"Alone Yet Not Alone," the controversial Best Original Song nominee from the film of the same name, has had its Oscar nomination rescinded, this according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors.
The song had come under fire after it was revealed that Bruce Broughton, the composer, was a former Governor himself and former head of the Academy's music branch.
"According to well-placed sources, Broughton hired veteran film music publicist Ray Costa to try and get attention for the song and press releases were written but it gained no real editorial traction during the campaign," Deadline.com's awards columnist Pete Hammond wrote after the Oscar nominations were announced in January. "So, as a former Governor and head of the music branch he is obviously well-connected and well-liked within the organization and I am told he started making phone calls to colleagues urging them to consider the song."
The inclusion of "Alone Yet Not Alone" was a total surprise in the Best Original Song race. The film itself was barely released last year, with just a seven-day Oscar qualifying run in September. (The film's actual release is scheduled for June of this year.) "The full-length feature film recounts the faith and courage of a German-American immigrant family as they face hardship, loss and sorrow during the French and Indian War," the film's Facebook page reads. The film's title track is performed by evangelical Christian author and singer Joni Eareckson Tada.
In removing "Alone Yet Not Alone" from the list of Best Original Song nominees, the Academy cited Broughton's tactics as a reason for the disqualification.
"The decision was prompted by the discovery that Broughton, a former Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member, had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period," the AMPAS press release announcing the news read.
The full AMPAS press release regarding "Alone Yet Not Alone" is below. No song will be named as a replacement for it in the Best Original Song category, leaving "Happy" (from "Despicable Me 2"), "Let It Go" (from "Frozen"), "The Moon Song" (from "Her") and "Ordinary Love" (from "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom") as the 2014 nominees.
The song had come under fire after it was revealed that Bruce Broughton, the composer, was a former Governor himself and former head of the Academy's music branch.
"According to well-placed sources, Broughton hired veteran film music publicist Ray Costa to try and get attention for the song and press releases were written but it gained no real editorial traction during the campaign," Deadline.com's awards columnist Pete Hammond wrote after the Oscar nominations were announced in January. "So, as a former Governor and head of the music branch he is obviously well-connected and well-liked within the organization and I am told he started making phone calls to colleagues urging them to consider the song."
The inclusion of "Alone Yet Not Alone" was a total surprise in the Best Original Song race. The film itself was barely released last year, with just a seven-day Oscar qualifying run in September. (The film's actual release is scheduled for June of this year.) "The full-length feature film recounts the faith and courage of a German-American immigrant family as they face hardship, loss and sorrow during the French and Indian War," the film's Facebook page reads. The film's title track is performed by evangelical Christian author and singer Joni Eareckson Tada.
In removing "Alone Yet Not Alone" from the list of Best Original Song nominees, the Academy cited Broughton's tactics as a reason for the disqualification.
"The decision was prompted by the discovery that Broughton, a former Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member, had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period," the AMPAS press release announcing the news read.
The full AMPAS press release regarding "Alone Yet Not Alone" is below. No song will be named as a replacement for it in the Best Original Song category, leaving "Happy" (from "Despicable Me 2"), "Let It Go" (from "Frozen"), "The Moon Song" (from "Her") and "Ordinary Love" (from "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom") as the 2014 nominees.
On Tuesday night, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to rescind the Original Song nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone,” music by Bruce Broughton and lyric by Dennis Spiegel. The decision was prompted by the discovery that Broughton, a former Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member, had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period.
"No matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one’s position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one’s own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President.
The Board determined that Broughton’s actions were inconsistent with the Academy’s promotional regulations, which provide, among other terms, that “it is the Academy's goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner. If any campaign activity is determined by the Board of Governors to work in opposition to that goal, whether or not anticipated by these regulations, the Board of Governors may take any corrective actions or assess any penalties that in its discretion it deems necessary to protect the reputation and integrity of the awards process.”
An additional nominee in the Original Song category will not be named. The remaining nominees in the category are:
“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song” from “Her”
Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson
The members from each of the Academy’s branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, musicians and composers nominate song and score.
During the nominations process, all 240 voting members of the Music Branch received a Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Song category and a DVD copy of the song clips with film and song title only (additional information including composer and lyricist is not provided). Members were asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five nominees in the category. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.