Best Original Song

[rain Bard]

It's really a shame that in a rare year when there are actually a couple almost-Oscar-worthy candidates (two of the three Dreamgirls songs) they get beat out by an artless political statement. Maybe they should just cancel this category once and for all (I know, it'll never happen as long as the broadcast television model for awards shows holds).

[Sonic Youth]

They've always been suckers for rock stars--Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Springsteen. Look at this as in that line.

That's like a sucker for classical music voting for John Philip Souza. Does not compute.

I think we're over-emphasizing the Brokeback Mountain factor. I doubt it's a factor at all. It won because it's the song to An Inconvenient Truth, and An Inconvenient Truth won because it's Gore's film and it's an issue that's in the forefront. In other words, a political win. There was no way in hell I was going to see this movie, although I'll catch it if it's ever on TV. But that song! I will never believe that was a merit vote, although I'll grant that as far as Melissa Etheridge songs are concerned, this one wasn't so bad and I'll take it over Sweet Boring Baby James. But I REALLY felt sorry for Dreamgirls here. Two of its three songs are duds, but I really like 'Listen' and I've been learning to appreciate Beyonce. I have no emotional investment in Dreamgirls, but here was one category I wouldn't have minded Dreamgirls winning in.

[Franz Ferdinand]

(for a Cinderella story - I mean, Cuba Gooding, Jr. got a standing O when he won for simplying shouting "Show me the money!")

Cuba Gooding Jr. did not get a standing O for winning. He got a standing O for refusing to be played off and kept shouting his acceptance speech over the orchestra.

I'll bet a million dollars Hudson could have gotten a standing O if she burst into her song as the orchestra started...

[anonymous1980]

(for a Cinderella story - I mean, Cuba Gooding, Jr. got a standing O when he won for simplying shouting "Show me the money!")

Cuba Gooding Jr. did not get a standing O for winning. He got a standing O for refusing to be played off and kept shouting his acceptance speech over the orchestra.

[OscarGuy]

OscarGuy, maybe we can reconsider the Evita comment, and name 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow "quasi-musicals"? Lord knows music was the lifeforce of those movies and was prominently featured, albeit in a realistic way (you know, where the characters don't spontaneously start talking in song). I have to say those two rap songs are the best to win the Oscar since I've watched the show (1995).
I despise Etheridge's vanilla-bland, vacuous and horribly inane song, but I chose it in my pool and it propelled me in the lead, so.....actually no, I still can't forgive it.

8 Mile and Hustle & Flow aren't traditional musicals. They are about the music industry, but can't really be considered musicals in the traditional sense. They were also entirely original in their scores.

Musical adaptations have long included one new song in their soundtrack so as to qualify the composer for the Oscars...for awhile, that meant they would win. Now, Evita is the last film to have that love.

[mashari]

I told you guys this would happen. Beyonce's exclusion from the cliched Listen, along with the other 2 DG nominees for Best Song, severely hurt its chances. With no big name attached to Listen, Melissa Etheridge by default won as I predicted since she was the most famous nominee. Brokeback's anti-gay fiasco from last year also helped the rocker win so that the Academy could prove they are pro-gay. However, if Prince would've made it in I believe he would've been the one to benefit moreso than Etheridge.

No doubt last year's Brokeback fiasco helped Etheridge, but perhaps her recent successful cancer treatment helped as well, rounding up some sympathy votes? Maybe Kylie Minogue could look forward to her first Oscar for a sleek, bass-heavy power ballad in future days.

I really think you guys are overestimating how a lot of people felt about last year's Oscars, especially the Academy. Many people aren't willing to admit the obvious homophobia and there are a lot of Oscar voting fools who really seemed to love Crash. The way many of them really loved A Beautiful Mind despite having 4 superior nominees to choose from that year.

They probably chose Etheridge for a combination of good Oscar reasons: 1) The song was bland enough, right up their alley 2) She's bland enough as a mainstream singer, a recognizable name 3) Her song was "issue driven" in a popular "issue driven" documentary and 4) She probably benefitted from a lack of a standout song to galvanize votes for Dreamgirls. Beauty and the Beast had 3 wonderful songs nominated in 1991, but it was easy to keep the votes in one place because it was the title track. Had there been an original song called "Dreamgirls" or "Title Track for Three Shrieking Banshees", it might have won.

I think the Academy did feel somewhat obliged to appease gay circles after last year's fiasco by enlisting Ellen as the host. Sure, Etheridge's big name helped her, too regardless of her sexuality, but what better way to make a statement, or to assume they're making one, by choosing one of the most famous gays/lesbians as a winner in one of the lesser categories(still a rarity)? I called this one early on once Prince was out of the way.

[Penelope]

And before anyone says that Melissa Etheridge, the winner in this category, is a lesbian, as is Ellen Degeneres the host, and, therefore, the Oscars isn't homophobic, I know token gestures when I see it.

I don't mean to instigate a war, but I believe that lesbians are more "accepted" by Hollywood than are gay men. There are complex reasons for this, and it in no way dismisses the fact that lesbians encounter discrimination, prejudice, and physical threat, but, well, there we are.

[Anon]

DREAMGIRLS clearly was not liked as much as many originally thought. jennifer hudson was a given, so if it were not for the sound win i would say the academy downright disliked DREAMGIRLS.

