Almost 50 Tunes in the Running for Best Original Song

I'm torn on the Best Song Oscar. In some years, it's a truly magical moment in the film. Take "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2, one of the many Randy Newman nominees that didn't win. For my money, that's the single best use of an original song in a film in at least 20 years. An original score is something different, of course, but that scene with Joan Cusack remembering when she used to be the favorite toy? Man...that's good.And then you have situations like this past year when Once was only going to win one award if it won everything, and despite all those insipid Disney performances spread throughout the telecast, the clear choice for Best Song won, prompting one of the best acceptance speeches of the night. That's what you want.On the other hand, a lot of times these songs are just marketing. Take, for example, "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace. It's one of the worst Bond songs ever. It doesn't advance the story. It's not integral to anything but the film's advertising. And that's not just limited to bad Bond songs; even the good ones ultimately serve no purpose as far as the film is concerned. When I vote for a Best Song award, I can never bring myself to give it to something that just played over the credits. It feels tacked on to the rest of the movie that way.So who has the edge this year? From the perspective of sheer numbers, High School Musical 3. AMPAS released its exhaustive list of potential Best Original Song nominees, and it's 49 selections long. Uh huh. Of those, High School Musical has 11 entries, and Repo! The Genetic Opera has three. Some other highlights include "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" from Hamlet 2, Bolt's "I Thought I Lost You," and a couple tunes from Slumdog Millionaire.Clint Eastwood's gravelly warble in "Gran Torino" is also on the master list, and strangely, so is "Dracula's Lament" from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Here are all 49 nominees:

“Another Way to Die” from Quantum of Solace
“Barking at the Moon” from Bolt
“The Boys Are Back” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Broken and Bent” from Role Models
“By the Boab Tree” from Australia
“The Call” from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
“Can I Have This Dance” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Chase the Morning” from Repo! The Genetic Opera
“Chromaggia” from Repo! The Genetic Opera
“The Code of Life” from My Dream
“Code of Silence” from Save Me
“Count on Me” from The Women
“Di Notte” from The Lodger
“Djoyigbe” from Pray the Devil Back to Hell
“Down to Earth” from WALL-E
“Dracula’s Lament” from Forgetting Sarah Marshall
“Drive” from Fuel
“Forever” from They Killed Sister Dorothy
"High School Musical” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Gran Torino” from Gran Torino
“I Thought I Lost You” from Bolt
“I Want It All” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“In Rodanthe” from Nights in Rodanthe
“It Ain’t Right” from Dark Streets
“Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire
“Just Getting Started” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Just Wanna Be with You” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Little Person” from Synecdoche, New York
“The Little Things” from Wanted
“A Night to Remember” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Nothing but the Truth” from Nothing but the Truth
“Now or Never” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire
“Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records
“Right Here Right Now” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Right to Dream” from Tennesee
“Rock Me Sexy Jesus” from Hamlet 2
“Scream” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“The Story” from My Blueberry Nights
“Sweet Ballad” from Yes Man
“Too Much Juice” from Dark Streets
“The Traveling Song” from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
“Trouble the Water” from Trouble the Water
“Up to Our Nex” from Rachel Getting Married
“Walk Away” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
“Waterline” from Pride and Glory
“The Wrestler” from The Wrestler
“Yes Man” from Yes Man
“Zydrate Anatomy” from Repo! The Genetic Opera

Comments

[Rick]

My vote is for dracula's lament, but the count would have to accept the award!

[MissBroadway91]

wow! REPO is being considered?!?! i would have never thought

[Greg]

Would love to see Dracula's Lament, but I don't think it will make it. Bruce Springsteen's The Wrestler should and don't count out Beyonce with Once in a Lifetime. Add in two HSM3 songs that could leave an opening for the Forgetting Sarah Marshall tune or Rock Me Sexy Jesus from Hamlet 2.

[Get The Big Picture]

Slumdog will get one.

[Lisa]

“The Call” from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian!!!! GO NARNIA! I dont care for female singers, but this song is absolutely beautiful and if you've seen the film, the song fits PERFECTLY with the movie. Gives me chills.