and our commitment to producing a dynamic and entertaining show for our global audience.”
McNearney is nominated for two Primetime Emmys this year as an ep of Jimmy Kimmel Live! (which is up for outstanding talk series) and the 2023 Oscars (which is up for outstanding variety special (live).
Kimmel, 56, has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since it debuted on ABC in January 2003, making him the longest-running of all current late night television hosts in the U.S. He is also an executive producer of the show. He also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Kimmel received back-to-back Primetime Emmys in 2019-20 for outstanding variety special (live) as an executive producer of Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ and Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Good Times.’
The Oscar ceremony, which will air on ABC, will be executive produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner.
“Jimmy has cemented himself as one of the all-time great Oscars hosts with his perfect blend of humanity and humor, and Molly is one of the best live TV producers around,” Kapoor and Mullan said in a joint statement.
Hamish Hamilton will serve as director. This will be the first Oscars to include new eligibility rules to “improve diversity and inclusion.”
Today (Nov. 15) is the submission deadline for general entry categories. Preliminary voting runs from Dec. 18-21. Oscar shortlists will be announced on Dec. 21. The eligibility period ends Dec. 31.
Nominations-round voting runs from Jan. 11-16, 2024. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 23, 2024. The final round of voting extends from Feb. 22-27.
Raj Kapoor, who has served as a producer and executive producer of numerous Grammy Awards telecasts, has been named executive producer and showrunner of the 96th Oscars, which are set to air live on ABC on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Katy Mullan has been tapped as executive producer, and Hamish Hamilton as director.
This will be Kapoor and Mullan’s first time executive producing and Hamilton’s fourth time directing the Oscars. Kapoor has worked on the show for the past seven years and most recently served as producer for the 95th Oscars.
Kapoor has received six Primetime Emmy nominations – four of them for outstanding variety special (live) for The Grammys in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and Oscars in 2023. His other two Emmy nods are for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded). He won in 2022 for Adele: One Night Only and is a current nominee for Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter. (The long-delayed 2023 awards will be presented on Jan. 15, 2024.)
“As a Canadian boy of South Asian descent and a girl from London who grew up watching the Oscars, dreaming of being part of it, this is a ‘pinch me’ moment!” Kapoor and Mullan said in a joint statement. “This has been an exceptional year for the movies, and it’s an absolute privilege to be leading the team celebrating the global film industry and the astounding talents that bring these cinematic stories to life. We’re dedicated to making it a remarkable celebration for all.”
“Raj and Hamish have been incredible Oscars collaborators, and we are delighted to welcome them and Katy to lead the 96th Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement. “Their deep love of cinema, fresh vision, and tremendous live television expertise is perfect for our reinvigorated show.”
Several people from the creative team behind the 95th Oscars are returning to work on the 96th Oscars, including creative director Kenny Gravillis, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, red carpet show executive producer David Chamberlin, and red carpet creative consultants Lisa Love and Raúl Àvila.
In addition to his Emmy-nominated work, Kapoor’s credits include the ACM Awards, the Latin Grammys, The Emmy Awards, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration and The Disney Family Singalong.
Mullan is an executive producer, showrunner and partner in the global live event production company Done + Dusted. Her work in live entertainment ranges from producing the London Olympics opening and closing ceremonies to The Little Mermaid Live! Her recent credits include Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Step Into…The Movies and the Disney Family Singalong franchise.
Hamilton made his Oscars debut directing the 82nd Academy Awards telecast in 2010 and subsequently directed the 86th and 87th Oscars. He has received 11 Primetime Emmy nominations, for directing four Super Bowl half-time shows, two Oscar telecasts, two Grammy telecasts, Lizzo: Live in Concert and the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.
Hamilton, who has directed 14 Super Bowl halftime shows, was Emmy-nominated for the ones starring Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez & Shakira and Rihanna as well as the all-star hip-hop celebration starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent. He received two Emmy nods for the one starring Rihanna, one as a producer and one as a director. That and Lizzo: Live in Concert are pending, so Hamilton has three chances to win his first Primetime Emmy in January.
Hamilton, a partner in the global live event production company Done + Dusted, has received a Peabody Award and a BAFTA Award. He was also a 2002 Grammy nominee for Robbie Williams – Live at the Albert, a contender for best long-form music video.
The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
The Grammys have not yet announced their production team. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 4, 2024.
Even though Chris Rock was able to make jokes about Will Smith slapping him at last year’s Oscars during his live Netflix special earlier this year, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, good friend Leslie Jones said the effects of that on-stage assault were much deeper than the public has seen.
“That s–t was humiliating. It really affected him,” Jones told People magazine in an interview promoting her new memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones (featuring a forward from Rock). “People need to understand his daughters, his parents, saw that. He had to go to counseling with his daughters.”
Jones said the incident “infuriated” her when she watched Rock get slapped hard across the face by Smith during the awards ceremony. “You don’t know that I was going to jump in my car and roll up there,” she said. “I was so f–king mad on so many levels.” The former SNL cast member and stand-up comedian said that for a long time she was just mad about the incident in which Smith — who would win a best actor Oscar later in the night for his starring role in the Williams family tennis biopic King Richard — stormed the stage and assaulted Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Chris Rock did a f—ing joke,” Jones said of Rock’s quip. I know Will, too… I was like, you couldn’t handle that s–t afterwards. This is the Oscars. The whole world is watching.”
On the night of the incident, Smith leapt from his seat and slapped Rock hard across the face after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which, Rock later said, he was not aware was a result of the singer/actress’ struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hair loss and balding.
