Oscar Nominations Upset Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige tweeted her opinion of the selection shortly after The Oscar Nominations were announced and wrote, “I’m so thankful for true fans like you all. It saddens me & feels like the Academy is being mean. 2 only nominate 2 of the 5 slots is…..” The singer was up for her song ‘The Living Proof’ from ‘The Help,’ which earned four nominations, although it was expected to be a stronger contender.

A number of stars were in competition for nomination spots alongside Mary J. Blige including Elton John, will.i.am and Pink, but only Sergio Mendes’ ‘Real In Rio’ from Rio and Bret McKenzie’s ‘Man or Muppet’ from ‘The Muppets’ managed to earn a spot on the award’s show. The range of tunes up for nomination usually ranges between three and 14, but this year 39 songs were eligible.

Although it is not clear why only two songs were selected, the slim competition could indicate that voters were unimpressed with the selection this year according to the Washington Post. Songs receive a score from voters and must have a minimum average in order to obtain a nomination, unless only one song passes the bar and then the next ranking song is selected even if its score is lower than the minimum.