OSCARS
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Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Zendaya are used to running up against each other on the Billboard Hot 100 and running into each other at music awards shows.
But now they may also be bumping into each other at non-music awards shows. Pop Stan accounts are buzzing about the possibility that these multi-threats could be nominated for acting awards early next year. Oscar nominations are extremely hard to come by, but Golden Globes (having separate comedy and drama categories) and SAG Awards (having both individual and ensemble categories) are a bit easier to crack.
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Let’s take a closer look at these pop stars who are hoping for acting nods.
Lady Gaga
Film: Joker: Folie à Deux
Acting Nods: Gaga received an Oscar nod for actress in a leading role six years ago for playing Ally in A Star Is Born. She also received BAFTA and Golden Globe nods for both that role and for House of Gucci (2022). She won a Globe for TV’s American Horror Story: Hotel (2016). And she has received four SAG Award nominations – as lead actress and also as part of the cast of both A Star Is Born and House of Gucci.
Notes: Gaga more than held her own with Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born. If she’s good in this sequel to 2019’s Joker, she could easily be nominated. Joker: Folie à Deux is a musical psychological thriller directed by Todd Phillips, who received three Oscar nominations for his work on Joker – directing, writing and best picture. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his Oscar-winning role as the Joker, with Gaga joining the cast as his love interest Harley Quinn. Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for an international theatrical release on Oct. 2, followed by a U.S. release on Oct. 4.
Selena Gomez
Film: Emilia Pérez
Acting Nods: Gomez was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for the third season of Only Murders in the Building. She has been nominated for a Golden Globe in that category in each of the last two years. And she has been nominated for a SAG Award for ensemble in a comedy series all three years the show has been on the air.
Notes: It took a while for the Emmy acting nod to come, but that’s always been a very competitive category, back to the days of Lucy and Mary Tyler Moore. And Gomez had to prove that she was a full partner with comedy greats Steve Martin and Martin Short. Over the course of three seasons, she has done that.
Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language French musical crime comedy written and directed by Jacques Audiard. It also stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir and Édgar Ramírez. The film premiered on May 18 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize and its female ensemble won the best actress award. The film has grossed $4.7 million worldwide since its theatrical release in August.
Ariana Grande
Film: Wicked
Acting Nods: Grande was nominated for a SAG Award for cast in a motion picture for Don’t Look Up.
Notes: Wicked is an upcoming musical fantasy directed by Jon M. Chu. It’s the first of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which received 10 Tony nominations in 2004 (winning three). The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Grande. Wicked will premiere in London on Nov. 18, with a U.S. theatrical release scheduled for Nov. 22. The sequel, Wicked Part Two, is scheduled to be released on Nov. 21, 2025.
Zendaya
Film: Challengers
Acting Nods: Zendaya won two Primetime Emmys for outstanding lead actress in a drama series (2020 and 2022) for her role as Rue on HBO’s Euphoria. The first win made her, at age 24, the youngest winner in the history of the category. The second made her the first Black actress to win twice. Zendaya also won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a television series – drama (2023) for that role. And she was nominated for a SAG Award for female actor in a drama series in 2023.
Notes: This is a lead role, which would make a nomination harder to land. But she was very good in the sexy and critically acclaimed film.
Challengers is a romantic sports drama directed by Luca Guadagnino, who received an Oscar nod for best picture as a producer of Call Me by Your Name. It stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. The film has grossed $50.1 million in domestically and $94.2 million worldwide since opening in April.
The Oscars have been televised every year since 1953, but only four times has the show received a Primetime Emmy as the year’s best variety program. It first happened in 1979, and again in 1988, 1991 and 2024. The name of category has changed over the years, but the intent has not — to honor […]
In the 90 years that the Oscars have had a best original song category, just one songwriter has been nominated in that category eight years running. The late lyricist Sammy Cahn was nominated every year from 1954 through 1961, winning three times during that streak, for “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “All the Way” and “High Hopes,” all recorded by Frank Sinatra.
Diane Warren has a chance to tie Cahn’s record on Jan. 17, 2025, when the nominations for the 97th annual Academy Award are announced. Warren is pinning her hopes on the song “The Journey” from Tyler Perry’s upcoming World War II drama, The Six Triple Eight. Netflix is set to release the film later this year.
