Oscars 2019: Only Two of the Best Original Song Nominees Expected to Perform
2/5/2019 UPDATE: The Academy has confirmed that all five nominees for Best Original Song will perform.
Every year (around hour two), the Oscars quickly shift from the most prestigious night in Hollywood to the longest night in Hollywood. With the ceremony almost always clocking in over three hours, the Academy team is constantly looking for ways to save time each year, from having a list of people the winners want to thank run across the bottom of the screen to offering a jet ski to the shortest speech. Almost every year though, the show both goes and feels extremely long.
Well, this year they are trying a couple of new things. As of now, the ceremony doesn’t have a host. Without an opening monologue and goofy sketches throughout the evening, the show could definitely run a bit shorter, and according to Variety, a change to one of the show’s long-standing traditions is a possibility as well. They reported that as of now only two of the five Best Original Song nominees will perform live. Six out of the 10 ceremonies have found all of the nominees performing throughout the evening.
So, who are the chosen ones? A Star is Born’s “Shallow” performed by Lady GaGa and Bradley Cooper and Black Panther’s “All the Stars” performed by Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been selected. That leaves “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns, “I’ll Fight” from RBG and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs to simply be announced when the award is presented.
If the Academy is trying to ensure that it keeps all of its awards in the telecast, then removing the Best Original Song performances does make sense to cut time. However, they’ve already indicated that some of the categories such as sound editing and sound mixing would be awarded during commercials. So, by allowing just two of the nominees to perform, even if they are the most popular of the bunch, it definitely sends a message to the other films that they are probably not going to win.
Traditionally, the award is not based on commercial success, but how the song drives the narrative and affects the audience, making the decision an interesting one should it stick.
What do you think about the possibility of only hearing two of the five nominees? The 91st Academy Awards will air on Feb. 24, 2019, on ABC.
Having studied Media & Writing at James Madison University, I always knew that I wanted to do some type of creative writing, but being able to write about zombies, Starks, and superheroes on a daily basis for Fan Fest is my actual dream. While I probably shouldn’t be as proud as I am to be so similar to Nick Miller, I do hope to one day write my own “Pepperwood Chronicles’.
