'Mountain' Tops

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OSCAR TUNES OUT

For some, Best Original Song is a chance to celebrate some of cinema's most moving musical moments; for others, it's the perfect excuse for a mid-Oscars bathroom break. But this year, the category that brought us ''Over the Rainbow,'' ''Theme From Shaft,'' and Björk in a swan dress is surprisingly thin. For only the second time in 70 years (and the first since 1988), the Academy has nominated just three songs: Dolly Parton's gospel-inflected ''Travelin' Thru'' from Transamerica, Kathleen ''Bird'' York and Michael Becker's Crash ballad ''In the Deep,'' and Hustle & Flow's hip-hop anthem ''It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp.'' First-time nominee York recalls her surprise on hearing the news: ''I just thought, 'What happened to all the competition?'''

In part, you can chalk it up to technicalities. One obvious candidate, the Emmylou Harris-sung Golden Globe winner ''A Love That Will Never Grow Old'' from Brokeback Mountain, was ineligible because it wasn't featured prominently enough in the film — it's heard playing on a car radio in one scene. Meanwhile, a recent change in Academy rules raises the bar for nominations: Voters now rate their picks on a scale from 6 to 10, with an average score of at least 8.25 required for a nod.

But with the golden age of movie musicals long past and soundtrack album sales stagnant, there may be a deeper explanation. ''There's a lack of good new music out there,'' laments Hustle & Flow star Terrence Howard. Whatever the case, this year's nods break new ground in one way: By March, the Oscars will have to figure out what to do with rap lyrics featuring ''niggaz,'' ''ho's,'' and '' b----es.'' ''I could put a couple of cuss words in my song on live television just to be controversial,'' jokes second-time nominee Parton. If that doesn't tempt you to skip a bathroom break, we don't know what would. — Josh Rottenberg

Originally posted Feb 03, 2006 Published in issue #862-863 Feb 10, 2006 Order article reprints

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