For movie lovers, complaining about the Oscars and their frustrating—if not baffling—choices is as much a part of this time of year as stressing out over the holidays or watching A Christmas Story on a 24-hour loop. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences is well aware of this, and so often ignores public outcry over their decisions. Of course, this is one of the reasons the Oscars get dubbed elitist, or worse out of touch. But this year we've seen already seen a noticeable shift in the style of the Academy's planning for the 2013 ceremony. For one, they selected irreverent funnyman Seth MacFarlane to play host on Hollywood's biggest night. And now the Academy is eager to show some growth in the category of Best Original Song, revealing a list of more than 75 contenders for the nomination.
You might recall that last year's list of nominees for the category was laughably short. That is, there were two nominees: "Real in Rio" from Rio and "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets. While it was still a delight to see Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie win an Oscar for his funny yet poignant song about identity, it certainly hurt the drama of the moment—and arguably the accomplishment—that he was only up against one other contender. Well, with the list below, it seems unlikely the Academy will make such an embarrassing gaffe again this year.
"For You" from "Act of Valor""Metaphorical Blanket" from "Any Day Now""Let It Rain" from "Being Flynn""Learn Me Right" from "Brave""Touch the Sky" from "Brave""Airport" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best""Come on Girl" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best""Someday" from "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best""Protect the King" from "Brooklyn Castle""California Solo" from "California Solo""Casa De Mi Padre" from "Casa De Mi Padre""Del Cielo" from "Casa De Mi Padre""Yo No Se" from "Casa De Mi Padre""No Other Plans" from "Celeste and Jesse Forever""Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice""By the Light of the Moon" from "Crossroad""The Sambola! International Dance Craze" from "Damsels in Distress""When You Comin' Home" from "Darling Companion""Death by China" from "Death by China""Delhi Safari" from "Delhi Safari""Ancora Qui" from "Django Unchained""Freedom" from "Django Unchained""100 Black Coffins" from "Django Unchained""Who Did That to You?" from "Django Unchained""How Bad Can I Be?" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax""Let It Grow" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax""Thneedville" from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax""Ain't No Train" from "Downtown Express" "You Don't Have to Be a Star" from "Fame High""Jose's Martyrdom" from "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada""Strange Love" from "Frankenweenie""Voodoo" from "Halloween Party""Luna Nascosta" from "Hidden Moon""Song of the Lonely Mountain" from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey""Abraham's Daughter" from "The Hunger Games""Master of the Seas" from "Ice Age Continental Drift""We Are" from "Ice Age Continental Drift""Looking for a Sign" from "Jeff, Who Lives at Home""From Here to the Moon and Back" from "Joyful Noise""He's Everything" from "Joyful Noise""I'm Yours" from "Joyful Noise""Wide Awake" from "Katy Perry: Part of Me""Cosmonaut" from "Lawless""Beaten Up and Broken Down" from "Least among Saints""Suddenly" from "Les Misérables""Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi""When I Grow Up" from "Losing Control""Love Always Comes as a Surprise" from "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted""Ladies of Tampa" from "Magic Mike""The Baddest Man Alive" from "The Man with the Iron Fists""This Gift" from "The Odd Life of Timothy Green""Still Alive" from "Paul Williams Still Alive""Dotted Line" from "People Like Us""Snake Eyes" from "Promised Land""Razors.Out" from "The Raid: Redemption""I'm Not Leaving" from "Re:Generation""Still Dream" from "Rise of the Guardians""Undercover Love" from "Rock of Ages""Big Machine" from "Safety Not Guaranteed""I Be Here" from "Saint Dracula""I Have Secrets" from "Saint Dracula""Skyfall" from "Skyfall""Breath of Life" from "Snow White and the Huntsman""Gone" from "Snow White and the Huntsman""One Wing" from "Sparkle""Not Running Anymore" from "Stand Up Guys""Feel Love" from "Struck by Lightning""Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted""Never Had" from "10 Years""Dull Tool" from "This Is 40""She Won't Let Go" from "Until They Are Home""Kiss Me Goodbye" from "Virginia""Anything Made of Paper" from "West of Memphis""Hashishet Albi" from "Where Do We Go Now?""When Can I See You Again?" from "Wreck-It Ralph"
There's a wide variety on this list that features songs from Arcade Fire (Hunger Games' "Abraham's Daughter), Rick Ross (Django Unchained's "100 Black Coffins), Karen O (Frankenweenie's "Strange Love"), Owl City (Wreck-it Ralph's "When Can I See You Again") and Adele (Skyfall's "Skyfall"). But we won't know who made the cut until January 10th, but from this list who do you think should take home the golden trophy?
