FINAL 2022 Oscar Predictions: ORIGINAL SONG

Barring a complete turnaround due to Encanto and its songs and soundtrack peaking throughout February and March (entirely possible), this should be a blowout for Billie Eilish and Finneas with the titular “No Time to Die,” getting them both halfway to EGOT and sending Lin-Manuel Miranda back to the lyric board for his next effort to secure his.

Despite being released a full two years ago, when the film was originally intended to come out, “No Time to Die” has not let up or stopped winning everything from the Grammy Award last year for Best Song Written for Visual Media and securing every precursor for which it was eligible this year, including the Golden Globe and Hollywood Music in Media awards for Best Original Song. It’s also the 60th anniversary of the James Bond series, which is getting a special moment or montage during the Oscars as well as Bond songs having demonstrable success since Adele broke through with 2012’s Skyfall.

As of this date, a mere five days before the Oscars, we still don’t have an official announcement that all five original songs will be performed live (Variety revealed yesterday that Beyoncé would be performing “Be Alive” from a tennis court in Compton and rumor is that it’s already been recorded and it was confirmed this morning that Eilish and Finneas would perform on the telecast) yet somehow the show producers have made room for and announced that the non-nominated “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will be performed live. Go figure.

UPDATE: Soon after this piece was published the Academy announced that four of the five nominated song nominees would be performed on or for the show:

“Be Alive” from “King Richard” – Performed by Beyoncé
Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto” – Performed by Sebastián Yatra
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Down To Joy” from “Belfast”
Music and Lyric by Van Morrison

“No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die” – Performed by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days” – Performed by Reba McEntire
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

According the Academy: “Van Morrison was invited to perform his nominated song but will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule, therefore “Down To Joy” from “Belfast” will not be performed on the broadcast.”

Here are my final Oscar predictions for Original Song.

1. “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die (MGM/UAR) – GG, CCA, HMMA, SCL 
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

2. “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto (Walt Disney) – GG, CCA, HMMA 
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

3. “Be Alive” from “King Richard (Warner Bros/HBO Max) – GG, CCA, HMMA
Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

4. “Down to Joy” from Belfast (Focus Features) – GG, HMMA (Indie)
Music and Lyric by Van Morrison

5. “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days (Vertical Entertainment) – HMMA (indie), SCL
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren