Film music fans love to hate the Academy Awards. Often at odds with the pulse of the film music community, the nominations this year are a different story. Work by fan favourites Michael Giacchino and Marco Beltrami (first nomination) was acknowledged by the Academy. Alexandre Desplat failed to land any love for his popular scores for The Golden Compass and Lust, Caution, while James Newton Howard secured another nomination, bizarrely enough for Michael Clayton, his most subdued score of the year. The nominees:

Music (Score)

Atonement, Music by Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner, Music by Alberto Iglesias
Michael Clayton, Music by James Newton Howard
Ratatouille, Music by Michael Giacchino
3:10 to Yuma, Music by Marco Beltrami

Music (Song)

One — “Falling Slowly”
Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

Enchanted — “Happy Working Song”
Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

August Rush — “Raise It Up”
Nominees to be determined

Enchanted — “So Close”
Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Enchanted — “That’s How You Know”
Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz