The Society of Composers and Lyricists had their third annual Awards dinner Tuesday night, not the dreaded “V’ word, meaning virtual but in person and the SCL thankfully did everything right! The evening was beautifully paced with the awards and truly artistic musical numbers and videos. It was also the perfect storm of a setting for complaining about the Academy Awards moving the Best Score category out of the main show this year. No one restrained themselves from chiming in.
The evening began with composers Diane Warren, singer Siedah Garrett, songwriter Jeymes Samuel, (“The Harder They Fall,” and Seal’s brother in case you didn’t know,) hobnobbing with each other along with SCL president Ashley Irwin.
Aloe Blacc hosted the show, and of course started in on the Academy Awards who have made the still controversial choice of not televising best score, along with 7 other categories, at the Oscars. He welcomed the crowd and quipped calling it “an awards show so great we actually honor them live.” He then noted “80 musicals having been released over the past five years, 77 of which were made by Lin-Manuel Miranda!” Lin, alas, was not there.
The event did gain a serious note when winner “Encanto” composer Germaine Franco asked for a moment of silence in support of Ukraine. Irwin did speak about the unfairness of having the scores cut from the Oscars. The SCL showed a video montage of music scores and songs through the decades that was literally brilliant and that was Oscar worthy. Oscars, this is what audiences love!
Carter Burwell was honored with The Spirit Of Collaboration Award along with Filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Burwell, when he’s not scoring a movie (over 100 now) is a volunteer fireman on Long Island. He has given out a quick congrats shout out by Trevor, a fireman from Amagansett, in the Hamptons, joking, “fireman can be curt.”
Burwell talked about how being a volunteer fireman was his way of de-stressing ironically from the pressure of composing films. He then conducted a beautiful rendition of his work. But not before he got his one dig in. “Joel, Ethan and I are New Yorkers, they couldn’t be here but in case there are any other New Yorkers, I’m going to translate Ashley’s speech for you…” Fuck the Academy Awards!” Burwell spoke eloquently about his collaboration with the Coens. He described it as “threads knotted together that connects to others. As Orson Welles said, it takes an army to make a film and we all know that it sometimes takes an army to make a score.”
Congrats SCL on a truly spectacular, classy and thankfully in person event!
PS Best song went to Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, for “No Time to Die.” They had no time to attend, however. They were doing a gig in Alabama.
Winners below.
3rd SCL AWARDS 2022 – Winners in Bold
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A STUDIO FILM:
Germaine Franco ENCANTO Walt Disney Pictures
Nicholas Britell DON’T LOOK UP Netflix
Hans Zimmer DUNE Warner Bros.
Alexandre Desplat THE FRENCH DISPATCH Searchlight Pictures
Jonny Greenwood THE POWER OF THE DOG Netflix
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN INDEPENDENT FILM:
Daniel Hart THE GREEN KNIGHT A24
Kubilay Uner AMERICAN TRAITOR: Vertical Entertainment
THE TRIAL OF AXIS SALLY
Rachel Portman JULIA Storyville Films/CNN
Alberto Iglesias PARALLEL MOTHERS Sony Pictures Classics
Jonny Greenwood SPENCER Neon/Topic Studios
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG FOR A MUSICAL/COMEDY:
Nicholas Britell “Just Look Up” Netflix
Ariana Grande DON’T LOOK UP
Scott Mescudi
Taura Stinson
Jamie Hartman “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” MGM/United Artists
Jennifer Hudson RESPECT
Carole King
Amie Doherty “Fearless” Dreamworks Animation
SPIRIT UNTAMED
Kris Bowers “Together All the Way” Netflix
Siedah Garrett DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
Lin-Manuel Miranda “Home All Summer” Warner Bros.
IN THE HEIGHTS
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG FOR A DRAMA/DOCUMENTARY
Billie Eilish “No Time To Die” MGM/United Artists Releasing/ Eon
& Finneas O’Connell NO TIME TO DIE
Diane Warren “Somehow You Do” Vertical Entertainment
FOUR GOOD DAYS
Rufus Wainwright “Secret Sister” Discovery+
REBEL HEARTS
Diane Warren “(Never Gonna) Tame You” Virgil Films
THE MUSTANGS:
AMERICA’S WILD HORSES
Shawn Carter “Guns Go Bang” Netflix
Scott Mescudi THE HARDER THEY FALL
Jeymes Samuel
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION:
Cristobal Tapia de Veer THE WHITE LOTUS HBO
Natalie Holt LOKI Disney+
Jung Jae-il SQUID GAME Netflix
Nicholas Britell SUCCESSION HBO
Christophe Beck WANDAVISION Disney+
OUSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE FOR INTERACTIVE MEDIA:
Hildur Guđnadóttir BATTLEFIELD 2042 Digital Illusions CE
& Sam Slater Electronic Arts
Austin Wintory ALIEN FIRETEAM ELITE Cold Iron
Germaine Franco KUNG FU PANDA: Universal Beijing Resort
LAND OF AWESOMENESS & Dreamworks Animation
DAVID RAKSIN AWARD FOR EMERGING TALENT:
Stephanie Economou JUPITER’S LEGACY Netflix
Joy Ngiaw BLUSH Apple TV+
Anne-Kathrin Dern THE CLAUS FAMILY Netflix
THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AWARD
Composer Carter Burwell and Filmmakers Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
