2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions: ORIGINAL SCORE and SONG; SOUND EDITING and MIXING (November)
In Original Score, both Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker) and Marco Beltrami (Ford v Ferrari) won the HMMA (Hollywood Music in Media Award) for their scores and while it’s not a lock-solid precursor, Ludwig Göransson’s Black Panther score won last year on its way to its Oscar win so for November both move up the chart.
Cousins Thomas Newman (1917) and Randy Newman (Marriage Story) could very well go up against each other in Original Score. While Randy is a two-time Oscar winner (for songs), Thomas is sitting at an astonishing 14 nominations without a win. Randy is also almost assured another Original Song nomination, for Toy Story 4‘s “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away.” His most recent win was also for a Toy Story song, 2010’s “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3.
Elton John, a previous Oscar winner for “Circle of Life” from the 1995 2D animated version of The Lion King, could find himself in the running again – this time for the new all-CGI version of the animated classic – with his song “Never Too Late.” He’ll go up against Beyoncé with “Spirit,” from the same film but also, and more likely, “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman, the musical biopic of his life.
Cats released the original song for the film, penned by Grammy winner Taylor Swift and EGOT-winner Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s called “Beautiful Ghosts” and while its arrangement fits in with existing canon, Swift’s version isn’t quite up to par, vocally (have a listen here). In the film the song is supposedly sung by the film’s lead, Francesca Hayward.
Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Original Score and Original Song for November 25, 2019.
ORIGINAL SCORE
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. 1917 (Thomas Newman) – Universal
2. Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir) – Warner Bros
3. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams) – Disney
4. Little Women (Alexandre Desplat) – Sony/Columbia
5. Marriage Story (Randy Newman) – Netflix
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
The Farewell (Alex Weston) – A24
Ford v. Ferrari (Marco Beltrami) – 20th Century Fox
Harriet (Terence Blanchard) – Focus Features
Jojo Rabbit (Michael Giacchino) – Fox Searchlight
Parasite (Jung Jae-il) – Neon
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
The Aeronauts (Steven Price) – Amazon
Avengers: Endgame (Alan Silvestri) – Disney
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Nate Heller) – Sony/TriStar
Bombshell (Theodore Shapiro) – Lionsgate
Dark Waters (Marcelo Zarvos) – Focus Features
The Good Liar (Carter Burwell) – Warner Bros
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (John Powell) – Dreamworks
The Irishman (Robbie Robertson) – Netflix
The King (Nicholas Britell) – Netflix
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Emile Mosseri) – A24
Monos (Mica Levi) – Neon
The Two Popes (Bryce Dessner) – Netflix
Waves (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) – A24
WILL IT BE ELIGIBLE?
Ad Astra (Max Richter with additional music by Lorne Balfe) – 20th Century Fox
A Hidden Life (James Newton Howard) – Fox Searchlight
The Lion King (Hans Zimmer) – Disney
ORIGINAL SONG
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. Frozen II – “Into the Unknown” (Disney)
2. Toy Story 4 – “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” (Disney/Pixar)
3. Rocketman – “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (Paramount)
4. Harriet, “Stand Up” (Focus Features)
5. Cats – “Beautiful Ghosts” (Universal)
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
Aladdin – “Speechless”
Breakthrough – “I’m Standing with You”
The Lion King – “Never Too Late” (Disney)
The Lion King – “Spirit” (Disney)
Wild Rose – “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” (Neon)
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
Alita: Battle Angel – “Swan Song” (20th Century Fox)
Always Be My Maybe – “I Punched Keanu Reeves” (Netflix)
Bombshell – “One Little Soldier” (Lionsgate)
Charlie’s Angels – “Don’t Call Me (Angel) (Sony)
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part – “Catchy Song” (Warner Bros)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – “You Can’t Stop the Girl (Disney)
Missing Link – “Do-Dilly-Do (A Friend Like You)” (Annapurna)
Motherless Brooklyn, “Daily Battles” (Warner Bros)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire – “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (Neon)
JOKER (Warner Bros) 
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Disney)
I’m still expecting Ford v Ferrari and 1917 to dominate here but Joker keeps rising and now I see it landing nominations in both sound categories. There is a lot of room for movement in both of these categories but as all Academy nominations are voted on by branch and some branches (like sound) really like who they like, it’s hard not to go with established and esteemed members (i.e. multi-nominee and multi-winners) and that keeps something like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker always in the mix.
Here are my 2020 Oscar Nomination Predictions in Sound Editing and Sound Mixing for November 25, 2019.
SOUND EDITING
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. 1917 (Universal)
2. Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)
3. Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox
4. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
5. Joker (Warner Bros)
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
The Aeronauts (Amazon)
Avengers: Endgame (Disney)
Gemini Man (Paramount)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
Us (Universal)
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
Aladdin (Disney)
Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox)
Captain Marvel (Disney)
Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
The Irishman (Netflix)
The Lion King (Disney)
Midway (Lionsgate)
Rocketman (Paramount)
Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
SOUND MIXING
Green – moves up Red – moves down Blue – new/re-entry
1. 1917 (Universal)
2. Ford v Ferrari (20th Century Fox)
3. Joker (Warner Bros)
4. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Disney)
5. Rocketman (Paramount)
NEXT UP (alphabetical by film)
Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)
Cats (Universal)
The Irishman (Netflix)
Jojo Rabbit (FoxSearchlight)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Sony/Columbia)
OTHER CONTENDERS (alphabetical by film)
The Aeronauts (Amazon)
Aladdin (Disney)
Alita: Battle Angel (20th Century Fox)
Avengers: Endgame (Disney)
Captain Marvel (Disney)
Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
Gemini Man (Paramount)
Judy (Roadside Attractions)
The Lion King (Disney)
Midway (Lionsgate)
Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
Us (Universal)
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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