Get To Know This Year's Best Original Song And Score Oscar Nominees

Music is a major part of what makes going to the movies an experience. This year's Academy Award fields for Best Original Song and Best Original Score are dominated by a who's-who in the pop and symphonic music worlds, making for a stiff competition. Melena Ryzik, the lead writer for The New York Times' Carpetbagger blog, calls this the "the most rock-starriest group of hopefuls" that she's encountered in five years of covering the awards.

In a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Ryzik details the stacked Oscar field, the high expectations, the underdogs, and the controversial withdrawal of one of the Best Song nominees.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG NOMINEES

"Happy," Despicable Me 2 -- written by Pharrell Williams

 

 

"Let It Go," Frozen -- written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez 

 

 

"The Moon Song," Her -- written by Karen O

 

 

"Ordinary Love," Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom -- written by U2

 

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE NOMINEES

The Book Thief, John Williams

Gravity, Steven Price

Her, Will Butler & Owen Pallett

Philomena, Alexandre Desplat

Saving Mr. Banks, Thomas Newman