We’re going to be honest with you here, we have no idea what’s going on with the Oscars when it comes to how they’re treating music. Earlier this year, the academy decided they were going to axe the performances for the nominees for Best Original Song. In lieu of this, they stated they would be including, “powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.” You might be wondering, “what the hell does that mean?” We’ve been wondering that too. We still don’t exactly know, but the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the Academy Awards is dropping some hints.
One would imagine this would be a hell of a year to celebrate music in film, considering that three of the films nominated for Best Picture are either musicals (“Wicked,” “Emilia Perez”) or directly tied to music (“A Complete Unknown.”) Then again, only one of these films was nominated for Original Song since “Wicked” is adapted from the stage, and “A Complete Unknown” is filled with the songs of Bob Dylan. It seems like “Wicked” is still going to get some representation, as the Oscars teased a spellbinding moment with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Beyond this, the Academy also teased something with Doja Cat, LISA from Blackpink and RAYE. It almost makes it sound like the equivalent of a Superbowl Halftime medley. Is it too much to hope that they’ll perform a mashup of every Best Original Song recipient from 1934 to current? That would be the very definition of a “showstopping celebration.”
Then there’s Queen Latifah. This is a bit vaguer in terms of what she’ll be bringing to the ceremony, but what else could it be aside from a performance? After all, in the teaser image the Academy literally lists her as not a “presenter” but a “performer.” Now might be the time to remind everyone that she was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 for Best Supporting Actress in “Chicago.” If this upcoming ceremony is going to be dedicated to the history of music in film, it would be cool to see the Queen revisiting her nominated role.
All of this is well and good, but we’d argue that it’s still not a substitute for being able to see and hear the nominated songs be given their due. Wouldn’t a celebration of “powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future,” be more appropriate for the upcoming 100th award ceremony in a few years? The Academy has had a weird history with this category. Over the years they’ve done everything from condensing the songs of the year into a medley, omitting some of them from live performances, and moving them into a pre-show.
Conan O’Brien will host 97th Academy Awards. There ceremony will take place Sunday, March 2nd and will air on ABC, and for the first time in Oscars history, will be available to stream on Hulu.
