OSCARS
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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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Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty
The trend in songwriting is toward ever-larger collectives of writers collaborating. But some writers do very well – and maybe even better – on their own. Diane Warren has been the sole scribe on 10 of her 14 Oscar-nominated songs – including “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman, which is vying for the award at the 95th Oscars on March 12. Only one songwriter in Oscar history has been the sole writer of more than 10 Oscar-nominated songs.
Warren worked with a collaborator, Albert Hammond, on her first Oscar-nominated song, the propulsive “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin (1987). She later collaborated with Lady Gaga, Common and Laura Pausini on Oscar-nominated songs.
Warren’s roster of solo-written songs includes three of her signature hits – “Because You Loved Me” from Up Close and Personal (1996), “How Do I Live” from Con Air (1997) and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon (1998), all of which also received Grammy nominations for song of the year.
Twelve songwriters in Oscar history have received two or more nominations for best original song for songs they wrote all by themselves. Six of these writers have only been nominated for solo-written songs. These include two of the foremost writers of the Great American Songbook, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, and four top contemporary writers – Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Here are all songwriters who have received two or more Oscar nods for best original song for pieces they wrote entirely by themselves.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2
Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Miranda is the sole writer of both of his nominated songs to date – “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana (2016) and “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto (2021). In the photo above, Miranda is joined by his mother, Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, at the Oscars the first time he was nominated. Listen to Miranda talk about the songs from Encanto on the Pop Shop Podcast in early 2022.
Bruce Springsteen, 2
The Boss is the sole writer of both of his nominated songs to date – “Streets of Philadelphia” from Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (which won, 1993) and “Dead Man Walkin’” from Tim Robbins’ Dead Man Walking (1995).
Dolly Parton, 2
Parton is the sole writer of both of her nominated songs to date – “Nine to Five” from the hit comedy of the same name in which she co-starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin (1980) and “Travelin’ Through” from Transamerica (2005).
Phil Collins, 2
Collins is the sole writer of two of his three nominated songs to date – the striking torch ballad “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” from Against All Odds (1984) and “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan (which won, 1999). Collins had a co-writer – Motown legend Lamont Dozier – on his other nominated song, “Two Hearts” from Buster (1988).
Lionel Richie, 2
Richie is the sole writer of two of his three nominated songs to date – “Endless Love” from the movie of the same name (1981) and “Say You, Say Me” from White Nights (which won, 1985). Richie collaborated with Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton on his other nominated song – “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” from The Color Purple, which lost to “Say You, Say Me.”
Leslie Bricusse, 2
Bricusse was the sole writer of his first two nominated songs – “Talk to the Animals” from Doctor Dolittle (which won, 1967) and “Thank You Very Much” from Scrooge (1970). He worked with collaborators on his last three nominated songs. He teamed with Henry Mancini on “Life in a Looking Glass” from That’s Life (1986) and with John Williams on both “Somewhere in My Memory” from Home Alone (1990) and “When You’re Alone” from Hook (1991). Bricusse died in 2021 at age 90.
Johnny Mercer, 2
Mercer was the sole writer of two of his near-record 18 nominated songs. (Only Sammy Cahn amassed more nominations in the category – 26). Mercer was the sole writer of “Something’s Gotta Give” from the Fred Astaire/Leslie Caron film Daddy Long Legs (1955) and “The Facts of Life” from the Bob Hope/Lucille Ball movie of the same name (1960). He collaborated on his other nominated songs with Henry Mancini (five songs), Harold Arlen (four), Harry Warren (two) and Jimmy McHugh, Artie Shaw, Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael and Marvin Hamlisch (one each). Mercer died in 1976 at age 66. Here’s more about the songwriter for whom the Songwriters Hall of Fame named their top award.
Frank Loesser, 3
Loesser teamed with composers Lou Alter and Arthur Schwartz for his first two nominated songs, but was the sole writer of his last three – “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” from The Perils of Pauline (1947), “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” from Neptune’s Daughter (1949) and “Thumbelina” from Hans Christian Andersen (1952). “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is one of the most enduring songs from the 1940s, though the storyline of seduction, once viewed as charming, is now seen as problematic by some. Loesser died in 1969 at age 59.
