This morning this sweet ballad popped into my head again -- I recently finally got around to Joyful Noise -- so I thought I'd share it. I hope Dolly Parton gets to sing this at the Oscars to the tune of her third nomination... provided it's declared eligible of course.
If the Academy would ever get their music branch in order, can you imagine how much fun the Original Song category could be? I mean this year alone we could have Paul Williams, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman singing at the Oscars.
But we've learned not to hope for too much. If you have legacy artists like Bruce Springsteen and Cher and Madonna and whomever singing on stage, you just won't have time for those this-has-nothing-to-do-with-movies-but-we-the-producers-like-it performances from the likes of Cirque du Soleil.
Oscar Trivia / 2012 Original Song Category after the jump...
Oscar Trivia: Dolly Parton has been nominated for the Song Oscar only twice for the classic title track to Nine to Five (1980) and then again for "Travellin' Thru" for Transamerica (2005). "How the hell did she lose for Nine to Five?" you ask incredulously. Another 80s classic title track, Fame was in the running, that's how. So much depends on the year! Though her songs are frequently popping up in movies, Parton hasn't written very many of them originally for the movies they're in. From my understanding (and Dolly or Music Specialist please correct me if I'm wrong) she's been eligible two other times and not nominated: for the title song from Straight Talk (1992) and Rhinestone's (1984) "Tennessee Homesick Blues". The original songs she wrote for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) based on the stage musical of the same name, were all cut from the movie before its release except for possibly "Sneakin' Around". Did she write that for the movies? "I Will Always Love You" had already been a hit for her before the film, and then again with the film, and then again in the 90s for another film which you might have heard of.
Currently Eligible Original Songs That We're Aware Of Though It's Always Hard to Know Exactly What's Eligible. Thanks to reader Jeffrey for submitting some of these. If you know of anymore please share.
- Paul Williams "Still Alive" from the documentary Paul Williams is Still Alive
- "Touch the Sky," "Into the Open Air," and "Lessons Learned" from Brave... though isn't it weird that the movie just kind of stops for each of them to play over montages.
It's as if Pixar actually freaked out about the songs -- 'NOOOOOooooo. We can't make Princess Musicals like Disney!' Either ditch them or make it into a musical. Don't be half-assed about it! - Taylor Swift ft. The Civil War "Safe and Sound" from the Hunger Games
Wouldn't this video have been so much cooler if it showed Taylor Swift being killed by each of the Hunger Games characters in slow motion?
- "Suddenly" which will be sung by Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables
- "Let it Grow" from Dr. Seuss' the Lorax
- "Not Enough" with Dolly Parton & Queen Latifah & Choir from Joyful Noise
"But Nathaniel. What did you think of Joyful Noise the movie?"
Eh. Do I have to say?