1 Feb – You probably didn't even notice that it was nominated, but the surprise nomination "Alone Yet Not Alone" had received for this year's Academy Awards has been recently revoked. A song from a Christian film with the same name, "Alone Yet Not Alone" got a fair amount of Oscar attention for its music, which they couldn't have received it if wasn't for the Oscar nod. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has announced that they have decided to disqualify "Alone Yet Not Alone" from this year's Best Original Song category, citing an investigation that revealed 'improper lobbying' on the part of songwriter Bruce Broughton - a former AMPAS Governor and current Music Branch executive committee member.
After the voting threw up some red flags, the organization did an investigation into the nomination and discovered that Boughton "had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period." Said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the Academy President, in a statement, "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." Boughton's actions had broken the Academy's rules, which states that "All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted must be advertised and exploited during their Los Angeles County qualifying run customary to industry practice." No word yet on what they will be replacing the song with, or if they want to replace it at all, but many speculations have suggested that Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby" will be a strong contender.