a mid-week roundup
awards season & pisces season
Hi, happy Wednesday! The 97th Academy Awards were this past weekend, marking the end of awards season.
Despite being Hollywood’s Biggest Night, there were plenty of moments for music. Notably, however, there were no performances of the “Best Original Song” nominees! This was the first year in many that the Oscars excluded these performances, which is too bad, but in the end merciful because then none of us had to hear those Emilia Pérez tracks again! Instead, one of the Emilia Pérez songs (frankly, the worse of the two!) won and we did have to listen to the songwriters give their rambling speech. (Is it clear I did not like that movie?!) This year marked the 16th time that poor Diane Warren was nominated in and lost this category.
While there weren’t original song performances, there were plenty of others. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo kicked off the evening with the Final Act of their Wicked: Part One press tour: a medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, “Home” from The Wiz, and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. It was lovely and moving and yes, if I could sing like either of them, I’d be annoying too!!! If I could do that final run of “Defying Gravity”?! I would do it damn near constantly! Neither Cynthia nor Ariana won in their respective categories, but luckily for them they get to start campaigning again for Wicked: Part Two in the next few months.
Later in the show, there was a James Bond tribute featuring performances of iconic Bond songs by LISA, Doja Cat, and Raye. Also a dance number by Margaret Qualley?
LISA’s album, Alter Ego, came out last Friday and features a track with Doja Cat and Raye. I am DYING to know what was in everyone’s contracts that bound them to that song and then to an Oscar’s appearance. I cannot quite figure out the ties here: LISA and Doja are both on RCA Records, but Raye is not, so it’s not entirely a label thing. Maybe it’s a hint that they’re doing something together for an upcoming James Bond movie? Please, if you have insight into why these three were picked for a James Bond tribute, let me know!
Unfortunately, nothing that happened this past Sunday night was as important or as funny as the Greatest Moment in Oscars History: John Travolta calling Idina Menzel “Adele Dazeem.”
Awards season may be over, but my favorite season, Pisces season, marches on! I’m not going to pretend to be an astrology authority, I just think it can be meaningful and interesting and fun! Both my sun and moon are in Pisces, so this is my season. Biggg fan of water sign energy.
Today’s mix is inspired by a general Pisces season sentiment: sensitive, dreamy, creative, [maybe too] introspective. I called on my Astrology Queen, fellow Pisces, and friend of the newsletter, Julia, for some additional song suggestions because I was really stuck on sad songs about crying and being obsessively in your own head… Anyway! I love this mix. May it get you in the Pisces spirit!
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I would LOVE If RAYE did the next Bond theme song 🎶⚡️