2025 Oscars Ditch Original Songs for LA Tribute

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On Thursday morning, the nominations for the Academy Awards are set to be revealed, but given the recent wildfires in LA, everyone’s attention has been focused on the upcoming ceremony and how it will proceed. However, with a history of running overtime, one might wonder how they can fit everything into the show. It seems that shortening the musical performances could be an option.

In a letter to Academy members, the CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced details about the upcoming Oscars ceremony, which will take place on March 2, 2025 at 5:30 a.m. PT as previously scheduled. The ceremony aims to celebrate Los Angeles as the city of dreams, highlighting its beauty, resilience, and its significant role in the film industry for over a century. They plan to acknowledge recent events while emphasizing the creativity, strength, and optimism that characterize both Los Angeles and the industry. Additionally, they revealed that the Best Original Song nominations will not be performed live during the ceremony but will instead focus on showcasing the songwriters themselves through personal reflections from the teams behind these songs.

The wildfires in Los Angeles postponed the voting period and announcement for the Academy Awards by almost a week. Although there were some who suggested canceling this year’s Academy Awards due to the destructive fires affecting numerous residents in Los Angeles, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences intends to utilize the event as an opportunity to highlight Los Angeles and address the recent disaster.

Among the songs nominated this year in the Best Original Song category, you’ll find “Beyond” from Moana 2, “Out of Oklahoma” from Twisters, “Compress/Repress” from Challengers, and both “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez. Although it’s not explicitly stated, the possibility arises that due to the LA wildfires, some of these big musical performances had to be removed. This could free up around ten to fifteen minutes of broadcast time. This spare time could be utilized to shine a light on aid and resources for those affected by the fires, many of whom are working-class professionals instrumental in creating these very movies.

Traditions Behind Best Original Song Performances

The tradition of presenting songs nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars started in 1946 during the 18th Academy Awards. Since then, the number of songs selected to perform has varied – ranging from a single song to all five nominees. Interestingly, this is the fourth time since musical performances became part of the ceremony that no Best Original Song will be performed live (the other instances being 1989, 2010, and 2011). Notably, in 2021 – when H.E.R.’s “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah won the award – performances of the nominees were aired during the pre-show event.

Skipping the performance of the Best Original Song category might disappoint many, as in recent times, these performances have been some of the most exciting parts of the ceremony. For instance, Ryan Gosling performing “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie at the 96th Academy Awards was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night.

However, if it was necessary to make adjustments to ensure that all nominees get their due recognition and also shed light on the recent Los Angeles wildfires’ impact on the community, then omitting Best Original Song performances seems like a more acceptable choice compared to reducing someone’s speech or excluding someone from the In Memoriam segment.

On January 23rd, 2025, the nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be unveiled. The grand event itself is scheduled for March 2nd, 2025.

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2025-01-23 07:04