OSCARS
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Rihanna unveiled more personal photos of her son with A$AP Rocky — and made a joke about her upcoming Oscars performance of “Lift Me Up” while she was at it.
“my son when he found out his sibling is going to the Oscars and not him,” she joked in the caption of pictures posted on Instagram and Twitter on Sunday (March 5).
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The superstar, who revealed she’s pregnant with her second child during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, is set to sing her Oscar-nominated ballad from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12. Thus, Baby No. 2 will have sort of attended both the Super Bowl and the Oscars as a “special guest” before his birth.
“Lift Me Up,” co-written by Rihanna, is competing for best original song Sunday night.
RiRi first shared a photo of her firstborn, whose name has not yet been shared publicly, in February. He arrived in May 2022.
With just a week to go until awards night, see snapshots of Rihanna’s sweet child below.
If “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wins the Oscar for best original song on Sunday March 12, Ryan Coogler will become just the second person in Oscar history, and the first in 45 years, to win an Oscar for writing or co-writing a song from a film he directed. The first was Joe Brooks, who wrote “You Light Up My Life,” the 1977 winner.
Just by being nominated in this category, Coogler has joined an exclusive (and rather eclectic) club. Fourteen people have received Oscar nominations for writing or co-writing songs for films that they directed. Coogler is the first person of color to achieve the feat. Other club members include Barbra Streisand, Mel Brooks, Spike Jonze, Seth MacFarlane and Trey Parker.
Most of these people wrote the lyrics, not the melody. This suggests that the directors know what their film is trying to say, and can help put that message across in a song. Only four of the 14 – Coogler, Parker, Streisand and Brooks – contributed both music and lyrics. None solely wrote the music.
“Lift Me Up” is viewed as one of three front-runners in this year’s Oscar race for best original song, along with “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop) and “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (music by M.M. Keeravaani; lyric by Chandrabose). The other nominees are “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman (music and lyric by Diane Warren) and “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne).
Here’s a complete list of everyone who has been nominated for best original song for writing or co-writing a song from a film they directed. The list is in reverse chronological order.
Ryan Coogler
Film: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Nominated Song: “Lift Me Up”
Notes: Coogler directed and co-wrote the film, which stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o and Oscar nominee Angela Bassett, among others. He co-wrote the melody with Rihanna, Tems and Ludwig Göransson; he co-wrote the lyrics with Tems. Rihanna’s single debuted and peaked at No. 2. The superstar, fresh off her halftime performance at the Super Bowl, is set to perform the song on the Oscar telecast.
Spike Jonze
Film: Her (2013)
Nominated Song: “The Moon Song”
Notes: Jonze directed, wrote and co-produced the film, which starred Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde and Scarlett Johansson. In addition to best original song, Jonze was nominated for best picture (as a producer of the film) and won for writing. He co-wrote the lyric with Karen O, who also composed the melody. She and Ezra Koenig performed the song on the telecast.
Seth MacFarlane
Image Credit: Mark Davis/WireImage
Film: Ted (2012)
Nominated Song: “Everybody Needs a Best Friend”
Notes: MacFarlane directed and co-wrote the comedy, in which he starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. He wrote the “Best Friend” lyric, while Walter Murphy composed the melody. Murphy topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 as an artist with the disco instrumental “A Fifth of Beethoven.” Norah Jones performed “Best Friend” on the telecast, which MacFarlane hosted.
Christophe Barratier
Film: The Chorus (2004)
Nominated song: “Look to Your Path” (“Vois Sur Ton Chemin”)
Notes: The Frenchman directed the musical drama, known as Les Choristes in French. He wrote the lyric. The composer was Bruno Coulais. Beyoncé performed the song on the telecast, in tandem with American Boychoir. Beyoncé performed three of the five nominated songs that year. She also did the honors on “Learn to Be Lonely” from The Phantom of the Opera and “Believe” from The Polar Express – the latter in tandem with Josh Groban.
Sylvain Chomet
Film: The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
Nominated Song: “Belleville Rendez-vous”
Notes: The multi-platform French artist wrote and produced the animated comedy film. In addition to best original song, he was nominated for animated feature film. He wrote the lyric. Benoît Charest composed the melody. Charest also performed the song on the telecast, in tandem with Béatrice Bonifassi.
