Today is Sunday, February 26th and for most people in the United States, it is a huge night on television. Tonight, ABC will be broadcasting The Academy Awards. Known as the Oscars, these awards celebrate the best of the movie industry.
But…wait…for fans of Clay Aiken, the night demands some juggling, DVR’s and unfair decisions. What Clay fan would choose the Oscars over the second episode of Celebrity Apprentice?
All kidding aside, the 84th Academy Awards ceremony will be held tonight at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood at 5:30pm PST.
One of the most interesting categories of the night is usually the award for the Best Original Song. It is presented to the songwriter who has composed a song written for a specific movie. Unfortunately, the artist who performs the song is not credited unless they contributed either some lyrics or music.
2011 was not a great year for original songs in movies. In fact, some say it might be the worst year in the eighty-four year history of the Academy Awards.
Only two songs were nominated this year in the “Best Song” category – “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and “Real in Rio” from Rio. Besides the lack of nominees, the two songs being honored might be cute but are not particularly catchy, poignant, or memorable.
Below are some of the classic winners from previous years. These songs are not only identify with the movies in which they were featured, they are often representative of an era.
Some of the most memorable songs came from the 30s and 40s:
- Thanks For The Memories (1938)
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow (1939)
- When You Wish Upon A Star (1940)
- White Christmas (1942)
Among the “Best Song” winners from the 70s:
- Theme from Shaft (1971)
- The Way We Were (1974)
- Last Dance (1978)
Winners from the 80s include:
- Flashdance (1983)
- I Just Called to Say I Love You (1984)
- I’ve Had The Time of My Life (1987)
In the 90s, there was an impressive string of Disney winners (songs from Beauty and Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Pocohantas). There were also popular hits like:
- Streets of Philadelphia (1993)
- You Must Love Me (1996)
- My Heart Will Go On (1997)
Can you name any Best Song winners in the 2000? I can recall only the fun song, “Jai Ho” from Slumdog and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
This is the first year that none of the nominated songs will be performed during the awards broadcast. This is too bad as music is such an important part of any movie.
Looking back at the songs listed here, I can’t help but wish I could hear Clay sing these great songs. There are a few that he has recorded or performed in concert, but I would love to hear some of the others too. AND…. maybe some year soon, we will hear Clay singing a nominated song at the Academy Awards Show.
Are you watching the Academy Awards Tonight or will you DVR it so you can watch Celebrity Apprentice? In California, the Oscars start at 5:30pm. I might get to see both shows when they are broadcast!