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Awards Watch: Best Original Song 2009

This post is part of The LAMB Devours the Oscars, a 33-part series dissecting the 82nd Annual Academy Awards hosted by the Large Association of Movie Blogs.

Unlike last year, the Academy's music branch managed to deem five songs (from four films) worthy of nomination for Original Song in the 2009 Oscar race. This in itself is notable considering the rules for this category were once again tinkered with earlier this year, creating new restrictions that could have resulted in at little as two nominees or even (gulp) no nominations at all.

Thankfully, that didn't happen, and the quintet of tunes honored offer a varied selection of styles, not surprising considering their respective films are set in 1920's New Orleans, 1930's Paris, 1960's Italy and the present day American southwest. Three of the songs are from two full-fledged musicals, while the other two are from films set in the "real world", albeit in show biz settings where "bursting into song" isn't all that unusual. All five songs are performed onscreen in whole or in part; no end title power ballads here (sorry Avatar, no room for you here).

And the nominees are (click on the song titles to listen to them on YouTube):

• “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney Pictures), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman.
• “Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney Pictures), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman.
• “Loin de Paname” from Paris 36 (Sony Picture Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas.
• “Take It All” from Nine (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston.
• “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight Pictures), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

An Academy favorite, Randy Newman is the only previous winner amongst this year's nominated songwriters, having finally won the Oscar for “If I Didn't Have You” from Monsters, Inc. a few years back. His two nods this year for The Princess and the Frog brings his career total to a whopping 19 nominations, 11 in this category alone. Rich with the flavors of his hometown of New Orleans, Newman's songs for Disney's return to traditional animation are an integral part of this creative retelling of the fairy tale "The Frog Prince".

First up is “Almost There”, performed by Anika Noni Rose as the film's heroine, Tiana. A classic example of the Disney protagonist's "I want" song, “Almost There” is an up-tempo declaration of independence for Tiana, who yearns to open her own restaurant on her own terms. The song is boosted by the strong vocals of the multi-talented Rose (who won a Tony Award for the Broadway musical Caroline, or Change) and its unique visual presentation, a stylized art deco fantasy as only Disney animation can do.

Newman's other nominated Frog tune is “Down in New Orleans”, which serves as a jazzy introduction to the film's colorful setting and cast of characters. The song is actually heard three times in the film: first, as a brief prologue sung by Anika Noni Rose, then performed over the opening credit sequence by the Grammy-winning jazzman Dr. John, and finally as (you guessed it) the finale, again sung by Rose. I suspect that these two songs will be performed together as a medley on Oscar night, hopefully by original singers Rose (who last sang on the Oscars as part of the Dreamgirls) and John.

By all accounts a surprise nominee, “Loin de Paname” from the French period piece Paris 36 nevertheless follows this category's recent trend of recognizing non-English language songs, such as recent winners “Al Otro Lado del Río” from The Motorcycle Diaries and “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, the last French song to be nominated was “Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)” from The Chorus (Les Choristes), directed by Christophe Barratier, who also directed (you guessed it) Paris 36.

Detailing the trials and tribulations of a ragtag group of theater people "putting on a show" in pre-World War II France, Paris 36 centers on the music hall known as the Chansonia, wherein we hear “Loin de Paname” (translated: “Far from Paris”). The show's ingénue, Douce (played by lovely newcomer Nora Arnezeder) is urged by the opening night crowd to sing a song, and she timidly agrees, eventually winning them over with her natural talent and the rousing refrain of "Paris, Paris". With its lilting melody and simple lyrics, “Loin de Paname” is reminiscent of the period; one could almost image Édith Piaf singing it.

And speaking of Piaf, the actress who won an Academy Award for playing her on film in La Vie en Rose, Marion Cotillard, is the singer (no lip-syncing this time) of the next nominated tune. Written by Maury Yeston, who won a Tony for his score of the original stage version of Nine, “Take It All” replaces the similar number “Be On Your Own” in the film adaptation. Both songs serve the same function in the story: Luisa, the oft ignored and cheated on wife of celebrated film director Guido Contini, has had enough of it and is leaving him.

But whereas the original song is an overwrought ballad, the new tune is a fierce showstopper delivered fearlessly by Cotillard in a stark striptease number that will hopefully be recreated for the Oscar ceremony (where it will probably be paired with “Loin de Paname”). Nine's other all-original tune, the catchy-but-fluffy “Cinema Italiano”, may have received nominations from the Critics Choice, Golden Globe and Satellite Awards, but the Academy favored the more dramatic option.

The song that beat “Cinema Italiano” for all those early awards is also the favored to win the Oscar: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” composed by T Bone Burnett (who was previously nominated for “Scarlet Tide” from Cold Mountain) and Ryan Bingham (no relation to this Ryan Bingham). If it does prove victorious, it will follow in the footsteps of such other recent low-key "singer/songwriter" winners as “Falling Slowly” from Once and “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth.

The plaintive “Weary Kind” is heard throughout Crazy Heart, a by-the-numbers drama about a washed-up country singer played by Best Actor front-runner Jeff Bridges. Bridges' character, Bad Blake, writes the song during the course of the story, and Colin Farrell (as Tommy Sweet, Blake's protégé-who-is-now-more-famous-then-he-is) performs it, in part, in a concert at the end of the film. However, the complete version of the song, sung by co-writer Bingham, is heard over the end credits (so much for no end title songs).

While Bingham will most likely perform the song solo on the Oscars, it would be kind of cool if Bridges and even Farrell joined him on stage for a Grammy-esque jam session. We will see on March 7, when the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC.

Reel Thoughts: Jane and Blanche, Together Again

Drag queens have been imitating Bette Davis and Joan Crawford from What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? since the campy masterpiece was released in 1962. Writer/director William Clift had a different idea, and the results are startling. Baby Jane? is a faithful remake of the original, with an almost all-male cast. It’s shot in black and white. Rather than go for the easy laughs, it plays things fairly straight, pardon the term.

Matthew Martin is popular in San Francisco, especially when he plays Bette onstage in the hilarious Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte! or when he imitates All About Eve's Margo Channing. His Baby Jane is more than an impersonation — he mines the part for all the humor and pathos he can, and makes you care for his caricature.

J. Conrad Frank, a.k.a. Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, makes a regally long-suffering Blanche, confined to a wheelchair since the horrible accident Jane believes she caused years ago. The two sisters are bound together by need and hatred, while Jane covets a return to the stardom she had as a child vaudeville headliner. When Jane discovers that Blanche plans to sell the house and institutionalize her, she doesn’t take it well, to put it mildly. No pet parakeet or housekeeper is safe, as the story spins out of control.

The cast includes San Francisco luminaries, like Trannyshack founder Heklina and burlesque cabaret performer Alotta Boutté. Clift shows great promise as a director, although the pacing lags at times.

The film is playing at festivals. For more groovy and gruesome fun and information (including the film's trailer), check out the official website of Baby Jane?

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

MD Poll: If You Picked the Oscars 2009

It's that time of year again! Time for you to pick what movies and performances you would vote for if you were a member of the Academy and could vote for the best of film 2009 in the actual Oscars.

Last year, you correctly matched the real thing in four out of the five major categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.  But remember, this isn't about predictions, you are voting for who you want to win!

There are five separate polls, located in the right-hand sidebar, so be sure to vote in each one. The polls will run from now until Oscar Eve, March 6, when the winners of the MD Poll: If You Picked the Oscars 2009 will be revealed!

UPDATE: This poll is now closed; click here for the results, and click here to vote in the next MD Poll.