Julie Taymor
Film: Frida (2002)
Nominated Song: “Burn It Blue”
Notes: Taymor directed the film, which starred Salma Hayak. Taymor wrote the lyric. Elliot Goldenthal composed the melody. Lila Downs and Caetano Veloso performed the song on the telecast.
Lars von Trier
Film: Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Nominated Song: “I’ve Seen It All”
Notes: The Danish multi-hyphenate directed and wrote the film, which starred Björk, Catherine Deneuve and Joel Grey, among others. He co-wrote the lyric with Sjon Sigurdsson. Björk composed the melody and performed the song on the telecast.
Trey Parker
Film: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Nominated Song: “Blame Canada”
Notes: Parker directed, co-wrote and co-produced this film and was one of the voice actors. He co-wrote the music and lyric with Marc Shaiman. Robin Williams, who had won an Oscar two years previously for his role in Good Will Hunting, performed the song the telecast.
Barbra Streisand
Image Credit: TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection
Film: The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
Nominated Song: “I Finally Found Someone”
Notes: Streisand directed, co-produced and starred in the film alongside Jeff Bridges and Oscar nominee Lauren Bacall. She co-wrote the music and lyrics to this song with Bryan Adams, Marvin Hamlisch and Robert John “Mutt” Lange. She was the first female director to receive an Oscar nomination for a song she wrote or co-wrote for her film. The single by Streisand and Adams reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, but Streisand declined to perform the song on the telecast. Her future duet partner Celine Dion filled in for her, joined by Arturo Sandoval.
Arne Glimcher
Film: The Mambo Kings (1992)
Nominated Song: “Beautiful Maria of My Soul”
Notes: Glimcher directed and co-produced the film, which starred Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas and Cathy Moriaty. Glimcher wrote the lyrics. Robert Kraft was the composer. Plácido Domingo and Sheila E performed the song on the telecast.
Joe Brooks
Image Credit: Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Hulton Archive/GI
Film: You Light Up My Life (1977)
Nominated Song: “You Light Up My Life”
Notes: Brooks single-handedly wrote, directed and produced You Light Up My Life, which starred Didi Conn. He also wrote both music and lyrics for its title song, which Debby Boone turned into a megahit. Her recording was the first to log 10 weeks at No. 1 in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 (which dates to 1958). Kacey Cisyk, who sang the song on the soundtrack, reached No. 80 with her original version. Boone was chosen to sing the song on the telecast — a rare instance of the Oscars booking an artist who performed a cover version over the artist who performed the film version. The song won a Grammy for song of the year. In 1997, LeAnn Rimes cracked the top 40 with her interpretation. While Brooks’ song has brought hope and inspiration to millions, his own life was troubled. He took his own life in 2011.
Mel Brooks
Film: Blazing Saddles (1974)
Nominated Song: “Blazing Saddles”
Notes: The EGOT recipient directed, co-wrote and appeared in the film, which also starred Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Alex Karras, Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn. In addition to best original song, Brooks was nominated for best adapted screenplay that year – but for another picture, Young Frankenstein, on which he collaborated with Gene Wilder. Brooks wrote the lyrics to “Blazing Saddles.” John Morris was the composer. To sing the song, Brooks advertised in the trade papers for a “Frankie Laine–type” singer; to his surprise, Laine himself offered his services. Laine, who had a series of hits in the 1940s and ’50s including “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me” and “I Believe,” got the job — and also sang the song on the Oscar telecast.
Jacques Demy
Film: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1965)
Nominated Song: “I Will Wait for You”
Notes: The Frenchman directed and wrote the film, which starred Catherine Deneuve. In addition to best original song, Demy was nominated for best original screenplay and best music score – substantially original, for collaborating with Legrand. Demy wrote the original French lyrics. Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics. Legrand composed the song, which also received a Grammy nod for song of the year. Steve Lawrence’s version “bubbled under” the Hot 100 in 1965. Legrand and Jane Morgan (the wife of Jerry Weintraub, a top manager and producer) performed the song on the Oscar telecast.
Leo McCarey
Film: An Affair to Remember (1957)
Nominated song: “An Affair to Remember”
Notes: McCarey directed, co-wrote and co-produced the film, which starred Cary Grantand Deborah Kerr. (The film is referenced in 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle.) McCarey teamed with Harold Adamson to write the lyrics. Harry Warren composed the melody. Vic Damone had a big hit with the song in 1957, the year before the introduction of the Hot 100. The crooner also sang the song on the Oscar telecast. McCarey won three Oscars over the course of his career – for directing The Awful Truth (1937) and writing and directing Going My Way (1944).
