THE Oscar-nominated song Alone Yet Not Alone has been pulled from the competition by the organisers of the Academy Awards.
Eyebrows were raised when the song - which is included on the soundtrack of a Christian film of the same name - was nominated in the best original song category, the Hollywood Reporter says. Most critics and cinemagoers had not been aware of the film - which is only available on limited release - before the nominations were announced.
The Academy says it has dumped the song because the man who wrote it, Bruce Broughton, is a former Academy Awards governor and current music branch executive committee member. It claims he "emailed members of the [Academy Awards music] branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period".
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Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said: "No matter how well-intentioned the communication, using one's position as a former governor and current executive committee member to personally promote one's own Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage."
Alone Yet Not Alone will not be replaced in the best original song category by another composition.
Broughton told the Hollywood Reporter he was "devastated" by the decision. "I indulged in the simplest grassroots campaign and it went against me when the song started getting attention," he said.
The Academy Awards are announced on 2 March.