Cole Porter, 4
Image Credit: Underwood Archives/GI
Porter was the sole writer of all four of his nominated songs – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” from Born to Dance (1936), “Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye” from You’ll Never Get Rich (1941), “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” from Something to Shout About (1943) and “True Love” from High Society (1956). “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is one of Frank Sinatra’s signature hits. “True Love” was a smash collab in 1956 for Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly. Porter, pictured here at the piano in 1956 with his dog beside him, died in 1964 at age 73.
Irving Berlin, 7
Berlin was the sole writer of all seven of his nominated songs – “Cheek to Cheek” from Top Hat (1935), “Change Partners” from Carefree (1938), “Now It Can Be Told” from Alexander’s Ragtime Band (also 1938), “I Poured My Heart Into a Song” from Second Fiddle (1939), “White Christmas” from Holiday Inn (which won, 1942), “You Keep Coming Back Like a Song” from Blue Skies (1946) and “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” from White Christmas (1954). “Cheek to Cheek” came in second in the Oscar voting for 1935. The winner that year was “Lullaby of Broadway.” Both songs are famous to this day. And wouldn’t it be great if the Academy revealed the runner-up nowadays, as they did that year? Berlin died in 1989 at age 101.
Diane Warren, 10
Warren is the sole writer of 10 of her 14 nominated songs to date. Warren teamed with Albert Hammond, best known for his 1972 smash “It Never Rains in Southern California,” to write her first Oscar-nominated song, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin (1987). She later teamed with Lady Gaga on “Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground (2015), Common on “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall (2017) and Laura Pausini for “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se).
She has been the sole writer of her other 10 nominated songs – “Because You Loved Me” from Up Close and Personal (1996), “How Do I Live” from Con Air (1997), “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing “ from Armageddon (1998), “Music of My Heart” from Music of the Heart (1999), “There You’ll Be” from Pearl Harbor (2001), “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights (2014), “I’ll Fight” from RBG (2018), “I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough (2019), “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days (2021) and “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman (2022).
Here’s a closer look at Warren’s 14 Oscar-nominated songs.
Randy Newman, 13
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/ABC/GI
Newman is the sole writer of all 13 of his nominated songs to date, including a song from each of the four Toy Story movies. He was nominated for “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story (1995) and “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2 (1999), won for “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 (2010) and was nominated for “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4 (2019). In the photo above, Newman is performing the latter song on the Oscar telecast.
Newman’s first Oscar winner was “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. (2001). Newman is the only writer in Oscar history to win twice for solo-written songs.
His other nominees are “One More Hour” from Ragtime (1981), “I Love to See You Smile” from Parenthood (1989), “Make Up Your Mind” from The Paper (1994), “That’ll Do” from Babe: Pig in the City (1998), “A Fool in Love” from Meet the Parents (2000), “Our Town” from Cars (2006), and “Almost There” and “Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog (2009).
You may have noticed that Rihanna didn’t include “Lift Me Up” in her halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Feb. 12. Turns out she was just saving it for the Oscars. Rihanna will perform the Oscar-nominated ballad from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12.
Fans will be watching to see if Rihanna’s baby bump has grown in the month between these high-profile gigs. The star’s previously undisclosed pregnancy made her Super Bowl halftime performance one of the most talked-about in years.
Rihanna’s upcoming performance was announced on Thursday (Feb. 23) by Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, executive producers and showrunners of the 95th Oscars. The producers will continue to announce talent on the show in the coming weeks.
The “Umbrella” singer won’t be the first person to perform on the Oscar telecast and at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in the same calendar year. Phil Collins played both high-profile gigs in 2000, though he wasn’t the sole headliner of the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Jan. 30, but part of a multi-artist package that also featured Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias and Toni Braxton. Collins performed “Two Worlds” from Tarzan at the Disney-produced halftime show. Two months later, on March 26, Collins performed “You’ll Be in My Heart,” also from Tarzan, at the Academy Awards. The song (which Collins wrote by himself) went on to win the Oscar.
“Lift Me Up” — with music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson and lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler — is nominated for best original song. This is Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination.
The other nominees for best original song are “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman (music and lyrics by Diane Warren); “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).
The announcement of Rihanna’s Oscar performance was 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.