Vanessa Hudgens is set to co-host Countdown to the Oscars, the official lead-in to The 95th Oscars, for the second year in a row. Her co-hosts this year are Ashley Graham and Lilly Singh. Countdown to the Oscars airs on Sunday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on ABC.
The 90-minute special will highlight Oscar nominees, performers and presenters. Content creator Reece Feldman will be a backstage correspondent and Rocsi Diaz will be the correspondent for the Academy’s member viewing party in New York City. The show is executive produced by David Chamberlin and Michael Antinoro, alongside executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner.
Hudgens’ co-hosts last year were Terrence J, Brandon Maxwell and Sofia Carson. Carson is set to perform on this year’s telecast. She and Diane Warren will perform Warren’s nominated song “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman.
Hudgens has had a pair of top 30 albums on the Billboard 200, V and Identified. She also had a pair of top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as a member of the High School Musical and High School Musical 2 casts.
Leading into the official pre-show, ABC News will air On the Red Carpet Live: Countdown to Oscars 95 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. PT. The pre-show coverage will also stream on ABC News Live starting at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT throughout the day until the start of the 95th Academy Awards.
Linsey Davis and Whit Johnson will host the red-carpet special at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, featuring interviews with Oscar nominees. They will be joined by ABC News correspondent Chris Connelly, ESPN’s Andscape senior entertainment reporter and ABC News contributor Kelley Carter and insiders including Variety’s Elizabeth Wagmeister and Clayton Davis and celebrity stylist Joe Zee.
On the Red Carpet Live: Countdown to Oscars 95 is produced by Catherine McKenzie and John Green.
The 95th Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s look at records that women have set at awards shows. These aren’t simply instances of the first woman to do this or that; these are cases where a woman holds a record that isn’t gender-specific.
In some cases, women are absolutely crushing it in a particular category. Billie Eilish set a record in 2020 as the youngest person to win the Grammy for album of the year. She was just 18 when she won for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The old record was held by Taylor Swift, who was 20 when she won for Fearless. Before that, it was held by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when she won for Jagged Little Pill. And before that it was held by Barbra Streisand who was 22 when she won for The Barbra Streisand Album. Between them, these four women have held this record continuously since Streisand first set it in May 1964.
The all-time youngest winners in the three other Big Four Grammy categories are also women. Eilish is the youngest winner for record of the year, for “Bad Guy.” Lorde, 17 at the time, was the youngest winner for song of the year, for “Royals.” LeAnn Rimes, just 14 at the time, was the youngest winner for best new artist.
A total of 14 artists have received Grammy nominations in each of the Big Four categories — album, record and song of the year, plus best new artist — in the same calendar year. A whopping ten of those artists have been women, from Bobbie Gentry (1967) to Olivia Rodrigo (2021).
Women also rule at the MTV Video Music Awards. The four artists who have won the most Moon Persons (it still doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as Moonman, does it?) are all women – Beyoncé (27), Madonna (20), Lady Gaga (18) and Swift (14).
In the history of the Academy Awards, just four people have been nominated for Oscars for acting and songwriting in the same year. Three are women: Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga and Cynthia Erivo.
Here are 20 more awards show records held by women:
Most Grammy wins: Beyoncé (32)
Image Credit: Francis Specker/CBS via GI
Beyoncé made history last month when she surpassed the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins by anyone ever. Solti won 31 awards from 1962 to 1997. In addition, Beyoncé is tied with her husband Jay-Z for the most Grammy nominations (88 each).
Only artist to sweep Grammys for album, record and song of the year twice: Adele
The British superstar accomplished that sweep with 21 and its megahit “Rolling in the Deep” (2011) and repeated the feat five years later with her follow-up 25 and its power ballad “Hello” (2016).
Longest winning streak in any Grammy category: Aretha Franklin (eight years)
The Queen of Soul won best R&B vocal performance, female every year from 1967-74. That’s a lot of “Respect.”
Youngest artist to receive Grammy nods in each of the Big Four categories in one year: Billie Eilish
Image Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/GI for The Recording Academy
The phenom was just 17 when she was nominated in all four categories in November 2019, which allowed her to surpass the previous record-holder, Mariah Carey (who was 20 when she swept the 1990 noms). Eilish, who had turned 18 by the time of the awards ceremony in January 2020, is also the younger of the two artists who have won each of the Big Four awards in one year.
