The Tár Score And Doja Cat's Elvis Song 'Vegas' Have Been Deemed Ineligible For The Oscars
At least two major musical works from this year's batch of Oscar contenders have been left out of the running for Best Original Song and Best Original Score, according to Variety. Previous Oscar-winner Hildur Guðnadóttir, who took home the prize for the soundtrack to 2019's "Joker," will be ineligible for her work on "Tár," while rapper Doja Cat was left off the longlist for the song "Vegas," from Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis."
According to the outlet's sources, both determinations apparently come down to the "Original" part of the Best Music categories, as each of the two artists built upon pre-existing tracks to create part or all of the music for the new films. This is neither a huge surprise nor a scandal, as both films called for reinterpretations of existing songs as opposed to original music, but it is still unfortunate to see both contributions left out.
Awards eligibility guidelines strike again
"Vegas," the song by the "Say So" singer, is a wonderfully anachronistic addition to Luhrmann's relentlessly glitzy movie about Austin Butler's version of The King, but it also reinterprets Presley's "Hound Dog." The score for "Tár," meanwhile, is largely composed of orchestral performances of Gustav Mahler and Edward Elgar's works. That film follows famed fictional composer Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), and while music is integral to the story, the film is sadly too short on Lydia Tár originals to constitute a fully original – and therefore, Academy Awards-eligible – soundtrack.
Todd Field's film isn't Guðnadóttir's only horse in the race this year, though: the composer is also eligible for her "Women Talking" score, and the soundtrack to the drama about Mennonite women debating the merits and drawbacks of fleeing from abuse is certainly good enough to be in conversation for the awards. The category's shortlist will be announced later this month, but in the meantime, Variety reports that the larger Oscar pool for Best Original Score includes 148 different scores. Best Original Song, meanwhile, apparently has 82 entrants.
Luckily, Oscar viewers won't have to worry about whether or not they'll actually get to see the musician who does win get awarded, as Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer said last month that all Oscar categories will be presented within next year's telecast. This comes after a particularly maligned year in Oscar history that saw the most recent ceremony's presentation cut out several categories in an attempt to streamline the telecast. The 95th Oscars is set to air on March 12, 2023, and nominees will be announced on January 24, 2023.