It’s been a week since the 96th Oscars came to a rushed close and it turned out to be a big “whew” for The Academy. Despite some unfortunate discourse over Jonathan Glazer‘s acceptance speech, this awards season ended with no serious controversies, no embarrassing upsets, and an uptick in television ratings (whether it’s enough for ABC to pay big bucks for the telecast remains to be seen). And despite winning just one statue, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” had its moment on the Dolby Theater stage in more ways than one (thank you, Ryan Gosling).

Continue reading Oscars New Rules: Original Song, Cannes, BAFTA & A New Voting Weekend Tradition? at The Playlist.

Imagine being just 22 years old and having two Academy Awards trophies somewhere in your apartment (or mansion). Welcome to Billie Eilish‘s life. The acclaimed music superstar won her second Original Song Oscar, alongside her musical partner and brother Finneas, for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie” at the 96th Academy Awards. Eilish and Finneas won their first Oscar for the title track from “No Time To Die” just two years ago.

Continue reading Billie Eilish & Finneas Take Second Original Song Oscar For ‘What Was I Made For?’ at The Playlist.

It looks like Ryan Gosling is going to be warming up his vocal chords over the next few weeks. The “La La Land” star has reportedly agreed to belt out the Best Original Song nominee “I’m Just Ken” during the 2024 Academy Awards telecast. This would be a nice coup for the Oscars hoping to infuse the ceremony with as much “Barbie” magic as it can after the social media outcry following snubs of director Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie in the Best Actress category.

Continue reading Report: Ryan Gosling to Perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ At The 2024 Oscars at The Playlist.

You can’t escape her. You can only hope to contain her. Yes, Diane Warren is threatening to earn her 15th Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category. Despite winning an honorary Oscar last year, Warren is obsessed with getting a “real” one, and one of her two contenders this time around, “The Fire Inside” from Eva Longoria‘s “Flamin’ Hot,” has made the shortlist. You’ve been warned. The good news for producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan is that Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Baptiste, and Metro Boomin, among others, may be performing on the Dolby Theater stage on Oscar night.

Continue reading Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo &…Diane Warren Make Oscars Original Song Shortlist at The Playlist.

By the time you read this, the world will probably know what songs Warner Bros. has decided to submit from “Barbie” for Original Song Oscar consideration. And there is an embarrassment of riches. There is the Dua Lipa song of summer, “Dance The Night Away,” Billie Eillish’s smash “What Was I Made For?” and, of course, the Ryan Gosling showstopper, “I’m Just Ken.” But for Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who have music by credit on the film and produced the soundtrack album, it’s clear their heart is with the latter.

Continue reading ‘Barbie’: Mark Ronson Reveals How “Can You Feel The Kenergy” Was Born [Interview] at The Playlist.

John Carney loves music. And he loves music in his movies. Oh, and he knows you love music in his movies. The Irish filmmaker saw his breakout film, “Once,” take the Original Song Oscar for “Falling Slowly,” “Begin Again,” earn a nomination for “Lost Stars,” and his fantastic period piece “Sing Street” robbed for a nom a few years later. Now, Carney is back with “Flora and Son,” which popped at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival before landing in theaters and Apple TV+ this Summer.

Continue reading John Carney Breaks Down ‘Flora And Son’s Original Song Oscar Contender “High Life” at The Playlist.

As Academy members begin logging into their AMPAS accounts to vote for the 95th Oscars, let us reflect on the shattered dreams of multiple contenders after “Everything Everywhere All At Once” dominated the guild honors last weekend. The Daniels‘ indie breakthrough, which already won the DGA Award earlier in the month, took the top award at the PGA Awards and won a staggering four trophies at the SAG Awards. Despite “All Quiet on the Western Front” winning the BAFTA Award the weekend prior, the Best Picture race is effectively over.

Continue reading These Oscar Races Aren’t Over Until Lady Gaga Sings at The Playlist.

The Academy continued its slow rollout of Best Original song performers for the 95th Academy Awards today. After already announcing Rihanna, Sofia Carlson, Dianne Warren and David Byrne, executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney revealed that “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” will also grace the Oscars stage. It will be the first Teluguwood (not Bollywood) song to be performed on an Oscars telecast.

Continue reading “Naatu Naatu” Will Bring “RRR” To The Oscars Telecast at The Playlist.

Oscar producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner no doubt have a number of wishes when it comes to the musical performances that will permeate throughout the upcoming 2023 Academy Awards telecast. Rihanna singing “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Lady Gaga belting out “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” and even Taylor Swift singing “Carolina” from “Where The Crawdads Sing.” But in a massively competitive year, there would be something energetic about Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell recreating their number from the cheeky “Good Afternoon” in Sean Anders’ holiday movie musical, “Spirited.”

