I feel very honored to be one of the writers for The 83rd Annual Academy Awards hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco on ABC this Sunday night. So rather than watching the show with my wife, my kids and my friends at our usual Oscar party, I will gladly be somewhere backstage in a tux -- no doubt sweating profusely and laughing loudly, as I tend to do in these situations. Having been sworn to secrecy, I will now tell you precisely nothing about the show that's being produced this year by Don Mischer and Bruce Cohen. That said, I will throw caution to the wind and reveal exactly this much: The show's going to be great. You're invited. You should watch.
So, until the red carpet opens, here's my suggested playlist for all your Oscar parties this year. As usual, I reached out to all the beautiful people who follow me on Twitter at @wildaboutmusic, and asked for their favorite songs related to the movies and Hollywood. And as always, they delivered the goods. My favorite tweet of all came from @mannweil -- also known as the great songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil who were Oscar nominated for Best Original Song, "Somewhere Out There," from An American Tail. They reminded me about "Saturday Night at the Movies" by The Drifters -- a soulful pop masterpiece that they not only suggested, but also wrote.
Please add your own suggestions here -- and no, you don't have to actually have written the song -- but it couldn't hurt.
And enjoy the show.
CELLULOID HEROES - The Kinks
EVERYONE'S GONE TO THE MOVIES - Steely Dan
BABY I'M A STAR - Prince & The Revolution
TAKE YOUR GIRLIE TO THE MOVIES - Dean Martin
HOLLYWOOD MECCA OF THE MOVIES - T-Bone Burnett
AT THE MOTION PICTURE BALL - Bobby Short
HOLLYWOOD KIDS - The Thrills
PICTURE SHOW - John Prine
LOVE LIKE THE MOVIES - The Avett Brothers
IT'S ALL IN THE MOVIES - Merle Haggard
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES - The Drifters
THAT'S WHY GOD MADE THE MOVIES - Paul Simon
HOLLYWOOD - Chaka Khan & Rufus
HOLLYWOOD - The Runaways
HOLLYWEIRD - Poison
I LOVE L.A. - Randy Newman
IMITATION OF LIFE - REM
CELEBRITY - Brad Paisley
LOST IN HOLLYWOOD - Neil Diamond
VOGUE - Madonna
GONE HOLLYWOOD - Supertramp
DEEPER INTO THE MOVIES - Yo La Tengo
MY HUSBAND MAKES MOVIES - Karen Akers
MORE LIKE THE MOVIES - Dr. Hook
SHINING STAR - Earth, Wind & Fire
STAR - The Roots & Sly & The Family Stone
CINEMA - Yes
MRS. POTTER'S LULLABY - Counting Crows
MATINEE IDOL - Rufus Wainwright
CELEBRITY SKIN - Hole
LIKE DYLAN IN THE MOVIES - Belle & Sebastian
NOT LIKE THE MOVIES - Katy Perry
HOLLYWOOD - Michael Buble