This would be Warren’s 16th career nomination in the category, a total reached by only three songwriters in history. Cahn leads with 26 nods, followed by Johnny Mercer with 18 and Paul Francis Webster with 16. If she is nominated, Warren would pull ahead of Alan & Marilyn Bergman, who had 15 nominations in this category, making Warren the woman with the most nods in this category. (Unlike all of these other songwriters, Warren has yet to win in the category.)
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In an interesting plot twist, “The Journey” was recorded for the film’s soundtrack by H.E.R., who beat Warren for the Oscar in early 2021. “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah, which H.E.R. cowrote with Dernst Emile II (D’Mile) and Tiara Thomas, beat “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se), which Warren co-wrote with Laura Pausini. Warren’s song had earlier won the Golden Globe.
The Six Triple Eight showcases the contributions of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-woman battalion, in World War II. Perry wrote, directed and co-produced the film, which is based on historian Kevin M. Hymel’s article “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion,” which was published in the February 2019 issue of WWII History magazine.
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion contributed to the war effort by sorting through a huge backlog of undelivered mail and delivering it to American soldiers. “The Journey” is described as “a tribute to those who face seemingly insurmountable barriers yet persevere and ultimately triumph” — a familiar theme in Warren’s film songs.
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H.E.R. recorded and released “The Journey” in 2023. It was featured in various in-game ESPN production elements throughout the channel’s NBA Playoffs coverage, starting April 15, 2023. Three months later, on July 12, she sang it live on the 2023 EPSY Awards.
So how can the song be eligible for best original song for a yet-to-be-released 2024 film and potentially compete for awards to be presented in 2025? Because Warren wrote the song for the film.
It was announced in December 2022 that Tyler Perry would be writing and directing the film at Netflix. In January 2023, the cast, including Kerry Washington, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon and Oprah Winfrey, was announced, with Washington also joining as an executive producer. Filming began on Jan. 17, 2023, in Atlanta.
Variety’s Clayton Thomas reports that there is precedent for songs with similar trajectories being nominated by the music branch, such as “In the Deep” from Crash (2005) and the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly” from Once (2007).
In 2023, Warren became the first songwriter to receive an Honorary Oscar. The award was inscribed: “To Diane Warren, for her genius, generosity and passionate commitment to the power of song in film.”
In addition, she has won a Primetime Emmy, a Grammy and two Golden Globes – all for film songs. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001 and received that organization’s top honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in June.
Bess Kargman’s Diane Warren: Relentless documentary about Warren’s life premiered at SXSW in March.
Sammy Cahn’s Consecutive Oscar Nods
Here’s Cahn’s eight-year streak of best original song nominees. He wrote the lyrics to all of these songs. The composer is shown and the songs that won are flagged.
1954: “Three Coins in the Fountain” from Three Coins in the Fountain [Music by Jule Styne] [winner]
1955: (2 nods) “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” from Love Me or Leave Me [Music by Nicholas Brodszky] and “(Love Is) The Tender Trap” from The Tender Trap [Music by James Van Heusen]
1956: “Written on the Wind” from Written on the Wind [Music by Victor Young]
1957: “All the Way” from The Joker Is Wild [Music by James Van Heusen] [winner]
1958: “To Love and Be Loved” from Some Came Running [Music by James Van Heusen]
1959 (2 nods) “The Best of Everything” from The Best of Everything [Music by Alfred Newman] and “High Hopes” from A Hole in the Head [Music by James Van Heusen] [winner]
1960: “The Second Time Around” from High Time [Music by James Van Heusen]
1961: “Pocketful of Miracles” from Pocketful of Miracles [Music by James Van Heusen]
Diane Warren’s Consecutive Oscar Nods
And here’s Warren’s seven-year streak of best original song nominees. She wrote both music and lyrics by herself, except as shown.
2017: “Stand Up for Something” from Marshall [Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren]
2018: “I’ll Fight” from RBG
2019: “I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough
2020: “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) [Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini]
2021: “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days
2022: “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
2023: “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot
It’s been more than two years since the Oscars slap heard around the world, and J Balvin believes in forgiveness.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Latin superstar opened up about bringing Will Smith out onstage with him during his headlining Coachella set earlier this year. “Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period. I feel really connected with him. You cannot judge a person for some mistakes,” he told the publication, referring to the backlash Smith faced after slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, which led to a 10-year ban from the Academy. “A mistake cannot define who you are because if it’s like that, we all are bad.”
J Balvin continued, “[With] what happened with Will Smith, I felt his pain because I was going through a similar situation when I felt that some part of the world was against me for mistakes.”