I think the 3 songs split the vote. But, I also agree that there wasn't much love for Dreamgirls. Even though Jennifer Hudson prevailed, the applause accompanying her win was quite subdued (for a Cinderella story - I mean, Cuba Gooding, Jr. got a standing O when he won for simplying shouting "Show me the money!")

Even with Jennifer's shout out to Bill Condon, there was relatively little applause. And during the Dreamgirls medley performance, it was as if the audience was forced to join in the hand-clapping.

So, there was no love. Not sure why: the movie may not have been Best Picture material, but it's not something to hate either.

I guess that very gay disco scene of "One Night Only" rubbed them the wrong way. (Oh yeah, I can still feel their homophobia from last year - incidentally during last year's telecast, I also felt the "no love" for Brokeback Mountain, which should've prepared me for the biggest upset that night, just as I should've prepared for Dreamgirls' 2 wins last night).

And before anyone says that Melissa Etheridge, the winner in this category, is a lesbian, as is Ellen Degeneres the host, and, therefore, the Oscars isn't homophobic, I know token gestures when I see it.

[anonymous1980]

It's official: If you want to win a Best Original Song Oscar, you better not have Beyonce singing it. The three songs she sang during the 2005 Oscars all lost. The three Dreamgirls she sang this year, all lost.

[Penelope]

Good to see that the Oscars are opening up like the Tony's. A kiss followed by, ''I want to thank my wife and her 4 kids''! Is it the norm to wear male attire though?

This is how lesbians dress. Well, many of the lesbians I know. My sister is gay, and the last time I saw her in a dress was 27 years ago, when my other sister got married. Even at subsequent weddings, she's worn slacks.

[Akash]

I told you guys this would happen. Beyonce's exclusion from the cliched Listen, along with the other 2 DG nominees for Best Song, severely hurt its chances. With no big name attached to Listen, Melissa Etheridge by default won as I predicted since she was the most famous nominee. Brokeback's anti-gay fiasco from last year also helped the rocker win so that the Academy could prove they are pro-gay. However, if Prince would've made it in I believe he would've been the one to benefit moreso than Etheridge.

No doubt last year's Brokeback fiasco helped Etheridge, but perhaps her recent successful cancer treatment helped as well, rounding up some sympathy votes? Maybe Kylie Minogue could look forward to her first Oscar for a sleek, bass-heavy power ballad in future days.

I really think you guys are overestimating how a lot of people felt about last year's Oscars, especially the Academy. Many people aren't willing to admit the obvious homophobia and there are a lot of Oscar voting fools who really seemed to love Crash. The way many of them really loved A Beautiful Mind despite having 4 superior nominees to choose from that year.

They probably chose Etheridge for a combination of good Oscar reasons: 1) The song was bland enough, right up their alley 2) She's bland enough as a mainstream singer, a recognizable name 3) Her song was "issue driven" in a popular "issue driven" documentary and 4) She probably benefitted from a lack of a standout song to galvanize votes for Dreamgirls. Beauty and the Beast had 3 wonderful songs nominated in 1991, but it was easy to keep the votes in one place because it was the title track. Had there been an original song called "Dreamgirls" or "Title Track for Three Shrieking Banshees", it might have won.

[Franz Ferdinand]

I told you guys this would happen. Beyonce's exclusion from the cliched Listen, along with the other 2 DG nominees for Best Song, severely hurt its chances. With no big name attached to Listen, Melissa Etheridge by default won as I predicted since she was the most famous nominee. Brokeback's anti-gay fiasco from last year also helped the rocker win so that the Academy could prove they are pro-gay. However, if Prince would've made it in I believe he would've been the one to benefit moreso than Etheridge.

No doubt last year's Brokeback fiasco helped Etheridge, but perhaps her recent successful cancer treatment helped as well, rounding up some sympathy votes? Maybe Kylie Minogue could look forward to her first Oscar for a sleek, bass-heavy power ballad in future days.

[Franz Ferdinand]

OscarGuy, maybe we can reconsider the Evita comment, and name 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow "quasi-musicals"? Lord knows music was the lifeforce of those movies and was prominently featured, albeit in a realistic way (you know, where the characters don't spontaneously start talking in song). I have to say those two rap songs are the best to win the Oscar since I've watched the show (1995).
I despise Etheridge's vanilla-bland, vacuous and horribly inane song, but I chose it in my pool and it propelled me in the lead, so.....actually no, I still can't forgive it.

[The Original BJ]

I totally overestimated Listen. I thought it would sail through this year's music awards, but it lost both Globe and Oscar to two different songs. It's not that it's SO great, it's just that I thought an emotional and prominently featured song in a big splashy musical would certainly trump an end credits song from a documentary.

Maybe I overestimated Dreamgirls in general, with losses here, in Supporting Actor, and Costume Design. Or maybe Dreamgirls fans, like me, didn't think one of its nominated songs was the clear standout, and Etheridge snuck through.

[rolotomasi99]

i actually could not stand the randy newman song, and i usually like his stuff. DREAMGIRLS clearly was not liked as much as many originally thought. jennifer hudson was a given, so if it were not for the sound win i would say the academy downright disliked DREAMGIRLS.