My next Oscar Best Song snub is probably the most baffling of the whole list, given the popular and critical success of both the band and the movie.
And really, how could the Academy of Motion Pictures pass up the opportunity to invite John, Paul, George and Ringo to the ball?
But alas, not one song from my favorite Beatles album managed to score an Oscar nomination.
Here’s another song I didn’t realize originated in a film.
Some memorable Christmas songs first appeared in movies. Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ is perhaps the best-known example. The Rudolph TV special, while not technically a movie (and not eligible for Academy consideration, certainly) gave us ‘Silver and Gold,’ ‘The Most Wonderful Day of the Year’ and ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas.’
Elvis Presley might not have been the world’s best actor, and his films were never in danger of winning any awards, but you’d think the Academy would see past that to acknowledge the songs themselves.
Both ‘Love Me Tender’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ were written for films of the same names, and neither got a sniff of Oscar love.
But for my money, even those two snubs are overshadowed by this one.
This week I’ll continue counting down my ten most surprising Oscar-snubbed songs, picking up with #5.
Here’s a song that probably lost its bid for an Oscar due to the dismal failure of the film in which it appears.
Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York was a box office disaster and confusing, at best, to critics. Following the groundbreaking Taxi Driver, this oddly old-fashioned call back to classical musicals never really found an audience.
A little while into Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge is a moment when a portion of the audience decides they just can’t stick with a film this chaotic and assaulting.
The rest of us, who love the film, half agree with that assessment but manage to get caught up in the insanity just enough to make it through to the other side, where the true pleasures await.
That moment is the ‘Hindi San Diamonds’ scene.
Meet Me In Montauk 