I didn't believe it at first either when I heard about it on The Oscar Igloo's forums, but it's true (thanks to Connor Campbell for the heads-up). According to the Official Rules of the 80th Annual Academy Awards, the third and newest category in the Music section is Best Original Musical. The qualifications are:
An original musical consists of not fewer than five original songs (as defined in A. II above) by the same writer or team of writers either used as voice-overs or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, intelligible, and must further the storyline. What is simply an arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline of the film will not be considered eligible. The adapter (if any) or the composer of the instrumental score may be considered eligible — in this category only — if his or her contribution is deemed relevant and substantial.
Don't believe me? Click here. All I have to say is...I'm stunned. This would be the most pointless category ever. The only nominees that would be eligible this year are Across the Universe, Colma: The Musical (which nobody, including myself, saw) and...I don't know. Hairspray is ineligible because it only has 4 original songs (one of which is a reprise of an existing song), and the score to Sweeney Todd is pretty much full as it is, so there's no way they can add 5 songs. What do you guys think?
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5 comments:
:-O This is a bizarre category. And doesn't Across the Universe use all Beatles songs? And don't forget about Enchanted.
What about "Once"? That would make it. This sounds like a category that was put in to stop crappy musicals from taking awards away from better films, just because people like the music. The "give 'em their own category" philosophy worked for Foreign Films and Animated Films.
"High School Musical 2" would also be eligible.
HSM 2 is a TV movie, so it wouldn't count.
And there's a disclaimer at the bottom:
5. The category of Original Musical (III) may be activated only by special request of the Music Branch Executive Committee to the Board of Governors in a year when the field of eligible submissions is determined to be of sufficient quantity and quality to justify award competition.
So this category could have been around for 20 years without us knowing about it. And I forgot about Once. If this award did happen (which it won't), that would def. win.
this is so stupid, nice to know that Rehab! would get some Oscar love though...
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