Artist with the most American Music Awards: Taylor Swift (40)
In addition to her overall lead, Swift is the artist with the most AMAs for artist of the year (seven) and for favorite music video (three).
Artist with the most ACM Awards: Miranda Lambert (38)
In addition to her overall lead, the Texan is the Academy of Country Music’s leader for most awards in these three key categories: female vocalist of the year (nine), album of the year (five) and song of the year (as a songwriter, three).
Artist with the most BET Awards: Beyoncé (33)
Bey is also the artist with the most Soul Train Awards (25).
Youngest artist to win Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs: Janet Jackson
Jackson was just 24 when she won the award in 1990. She also won a competitive award that year, best choreography in a video for “Rhythm Nation,” and performed “Black Cat” on the telecast.
Only artist to receive three VMAs for music video of the year: Taylor Swift
Swift won for “Bad Blood” (collab with Kendrick Lamar, 2015), “You Need to Calm Down” (2019), and “All Too Well: The Short Film” (2022). The later video made Swift the first artist to win music video of the year for an entirely self-directed video. Lamar, Swift and Lil Nas X had previously won for videos they co-directed.
Only songwriter to receive an honorary Oscar: Diane Warren
Warren received the award at a gala in Los Angeles in November 2022. She followed it up by becoming only the fifth person to receive an honorary Oscar and a nod for a competitive Oscar in the same awards year.
Only person to win Oscars for both acting and songwriting: Barbra Streisand
Image Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via GI
The prodigiously talented multi-hyphenate won best actress for Funny Girl (1968, in a headline-making tie with Katharine Hepburn) and best original song for composing “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)” (1976).
Most Oscars for acting: Katharine Hepburn (four)
The great star also holds the records for the longest time span between first and last Oscar nominations and between first and last Oscars — 49 years from Morning Glory (1932-33) through On Golden Pond (1981).
Most Oscar nominations for acting: Meryl Streep (21)
Seventeen of those nominations are for best actress, the other four are for best supporting actress. Streep landed her first Oscar nod for The Deer Hunter (1978); her most recent for The Post (2017).
Youngest Oscar recipient: Shirley Temple
The OG America’s Sweetheart, who lifted a nation’s spirits during the Great Depression, was six when she was awarded an honorary Oscar “in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.”
Youngest winner of a competitive acting Oscar: Tatum O’Neal
The second-generation star was 10 when she won best supporting actress for Paper Moon (1973).
Youngest winner of a lead acting Oscar: Marlee Matlin
Matlin was 21 when she won best actress for Children of a Lesser God (1986). Her achievement is all the more impressive owing to her deafness.
First actor/actress to win an Oscar for performing in a language other than English: Sophia Loren
The Italian actress and screen beauty won best actress for Two Women (1961).
Most Tonys won for performances: Audra McDonald (six)
Image Credit: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage for Tony Awards Productions
The actress/singer’s Tonys span the years 1994-2014. McDonald is also the only person to win Tonys in all four categories in which a performer is eligible—for playing both lead and featured roles in both plays and musicals.
Most Tony nominations for performances (tie): Julie Harris and Chita Rivera (10 each)
Harris’ nominations span the years 1952-97. Rivera’s nods span the years 1961-2015. In addition, both women have received special Tony Awards for lifetime achievement in the theatre.
Most Emmys won by a performer (tie): Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (eight each)
Leachman’s Emmys span the years 1973-2006 and include two awards each for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Malcolm in the Middle. Louis-Dreyfus’ span the years 1996-2017. Louis-Dreyfus also holds the record for most Emmys won for a playing the same role in the same series. She won six Emmys for playing Selina Meyer on Veep from 2012–17.
Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress last year for West Side Story and received even more attention recently after performing a piece of special material at the BAFTAs on Feb. 19, is set to present on this year’s Oscars on March 12. Will DeBose address the social-media brouhaha over her BAFTAs performance? Place your bets.
Other presenters include: Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), who made an appearance on last month’s Grammy Awards, meeting superfan Adele and later presenting her with the award for best pop solo performance; Janelle Monáe, who has juggled film and recording careers, finding success in both; and Questlove, who served as music supervisor of the 2021 Oscar telecast and won an Oscar last year for his directorial debut, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which won best documentary feature.
Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Deepika Padukone, Zoe Saldaña, Donnie Yen and Troy Kotsur will also present.
Kotsur won best supporting actor last year for CODA. Last year’s best actress winner, Jessica Chastain, wasn’t included in this first batch of presenters. Last year’s best actor winner, Will Smith, was barred from attending any Academy events for 10 years after slapping Chris Rock on last year’s show.
The announcement was made on Thursday (March 2) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the run-up to the ceremony.
The producers have announced performances from four of the five nominees for best original song. The only one they haven’t yet announced is Lady Gaga performing “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The show will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Animated films have a rich history at the Academy Awards. Walt Disney received a special award in 1938 for the previous year’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was “recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.”
Fifty years later, Richard Williams received a special achievement award for the animation direction of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The film also won three competitive Oscars.
But it wasn’t until 1991’s Beauty and the Beast that an animated film was nominated for best picture. That same year, the rival Annie Awards added a category for best animated feature. Beauty and the Beast was their first winner, followed by such smash hits as Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1993-94), Pocahontas (1995) and Toy Story (1996).
Throughout the ’90s, the Oscars resisted adding a category for animated features, though John Lasseter received a special achievement award in 1995 “for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.” It wasn’t until 2001 that the Academy finally added a category for best animated feature.
This year’s nominees in that category are Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast and Turning Red. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio won the Annie Award in this category on Feb. 25 in a ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, which makes the Guillermo Del Toro-directed film the Oscar front-runner (though the two shows do not always agree, as you will see.)
Here’s a year-by-year recap of all the Oscar winners for best animated feature film.
2001: Shrek
Image Credit: ©DreamWorks/courtesy Everett
Studio: PDI/DreamWorks Production; DreamWorks
Oscar Went to: Aron Warner
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: adapted screenplay (written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman)
Notes: Shrek was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2020. The soundtrack reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It contains two hits by Smash Mouth, the 1999 smash “All Star” and a remake of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” specifically for the movie.
2002: Spirited Away
Studio: Studio Ghibli Production; Buena Vista [Japan]
Oscar Went to: Hayao Miyazaki
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: none
Notes: Spirited Away is the only Japanese, hand-drawn and non-English language film to win in the category.
2003: Finding Nemo
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Buena Vista
Oscar Went to: Andrew Stanton
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: original score (Thomas Newman); sound editing (Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers); original screenplay (screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds; original story by Andrew Stanton).
Notes: The soundtrack, Finding Nemo: Ocean Favorites, reached No. 156 on the Billboard 200.
2004: The Incredibles
Image Credit: Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Buena Vista
Oscar Went to: Brad Bird
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: sound editing (Michael Silvers and Randy Thom)
Other Oscar Nods: sound mixing (Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo and Doc Kane); original screenplay (Brad Bird).
2005: Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Studio: Aardman Animations Limited Production; DreamWorks Animation SKG. [United Kingdom]
Oscar Went to: Nick Park and Steve Box
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar nods: none
Notes: Park and Box are the only creatives from the U.K. to win in this category. This is the only stop motion animated film to win.
2006: Happy Feet
Studio: Kingdom Pictures, LLC Production; Warner Bros. [Australia/U.S.A.]
Oscar Went to: George Miller
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: none
Notes: Miller is the only creative from Australia to win in this category. This was the only motion-capture-related computer-animated film to win before a rule change in 2010 disqualified such films. Happy Feet was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to Cars. The soundtrack, which contained such songs as Prince’s “Song of the Heart” and The Beach Boys’ “Do It Again,” reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200. Prince’s song won a Golden Globe for best original song, but unfortunately wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
2007: Ratatouille
Studio: Pixar Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Brad Bird
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: original score (Michael Giacchino); sound editing (Randy Thom and Michael Silvers); sound mixing (Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane); original screenplay (screenplay by Brad Bird; story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird)
Notes: Bird was the first two-time winner in the category. He also won for The Incredibles (2004).
2008: WALL-E
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Andrew Stanton
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: original score (Thomas Newman); original song (“Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman); sound editing (Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood); sound mixing (Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt); original screenplay (screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter)
Notes: WALL-E was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2021. Stanton was the second two-time winner in the category. He also won for Finding Nemo (2003). WALL-E was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost toKung Fu Panda. The WALL-E soundtrack reached No. 127 on the Billboard 200.
2009: Up
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett Collection
Studio: Pixar Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Pete Docter
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: original score (Michael Giacchino)
Other Oscar Nods: best picture (Jonas Rivera, producer); sound editing (Michael Silvers and Tom Myers), original screenplay (screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter; story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy)
Notes: Up was the second animated film, following Beauty and the Beast, to receive a best picture nomination.
