Sufjan Stevens, Jonny Greenwood Nominated For Oscars

Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP

Sufjan Stevens, Jonny Greenwood Nominated For Oscars

Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP

This year’s Oscar nominations are just coming out this morning, and two of the biggest names from our little corner of the musical world have just snagged their first-ever Oscar nominations. Sufjan Stevens contributed two new songs to Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age film Call Me By Your Name, and one of those songs, “Mystery Of Love,” is now up for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Stevens will face some tough competition in that category. He’s up against Mary J. Blige’s “Mighty River” (from Mudbound), Andra Day and Common’s “Stand Up For Something” (from Marshall), and the Coco song “Remember Me” (one version of which was sung by Miguel). All of them seem likely to lose to “This Is Me,” the showstopping number from Hugh Jackman’s musical The Greatest Showman. Still, a nomination means Sufjan Stevens might get an Elliott Smith moment — a chance to perform a delicate and beautiful song on the Oscars stage. And hell, maybe he’ll win. Stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, who has scored four movies for director Paul Thomas Anderson, finally has an Oscar nomination. Greenwood is nominated for Best Original Score for Phantom Thread, which was previously nominated for a Golden Globe. His competition is just as fierce: Alexandre Desplat for The Shape Of Water, John Williams for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Carter Burwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and (presumable frontrunner) Hans Zimmer for Dunkirk.

Meanwhile, Mary J. Blige is now a double Oscar nominee. She’s not just up for Best Original Song; she’s also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Mudbound.

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