READ MORE: Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and more make 2023 Oscars Best Original Song shortlist [Complete List]

Written by former Oscar winners Justin Paul and Benj Pasek alongside Khiyon Hursey, Sukari Jones, and Mark Sonnenblick, “Good Afternoon” is a delightful romp through 19th century London where Ebenezer Scrooge (Ferrell) and his client, Clint Briggs (Reynlonds), insight the former’s countrymen with a decidedly sharp version of the aforementioned phrase, “Good Afternoon.” With voting extremely competitive, The Playlist asked Reynolds if he’d commit to performing a version of “Good Afternoon” live on the Oscars if the song was nominated.

Continue reading Ryan Reynolds: An Oscars Performance Of ‘Good Afternoon’ Is “On The Table” If Nominated at The Playlist.

Oscar producers may get their wish as some of the biggest music stars in the world are still eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar. Lady Gaga, The Weekend, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Rihanna all saw their songs make the cut. In a major surprise, last year’s winners, Billie Eilish and Finneas did not move forward with their original song from “Turning Red.”

READ MORE: Rihanna enters the Best Original Song race with “Lift Me Up”

And yes, you can’t stop her, Diane Warren is once again in the mix for her song from “Tell It Like A Woman,” “Applause.” Warren earned a lifetime achievement Oscar at the Governors Awards just last month.

Continue reading Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift Top Oscars’ Best Original Song Shortlist at The Playlist.

When you get close to becoming an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner), it sometimes becomes a hunt to land the missing link. Jennifer Hudson, who just hit quadfecta in June, wore a ring with “EGO” on it for years. It probably goes without saying that Ludwig Göransson, who won an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar before the age of 36, is not clamoring to secure a Tony.

Continue reading Ludwig Göransson On Rihanna’s “Yes” To ‘Lift Me Up’ & Is EGOT Next? [Interview] at The Playlist.

The Recording Academy announced the 2023 Grammy Award nominations this morning and there were few surprises. Beyonce led all nominees with nine nods followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight, Adele with seven, and Future and Harry Styles with six each. But for Oscar watchers, these Grammys nominations provided an intriguing sneak peek into a number of competitive music categories for the 2023 Academy Awards.

READ MORE: Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the Oscars…again

The qualification timelines of both awards are off by a number of months, so the complimentary categories rarely line up.

Continue reading Did The Grammys Just Preview Oscar’s Best Original Song Category? at The Playlist.

It’s been six years since the pop star and now fashion and makeup mogul Rihanna released new music. That changed tonight with the release of “Lift Me Up,” a ballad featured in Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” And, sorry Gaga fans, once you hear it you’ll realize why it’s now the presumptive favorite to take the Best Original Song Oscar.

READ MORE: Is “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” a Best Picture player?

Continue reading Rihanna Enters Best Original Song Race With ‘Lift Me Up’ From ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ at The Playlist.

When Oscar voting officially closed at 5 PM on March 22nd it meant The Academy could finally announce the musical performers for this year’s 94th Academy Awards. And, as expected, Beyonce is part of the mix along with three other performers of the Best Original Song class. The fifth? Well, it won’t be Van Morrison.

READ MORE: Surprise: Academy wants Beyonce to perform at the 2022 Oscars

Nominated for his original song “Down To Joy” from “Belfast,” Van Morrison declined to appear due to “tour conflicts.” Strangely, the Academy decided not to find another singer to perform the song during the ceremony.

Continue reading Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Reba McEntire Confirmed For Oscars Telecast at The Playlist.

The most obvious get for this year’s Oscars telecast producer, Will Packer, was Beyonce. Nominated for the first time for co-writing “Be Alive” from “King Richard,” an appearance by the 28-time Grammy winner would at least increase the Academy Award’s ratings by a 10th of a point. And, surprise, it’s likely happening.

READ MORE: “Power of the Dog” leads with 12 Oscar nominations [Complete List]

Multiple reports say that Beyonce is interested in either pre-taping a performance of the song at the Compton tennis courts where “King Richard’s” real-life subjects, Venus and Serena Williams, trained or a live version at the Dolby Theater.

Continue reading Surprise: Academy Wants Beyonce To Perform At The Oscars at The Playlist.

There are 15 songs still in the mix for the 2022 Best Original Song Oscar after the announcement of the shortlist today. Tracks co-written by The Sparks Brothers, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Carol King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Billie Eilish made the cut. Five songs will be announced as the final nominees on Tuesday, February 8.

READ MORE: “Drive My Car,” “A Hero” and “Flee” make Oscars 2022 International Film shortlist

Billie Eilish and Finneas are on track to become the first Oscar-nominated Original Song contender to have already won the equivalent Grammy Award.

Continue reading Billie Eilish, Beyonce Land On Oscars Best Original Song 2022 Shortlist at The Playlist.

It’s been quite a year for Lin-Manuel Miranda. I mean, Lin-Manuel Miranda is always having amazing years, but this one has been slightly more special than all the other ones. In June, the long-awaited movie adaption of his breakthrough musical “In The Heights” was released to critical acclaim. A few months later the recorded version of “Hamilton” found him accepting his second Emmy Award. And this month, not only is his feature directorial debut, “Tick, Tick…BOOM!” arriving in theaters and on Netflix, but he has contributed an almost entire musical of songs for Walt Disney Animation’s wonderful “Encanto.” Oh, right.

