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Lesa and I watched the Oscars last night. Unfortunately, we couldn't attend any Oscar parties because we both have this stupid cold that is going around, but we still watched them. They were okay. Ellen Degeneres was funny as always and the Jack Black, Will Farrell, and John C Reilly musical number was awesome. In fact, that song was better than any of the Oscar nominated songs this year.The first one was Randy Newman with James Taylor singing. It was from the movie Cars. The song felt pretty uninspired and par-for-the-course-ish but that may have been because the sound was messed up on Taylor's voice and it was very distracting. Doesn't Randy Newman have a sappy sort of ballad from a cartoon movie every year? I love Randy, don't get me wrong, it just felt a little stale.
The second song was by Melissa Etheridge. It was from An Inconvenient Truth. The truth about this song is that it is incredibly lame-ass. I'm no fan of Etheridge, I've always considered her a female version of a crappier Bryan Adams. But this song took the cake and sealed the deal - I use those two cliches because that's all this song was - a series of cliches sung to a worn out melody. The crazy thing is that she actually won the Oscar. I couldn't help but imagine her guilt as she walked up to the stage knowing that she only spent twenty distracted minutes writing that bland dumbed-down wreck.
The other three nominated songs were all from the movie Dreamgirls. I can't really comment on them. I couldn't hear the songs because of the three ladies on the stage trying to scream louder than each other. Treacherous.
What a sad year for film songs. You know what should have won? That little diddly-deet-deet-diddly thing that Borat sings when those kids ask him what music from his country is like. That was a zillion times better than the stuff I heard last night.
7 comments:
Right on, Oscar. I will say the Newman song works better in the context of the film itself but an Oscar-nominated song should be able to transcend the scene it's in.
I've never heard anything Melissa Etheridge has ever written that wasn't already written. You think Bryan Adams, I think of Bon Jovi. Cliches by the wagonload.
The thing that struck me about the Dreamgirls songs, all of which were pretty forgettable as melodies, were that they sounded so 1981. I mean, the instrumental background of "Patience" called up Al Jarreau, the bridge of that first song was Sheena Easton-esque. That's not bad in and of itself but considering this is 2007 and "Dreamgirls" is set in the 1960s, it's wrong on both counts. Now I know the musical itself came out in the early 80s but the blend of those three decades didn't really work in the final products. It was like eating a T-bone steak marinated in Listerine and topped with hot fudge sauce.
Know what I really dug? The song that was playing during the bizarre Coca-Cola commercial that sounded like something Ken would've written and recorded. Anybody else catch it?
Tony, yes! During that commercial, I kept saying "this sounds exactly like Ken". Not only the song and the arrangement but even the voice sounded like Ken. Maybe I'll do a lil research and find out who it was.
Now I'm disappointed that I muted all the commercials!
I agree with your opinion on the oscar songs (and Melissa Etheridge and the screaming ladies). Also--and I'd have to do some research myself but--I'm pretty sure James Taylor has a song that goes something like, "It used to be your town..." I don't know what the song is about, but it must be on "Dad loves his work," or whatever that record is called--'cause it's the only James Taylor record I have...
Well, I should be practicing, but here I am at the computer... Looks like James' is about a relationship, not a town. And I learned from the trusty computer that the indigo girls covered it.
And though he says, "It used to be your town," it's actually called Her Town Too [let's see if this HTML work...]
Hmmm! That's a lot of vitrol directed at Ethridge.
I thought the song was terrible too. But Just like a song written for an AIDS benefit, I thought it was more the thought that counts.
Yes, the thought counts, and if her song helps turn the tide in our crazy consumption then that is great.
But that doesn't mean it should win an award for BEST SONG. Maybe it should win an award for NICE THOUGHTS but not best song.
I know music is in the ear of the beholder. A lot of people are moved by Etheridge's music. That's great. It just doesn't work for me. It feels like maybe her whole career has been based on "it's the thought that counts".
LOL. I can't disagree with you there.
Plus if Gore's movie had sucked it would not have deserved an award either, no matter how nobel the cause (pun intended...spelling?)
Maybe I'm just complacent. I usually avoid commercial music like the plague, so I don't get too annoyed with it.
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