A TOTAL of 41 songs are in contention for the best original song category at the 2011 Oscars, it has been announced.
Three of them come from Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, which had its UK premiere this week.Tracks performed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Janet Jackson and Alanis Morissette also feature on the longlist.
The eligible songs will be whittled down to a list of no more than five by the time the Academy Award nominations are announced on 25 January.
The 2011 Oscars will be held on 27 February at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Paltrow - who previously had a singing role in 2000 film Duets - features on two eligible tracks taken from her country music drama, Country Strong.One of them, Me and Tennessee, which Paltrow sings with country star Tim McGraw - was written by her husband, Coldplay star Chris Martin.
Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.
Last year’s best song award went to The Weary Kind, from the Jeff Bridges music drama Crazy Heart.The original songs, listed in alphabetical order, are: “Alice” from “Alice in Wonderland”; “Forever One Love” and “Freedom Song” from “Black Tulip”; “Bound to You,” “Welcome to Burlesque” and “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque”; “There’s a Place for Us” from “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”; “Coming Home” and “Me and Tennessee” from “Country Strong.”
Also eligible for Oscar consideration are “Despicable Me” and “Prettiest Girls” from “Despicable Me;” “Dear Laughing Doubters” from “Dinner for Schmucks”; “Better Days” from “Eat Pray Love”; “If You Run” from “Going the Distance”; “Darkness Before the Dawn” from “Holy Rollers”; “Sticks & Stones” from “How to Train Your Dragon”; “Le Gris” from “Idiots and Angels”; “Chanson Illusionist” from “The Illusionist”; “Never Say Never” from “The Karate Kid”; “To the Sky” from “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”; and “What If” from “Letters to Juliet.”
Source: The Nation