Continue reading Lin-Manuel Miranda Has Just Seven Minutes To Discuss The Songs Of ‘Encanto’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

The producers of this year’s Oscar telecast have been hardcore about making this year’s ceremony a “movie” instead of an awards show. In that vein, they have taken a drastic step in moving the performances of the Original Song nominees to the pre-show telecast. The Academy also revealed that the pre-show, titled “Oscars: Into the Spotlight,” will be hosted this year by  Ariana DeBose from “Hamilton” and comedian/actor Lil Rel Howery.

Continue reading Oscars Disappointingly Move Original Songs Performances To Pre-Show at The Playlist.

The Swedish Mafia is coming to the Oscars. No, we don’t mean the euro house supergroup Swedish House Mafia, we’re talking about songwriters and producers, Rickard Göransson, Savan Kotecha and Fat Max Gsus. The trio is part of a group of Swedish or Swedish-adjacent musicians who have collaborated on some of the biggest pop hits over the past decade. Now, they are slightly unexpected nominees in the Best Original Song category for “Husavik (My Hometown)” from the Netflix comedy “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.”

READ MORE: Laura Pausini Is Ready To Sing For Her ‘Io sì (Seen)’ Oscar Nomination [Interview]

The trio’s credits include Ariana Grande’s “God is a Woman,” The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” Britney Spears “I Wanna Go” and Demi Lovato’s “Cool For The Summer,” among many others, but the opportunity to write for the David Dobkin film took them in an unexpected direction.

Continue reading ‘Eurovision’ Songwriters Hoping To Win Oscar For Actual Town Of ‘Husavik’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

It’s been over a week since the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were unveiled. The Academy has revealed the ceremony will take place at both Union Station in Los Angeles and the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. The Academy even leaked that there will be no hosts this year (don’t get us started on that mistake). But with the ceremony less than five weeks away, how can Laura Pausini, one of the world’s biggest recording artists, not heard from this year’s Oscars producers about performing her nominated song on the telecast?

Continue reading Laura Pausini Is Ready To Sing For Her ‘Io sì (Seen)’ Oscar Nomination [Interview] at The Playlist.

“Here we go again,” Diane Warren says. The Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner has jumped on the phone to discuss “Io sì (Seen)” a beautiful ballad sung by Italian pop star Laura Pausini from Edoardo Ponti’s “The Life Ahead.” A song that also puts her right back in the middle of awards season. And you can get an exclusive first look at the music video for the song, also directed by Ponti, embedded in this post.

Continue reading Diane Warren Goes For Oscar Nod No. 12 With ‘Io Si (Seen)’ From ‘The Life Ahead’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

Lost a little under the radar this awards season is Kasi Lemmons’ “Harriet.” Based on the life of legendary Harriet Tubman, a former slave who made over 13 trips to bring 70 people to freedom, the Focus Features release opens wide on Friday after debuting at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.  Lemmons first movie since 2013’s “Black Nativity,” the historical drama has a more than solid 63 on Metacritic so far and a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Continue reading ‘Harriet’s’ Cynthia Erivo Sings Her Best Original Song Contender, ‘Stand Up’ at The Playlist.

Beyonce Knowles had an unexpected surprise for her fans on Tuesday night, a new single from “The Lion King.” Or, maybe considering how often she releases content without warning it should have been expected?  Whatever the case, “Spirit” was released on major streaming platforms for and for download following the star-studded world premiere of Jon Favreau’s new CG version of “The Lion King” in Hollywood.

READ MORE: Not even Jon Favreau knows if his “Lion King” movie is animated or live action

It was also revealed that the Grammy-winning artist is curating and producing an album of music inspired by the film titled “The Lion King: The Gift” which will be released on July 19.

Continue reading Did Beyonce Bestow ‘The Lion King’ At Least One Oscar Nod With The New Track ‘Spirit’? at The Playlist.

She’s won a Golden Globe and she’s won nine Grammy Awards, but today Lady Gaga became an Academy Award winner.  The pop music icon won the Best Original Song Oscar for “Shallow” from “A Star is Born.”  She was also nominated for Best Actress in Bradley Cooper’s Best Picture nominee.

READ MORE: Bradley Cooper Shines As Star & Director In Rousing, Delightful ‘A Star Is Born’ [Venice Review]

Gaga co-wrote “Shallow” alongside fellow winners Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt.  

Continue reading Lady Gaga Wins Her First Oscar For Best Original Song [Oscars 2019] at The Playlist.

The Academy revealed today that two-time Oscar-nominee Bette Midler will perform on the 91st Academy Awards.  The Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner will step in for Emily Blunt to sing the nominated song “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns.”  Midler revealed the news on twitter this afternoon after it was leaked to Variety.

So, (drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be chanteusing (that's singing) on the Oscars on Feb 24…the nominated song from "Mary Poppins"…"The Place Where Lost Things Go" …so excited!!

Continue reading Bette Midler Will Perform ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Nominated Song On Oscars at The Playlist.