'Slumdog Millionaire' to Oscars voters: Choose this tune for best
song, not that one
Over the last few days Oscars voters received a campaign CD
featuring two of "Slumdog Millionaire's" three music nominations:
best song ("Jai Ho") and score. Missing from the CD was "Slumdog
Millionaire's" other contender for best song ("O Saya").
Fox Searchlight is daring to choose between its Oscar children. The
studio wants voters to focus their "Slumdog Millionaire" love on one
song, fearing that the vote might split otherwise, causing both to
lose. So this is good strategy, although poor politics. Inevitably,
the studio is inviting a chorus of discontent from the folks behind
the song not being hyped.
In this case, the strategy is probably wise because "Jai Ho" is the
obvious favorite. It's the big, magical dance finale of "Slumdog
Millionaire." Voters may not know it by name, though, and may easily
confuse it with the other tune since the titles of both are in
Hindi. Now they'll probably get the hint after being prodded by the
studio.
What's unfortunate about this decision is that "O Saya" is written
by one of the coolest music artists on the planet right now. M.I.A.
is nominated for record of the year at this Sunday's Grammys ("Paper
Planes").
There's always the possibility, of course, that this strategy might
backfire with those bull-headed, contrary-minded academy members.
After all, Paramount Classics made it clear in 2005 that it wanted
an Oscar nomination for the title tune to "Hustle & Flow," but ended
up getting one for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" which won!
However, that's a rarity and that occurred prior to Oscar
nominations being unveiled, not afterward. Such favoritism being
shown at this late point in the derby trot is extraordinary. When
Disney nabbed bids for three songs from "Enchanted," it was clear
that "That's How You Know" the big dance spectacular staged in
Central Park was the movie's best shot to win, but it got the same
amount of attention and campaign push as "So Close" and "Happy
Working Song." All three lost to "Falling Slowly" from "Once."
DreamWorks didn't single out one of "Dreamgirls" three nominees
"Listen," "Patience," "Love You I Do" and lost the Oscar to
Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth."
Not all multiple nominees lose because of voting splitting,
though. "The Lion King" (1994) had three nominations for song and
triumphed for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"
http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/02/slumdog-
million.html
