by Ryan Keaveney

Update: Yes, The Dark Knight score is eligible for Oscar consideration…

“The executive committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ music branch has reversed a decision on the original score from The Dark Knight and deemed it eligible for an Oscar in the best original score category.

The branch initially ruled Nov. 10 that there were too many composers involved in the score; the Academy generally only considers scores that are the work of one or at most two composers.

But after reviewing the submission, it concluded that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard were the main composers and accepted the duo’s work for Warner Bros.’ Batman film as eligible.

The Academy said that since ballots had not been mailed, the decision would not affect the voting process.”

‘Dark Knight’ score is Oscar eligible
Academy reverses Nov. 10 decision citing too many composers
By Steven Zeitchik

Earlier, when the score wasn’t eligible…

According to Jon Burlingame, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score for The Dark Knight (see review) has been disqualified from Academy Award consideration due to cue sheet crediting and a mathematical formula that calculates authorship of the score. Burlingame writes:

Sources inside the committee said that the big issue was the fact that five names were listed as composers on the music cue sheet, the official studio document that specifies every piece of music (along with its duration and copyright owner) in the film.

Zimmer and Howard were also disqualified from consideration for Batman Begins.

Zimmer said, in an interview with Variety prior to this week’s Acad action, that listing multiple names on the cue sheet was a way of financially rewarding parts of the music team who helped make the overall work successful. (Performing-rights societies like ASCAP and BMI use the cue sheet to distribute royalties to composers.)

Zimmer, Howard and the other three individuals — music editor Alex Gibson, ambient music designer Mel Wesson and composer Lorne Balfe — reportedly signed an affidavit stating that the score was primarily the work of Zimmer and Howard.

Read the full article: Variety.com