Oscars flashback: When Beyoncé performances did not translate into gold
Though in 1963 Robert Goulet performed all the nominated songs at the Oscars, since 1973 priority has primarily gone to the original artists who performed the song in the film. But things went a bit retro in 2005.
The winner, 'Al Otro Lado Del Río' ('The Other Side of the River') came from 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' with music and lyrics by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler. But it was performed onstage by Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana, neither of whom was involved with the film. As the L.A. Times reported after the ceremony, Drexler — a physician who turned musician at 30 — wasn't well-known enough to sing his own song on the show.
That's not to say he didn't perform his song, though. Instead of a speech, Drexler accepted the award from Prince and sang several lines from his song a capella, ending with, 'Ciao. Thank you. Gracias. Ciao.'
'I'm very bad at giving speeches, and I just really wanted to sing,' Drexler told The Times the day after his win. 'Since they didn't let me sing on the show, but they gave me 45 seconds to do something, I just decided to do what I do best.'
The version Banderas and Santana performed of his song was not really his first choice, he said, but was gracious in victory during his interview: 'I'm so grateful to the academy for giving us all a lesson in openness. Against all predictions, they voted for a totally unknown person who had no type of lobby behind him and who made no move to even get nominated.'
This was Drexler's first and only Oscar, and the only Oscar for 'Diaries,' which had also been nominated for adapted screenplay. It was the second non-English song to ever win in the category.
Drexler wasn't alone, though, in being pushed aside for more ratings-friendly performers. Beyoncé duetted with American Boychoir on 'Vois sur ton chemin (Look to Your Path)' from 'The Chorus.' The song was written by Bruno Coulais (music) and director Christophe Barratier (lyrics). It was Coulais' first and only nomination; first-timer Barratier's film was nominated in the foreign language film category, though it didn't win. In the movie, it had been sung by Jean-Baptiste Maunier, from the choir Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc.
Beyoncé went solo on 'Learn to Be Lonely' from 'The Phantom of the Opera,' written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart. Oscar nominee and 'Phantom' actor Minnie Driver performed the song during the closing credits and on the soundtrack. Webber had previously won an Oscar for 1996's 'Evita' and was nominated for his work on 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in the early 1970s; it was Hart's first and only nomination. The film was also nominated for cinematography and art direction but didn't win either of those trophies .
Beyoncé returned again to duet with Josh Groban on 'Believe' from 'The Polar Express'; Groban had performed the song in the film and on the soundtrack. It was written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri; this was Ballard's first nomination and Silvestri's second — he had previously been recognized for his original score on 1994's 'Forrest Gump.'
The only nominees who got to perform their own song in their entirety were the members of Counting Crows. Adam Duritz, Charlie Gillingham, Jim Bogios, David Immerglück, Matt Malley and David Bryson were nominated for their music, while Duritz and Dan Vickrey received recognition for their lyrics. The band performed 'Accidentally in Love' from 'Shrek 2,' and were all first-time nominees. The film was nominated for animated feature but didn't win.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
16 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I'm still obsessed with this masterpiece movie from 2019 — and you can stream it now on Prime Video
For a drummer, the literal heartbeat of any band, the only thing more precious than your hands are your ears, crucial not only for maintaining timing and rhythm but also the dynamics and community of your fellow musicians around you. The thought of losing that vital sense lends a visceral, pounding fear worthy of a horror movie in 'Sound of Metal,' a devastating musical drama that has haunted yours truly since I saw it back in 2019. Led by Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed ('The Phoenician Scheme,' 'The Night Of') and directed and co-written by Darius Marder ('Loot,' 'The Place Beyond the Pines'), the heart-crushing title poses an impossible question to any musician: Would you risk your own hearing to continue making the music you love? Such is the fate of Ahmed's Ruben Stone after one too many gigs of hard-hitting, ear-splitting metal music, a choice made even more complicated by the fact of Ruben's sobriety efforts. One of the best movies on Prime Video, the impact of 'Sound of Metal' thumps on long after the credits roll. Here's why you should check out the drama on Amazon's streaming service and add it to your watchlist. In 'Sound of Metal,' Riz Ahmed stars as Ruben Stone, a punk-rock drummer and recovering addict whose world is upturned when he starts experiencing intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist warns him that his condition will worsen should he not give up his base-thumping lifestyle, Ruben begins to spiral, mourning the loss of his music career and life's passion. His girlfriend-slash-bandmate Lou Berger (Olivia Cooke) checks Ruben into a secluded sober house for the deaf in the hopes that it will prevent him from relapse. There, he learns not only how to be a member of the deaf community but also how to face the realities of his new normal. