Oscarstravaganza: Best Original Song 2010

Best Original Song. The redheaded stepchild of Oscar categories. Introduced in 1934, the category honors those who have written music specifically for a film, though up until 1941 songs that had been published and recorded prior to being included in a film were eligible for a nomination. The nominees are selected by songwriters and composers but the winner is voted on by the entire AMPAS membership. Unlike in past years, this year the nominees will not be invited to perform during the telecast and instead short clips of the songs will be played.

This year's nominees:


T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham, "The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart): The song I'm most disappointed about not getting to see performed live. This is the 2nd nomination for Burnett and the 1st for Bingham. They won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for "The Weary Kind."


Randy Newman, “Almost There” and "Down In New Orleans" (The Princess & The Frog): These are Newman's 10th and 11th nominations for Best Original Song and he has 1 previous win for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters Inc. In his career he has also received 8 nominations for Best Original Score.


Reinhardt Wagner, Frank Thomas, “Loin de Paname” (Paris 36): This is the 1st Oscar nomination for both. "Loin de Paname" has also been nominated for the Cesar for Best Original Song.


Maury Yeston, “Take It All” (Nine): This is the 1st Oscar nomination for Yeston, who also received Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations for writing "Take It All."