2010: Toy Story 3
Studio: Pixar Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Lee Unkrich
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: original song (“We Belong Together” by Randy Newman)
Other Oscar Nods: best picture (Darla K. Anderson, producer); sound editing (Tom Myers and Michael Silvers); adapted screenplay (screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
Notes: Toy Story 3 was the third animated film to receive a best picture nomination. This was the fourth consecutive year that a Pixar film won this award – a record. Toy Story 3 was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to How to Train Your Dragon.
2011: Rango
Studio: Paramount Pictures Production; Paramount
Oscar Went to: Gore Verbinski
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: none
2012: Brave
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: none
Notes: Chapman was the first woman to win in this category. Brave was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to Wreck-It Ralph. The Brave soundtrack reached No. 33 on the Billboard 200.
2013: Frozen
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Studio: Walt Disney Feature Animation Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: original song (“Let It Go,” music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez).
Other Oscar Nods: none.
Notes: Lee was the second woman to win in this category. The Frozen soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks. Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” logged five weeks at No. 5 on the Hot 100.
2014: Big Hero 6
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: none
Notes: This was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to How to Train Your Dragon 2.
2015: Inside Out
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: original screenplay (screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen)
Notes: Docter was the third two-time winner in the category. He also won for Up (2009).
2016: Zootopia
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: None
Other Oscar Nods: None
Notes: The soundtrack reached No. 121 on the Billboard 200.
2017: Coco
Image Credit: © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
Studio: Pixar Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: original song (“Remember Me” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)
Other Oscar Nods: none
Notes: Anderson was the third woman to win in this category. Unkrich was the fourth two-time winner in the category. He also won for Toy Story 3 (2010). The Coco soundtrack reached No. 39 on the Billboard 200.
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Studio: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation Production; Sony Pictures Releasing
Oscar Went to: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: None
Other Oscar Nods: None
Note: Ramsey was the first African American to win (or even just to be nominated) in this category. The soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Post Malone & Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” was the first song from an animated film to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from Trolls (2016). “Sunflower” also received a Grammy nod for record of the year.
2019: Toy Story 4
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: None
Other Oscar Nods: original song (“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” by Randy Newman)
Notes: Toy Story is the only franchise with two wins in this category. Rivera was the fifth two-time winner in the category. He also won for Inside Out (2015). Toy Story 4 was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to Klaus. The soundtrack, which included Chris Stapleton’s “The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy,” reached No. 122 on the Billboard 200.
2020: Soul
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Pete Docter and Dana Murray
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: original score (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste)
Other Oscar Nods: sound (Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker)
Notes: With this film, Docter became the first three-time winner in the category. He had previously won for Up (2009) and Inside Out (2015). Murray was the fourth woman to win in the category.
2021: Encanto
Image Credit: © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios Production; Walt Disney
Oscar Went to: Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
Film’s Other Oscar Wins: none
Other Oscar Nods: original score (Germaine Franco); original song (Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Dos Oruguitas”)
Notes: Merino is the only creative from Mexico to win in this category. She was the fifth woman to win in the category. Spencer and Howard had previously collaborated on Zootopia, the 2016 winner in this category.The Encanto soundtrack logged nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” logged five weeks atop the Hot 100. Encanto was nominated for an Annie Award for best animated feature, but lost to The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava aren’t exactly household names, but they’re likely to provide one of the highlights of the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12, when they perform “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.
The Indian Telugu-language song, which Sipligunj and Bhairava recorded for the film’s soundtrack, is nominated for best original song.
Fourteen years ago, a pair of Indian songs from Slumdog Millionaire enlivened the Oscar telecast. A.R. Rahman performed “Jai Ho” (which went on to win the award) with Mahalaxmi Iyer. Rahman also performed “O Saya,” which was nominated as well.
“Naatu Naatu,” with music by M.M. Keeravaani and lyrics by Chandrabose, is the fourth best original song nominee that the Academy has announced will be performed on the 2023 show.
On Feb. 23, the Academy announced that Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The day after, it announced that actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman.
Yesterday, the Academy announced that Stephanie Hsu, an Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, will join David Byrne and Son Lux to perform that film’s “This Is a Life.”