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The incident occurred after Rock made an onstage joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during the Academy Awards ceremony. “Jada, I love you. G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” the comedian said about her shaved head — which is caused by the actress’ struggles with alopecia.
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The King Richard actor then slapped Rock onstage, who attempted to continue his banter before Smith began shouting from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.”
Balvin concluded, “My inner child was screaming to have him in my show because there was no one better than him […] I told him my vision. He said, ‘Give me a week.’ And I kept pressuring, man. I kept sending him pictures of me praying, until he called and said he was down, and it was a beautiful moment to see us together, man.”
During Balvin’s set, Smith made a surprise appearance dressed as his Men in Black character, Agent J, and proceeded to rap the iconic film’s theme song.
Producer Janet Yang was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s board of governors, the Academy announced on Thursday (Aug. 1).
Yang is beginning her third term as president and her sixth year as a governor-at-large, a position for which she was nominated by sitting Academy president David Rubin in 2019 and elected by the board of governors in 2022.
Yang is the fourth woman to serve as president of the Academy. Oscar-winning actress Bette Davis was the first in 1941, though she resigned after just two months in the post. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Fay Kanin served from 1979-83; Film marketing and PR executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs served from 2013-17.
A member of the Academy’s producers branch since 2002, Yang previously served on the board as vp and chair of the membership committee and, prior to that, the membership and governance committee.
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Yang’s film producing credits include South Central, The Joy Luck Club, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Zero Effect, Savior, The Weight of Water, High Crimes and the Oscar-nominated animated feature Over the Moon. She won a Primetime Emmy in 1995 for the HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial, which was voted outstanding made for television movie.
In other news, film composer Lesley Barber, one of three members of the board of governors representing the music branch, was elected to an officer position for the first time. She is a vp and chair of the membership committee.
Barber is best known for her score for Kenneth Lonergan’s Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea. Her other credits include Late Night, Mansfield Park, Irreplaceable You, How to Change the World and You Can Count on Me.
Here is a list of the other four people who were elected to officer positions by the board:
DeVon Franklin, vp (chair, equity and inclusion committee)
Donna Gigliotti, vp/treasurer (chair, finance committee)
Lynette Howell Taylor, vp (chair, awards committee)
Howard A. Rodman, vp/secretary (chair, governance committee)
Franklin, Howell Taylor and Rodman were re-elected as officers. Gigliotti previously served as an officer.
“I am thrilled to have Janet return as Academy president for a third term to continue our great work of the past two years,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. “I also am so pleased to welcome this year’s incredible slate of dedicated board officers.”
The 55-member board of governors includes three members who represent the music branch: Barber, Charles Fox (“I Got a Name,” “Ready to Take a Chance Again”) and Richard Gibbs (Say Anything, Dr. Dolittle).
Board members may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years. Officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office.
For a complete listing of the Academy’s 2024-25 board of governors, click here.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday (July 10) announced the second year of the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative, a career development program for Black musicians interested in composing music for film. The program, launched in 2022, provides real-world experience, one-on-one mentorship and networking opportunities with an aim to foster broader representation in film music composition.
The program is named in memory of the late South African jazz musician, composer and producer Jonas Gwangwa. Gwangwa, who died in January 2021 at age 83, received a pair of Oscar nominations for best original score and best original song for his collaboration, with George Fenton, on Cry Freedom (1987).
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Program partners are Universal Music Group’s (UMG) Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC), Mercury Studios, Universal Music Publishing Group Classics and Screen, Decca Records and UMG’s Globe.
The program is open to U.K.-based and U.S.-based Black artists and composers with at least three years of work experience as a musician. Four participants, two in the U.K. and two in the U.S., will be selected through an application process. Participants will receive access to Academy members across various branches to gain an understanding of the filmmaking process; one-on-one mentorship with a member of the Academy’s Music Branch to learn about the practical aspects of composing for film; access to Academy events and screenings in London and Los Angeles; and introductions to leading practitioners from all areas of film music, among other mentorship programming.
Participants will be matched with a filmmaker who is in the process of making a short film and will be given the opportunity to compose music for the film. Each participant will receive a grant to help support their film composition projects.
“After an incredibly successful first year, the Academy is excited for the second year of Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative,” Kendra Carter, academy senior vice president, impact and global talent development, said in a statement. “Our goal for this program is to stimulate long-term career opportunities within the film industry for underrepresented musicians, and we thank our partners within Universal Music Group and our Academy members, whose passion, dedication and expertise enable this work.”
