Oscars: Depp and Blanchett Nominated, Vedder and Greenwood Shut Out

The Oscar nominations are in and Rock Daily favorites Eddie Vedder and Jonny Greenwood have both been shut out. The good news lies in the Best Supporting Actress category, where Cate Blanchett is nominated for her role of Bob Dylan alter-ego Jude Quinn in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There (Blanchett also picked up a Best Actress nod for playing the title role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age; this is the second time she's been nominated for playing that character). Rolling Stone cover star Johnny Depp also snagged a nomination, getting a Best Actor nod for his starring role in Sweeney Todd.

On the music front, Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood was disqualified from the competition despite already picking up a Critic's Choice Award and getting nominated for a British Academy Award. Eddie Vedder's omission is confusing, as his "Guaranteed" from Into the Wild seemed to be a shoe-in for Oscar love after winning a Golden Globe. The Best Song category is dominated by fairy tale film Enchanted, which took three of the five nominations. "Falling Slowly," co-written by the Frames' Glen Hansard for the film Once, also received a nomination for Best Song. Barring Writers Strike-induced delays, the Oscars ceremony is scheduled to take place February 24th.

For Peter Travers' take on the Oscar nominations and the events at the Sundance Film Festival, be sure to check out his blog here.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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