Muppets and Horses and Artists . . .Oh My!

The Oscar nominations came out this morning. And the biggest disappointment I see is the Music (Original Song) and Music (Original Score) category nominations.

The nominees for Original Song are only two: “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets and “Real in Rio” from Rio. Now, first of all, what this means is that the movie, Rio, could potentially be an Oscar winner. The animated film, Rio could win an Oscar. I hope I am not the only one who would be completely confused by this. And, “Man or Muppet” was clearly a clever song and one of the best scenes in the film, however, someone is going to present this category on stage and actually say the words: “ . . and ‘Man or Muppet’ from The Muppets. And, the winner is . . .” Are we twelve?

It comes to no surprise, but I think that “Immigrant Song,” by Karen O, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor deserves to be nominated for best original song. Now, because this is a cover, I am not sure if it qualifies as “original.” Perhaps that is the argument the academy is using. However, if that is not the case and the song could be considered, the song should have made the cut.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo opens with the song. The song is the soundtrack to the opening credits. Honestly, it sets the tone for the whole movie—dark, sexy, twisted and frightening. It deserves to be nominated because as we know from last year, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor are a winning team (Oscar winning for that matter).

For best score, the movies that are nominated are Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, Hugo, The Artist, and The Adventures of Tintin. What?? Hugo and War Horse, maybe. The Adventures of Tintin? Absolutely not. What is going on with the choices this year? What about (need I say it again) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? That deserves a nomination for best score. The whole soundtrack is distinct in the sense that you are aware of the music, as subtle as it is, throughout the film. The plot captures you and the score helps you get to the captivated state.

So, if the academy cares at all about my opinion, I vote The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for both, best song and best score and screw all the other choices.

Curse you Tintin!