“The life and legacy of Jonas Gwangwa’s commitment as an artist-activist who used music as a tool for social change is undeniable and it’s an honor to celebrate him with this program,” said Menna Demessie, Ph.D., senior vice president, UMG and executive director, Task Force for Meaningful Change. “This initiative will continue to help create space for a more diverse cadre of film music composers and ultimately provide career opportunities that will advance the industry itself.”
Applications for the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative are currently open. For more information, visit the Academy’s website.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is inviting 487 artists and executives, including 21 in the music branch, to join the organization.
The invitations spotlight the Academy’s ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity. Of the 2024 class, 44% identify as women (up from 40% in last year’s new member invited class), 41% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (up from 34% last year) and 56% are from 56 countries and territories outside the U.S. (up from 52% last year).
The music branch was one of 14 branches that extended the majority of their invitations to candidates from countries or territories outside the U.S.
Six branches (not including music) invited more women than men. Four branches (again not including music) extended the majority of their invitations to members of underrepresented ethnic or racial communities.
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The Academy notes that demographic information is provided by the candidate when possible or projected through research and will be confirmed by members upon acceptance. In keeping with past policy, those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2024. This is seen as a sign of the Academy’s laser focus on boosting its diversity numbers.
If all 2024 invitees accept membership, the total number of members (including emeritus members) will be 10,910. The number of voting members will be 9,934.
Likewise, if all 2024 invitees accept membership, 35% of the Academy will identify as women; 20% will be from underrepresented ethnic or racial communities; and 20% will be from countries or territories outside the U.S.
“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s class of new members to the Academy,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community.”
Eight individuals have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.
There are 71 Oscar nominees, including 19 winners, among the invitees.
Here’s a complete list of the 21 individuals who have been invited to join the music branch.
Michael K. Bauer – Cassandro, The Equalizer 3
Stephen Bray – The Color Purple, Psycho III
Anthony Chue – Man on the Edge, G Storm
Gary M. Clark – Flora and Son, Sing Street
Marius de Vries – Navalny, CODA
Jerskin Fendrix – Poor Things
Simon Franglen – Avatar: The Way of Water, The Magnificent Seven
Jo Yeong-wook – Decision to Leave, Hunt
Shari Johanson – Maybe I Do, All Together Now
Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch – All of Us Strangers, Living
Fabrizio Mancinelli – Il Viaggio Leggendario, The Boat
Diego Navarro – The Cuckoo’s Curse, The Wasteland
Martin Phipps – Napoleon, The Princess
Plínio Profeta – Desapega!, Nosso Sonho
Philippe Rombi – Driving Madeleine, Joyeux Noël
David Sardy – The Beekeeper, Zombieland
Katrina Marie Schiller – Wonka, Black Mass
Carl Sealove – Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, The Human Trial
Ryan Shore – Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World, Zombie Town
Kubilay Uner – American Traitor: The Trail of Axis Sally, Force of Nature
Dan Wilson – American Symphony, Love Again
The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Monday (June 24) that CEO Bill Kramer will continue in his role through July 2028. Kramer’s contract, up for renewal in 2025, was approved one year early due to what the Academy calls “his exceptional leadership and significant contributions.” “Bill […]
Quincy Jones is set to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ 15th Governors Awards on Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood. This year’s other honorees, voted on by the Academy’s board of governors, are casting director Juliet Taylor; filmmaker and philanthropist Richard Curtis (the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award) and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, best known for the James Bond franchise (the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award).
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“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s board of governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement. Of Jones, she added, “Quincy Jones’ artistic genius and relentless creativity have made him one of the most influential musical figures of all time.”
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This is the second honorary Oscar for Jones, 91, who was voted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1994. Jones accepted that award on the Oscar telecast in 1995 from his longtime friend Oprah Winfrey. He said in part, “This moment, this evening, this spot where I stand tonight was not my destination when I was young and full of vinegar. I did not engineer this journey. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I could even see this far. And now that I’m older and full of wonder, I can see that maybe other forces were at the wheel.”
Jones has received seven Oscar nominations, but has yet to win a competitive Oscar (which is the reason he is not officially an EGOT). Nonetheless, Jones has made Oscar history many times. He was the first Black musician to be hired as music director on the annual Oscar telecast.