When she talked to Rock about the incident later, Jones said she asked the fellow stand-up why he didn’t just run away when he saw Smith charging at him. “‘I would’ve been running around that stage like “Will, calm down. Jada, call your man!,’” Jones said, adding that she also wished that Smith had reacted to the moment differently. (It did not appear as if People reached out to Smith or Rock’s camps for comment.)
“He could have still fixed it,” she said of Smith, who was back on stage a short time later to accept his best actor award. If Jones had her way, Smith would have offered an immediate, heartfelt apology to Rock, along the lines of: “‘I shouldn’t have did that. Bring Chris out. I can not accept the Oscar right now because that was f—ing wrong.’”
Instead, during his acceptance speech, Smith issued a mea culpa of sorts for his actions earlier in the night — without mentioning Rock — with the comedian later declining to press charges. Following a more formal apology to Rock, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which banned him from attending any Academy events for 10 years; Smith is still eligible for future Oscar nominations and will keep the award he won in 2022.
Sean Penn likes to get straight to the meat of the matter. And the actor/director does just that in a new Variety interview in which he calls 100% b.s. on the reaction to Will Smith‘s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, which was held just weeks after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Penn, whose documentary on his friend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Superpower, is due out on Monday (Sept. 18), gets “f—ing furious,” in fact, when telling reporter Stephen Rodrick, “the Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s not light-hearted enough?’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith.”
Fully aware that his perennial pugnaciousness has often made it hard to appreciate him, a red-faced Penn laid out his exact feelings about the refusal to give former-sitcom-star-turned-heroic-wartime-president Zelenskyy a moment to speak during the ceremony; Smith — who would win a best actor Oscar later in the night for his starring role in the Williams family tennis biopic King Richard — stormed the stage and assaulted Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f–king good in King Richard… So why the f–k did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f–king thing? Why did I go to f–king jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?”
Penn, 63, spent 33 days in county jail in June 1987 for punching an extra on a movie set and for reckless driving and received a 90-day suspended sentence and $50 fine for two charges of assaulting two journalists who were attempting to photograph him and then-wife Madonna, as well as three years of probation and 300 hours of community service in 2010 after another run-in with a photographer.
“This f–king bulls–t wouldn’t have happened with Zelenskyy,” Penn fumed. “Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.”
On the night of the incident, Smith jumped up from his seat and slapped Rock hard across the face after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which, Rock later said, he was not aware was a result of the singer/actress’ struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hair loss and balding.
During his Oscars acceptance speech, Smith issued a mea culpa of sorts for his actions earlier in the night — without mentioning Rock — with the comedian later declining to press charges. After a more formal apology, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which banned him from attending any Academy events for 10 years.
Penn, who has won two best actor Oscars for Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008), also told the magazine that his only option was to destroy his statues. “I thought, well, f–k, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine,” he said. “They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians.”
When the Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 23, 2024, we could see two humorous songs in the running for best original song – “I’m Just Ken,” which provides one of Ryan Gosling’s funniest scenes in Barbie, and “Peaches,” which Jack Black sings in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Amusing songs are nominated occasionally in this category. Relatively recent examples include “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie (2014) and“Blame Canada”from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999).
Here are 10 early front-runners for nominations for best original song at the 96th annual Academy Awards. The awards will be presented on March 10, 2024.
Two veteran songwriters, Alan Menken and Diane Warren, are each hoping to collect their 15th nominations for best original song, a benchmark that has been reached by only five songwriters in Oscar history. Menken’s strongest contender is “For the First Time” from The Little Mermaid; Warren has two songs vying for a nod – “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot and “Gonna Be You” from 80 for Brady. If one is nominated, she will tie the late lyricist Marilyn Bergman as the woman with the most best original song nominations.
And two songwriters, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt, are vying to become EGOT winners. Miranda is competing with the aforementioned “For the First Time” from The Little Mermaid; Platt with songs from Theater Camp.
We’re showing two songs from Barbie – “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” Current Oscar rules state: “No more than two songs from any one film, regardless of writers, may be nominated for the original song award.” Four films in Oscar history have spawned three nominated songs – Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dreamgirls and Enchanted. None of the songs from the latter two films won the award, which demonstrated the very real risk of a film splitting its votes. In response, a new rule was instated in June 2008 that a film could have no more than two songs nominated.
As a result, the Dua Lipa hit “Dance the Night” and the Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice collaboration “Barbie” (with Aqua) may be squeezed out. “Dance the Night” is a trifle, but it has proven to be a most engaging one — and Lipa is at the level of fame that many previous pop stars were at when Oscar took notice. “Barbie,” which is built around a sample from Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl,” may be ruled ineligible. Last year, the Academy did not consider Doja Cat’s “Vegas” from Elvis, which was built around a sample from “Hound Dog.”
A little more than four months remains in the eligibility year. Songs from a few upcoming films – Trolls Band Together, Wonka and The Color Purple – could also be contenders. Trolls Band Together, due Nov. 17, is the third installment in the Trolls franchise. Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from the first Trolls was nominated in this category seven years ago.
Wonka is due Dec. 15. Neil Hannon, lead singer of The Divine Comedy, contributed original songs for the film. The first Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) did not spawn a best song nominee, though “The Candy Man” became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Sammy Davis Jr. and “Pure Imagination” was covered by several artists, including Lou Rawls.
A remake of The Color Purple is due on Christmas Day. Siedah Garrett, a two-time Oscar nominee for best original song (for “Love You I Do from Dreamgirls and “Real in Rio” from Rio), teamed with Stephen Bray and Brenda Russell to write the songs for the film. If one of them is nominated, Garrett will become the third Black songwriter, following Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, to land three best original song nominations. Jones and Richie collaborated with the late Rod Temperton on “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” from the original 1985 film, which was nominated in this category.
Here are 10 early front-runners for best original song nominations.
“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie