What is this, the Golden Globes? The surprising candidacy of the title song from the little-seen ‘Alone But Not Alone’ ended with a scandal-tinged thud today when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors announced that the song would no longer be considered for the Oscar for Best Song.
More on the story from Huffpo:
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.