The Oscars are only two days away and HitFix”s Academy Awards experts have declared who they believe will take home the gold statue in all categories Sunday night. It”s my turn to weigh in on the two music fields.
Best Original Score:
“The Book Thief” (John Williams)
“Gravity” (Steven Price)
“Her” (Win Butler and Owen Pallett)
“Philomena” (Alexandre Desplat)
“Saving Mr. Banks” (Thomas Newman)
It”s always hard to bet against John Williams since he”s received 49 (!!!) nominations. But, then again, he”s only (that”s a relative “only”) won five times, meaning he”s lost way more than he”s won. My personal favorite of the bunch was Thomas Newman”s lilting score for “Saving Mr. Banks,” which has to compete with the Sherman Brothers” classic “Mary Poppins” tunes. As lovely as parts of “Philomena” were, it”s not Desplat”s best score. Price, in only his third film score, did so much of the heavy lifting with “Gravity,” helping give the movie its ethereal feel. In a movie with so little dialogue, his score moved along the action without ever being overbearing or heavy handed.
Should Win: “Gravity,” Steven Price
Will Win: “Gravity,” Steven Price
Best Original Song:
“Happy,” “Despicable Me 2” (Pharrell Williams)
“Let It Go,” “Frozen” (Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)
“The Moon Song,” “Her” (Karen O and Spike Jonze)
“Ordinary Love,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (U2)
Normally, it would seem like U2 would have more of an advantage here, having won the Golden Globe, and, well, just being U2, but I”d rule out both “Ordinary Love” and “The Moon Song” from the start. This is a two-song race between “Let It Go” and “Happy.” “Let It Go” plays a more pivotal role in “Frozen” than “Happy” does in “Despicable Me 2,” but both are definitely integral to the films, which is part of the criteria. “Let It Go” has an advantage in that the movie has been such a cultural phenomenon (I consider it to be the new “Wicked” for adolescent girls), but “Happy” has the momentum with the song all over the airwaves during the voting period. It”s No. 1 on Billboard”s Hot 100 and if “Happy” wins, it would mark the first time the Oscar winner has concurrently been No. 1 on the pop chart. My heart is rooting for “Happy” and I can almost see Pharrell pulling it off, but it seems like “Let It Go” has too much support behind it. No one”s daughter or granddaughter will ever forgive them if they vote against the Idina Menzel-sung tune.
Should Win: “Happy”
Will Win: “Let It Go”
Which score and song do you think will win on Sunday night?