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Along with being one of the most acclaimed movies of 2019, 'Sound of Metal' is one of the finest examples that cinema is as much an aural experience as it is a visual medium. The musical drama scored Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor for Ahmed and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Raci, as well as deserved wins for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. The masterful sound design shifts between high volume, distorted noise and sudden silence, not only mimicking the experience of hearing loss but immersively and viscerally putting the audience inside the perspective of Ahmed's Ruben throughout the entire feature, never letting up that this is a life-altering situation that the character cannot escape. For the strength of that sound experience as well as its affecting acting performances, the drama received near-universal praise from critics. It garnered an excellent 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 281 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading: "An evocative look at the experiences of the deaf community, 'Sound of Metal' is brought to life by Riz Ahmed's passionate performance." Watch 'Sound of Metal' on Prime Video now
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Everyone is feeling it': This book nails millennial alienation
Emily Hunt Kivel's book is unlike any novel you will read this year, a story about millennial angst that is also a bewitching fable. Evie Cavallo, Kivel's protagonist, is a 20-something mid-level graphic designer at a New York ad agency who loses her rented apartment and finds herself cast adrift. Landing in a fictional backwater town in rural Texas called Gulluck, Evie discovers a hidden gift for shoemaking and finds herself welcomed into an eccentric community of fellow cobblers. 'Dwelling' is social commentary wrapped into a delightful allegory about identity, work, ritual and tradecraft. I chatted with Kivel about her debut novel, and how, despite its fantastical elements, 'Dwelling' nails our present cultural moment. (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) I started reading your book thinking, 'Ugh, a polemic about the housing crisis,' and by the end of the book I was deeply moved by Evie's journey. That's what I wanted. I wanted readers to think they were reading one thing and to end up at the end thinking, 'Where the f— was I?' I wanted to write a book that changed shape and form while in the reader's hands. Was that the original intention going in? I don't know if I started out with the intention of writing the book I did, but I certainly didn't want to write a maudlin dystopian commentary on the housing crisis. I did want to touch on this feeling of complete instability that millennials in particular are feeling, but also I think everyone is feeling it to some extent — this incredible lack of stability, and alienation. Evie, maybe, kind of wants to be a creative, but instead she blossoms by learning a craft that involves using her hands and her head, not a computer. I think there's a parallel between finding a craft and coming into your own, and in that way, I think it's a fairly earnest description of what it feels like to discover yourself through something that you're passionate about. Evie goes from being an insular character who's living a self-absorbed life, because that's what society wants us to do, to living a life that's actually very generous. The book takes on the contours of a fable. Did you read fables in preparation? I read a lot of fables just to keep myself motivated and interested during the writing process. One of the primary texts that I found very helpful was Italo Calvino's translation of Italian folk tales. It brought me back to this kind of irreverent but weirdly earnest and enchanted quality that I wanted to create in the book. Unmoored from her prior life, Evie finds her identity in Texas. I think this is something a lot of people are struggling with, not just Millennials. We are asking: Who are we? What is our purpose in life? I think we're meant to feel relatively valueless in our society right now. The economy wants us to feel that way, and so I think what Evie is doing is finding value in herself and giving the middle finger to the version of society that she was living in. The key element of Evie's new life is this robust community that welcomes her. I wanted another world to open up to Evie, a world that's oriented towards life rather than the self. The book is really the story of how to find a home, and what makes a home. Community is the only actual way to resist the forces that we have in our society that are alienating us from our work, friends and family. In the acknowledgments, you thank the UCLA Writing Extension program. What was that experience like for you? One of the most formative experiences of my life was the UCLA Extension. I went to UC Santa Barbara and was absolutely miserable. and so I graduated early and moved to L.A. I was finding community and portals into another world at the Extension, which is available to everyone. I was writing alongside such a diverse array of people. I finally started to feel like a writer there. I took classes with Lou Matthews, who I think is the heart of the program in many ways. Nathan Smith thinks 'There's No Going Back: The Life and Work of Jonathan Demme,' Davd M. Stewart's biography of the late film director Jonathan Demme, contains 'inconsistent, often abridged, treatments