Rihanna attended the Golden Globes ceremony on Jan. 10 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., but that show doesn’t include performances of best original song nominees. “Lift Me Up” lost the award to “Naatu Naatu.” Even so, she attracted much attention, a sign of her star power even amid the high-wattage film and TV stars in attendance.
“All the Stars” from the first Black Panther film was likewise Oscar-nominated for best original song four years ago, but Kendrick Lamar and SZA didn’t perform it on the Oscar telecast, a move blamed on “logistics and timing.”
A nine-time Grammy winner, Rihanna has eight multiplatinum albums, and 14 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Final round Oscar voting extends from March 2 to 7. 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.
Reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 has been a goal for songwriters since the chart’s inception in 1958. Winning an Oscar for best original song has been on most songwriters’ bucket lists even longer than that – the category dates back to 1934.
A total of 27 songs have achieved both of these milestones. That number could jump to 28 when the 95th annual Academy Awards are presented on March 12 if Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” wins the award. The song debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in November 2022. The number could also jump to 28 if one of the other nominees wins and makes a big enough splash on the show that it belatedly reaches the top 10.
Five artists have each made the top 10 with two Oscar-winning songs – Barbra Streisand, Irene Cara, Jennifer Warnes, Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. Streisand and Cara each co-wrote one of those songs.
Scroll through a gallery featuring the 27 songs that both made the top 10 on the Hot 100 and won an Oscar for best original song. (Hits between 1934-57 don’t appear because they pre-dated the Hot 100.)
First, let’s give a quick shout-out to an Oscar-winning classic that just missed the top 10 – twice. Two versions of “Moon River,” the 1961 champ, peaked at No. 11 – one by its composer Henry Mancini and another by R&B singer Jerry Butler.
Now let’s fire up that time machine. (All chart references are to the Hot 100.)
With the 2023 Oscars just weeks away, Son Lux is in rarified company. They are the first band to receive a scoring nomination, credited as a band, since The Beatles won best original song score in 1971 for Let It Be.
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Son Lux, which consists of Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang, is nominated for best original score for Everything Everywhere All at Once. This is their first film score as a band.
Son Lux originated as a solo project of Lott’s, but became a three-piece band with the addition of Bhatia and Chang. It was as a band that they released the studio albums Bones (2015) and Brighter Wounds (2018) and the Everything Everywhere All at Once soundtrack.
The Beatles, who had broken up a year earlier, weren’t present at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on April 15, 1971 when they won the Oscar. The award was accepted on their behalf by Quincy Jones, who was the music director for that year’s Oscar telecast.
In addition, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the two current members of Nine Inch Nails, have been nominated three times for best original score, but under their own names, not as NIN. They won in 2011 for The Social Network and again in 2021 for Soul (shared with Jon Batiste). They were also nominated for Mank in 2021.
Several other band members have been nominated for – and in some cases have won – scoring Oscars, but not in collaboration with other members of their bands. These include Pete Townshend of The Who (Tommy, 1976), Prince of Prince and the Revolution (Purple Rain, 1985), David Byrne of Talking Heads (The Last Emperor, 1988), Will Butler of Arcade Fire (Her, 2014) and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead (Phantom Thread, 2018 and The Power of the Dog, 2022).
Lott shares a second Oscar nomination for best original song with David Byrne and Mitski for “This Is a Life.” It is performed in the film by Son Lux, Byrne and Mitski.
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The president of the body responsible for the Oscars recently said that its response to Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock last year was sub-par.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Janet Yang made the remarks at the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon held on Monday (Feb. 13th). “As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” she began, referencing the incident where Will Smith stepped onstage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada-Pinkett Smith at last year’s ceremony.
“What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
Yang went on to declare that “we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward,” finishing her comments on the subject before pivoting to her thoughts on an expanded vision for the Academy.
“I want to remind us of the deep respect and love we have for our fellow colleagues and for the art of filmmaking. I invite us to grow together because the collective power of this room and this industry are unstoppable,” she concluded in front of a packed audience.
Yang’s remarks are a reiteration of the stance the Academy held in the wake of the infamous moment. “This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented,” they said in a statement.
The Academy had spent several weeks after the situation at the 94th edition of the Oscars deciding what to do before announcing that it would bar Smith from appearing at any of its events for a period of 10 years. The Oscar-winning actor would go on to resign from the Academy and issue several public apologies online.—Photo: Robert Gauthier / Getty