Mary J Blige
She wrote the theme tune, she sang the theme tune… she made Oscars history.
Mary J Blige has, rather surprisingly, become the first person ever to be nominated for an acting performance and an original song in a single year.
The R&B icon, who already has nine Grammy awards, stars as an impoverished farmer’s wife in ‘Mudbound’, earning her a best supporting actress nomination.
Her theme, ‘Mighty River’, is a rallying cry against racial division, and a front-runner for the best song award.
In previous years, Oscar-nominated actors have performed songs in the best original song category – most recently Jennifer Hudson for her Dreamgirls anthem ‘Love You I Do’ – but the award itself is given to the songwriters.
Blige, who co-wrote ‘Mighty River’ with Raphael Saadiq, therefore, becomes the first person to score a double nomination.
However, the duo face stiff competition from the Oscar-winning composers of ‘La La Land’ and ‘Frozen’.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who won best original song for ‘City Of Stars’ last year are nominated again for ‘This Is Me’, from The Greatest Showman.
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who wrote ‘Frozen’s Let It Go’, are nominated for ‘Remember Me’, from the Pixar animation ‘Coco’.
–BBC