Best Original Song: And the Oscar goes to...
As has been widely reported, this is only the SECOND year in Oscar history that only three (3!!) songs have been nominated for "Best Song." That is pathetic because I think there have been enough good songs written specifically for films in 2005 that were good enough to be nominated.
How about the Jarvis Cocker, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway, etc. song "Do the Hippogriff" from this year's Harry Potter film ? Or the Danny Elfman songs from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"?? The new Oompa Looma songs were seriously great. How about the Chantal Kreviazuk songs from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Something is wrong with the qualification restrictions -- or the Academy if only three songs in all of filmmaking rise to the level of Oscar!
(Disclosure: my colleague Maria played a large role in getting the Dolly Parton song "Travelin' Through" on the "Transamerica" soundtrack which she helped produced and my employer Nettwerk Music Group released.)
If I had a vote...
Hustle and Flow -- "It's Hard Our Here for a Pimp" would win because it was the only song of the 3 nominees that was written for and about the story of the film. I would want to reward the diagetic use of songs because I think a) musicals have suffered a far too premature death and b) this type of use is much more creative overall than hiring a well-known songwriter or singer to write a song for an end title. Amazingly Three 6 Mafia will be the first hip hop group to perform a nominated song at the Oscars.
Hear Terrance Howard sing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"
Transamerica -- "Travelin' Through" WILL win which will certainly make a big difference to the film and to our soundtrack. I also think that she's a great and under-rated songwriter (she was previously nominated for "9 to 5"). Felicity Huffman's performance is likely and deserving to win. If I was a betting man i would bet on Transamerica to win. Check out our awesome e-card for Transamerica's Soundtrack .
Hear Dolly Parton sing "Travelin' Through"
Crash -- "In The Deep" would be hard for me to vote for. I loved this movie and the music was used very well. I can't vote at all much less for vote for 3 songs to win Oscar. Bird York has been working hard for years and this win would change her life. But sometimes it really is an honor just to be nominated.
Hear Bird York sing "In The Deep"
Other links:
NPR discussion on the dearth of this year's nominees
NPR interview with Terrance Howard on "Hustle and Flow" :
posted by JT Griffith at
11:45 AM
4 Comments:
One of the best things about "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" is that the film HUSTLE & FLOW included in it a lengthy sequence showing the "construction" of the song - layer by layer - by the characters. This "You Are There" element uniquely invested the viewer in the song. You don't get that kind of connection with the audience running the new Hillary Duff TRL single over an end credit crawl.
By
MD, at 2:31 PM
"In the Deep" is really a fantastic tune.
By
Roonie, at 6:26 PM
I totally agree. Taken out of context I don't know if the song really works at all. That might be the perfect indication that the song is a good film song. Dolly's song is perhaps a better song in how it can exist out side the film (her performance of it on the Oscars was awesome -- she didn't need some BS storyline through her song!) I do wish that maybe the hustle and Flow was even better (ala the best Outkast or Ludacris songs) because no one could deny that Eminem's song was really really strong. Did either of you like "Woop that Trick" more than "Pimp"?
By
JT Griffith, at 6:41 PM
"Whoop that Trick" was fun, yes, but I preferred "Pimp." Neither was as strong as "Lose Yourself," though.
By
MD, at 8:14 AM
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