The final nominee for best original song is “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop). If the Academy is able to book Gaga to perform her song on the show, as is expected, this will be the first Oscar telecast in three years to include performances of all five nominated songs.
Two years ago, all five songs were performed, but on a pre-show. That move was seen as disrespectful by many in the music community. Last year, Van Morrison declined to perform “Down to Joy” from Belfast, so only four of the nominated songs were performed on the telecast.
This latest booking was announced on Tuesday (Feb. 28) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, and also executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent appearing on the show in the coming days.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Stephanie Hsu, an Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, will join David Byrne and Son Lux to perform the film’s Academy Award-nominated song “This Is a Life” at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12. Hsu will fill in for Mitski, who co-wrote the song and performs it with Byrne and Son Lux on the film’s soundtrack.
Hsu sings another track, “Sucked Into a Bagel,” on the soundtrack.
“This Is a Life,” with music by Ryan Lott of Son Lux, Byrne and Mitski, and lyrics by Lott and Byrne, is nominated for best original song. Everything Everywhere All at Once, scored by Son Lux, is up for best original score. EEAAO, which is this year’s nominations leader with 11 nods, is the only film to receive nominations in both of the music categories this year.Hsu’s other credits include the Emmy-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Rian Johnson’s Poker Face opposite Natasha Lyonne, the upcoming Disney+ series American Born Chinese and the forthcoming film The Fall Guy opposite Ryan Gosling.
Byrne won an Oscar for best original score for the 1987 film The Last Emperor in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su.Experimental musical group Son Lux consists of founder and frontman Lott, Ian Chang and Rafiq Bhatia.
On Feb. 23, the Academy announced that Rihanna will perform the Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the telecast. It’s the megastar’s first performance on the show. The following day, they announced that actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman.
The other nominees for best original song are “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop) and “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (music by M.M. Keeravaani; lyrics by Chandrabose).
This latest booking was announced on Monday (Feb. 27) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, and also executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent appearing on the show in the coming days.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform the Oscar-nominated song “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12.
This will mark the second year in a row that an artist with Colombian roots has performed on the global telecast. Sebastián Yatra, a native of that country, performed “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto during last year’s show. Carson was born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to parents who had emigrated from Colombia.
This will also mark the second time that Warren has performed on the Oscars, a rarity for a professional songwriter who mostly works behind the scenes. Two years ago, she accompanied Italian singing star Laura Pausini on a performance of “Io sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead. Musical performances that year were part of a red-carpet pre-show, so this will be her first performance on the Oscar telecast itself.
On Thursday, the Academy announced that Rihanna would perform the Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” on the telecast. It’s her first performance on the show.
The other nominees for best original song are “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop); “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (music by M.M. Keeravaani; lyrics by Chandrabose) and “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Byrne).
This latest booking was announced on Friday (Feb. 24) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, and also executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent appearing on the show in the coming weeks.
Carson, 29, released her self-titled debut album on Hollywood Records in March 2022. Her film credits include Purple Hearts, which she also executive produced, Songbird, Feel the Beat, the Descendants trilogy and the upcoming Carry On.
Warren, 66, is one of only eight songwriters in Oscar history to amass 14 or more nominations for best original song. Warren received an honorary award at the Academy’s Governors Awards in November. She was only the fifth person in Oscar history to receive an honorary award and a nomination for a competitive Oscar in the same awards year. The other four include Laurence Olivier and Jerome Robbins.
The announcement of Rihanna’s and Carson’s Oscar performances were expected. When Oscar calls, even the biggest stars usually say yes. Beyoncé opened last year’s show with a memorable performance of “Be Alive” from King Richard. Such other superstars as Adele, U2, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Justin Timberlake, Sting, Elton John and Billie Eilish with Finneas have performed nominated songs on the Oscars in the past decade.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
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Rihanna, fresh from rocking the Super Bowl Halftime Show earlier this month, will find herself again on the stage at one of the most prestigious events of the year. The Barbadian superstar and business mogul will perform the soul-stirring “Lift Me Up” at this upcoming Oscars ceremony.
Rihanna is currently expecting her second child while still running her massive Savage X Fenty fashion and beauty empire, but it looked like the prospect of a new album is further in the rearview. However, with the halftime show and the impending Oscars performance, which was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday (Feb. 23).
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As one of the featured songs from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, the Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” is nominated for Original Song and serves as Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. The song was written by Rihanna, Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler, and Tems.
The 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The live event will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmell.
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