of Demme's films and what messages to glean from a long view of the director.' Hamilton Cain weighs in on Ed Park's new collection of stories 'An Oral History of Atlantis,' submitting that 'We're complicit in his fiction … the act of reading a jumble of synapses in our brains, spinning in all directions like a spray of bullets.' Chuck Hogan's 'The Carpool Detectives,' about four moms who solved a murder, is a 'true crime mystery that reads like a novel,' according to Diane Garrett. And finally, Stuart Miller has a chat with 'Jeopardy' host Ken Jennings about his new book, 'The Complete Kennections.' Located just steps away from the ocean, Manhattan Beach literary mainstay Pages, A Bookstore is one of L.A.'s best indie shops. We chatted with general manager Jeff Resnik about what his customers are buying right now. What's flying off the shelves at the moment? Some of our recent top sellers include 'The Ghostwriter' by Julie Clark, 'Run for the Hills' by Kevin Wilson, 'The Names' by Florence Knapp, 'It's Only Drowning' by David Litt and 'Tilt' by Emma Pattee. Do you find that, because you are near the ocean, people tend to look for beach reads during this time of year? Definitely. Being so close to the ocean, we get a steady stream of readers looking for something light and enjoyable to bring to the beach. Whether it's a breezy romance, fast-paced thriller, or witty novel, 'beach reads' are in high demand during the summer, and we make a point to stay well-stocked on them. Given the infinite text we can find on the internet, why are books still important? There's a tactile, immersive experience to reading a physical book — turning pages, marking favorite passages, setting it down on a nightstand. There's a different kind of focus and connection that comes with holding a book. In our fast-paced, distraction-heavy world, reading invites us to slow down. Books aren't just sources of information — they're vessels for reflection, joy, and escape. One of the best parts of my job is helping people reconnect with that experience, or discover it for the first time. Pages, A Bookstore is at 904 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 90266.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour is in the past: Relive the spectacle's top moments
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter recently closed out her history-making "Cowboy Carter" tour — a spectacle defined by music, culture, fashion and powerful messages. And across cross its nine-city run, the tour delivered some unforgettable pop culture moments. The Grammy-winning singer took her final bow on her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas on July 26. The 32-stop stadium tour was the highest grossing country tour in history, earning over $400 million with more than 1.5 million fans packing venues across the U.S. and Europe. But the impact went beyond ticket sales and attendance. The tour delivered viral moments that had fans buzzing around the globe. Here's a look at some of the biggest moments. Destiny's Child reunites onstage for surprise performance during final show One of the biggest moments of the entire tour came on the final night in Las Vegas when Beyoncé brought out her former Destiny's Child group members for a surprise performance. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams stunned the crowd as they joined her onstage, delivering throwback hits like their 2001 anthem 'Bootylicious' and 2005 hit 'Lose My Breath.' Destiny's Child reunite at the final COWBOY CARTER Tour show in Las Vegas tonight. #COWBOYCARTERTour The crowd erupted as soon as Beyoncé introduced the trio. As they hit the stage, each member delivered on her solo parts while dancing in perfect sync. Rowland and Williams even helped Beyoncé with her 'Renaissance'-favorite 'Mute Challenge,' and the moment felt especially special when they sang the lyrics, 'just me and my crew — big energy!' Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams reunite as Destiny's Child for the final COWBOY CARTER Tour show in Vegas, performing 'Lose my Breath', 'ENERGY', the mute challenge & 'Bootylicious'.#COWBOYCARTERTour Destiny's Child rose to fame in the '90s with original members Beyoncé, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett, later becoming the iconic trio with Williams. The group split in 2006 but remained close, with fans continuing to call for a reunion. Blue Ivy Carter didn't just show up — she cemented her mark as 'that' girl Since the first "Cowboy Carter" concert in Los Angeles, Beyoncé and Jay Z's 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter blew fans away with her fierce performances throughout the show. A post shared by Matthew Serafin (@themegamega) Each night she floored the audience and fans online as she took the stage as a lead dancer. The show-stopping highlights from the young superstar are endless. A post shared by Eden🐘🌺 (@cozycarters) Even when Blue Ivy wasn't dancing she had the internet buzzing. Whether it was approving the title "manager Blue" in an adorable clip or thinking on her toes after getting her earring stuck in Beyoncé's hair onstage, Blue has shown the world she is the moment and she is already a star. 8-year-old Rumi Carter's energy lit up the stage Beyoncé's 8-year-old daughter Rumi Carter was also a highlight of the show each night. She appeared alongside her mom and sister Blue when Beyoncé performed her song "Protector." Our darling Rumi Carter The song features sentimental lyrics like, "Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own / I will be your projector." On the tour, Blue, Rumi and Beyoncé ended the song standing together as they shared smiles with one another. Following the performance, a montage of Beyoncé and her children appeared on the screen, leaving fans in tears each night. Beyoncé wishing Happy Birthday to Rumi and Sir! 