Academy Awards producers Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain today announced today that Rickey Minor will return as the music director for this year’s 92nd Oscars. He previously served in the role on last year’s show and follows composers including Bill Conti, Marc Shaiman, William Ross and Harold Wheeler who have previously been selected as music directors. Minor has received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Music Direction and won the award in 2017 for Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America.
Tag: Academy Awards
Best Original Score & Song Shortlists for 92nd Academy Awards Announced
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the shortlists for several categories for the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song. The nominations will be announced on January 13, 2020 and the awards show will be held on February 9.
Scores for ‘Knives Out’, ‘The Irishman’ & ‘The Two Popes’ Ruled Ineligible for Academy Awards Consideration
Variety is reporting that several original scores submitted for Academy Awards consideration have been disqualified. Among the titles ruled ineligible are Knives Out (by Nathan Johnson), which was disqualified due to an “administrative mixup”, as well as The Irishman (by Robbie Robertson) and The Two Popes (by Bryce Dessner), both of which were expected to be ineligible because of the limited amount of original score and predominating use of pre-existing songs in the films. As anticipated, A Hidden Life (by James Newton Howard) will also not be eligible.
2020 ‘Best Original Score’ Oscar Predictions
Starting today, we are publishing our predictions in the Best Original Score category for the 92nd 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, reactions of Academy music branch members and others in the film/music community, the level of awards campaigning, historical data and the response to the movies in other categories.
Ludwig Goransson, Michael Abels, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Nathan Barr, Hildur Gudnadottir & Others Invited to Join Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 928 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures to join the organization. Among the invited artists this year are a number of film composers, including Ludwig Goransson (Creed, Venom) who received the Academy Award for Black Panther this year, Michael Abels (Get Out, Us), Rupert Gregson-Williams (Wonder Woman, Aquaman), Nathan Barr (The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Hostel), Kris Bowers (Green Book, Monsters and Men), Hildur Gudnadottir (Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Mary Magdalene), Heitor Pereira (Despicable Me, Minions), Jed Kurzel (Alien Covenant, Macbeth), John Swihart (Napoleon Dynamite, Table 19), Anne Nikitin (American Animals, The Imposter), Jane Antonia Cornish (Fireflies in the Garden, Citizen Jane: Battle for the City) and Annette Focks (Ostwind, Krabat).
Academy Confirms Return of Short Lists in Music Categories
The Academy has announced the updated rules for next year’s 92nd Academy Awards and confirmed that the short lists that were reintroduced last year in both “Original Score” and “Original Song” music categories will return for next year’s Oscars. The new procedure in the nomination phase generated mixed reactions last year, with some parties feeling movies and their respective songs/scores that are released at the very end of the year are being disadvantaged, while others welcomed the spotlight placed on ten additional scores/songs that appeared on the short lists but ultimately were not nominated.
Ludwig Goransson Wins Academy Award for ‘Black Panther’
Ludwig Goransson was honored with his first Academy Award for his score for Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther at tonight’s 91st Oscar ceremony. Check out his acceptance speech after the jump. The other nominated composers in the Best Original Score category were Terence Blanchard (BlacKkKlansman), Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk), Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs) and Marc Shaiman (Mary Poppins Returns).
Bette Midler to Perform ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’ from ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ at Oscars
Bette Midler has announced that she will be performing the original song The Place Where Lost Things Go from Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. The song, which is performed in the movie by Emily Blunt, is written by Marc Shaiman (who is also one of the nominees in the Best Original Score category) & Scott Wittman. Click here to purchase the song and soundtrack. As previously reported, Jennifer Hudson will perform the I’ll Fight from RBG, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings will perform When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper will perform the song Shallow from A Star Is Born.
Rickey Minor Named Oscar Music Director
Academy Awards producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss today announced today that Rickey Minor was selected as music director for this year’s 91st Oscars. He is making his debut as the music director and follows such composers as Bill Conti, Marc Shaiman, William Ross and Harold Wheeler who served in the role in previous years. Minor is seven-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Music Direction and the award in 2017 for Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings to Perform ‘When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings’ from ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ at Oscars
The Academy has announced today that Gillian Welch & David Rawlings will perform the song When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on February 24. Welch & Rawlings also wrote the song, which is performed in the movie by Willie Watson & Tim Blake Nelson. It was also announced today that Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper will perform the song Shallow from A Star Is Born. As announced yesterday, Jennifer Hudson will perform the nominated song I’ll Fight from RBG and yet-to-be announced performer will sing Where Lost Things Go from Mary Poppins Returns.