In 1967, Jones became the first Black composer to receive an Oscar nomination for best original song for “The Eyes of Love” from Banning. (His collaborator, Bob Russell, was the first Black lyricist to be nominated.) That same year, Jones became only the third Black composer to be nominated in a scoring category, for In Cold Blood. (The first two Black composers to land scoring nods were Duke Ellington, for Paris Blues, and Calvin Jackson, for The Unsinkable Molly Brown).
Jones has received two more nods in scoring categories, for The Wiz (1978) and The Color Purple (1985). He has also received two more nods for best original song, for the title song from For Love of Ivy (which he also co-wrote with Russell) and “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” from The Color Purple. Jones is, to this day, the only Black composer with three nods in scoring categories. He is one of two Black songwriters with three nods for best original song. (The other is Lionel Richie, one of his collaborators on “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister).”)
Jones received a seventh Oscar nod as a producer of the 1985 film The Color Purple.
He has won all of the other major entertainment awards – 28 Grammys (spanning from 1964 to 2019), a Primetime Emmy (for composing music for the landmark 1977 miniseries Roots) and a Tony (for serving as a producer of the revival of The Color Purple in 2016).
Of the other honorees, Yang said: “The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape. Richard Curtis is a brilliant comedic storyteller whose tremendous charitable efforts embody the meaning of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Juliet Taylor has cast iconic and beloved films and paved a new path for the field. Their profound love of cinema and indelible contribution to our art form make these five individuals truly deserving of these honors.”
Curtis’ film credits include Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Love Actually. He received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Four Weddings and a Funeral. Curtis is the co-founder of Comic Relief U.K. and USA; his fundraising work over 40 years has helped raise more than $2 billion. In 2005, he co-created Make Poverty History and helped produce the Live 8 concerts. Most recently, he co-founded the group Project Everyone, giving practical support to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and established the ethical investment campaign Make My Money Matter.
Taylor is a prolific casting director who is behind some of the most acclaimed casts in film history. Some notable credits from her 50-year career include Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, Big, Sleepless in Seattle and Schindler’s List. She has worked with directors including James L. Brooks, Nora Ephron, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Wilson and Broccoli of EON Productions are producers of the James Bond film series. They have produced some of the most successful 007 films ever, including including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die. (The last-three named films all yielded Oscar winners for best original song, for Adele‘s “Skyfall,” Sam Smith‘s “Writing’s on the Wall” and Billie Eilish‘s “No Time to Die,” respectively.) Wilson and Broccoli are directors of the Broccoli Foundation, founded by Dana and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli to support the arts, medicine and education. Cubby Broccoli received the Thalberg Award in 1981. Barbara Broccoli is the second woman to receive the Thalberg Award (following filmmaker Kathleen Kennedy in 2018).
The Honorary Award is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences of any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.”
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
Slash was one of the highlights of Ryan Gosling‘s show-stealing “I’m Just Ken” performance at the 2024 Oscars, but according to the actor, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist barely made it to the event.
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During his Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance Wednesday night (May 1), Gosling revealed that leading up to the show, he felt anxious about the flamboyant number, which featured dozens of backup dancers, Barbie head cutouts and audience participation, in addition to Slash shredding on guitar toward the end.
“You were nervous about how it would come off, right?” Kimmel asked, to which Gosling jokingly replied, “I wonder why.”
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“We had to have Slash,” the La La Land star continued. “He’s an enigma. It was very tense. He had a gig in China the night before and then one in Thailand the night after. So it was like, ‘Slash is never going to be able to be here.’ He wasn’t at rehearsal.”
As viewers saw on Oscars night March 10, Slash did end up making it to the show. Behind the scenes, Gosling says he was relieved — but he didn’t even get the chance to debrief with the rock star after it was all over. “Suddenly, as I was walking into dress rehearsal, I saw a guitar case and it had a skull with a top hat on it,” he recalled. “And I knew that Slash had arrived. Then after the show, he was gone.”
“I’m Just Ken” was one of five tracks nominated for best original song at this year’s Academy Awards, where another Barbie track, Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “What Was I Made For?,” ended up taking the prize. The sister-brother duo was the first to perform onstage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, while Gosling, Slash, Mark Ronson and Co. served as the final performance.
Gosling’s next project post-Barbie is Fall Guy, which hits theaters Friday (May 3). He recently revealed his favorite Taylor Swift song in honor of his character in the film’s love for the pop star, as did costar Emily Blunt.
“‘All Too Well’ right now has a real soft spot in my heart,” he told Fandango in April, while Blunt said, “‘Cruel Summer’ is pretty up there for me.”
Watch Gosling’s full Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview below.
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