Oscars 2014: Academy rescinds Original Song nomination for ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’ (updated)

"Alone Yet Not Alone" has lost its single Oscar nomination. The film, which was nominated for its Original Song of the same, came under fire from the Academy for campaigning.

"Alone Yet Not Alone" has lost its single Oscar nomination. The film, which was nominated for its Original Song of the same name, came under fire from the Academy for campaigning for a nomination.

The Academy's Board of Governors met Tuesday night and decided to rescind the nomination. Another song will not be named in its place.

This is a rare move for the non-profit organization.

Precedence 
The first time a nomination was rescinded by the Academy was in 1973 for "The Godfather" score by Nino Rota. After it was announced as one of five official nominees, the Music Branch learned portions of the score, along with the main theme, were composed by Rota for his score to the 1958 Italian film, "Fortunella." Re-balloting was done to determine a new nominee, which was given to "Sleuth," composed by John Addison.

The second time a nomination was rescinded by the Academy was in 1993, when it took "A Place in the World" out of contention for Best Foreign Language Film of 1992. The film was nominated for Uruguay, but was declared ineligible and removed from the final ballot after information surfaced that the film was wholly produced in Argentina.

And the most recent time a nomination was rescinded was two years ago in July 2012, after the 84th Academy Awards. "Tuba Atlantic," nominated for Short Film (Live Action), had its nominated revoked after the Academy learned it had been shown on Norwegian television in 2010, making the film ineligible for the 84th Awards (for the year of 2011). No press release was sent out at the time so this news went unnoticed by most.

The only Oscar that has ever been recalled was in May 1969 for Best Documentary Feature for "Young Americans," after it was discovered that the picture had played prior to the year of eligibility. The first runner-up, "Journey into Self," was awarded the statuette the following day.

What happened
For "Alone Yet Not Alone," it's the end of a short and bizarre Oscar journey that began when nominations were announced Jan. 16. Oscar reporters and prognosticators alike were befuddled when the movie's title song was announced, beating out originals offerings from well-known singers including Taylor Swift, Celine Dion and Lana Del Rey.

Some questioned whether the movie was even eligible. Others lamented the bizarre choice.

“Alone Yet Not Alone” features music by Bruce Broughton and lyrics by Dennis Spiegel. Broughton is a former Governor for the Academy and currently serves on its music branch executive committee.

During the nominations voting process, he emailed members of the branch about his song, according to the Academy. This was a red flag.

"No matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one’s position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one’s own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, in a statement.

The Board decided that Broughton’s actions went against its regulations, which state, “it is the Academy's goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner. … [The] Board of Governors may take any corrective actions or assess any penalties that in its discretion it deems necessary to protect the reputation and integrity of the awards process.”

And on Jan. 28, the Board voted to rescind the nomination.

No other song will be added to the current list of Original Song nominees:

“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“The Moon Song” from “Her”
Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson


How Original Song nominations are determined (from the Academy):

“ The members from each of the Academy’s branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, musicians and composers nominate song and score. 

During the nominations process, all 240 voting members of the Music Branch received a Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Song category and a DVD copy of the song clips with film and song title only (additional information including composer and lyricist is not provided). Members were asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five nominees in the category. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film."

Academy statement (Feb. 1)

“ The Board of Governors’ decision to rescind the Original Song nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone,” music by Bruce Broughton, was made thoughtfully and after careful consideration. The Academy takes very seriously anything that undermines the integrity of the Oscars voting process. The Board regretfully concluded that Mr. Broughton’s actions did precisely that. 

The nominating process for Original Song is intended to be anonymous, with each eligible song listed only by title and the name of the film in which it is used—the idea being to prevent favoritism and promote unbiased voting. It’s been a long-standing policy and practice of the Academy—as well as a requirement of Rule 5.3 of the 86th Academy Awards® Rules—­­to omit composer and lyricist credits from the DVD of eligible songs that are sent to members of the Music Branch. The Academy wants members to vote for nominees based solely on the achievement of a particular song in a movie, without regard to who may have written it. 

Mr. Broughton sent an email to at least 70 of his fellow Music Branch members — nearly one-third of the branch’s 240 members. When he identified the song as track #57 as one he had composed, and asked voting branch members to listen to it, he took advantage of information that few other potential nominees are privy to. As a former Academy Governor and current member of the Music Branch’s executive committee, Mr. Broughton should have been more cautious about acting in a way that made it appear as if he were taking advantage of his position to exert undue influence. At a minimum, his actions called into question whether the process was "fair and equitable," as the Academy's rules require. The Academy is dedicated to doing everything it can to ensure a level playing field for all potential Oscar® contenders—including those who don’t enjoy the access, knowledge, and influence of a long-standing Academy insider."

The 86th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2013, will be presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.