I'm Confident Next Year's Oscars Will Fix One Of The Biggest Controversies From 2025

The 2025 Oscars didn’t include live performances of the year’s Best Original Song nominees, but this particular feature of the ceremony is almost certain to make its return next year. This isn’t the first year the Oscars have cut out the Best Original Song performances, nor will it likely be the last. Time was instead given to the Oscars’ James Bond tribute, as well as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s tribute to The Wizard of Oz’s musical history.

Rounding out the 2025 Oscars’ musical guests was Queen Latifah, who performed “Ease on Down the Road” from The Wiz as tribute to Quincy Jones. And host Conan O’Brien’s time-wasting monologue song brought the show to a tally of eight song performances in total. Not all of the 2025 Oscars’ musical performances were equally well received, but the real issue for some was the absence of Best Original Song nominees. Strong contenders such as winner “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, Diane Warren’s “The Journey,” and Elton John’s “Never Too Late” all failed to receive hands-on recognition.

The Oscars 2025 Cutting The Live Best Original Song Performances Sparked Controversy

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Aside from the nominees themselves, the biggest critics of the decision not to feature performances of the Best Original Song nominees at the 2025 Oscars were The Society of Composers and Lyricists. The Society, which includes multiple Academy members in its ranks, wrote a letter republished by Gold Derby referring to the exclusion of the Best Original Song nominees as “a devaluation of music, and its creators.” The ceremony did include clips of each of the nominees and their composers, but very little of the songs themselves were featured in each video.

Legendary songwriter Diane Warren, who received her sixteenth Oscar nomination for The Six Triple Eight’s “The Journey,” noted that the Academy has mishandled its Best Original Song nominees before. Warren specifically called out the 2021 pre-show performances, which were not strongly advertised nor broadcast to non-American audiences. On a night full of record-breaking Oscar speeches (that some viewers felt overstayed their welcome) and complaints about the Oscars’ In Memoriam omissions (which are a yearly issue), the Best Song exclusions weren’t necessarily the biggest controversy of the night. But there’s one particular complaint that makes them particularly noteworthy.

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While Conan O’Brien’s joke song during the 2025 Oscars’ opening monologue received a fair number of laughs and struck many fans as an extension of the comedic style Conan established in his talk show career, the rest of the night’s musical performances received much more mixed reviews. A number of viewers specifically complained about Queen Latifah’s performance of “Ease on Down the Road,” feeling there were better song choices for honoring Quincy Jones’ legacy while this particular selection made poor use of Latifah’s vocal strength.

Perhaps most complaints about the Oscars’ musical performances were focused on the James Bond tribute. Many already felt that the 2025 Oscars’ James Bond tribute was entirely unnecessary, given the film series wasn’t celebrating any particular milestones aside from a move to Amazon. And as reported by Variety, Doja Cat and Raye both admitted to underperforming in their covers of Shirley Bassey’s “Diamonds Are Forever” and Adele’s “Skyfall.” Lisa’s take on Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” was meanwhile competent yet ultimately unremarkable. But the night’s other three performances are what hint most strongly at Best Original Song’s 2026 return.

The 2026 Oscars Are Sure To Bring Back Live Musical Performances For Best Original Song Thanks To Wicked 2

Wicked’s Highly Anticipated Sequel Makes It Nearly Impossible To Cut The Performances Again

The 2025 Oscars got off to a strong start with a triple feature beginning with Ariana Grande’s powerful performance of “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz and ending with Cynthia Erivo reprising Wicked‘s “Defying Gravity.” Aside from a few moments in which Erivo felt like she was struggling to hear her own voice over the orchestra, the performances were generally received well. More importantly, their placement at the very start of the ceremony illustrates just how much the Academy clearly wanted Wicked’s stars to be featured, despite the movie receiving no Best Original Song nominations.

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Although the Academy couldn’t likely have worked its tributes to Wicked and 007 into the 2025 Oscars without cutting the Best Original Song performances, that shouldn’t be an issue in 2026. Upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good is set to feature two original songs for both Erivo and Grande, and it’s probable that one or both will serve as Oscar bait. Since it would be awkward to feature any Best Original Song candidate while ignoring its competition, this should mark a return to form as the 2026 Oscars once again feature live performances of the nominated songs in their full glory.

Source: Gold Derby, Variety

The Oscars | Academy Awards

Location

Dolby Theatre – Los Angeles, California

Description

The Academy Awards, AKA the Oscars, is a film awards show that honors excellence in filmmaking, acting, and various fields associated with making movies. The ceremony will be in its 95th year in 2023, with Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the event. The Oscars typically air around March and accept movies for nomination that were released between January 1st and December 31st of the year being honored.

Dates

03-12-2023

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