Alright, Let’s Get This Over With

Here are the nominees for this year’s Best Original Song Oscar.  I have posted about the pointlessness of this award earlier.

From Tangled, “I See the Light” (music Alan Menken, lyric Glenn Slater)

Bland ballad, made blander by Slater’s proficient use of cliche and bland imagery (“starlight”, “Standing here it’s all so clear/I’m where I’m meant to be”, “the fog has lifted”, “if she’s here, it’s crystal clear” etc.)

From 127 Hours, “If I Rise” (music A.R. Rahman, lyric Dido, Rollo Armstrong)

It has everything! Exotic cultures! Indecipherable lyrics! Children’s chorus! Non-committal sentiment about being better than your best!

From Toy Story 3, “We Belong Together” (music and lyric Randy Newman)

Fun, up-tempo Randy Newman number that might successfully have accompanied the credits to a thousand other movies.

From Country Strong, “Coming Home” (music and lyric Tom Douglas, Troy Verges, Hillary Lindsey)

So bland and bursting with country-rock cliches that it must make Glenn Slater feel like a phrase-maker. Oh, and sung by Gwyneth Paltrow. It will win.