Oscar Watch: Will the Academy Disqualify Once Song?

The Bagger is reporting that yet another music nominee, the Once song Falling Slowly, may get the Academy hatchet for ineligibility. (It would follow Jonny Greenwood and Eddie Vedder's music for There Will be Blood and Into the Wild, respectively.) I was pegging Once for the best song Oscar. It looks to me like the song should be eligible, even if it came out on CD and appeared in a short movie before Once. It was still written for the film (other songs in the film were not). There are plenty of folks vested in hoping the song gets cut, among them producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who are crossing their fingers that their Hairspray song is next on the list.

Comments

[Andrew]

For Christ's sake, enough with the last minute disqualifications. Entries in these categories go through a number of special vetting committees and bakeoffs; is it too much to ask that someone decides for good whether they're eligible or not BEFORE the Acad votes on them?

It's also worth note that while these smaller categories can be embroiled in IRS-like levels of litigiousness and technicalities, Casey Affleck's lead role in "Jesse James" can get a supporting actor nomination by sole virtue of the studio deciding to call it one.

[sean flynn]

The ballots are being sent on Wednesday, which means they have been printed. I haven't heard any clear indication either way, but wouldn't a disqualification simply mean any votes for the Once song wouldn't count?

[troubador]

simply put the song is plenty eligible, the timeline has been established and the academy are well aware of is release on swell season & the cost, as well as it being played without the permission of the singer on czech tv.
Also its being in a trailer-the director of the czech film has gone on tv there in their defence stating he wanted star star and what happens when the heart just stops for his film & falling slowly was just recorded the same day while they had studio time & they made it clear it was promised to another movie belonging to their friend.

they just have to confirm the song was written specifically for the film Once, which it was, Hansard having mentioned it at at least 2 shows in years past.
hopefully its in the bag for them.

[David]

The song was recored before the film was shot. It was because of this song FALLING SLOWLY that the film got made. There was no script when this song was recorded. Its a greta song and a great film but it has broken the rules and it was spotted late. Someone messed up or someone lied about the song. The plot thickens.