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Boo-Yaa for Hollywood
This year's Academy Awards celebrate retro country and sweeping orchestrations and offer up the first-ever hip-hop performance by Southerners Three 6 Mafia. What else could you want?
Three 6 Mafia
Historically the Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, have carried the torch for the self-congratulating Hollywood of old. You know the drill: tuxedos, opulent dresses, frighteningly expensive jewelry, and a red carpet that cushions the step of Tinseltown's royalty. This year's pomp and circumstance will of course provide all the standard fare, and then some. On Sunday, March 5, millions of viewers will witness the first hip-hop performance ever at the Oscars. Could this be a cheap ploy to attract the kiddies, or could the Academy actually be recognizing hip-hop's influence on American culture? Who cares. All that matters is that Memphis' Three 6 Mafia will take the stage Sunday night and perform their nominated song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." That's Three 6 Mafia, in case you didn't catch it the first time. We're talking about a crew of foul-mouthed Southern rappers obsessed with dropping vivid lyrical fantasies about drugs, violence, sex, and other topics that unnerve television censors.
Three 6 Mafia are not the first rappers to be nominated for best original song. Just three years ago Eminem took home the Oscar for "Lose Yourself" from the flick 8 Mile, but he chose not to perform or even show up. Not only will Three 6 Mafia perform, but the ceremony's producers have given the all clear for the usage of the word "bitches" in the song's chorus. Can you image the look on, say, Clint Eastwood's generally stoic face when rapper Juicy J gleefully belts out "bitches" at the Oscars? This, my friends, will be a priceless evening of entertainment.
Of course "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (from the film Hustle & Flow, which was strangely not nominated for best picture) is not the only song being honored. The haunting "In the Deep" (performed by Bird York) from Crash and "Travelin' Through" (sung by the legendary Dolly Parton) from Transamerica have also been nominated.
Brokeback Moutain
The second music category is best original score. This year's nominees are as diverse as the films they represent. First up is the soundtrack from Ang Lee's tale of cowboys in love, Brokeback Mountain. The film's acoustic-guitar-based instrumentals were crafted by Gustavo Santaolalla, while the vocal tracks were handled by seasoned veterans Linda Ronstadt, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson, and Mary McBride. These retro country ballads perfectly complement the film and make a pretty darn good Sunday-afternoon listen.
The Constant Gardner tells the tale of a British diplomat in Africa drawn into a dark world of corruption and danger following the murder of his wife. The film features original music composed by Alberto Iglesias and performances by acclaimed Kenyan percussionist and Real World artist Ayub Ogada. This dense score awakens the film's mesmerizing African and European landscapes.
Memoirs of a Geisha is set in Japan yet received its score from John Williams (the man who composed the famed Star Wars soundtrack). This merger of East and West did raise a few eyebrows, but in the end it worked out just fine. With the help of cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman, Williams crafts a delicate score perfectly suited to the film's gorgeous cinematography. But if you're hungry for a truly bombastic Williams score...well, you're in luck, because it was a busy year for Hollywood's go-to composer. In addition to Memoirs of a Geisha, Williams lent his magic touch to Munich. This powerful score is heavy on the strings as well as dense atmospherics and touches of Middle Eastern traditional influences.
Last but not least is Dario Marianelli's score for Pride & Prejudice. This one pretty much delivers what you would expect from an accompaniment to a Jane Austin story: sweeping strings that evoke romance and tense orchestral moments that leave you white-knuckled.
Walk The Line
While all of these scores are great, the important achievement for music in film this year has to be Walk The Line. This fantastic film managed to do what many thought was an impossibility--to tell the story of the most bad-ass man ever in music without messing up. Sure the score was not nominated, but the film has received universal praise, and both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon--who play Johnny Cash and his wife, June, respectively--have been nominated for best actor and actress in a leading role. Without question, you should see the film, but as to whether or not you must purchase the soundtrack...well, considering it is all cast recordings of the man in black's songs, I recommend sticking with the originals.
As you can see, there is plenty to celebrate at this year's Oscars: "bitches," Willie Nelson strumming along while two men discover love, John Williams' 46th Oscar nomination, Walk The Line, and grandiose orchestrations that perfectly match the emotions brought about by fantastic stories unfolding on the silver screen.
Be sure to catch the Academy Awards Sunday, March 5, on ABC, and check back to MP3.com on March 6 for a full report on the winners.
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