The ‘bridesmaid of ballads’ is the most nominated woman in Academy history never to have won. This year, she really wants that trophy
With 10 best original song nods across five decades, and another currently in the balance, songwriter Diane Warren can lay claim to the slightly infuriating honour of being the most nominated woman in
Oscars history to have never won. This Sunday, that could all change. Well, Warren hopes so at least. “I’ve sat there a lot of times; I’m not complaining, I’m really grateful,” she says diplomatically. “But it would be awesome to win!”
Warren is known for penning power ballad-style hits for blockbuster movies, from LeAnn Rimes’s How Do I Live (Trisha Yearwood’s version of which was on the Con Air OST) to Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (Armageddon). But this year’s nominated song is a little different. Sure, it has got the soaring chorus and empowering message, but I’m Standing With You, performed by Chrissy Metz, marks itself out from the pack due to its status as the sole nomination for Breakthrough, a relatively small-fry Christian drama about a boy who falls into an icy lake and is saved by the power of prayer. The film itself received middling reviews, but Warren’s characteristically punchy anthem has transcended the stodgy screenplay to be rewarded with a place alongside fellow nominees Randy Newman (I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away from Toy Story 4) and Elton John ((I’m Gonna) Love Me Again from Rocketman).