This year's Best Original Song Oscar race hasn't really achieved much lift-off. Of course, the contenders have been obvious. “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again” may well be the best of them, though “Everything is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie” certainly has its punch-drunk fans.
Elsewhere, though, there are a few popular artists in the mix. John Legend and Common put together a hell of a track for “Selma” called “Glory.” Lana Del Rey is back in the mix with the title track from “Big Eyes.” Coldplay even wants to, uh, play, with “Miracles” from “Unbroken.”
The Academy announced the list of 79 eligible contenders Friday afternoon, and many of them you've seen outlined clearly in our dedicated Contenders section for the category all season. Let's take a closer look…
Animated players “The Book of Life” and “The Boxtrolls” each have a pair of ditties and “Big Hero 6” has one as well. There are three, even, from “Rio 2” and another each from “Paddington” (Pharrell is back!) and “Planes: Fire and Rescue.”
Elsewhere, six-time nominee Diane Warren is back in the hunt with the song “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” the only original tune from the movie that was apparently submitted.
Golden Globe recognition, of course, came for “Big Eyes” and “Glory,” joined on the list by fellow nominees “Mercy Is” from “Noah” (Patti Smith, ladies and gentlemen), “Opportunity” from “Annie” and “Yellow Flicker Beat” from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.”
And Alex Ebert's “America For Me” from “A Most Violent Year” really, really deserves to be nominated. And I'd love to see “Hal” from “Only Lovers Left Alive” in there. And “Split the Difference” from “Boyhood” would be a fabulous choice. But we won't hold our breath knowing this branch…
…oh yeah. Lest we forget last year's drama surrounding “Alone Yet Not Alone.” This category has never seen so much excitement OMG!
Anyway, click on over to the next page to see the full list of contenders. What do you see making the cut?
“It's On Again” from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”
“Opportunity” from “Annie”
“Lost Stars” from “Begin Again”
“Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights”
“Big Eyes” from “Big Eyes”
“Immortals” from “Big Hero 6”
“The Apology Song” from “The Book of Life”
“I Love You Too Much” from “The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls Song” from “The Boxtrolls”
“Quattro Sabatino” from “The Boxtrolls”
“Ryan's Song” from “Boyhood”
“Split The Difference” from “Boyhood”
“No Fate Awaits Me” from “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them”
“Brave Souls” from “Dolphin Tale 2”
“You Got Me” from “Dolphin Tale 2”
“All Our Endless Love” from “Endless Love”
“Let Me In” from “The Fault in Our Stars”
“Not About Angels” from “The Fault in Our Stars”
“Until The End” from “Garnet's Gold”
“It Just Takes A Moment” from “Girl on a Bicycle”
“Last Stop Paris” from “Girl on a Bicycle”
“Ordinary Human” from “The Giver”
“I'm Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I'll Be Me”
“Find A Way” from “The Good Lie”
“Color The World” from “The Hero of Color City”
“The Last Goodbye” from “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Chariots” from “The Hornet's Nest”
“Follow Me” from “The Hornet's Nest”
“Something To Shoot For” from “Hot Guys with Guns”
“For The Dancing And The Dreaming” from “How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Afreen” from “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
“Yellow Flicker Beat” from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”
“Heart Like Yours” from “If I Stay”
“I Never Wanted To Go” from “If I Stay”
“Mind” from “If I Stay”
“Everything Is Awesome” from “The LEGO Movie”
“Call Me When You Find Yourself” from “Life Inside Out”
“Coming Back To You” from “Life of an Actress The Musical”
“The Life Of An Actress” from “Life of an Actress The Musical”
“Sister Rust” from “Lucy”
“You Fooled Me” from “Merchants of Doubt”
“Million Dollar Dream” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“Spreading The Word/Makhna” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“We Could Be Kings” from “Million Dollar Arm”
“A Million Ways To Die” from “A Million Ways to Die in the West”
“Way Back When” from “Mr. Peabody & Sherman”
“America For Me” from “A Most Violent Year”
“I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“Something So Right” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“We're Doing A Sequel” from “Muppets Most Wanted”
“Mercy Is” from “Noah”
“Seeds” from “Occupy the Farm”
“Grant My Freedom” from “The One I Wrote for You”
“The One I Wrote For You” from “The One I Wrote for You”
“Hal” from “Only Lovers Left Alive”
“Shine” from “Paddington”
“Still I Fly” from “Planes: Fire & Rescue”
“Batucada Familia” from “Rio 2”
“Beautiful Creatures” from “Rio 2”
“Poisonous Love” from “Rio 2”
“What Is Love” from “Rio 2”
“Over Your Shoulder” from “Rudderless”
“Sing Along” from “Rudderless”
“Stay With You” from “Rudderless”
“Everyone Hides” from “St. Vincent”
“Why Why Why” from “St. Vincent”
“Glory” from “Selma”
“The Morning” from “A Small Section of the World”
“Special” from “Special”
“Gimme Some” from “#Stuck”
“The Only Thing” from “Third Person”
“Battle Cry” from “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
“Miracles” from “Unbroken”
“Summer Nights” from “Under the Electric Sky”
“We Will Not Go” from “Virunga”
“Heavenly Father” from “Wish I Was Here”
“So Now What” from “Wish I Was Here”
“Long Braid” from “Work Weather Wife”
“Moon” from “Work Weather Wife”