Composer Carter Burwell (Fargo, Carol, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, True Grit, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Blind Side, Twilight, Being John Malkovich) has been elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2025-2026 Board of Governors. He joins Lesley Barber and Richard Gibbs who will be the other two governors of the music branch in the next term. It will mark Burwell’s first term serving on the music branch board. The Academy’s 19 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms, 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. The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.
Tag: Academy Awards
Music Highlights from the 97th Academy Awards
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was held last night. While none of the Oscar-nominated original songs were performed live, the show featured several other musical performance. Highlights include Cynthia Erivo’s & Ariana Grande’s performance of Defying Gravity from the Academy Award-nominated Wicked (as well as their rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow & Home), a James Bond musical tribute featuring LISA, Doja Cat and RAYE performing the Bond theme songs Live and Let Die, Diamonds Are Forever & Skyfall, as well as Queen Latifah’s rendition of Ease on Down the Road from the musical The Wiz as a tribute to composer/music producer Quincy Jones who passed away last year. Check out all three performances after the jump.
Daniel Blumberg Wins Academy Award for ‘The Brutalist’ Score
Daniel Blumberg was honored with his first Academy Award for his score for Brady Corbet’s epic period drama The Brutalist at tonight’s 97th Oscar ceremony. Check out his acceptance speech after the jump. The other nominated composers in the Original Score category were Volker Bertelmann (Conclave), Clément Ducol & Camille (Emilia Pérez), John Powell & Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot).
97th Academy Awards Nominations Announced
Robbie Williams’ Original Song ‘Forbidden Road’ from ‘Bettter Man’ Disqualified from Oscar Consideration
The Academy has notified members of the music branch that the Oscar-shortlisted original song Forbidden Road from the biographical musical drama Better Man has been disqualified. The track co-written (with Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek and produced by Dan Romer & Wexler) and performed by Robbie Williams was found to feature “material from an existing song that was not written for this film.” The existing title has been identified as the Jim Croce song I Got A Name written by Academy governor Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel for the 1973 feature The Last American Hero. Listen to both tracks for a comparison after the jump and check out our previous article for the other fourteen titles remaining on the Original Songs shortlist.
Original Score & Song Shortlists for 97th Academy Awards Announced
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the shortlists for several categories for the 97th Academy Awards, including Original Score and Original Song. The shortlisted scores and songs are listed in alphabetical order below. The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on January 17, 2025 and the awards show will be held on March 2.
2025 Oscars Best Original Score Predictions
Starting today, we are publishing our predictions for the nominees in the Best Original Score category of next year’s 97th Academy Awards on the left side column of this page. The selection and ranking is based on our own experience of the scores in context of the movies, historical data, reactions of Academy music branch members and others in the film music community, the level of awards campaigning and awareness of the competing titles, and the response to the movies in other categories.
Michael Bearden Named Music Director for 97th Oscars
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences today announced the creative team for the 97th Oscars, including music director Michael Bearden who joins the team for the first time. Bearden has worked with more than 520 music artists, most notably Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Lady Gaga and as Michael Jackson’s final music director. he earned Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Music Direction for the Super Bowl LI Halftime Show featuring Lady Gaga and One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. He has served as a music director for the Grammy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Awards, and as a musician and arranger for several Kennedy Center Honors and Oscars shows.
Jerskin Fendrix, Martin Phipps, Simon Franglen, Philippe Rombi, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch & Others Invited to Join Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 487 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures to join the organization. Among the invited artists this year are a number of film composers, including Jerskin Fendrix who received first Academy Award nomination this year for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, as well as Martin Phipps (Napoleon, Woman in Gold), Simon Franglen (Avatar: The Way of Water, The Magnificent Seven), Philippe Rombi (Swimming Pool, Driving Madeleine), David Sardy (Zombieland, 21), Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (All of Us Strangers, Living), Ryan Shore (Prime, The Shrine), Jo Yeong-wook (Decision to Leave, Hunt), Anthony Chue (Man on the Edge, G Storm), Kubilay Uner (American Traitor: The Trail of Axis Sally, Force of Nature), Marius de Vries (Navalny, CODA), Diego Navarro (The Cuckoo’s Curse, The Wasteland), Fabrizio Mancinelli (Il Viaggio Leggendario,The Boat) and Plínio Profeta (Desapega!, Nosso Sonho).
Academy Announces Updates Rules in Original Score Category
The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved rules and campaign regulations for the 97th Academy Awards, including two changes in the Original Score category. The new rules state that “three composers will be allowed to receive individual statuettes if, in rare circumstances, they all contributed fully to the score. Previously, three composers were required to submit as a group. The rules now clarify the definition of a group as a recognized band. The shortlist will increase from 15 to 20 titles”. Visit Oscars.org for the full list of rules and regulations.