Adele, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire in the Oscar race

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

The Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 10, and among them will be five compositions vying for Best Original Song.

Learning from its embarrassing mistake last year, in which only two nominees emerged from a strong field of contenders, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has already released a shortlist of 75 eligible submissions, to be pruned to the eventual five that will compete on Oscar night.

Adele's self-titled theme for Skyfall is expected to make the cut, one of the better songs of recent Bond film franchise memory. Arcade Fire has a shot with 'Abraham's Daughter' from The Hunger Games, as does Mumford & Sons with 'Learn Me Right' from Brave. Katy Perry's tune 'Wide Awake' is eligible, having been used in the opening or closing credits for her documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me. Neil Finn's 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' might benefit from perfect timing as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey currently sits atop the box office. Ditto for 'Suddenly' from the newly released red-hot musical Les Misérables, written by Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, and Herbert Kretzmer (and sung by Hugh Jackman).

OTHER CONTENDERS
Beck's 'Looking for a Sign' from Jeff, Who Lives at Home is on the list, along with Owl City's 'When Can I See You Again?' from Wreck-It Ralph; Norah Jones' 'Everybody Needs a Best Friend' from Ted; The Black Keys and RZA's 'The Baddest Man Alive' from The Man with the Iron Fists; Il Volo's 'Luna Nascosta' from Hidden Moon; Karen O's (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs) 'Strange Love' from Frankenweenie; Keith Urban's 'For You' from Act of Valor; Dave Stewart's 'Love Always Comes as a Surprise' from Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted; Dolly Parton's 'From Here to the Moon and Back' or 'He's Everything' from A Joyful Noise; and previous Best Original Song winner Glen Hansard's 'This Gift' from The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

A few dark horses to note are '100 Black Coffins' from Django Unchained, written by Jamie Foxx and performed by Rick Ross; 'Ladies of Tampa' from Magic Mike, co-written and performed by Matthew McConaughey; and one of the most interesting entries, 'Casa de Mi Padre' from the Will Ferrell comedy of the same name, sung by Christina Aguilera and written by Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, and Andrew Steele.

The Oscar nominations will be revealed bright and early next Friday, January 10, and the live ceremony takes place February 24.

 Share on Facebook

Share on MySpace!

    Share on Delicious

Share on StumbleUpon!