Oscar Prediction - Best Original Score

I will be the first to admit - I love the Oscars, and it's the only event on television (besides the presidential elections) that I will sit down and watch from start to finish.  Each year, I leave the event frustrated.  Pissed off.  I also promise myself that I'll never watch it again.  

Why didn't the actual winners... actually win?  

In ever aspect, I recognize the true political nature of the award, however when you see the real winners shine up on stage for a film that is truly great, that moment transcends Hollywood history.  Why love Hollywood?  There is only one real reason:  because Hollywood created the films that at one point, saved your life.  The term 'save' doesn't mean saving-from-death sort of thing.  It simply means that films have the capacity to root themselves deep in our emotional memory, thereby allowing yourself to be defined by moments - the music, the color, or the performance.

Each year, I get deeply involved in predicting the Best Original Score.  This year, James Horner will win for his score to Avatar.  With nearly 80 straight minutes of music, Horner has mentioned that it was one of the toughest, and most difficult projects he's ever had to work on.  Apparently, Cameron was so specific and crazy about each cue, Horner ended up re-writing over a dozen times.  What's presented in Avatar is a mixture of Apocalypto and The New World - both of which are deeply moving scores that mix improv and native instruments with deep ambience and texture.  When watching Avatar for the second time, I really took notice of the score - how perfect and emotional it was during the entire film - not just at key moments.

My suggest is to listen to these two cues:  The first being Jake Enters His Avatar World, and the second: Jake's First Flight. 

In the first cue, listen to how Horner molds every theme together seamlessly.  In Jake's First Flight, you can hear the liberation and beauty of Jake and Neytiri's first emotional bond.

Update on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 1:43PM by Andy

Well, Avatar got shafted at the Oscars.  At least Horner used the film's scoring process as somewhat of a dietary supplement (Peter Jackson & King Kong, anyone?).