🥰 Rumi lit up each stage with her smile and infectious energy. During one stop, Beyoncé sang "Happy Birthday" to Rumi and twin brother Sir Carter, prompting fans to join in during the onstage celebration. Blue Ivy gets 'Diva' in the set again; Beyoncé finds one in the crowd In her movie "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," Blue Ivy — who fans joke is Beyoncé's manager — convinced her mom to keep her 2008 hit "Diva" on the final set list. Well, the song was a fan-favorite this time around again. A post shared by Beyoncé Fan Account (@rumiyonce) During the Renaissance World Tour, and now again on the "Cowboy Carter" tour, Beyoncé has been playfully scanning the crowd during the song, declaring, 'She ain't no diva!' when pointing to a fan. This time around, she made sure to also spotlight someone who fits the title — proudly singing, 'She's such a diva!" And each night, fans looked forward to seeing who the next diva might be. Jay-Z makes first surprise appearance in Paris During the final show in Paris, Beyoncé shocked fans when her husband, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, made a surprise appearance. The two performed some of their beloved throwback hits together, including 'Crazy in Love' (2003) and 'Drunk in Love' (2013) as the crowd roared. JAY Z JOINED BEYONCE ON STAGE??? OMFGGG😭 Jay also performed his song "Ni**as in Paris," which made for an epic show in the French capital. Following his debut in Paris, Jay returned to the stage at a couple U.S. stops — each appearance met with the same electric energy. Beyoncé has flying car mishap, later replaces car with soaring gold horse During Bey's opening show in her hometown of Houston on June 28, she was forced to pause the show because a technical glitch caused the vehicle to tilt midair. She told everyone to "stop" repeatedly before being safely lowered and landing the car among the audience. There were no injuries. While she recovered, the moment quickly made headlines regarding the safety of the stunt. During her following shows she cut "16 Carriages" from the set list completely and avoided flying in the air in a car. A post shared by Eden🐘🌺 (@cozycarters) However, a new highlight of the tour came when Beyoncé soared over the crowd on a mechanical horse, replacing the golden car as the single made a return to the set list. Les Twins return to the stage with Beyoncé Another standout moment was Les Twins — Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois — who first joined Beyoncé for her "Cowboy Carter" tour in London, on the international leg of her tour. Beyoncé with les Born in Sarcelles, France, the dynamic duo has become known as Beyoncé's other set of twins, along with her 8-year-old children Sir and Rumi Carter. Les Twins have collaborated with her on numerous occasions, dancing alongside her on major stages, tours and videos. Some of those include the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013, Beychella in 2018 and the Renaissance World Tour in 2023. Fans were surprised to see them return to the stage during the London opener. To fans delight, they continued to dance alongside the Bey as she returned to the U.S. The pour heard around the world: Beyoncé's funny exchanges with her robots Beyoncé's concerts were packed with high-tech production, leading to countless viral moments as fans watched every detail. During her final Los Angeles show, a robot arm missed her cup while pouring a glass of SirDavis whiskey and the Beyhive went buzzing. Beyoncé's reaction to the robot arm missing the glass and pouring whisky on the floor 😭 The moment instantly sparked playful reactions across the internet. Since then, fans jokingly watched each night to ensure the robot hits its mark. Even Beyoncé made light of the moment at concerts after the spill. In Chicago, Beyoncé smized at the robot arm and watched carefully as it poured her whiskey. A post shared by BEYLOVED (@44beystreet) Another viral moment came when the robot's hand was missing altogether during during a show in Las Vegas, and fans took note of Beyoncé's look. 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators Miley Cyrus, Shaboozey make surprise performances Beyoncé turned Paris into a special occasion when she brought out her first guest and "Cowboy Carter" collaborator — none other than Miley Cyrus. Decked in gold ensembles, they held hands and kissed cheeks before singing their duet "II Most Wanted" as the crowd went wild. A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) During Beyoncé's grand finale in Vegas, another standout moment came when she brought out another "Cowboy Carter" collaborator — Shaboozey. The two wowed fans as they performed their song "Sweet Honey Buckin.'" Shaboozey joins Beyoncé on stage for SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN tonight. 🔥#COWBOYCARTERTOUR #LasVegas Beyond record-breaking numbers and memes, the tour has been a unifying celebration of joy, movement and intentional fashion, as an ode to to country music's roots. Simultaneously, Beyoncé seamlessly held the genre accountable for its historical and ongoing exclusionary aspects. Of course, the Grammy-winning singer first debuted her "Cowboy Carter" tour at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 28 with 39 songs on the set list. The tour may be over, but its legacy lives on. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
