Ranking Alan Menken's Oscar Nominations

by Cláudio Alves

Alan Menken accepts the Best Original Song Oscar for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
Earlier this week, Alan Menken celebrated his 75th birthday. As a stage composer turned motion picture maestro, he's authored a number of original musicals, enchanting generations across the decades. Indeed, many could probably credit Disney's favorite composer with the soundtrack of their childhood – I know I can. For his efforts, Menken amassed 19 Oscar nominations and eight victories, many of which he shared with the writers who put words to his music. To celebrate the man's legacy, I shall give him the same treatment bestowed on John Williams a few months ago and rank all his nods, both in the score and song categories…

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame @ 25: The first movie I ever saw

by Cláudio Alves

Do you know what the first movie you watched in a theater was? While I have no memory of the event, my parents were kind enough to remember my inaugural trip to the movies. When I was just two, they took me to see the latest Disney flick to hit theaters, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Supposedly, I was besotted by the sight and, when the picture was released on VHS, proceeded to re-watch it to my heart's content. I still have that videocassette today, a treasured memento of childhood and a token of a kid's blossoming love for cinema. So today, as The Hunchback of Notre Dame turns 25, I revisited that underrated classic of the Disney Renaissance and see if I still loved it…

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Linkie the Pooh

Antagony & Ecstacy as part of his Blockbuster History series, goes the way of British Children's Literature (thanks Harry Potter) to discuss that great adaptation of Peter Pan in 2003. He has a fair point about Jeremy Sumpter's career since and I am alarmed to note that I didn't even realize it was the same actor when he had that one season key role on Friday Night Lights.
Scanners considers the Netflix pricing dilemma and the problem of aspect ratios. This makes me crazy too. Most television screens are wider now. Why does pan & scan still exist?
The Daily What shares my favorite new photo of a movie theater. I'll share it again.

I bring this up because at last night's Captain America: The First Avengers screening there was no air conditioning in a huge warehouse size movie theater here in Manhattan and it was, shall we say, sticky and smelly. If the reviews are terrible, blame the broken AC.

In Contention Captain America may find itself with a Best Original Song nomination. I'd be pleased. It sure was a fun ditty from Alan Menken and added to the film's period detail well.
Twitch Ubiquitous Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black gets another high profile gig with yet another Oscar winning director for Under the Banner of Heaven. I think it's official: DLB has the best agent in Hollywood. How many screenwriters have kept their moment in the sun despite being behind the scenes going for this long?
Salon Matt Zoller Seitz talks to his 9th grader daughter about his generation's defining franchise (Star Wars) and hers (Harry Potter). It's an interesting discussion though the conclusion worries me (visual superiority should never be considered "small consolation" in A MOVIE) and yet again reveals what damage George Lucas did to his intergalactic baby by screwing it up so badly in the Aughts. 
Super Punch omg. This 80s movie tee. I want. I want it hard. Someone buy it for me.
BoingBoing speaking of buying me things... like donations (see righthand sidebar) well, actually this has nothing to do with anything but what a fun concept. When this online store sells something, their Wario doll freaks out, with eyes lighting up and steam coming out his ears. Now I'm picturing all the actress dolls I should have and what they should do if i ever make any money...

Finally, MaryAnn at the long-running Flick Filosopher reminds us of a deeply entrenched problem in our popular culture this this simple graphic...

... and it's accompanying article. It'd be an easier argument to ignore if we didn't see it so often. Think of Pixar only now getting a female lead after 25 years in the animation biz.

I haven't seen the new Winnie the Pooh yet but I loved the character and his whole world as a child. Will I still? Have any of you seen it?

Alan Menken Goes for a Tangled Record

Serious Film's Michael C. here to shine a light on an overlooked story from the Oscar nominations. 

With all the attention paid to Tangled focusing on its somewhat surprising exclusion from the Best Animated Film lineup I think most people missed the more interesting story. If Alan Menken wins the Oscar for best song for Tangled’s "I See the Light" - and he has as good a chance as any of winning - he will have won an incredible ninth Oscar. Already the most awarded living person a ninth trophy would surpass famed costume designer Edith Head tying him with composer Alfred Newman (All About Eve) for the most awarded individual Oscar winner in history. 

**Trivia Alert** 

This record is debatable since ahead of Menken would technically still be behind art director Cedric Gibbons with 11 wins for such films as An American in Paris and The Bad and the Beautiful and Walt Disney with an untouchable 22 wins and 4 honorary Oscars. But I don’t believe they should be ranked against Menken since they were men who took credit for the work of entire studios and didn’t necessarily participate in the creation of all the award-winning works. Gibbons, in particular, had it written into his contract that every film released by MGM until 1956 credited him as art director. His IMDB page lists over 1,000 films among his credits.
 

Oscar hoarders throughout time

Most Awarded Living Individuals

8 Wins

• Alan Menken

7 Wins

• Gary Rydstrom (All wins were in Sound categories though he was recently nominated for Best Short Film for the animated "Lifted")

6 Wins + 2 Special Achievement Oscars and 1 Technical Achievement Award

• Dennis Muren - special effects artist (Jurassic Park, Terminator 2)

6 Wins

• Rick Baker -makeup artist (The new nomination for The Wolfman is his 12th)

5 Wins

• John Williams (Easily the most nominated person alive with 45 to his credit)
• Francis Ford Coppola

4 Wins

• The Coen Brothers
• Clint Eastwood
• Andre Previn - composer (Gigi, My Fair Lady)
• Mark Berger (sound categories - only person to ever go 4/4 nomination-to-wins. Last win was for The English Patient)
• Christopher Boys (sound categories - most recent win was for King Kong)
• Bob Beemer (yet another sound guy. Sound seems to be the easiest category to rack up multiple wins in. His last win was for Dreamgirls)

Who will be the next person to join this list? Some of the people still working who are stuck at 3 wins include writer/directors Woody Allen, Peter Jackson and James Cameron, directors Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone, actor Jack Nicholson, costume designers Milena Canonero and Sandy Powell (pictured left on her third win for Young Victoria), editor Thelma Schoonmaker and art director Stuart Craig.

Do you think Alan Menken will win his 9th for Tangled?