But back to the Grammys. NIcholas Hooper? Nicholas Hooper?! And if Giacchino doesn’t win Instrumental Composition for “Married Life,” I’ve got some voters in my crosshairs. But it’ll likely go to one of the other Jazz or Big Band nominees. Ah, well.

I love you/I hate you. Where did we go wrong/right?

I’ll be at my mother’s.

No matter what I think of the song, like I said above, it did fit the tone of the film. Part of the problem with AMPAS’s voting procedure is the song bakeoff where voters are forced to sit through a couple of hours of snippets of songs taken from their exact places within the film. If I had to watch a black and white credit scroll while listening to 2-1/2 minutes (or whatever it is) of that Springsteen song, I wouldn’t have voted for it either. (I’m not sure I’m a big fan of credit or title songs being up either. But if they weren’t, there wouldn’t be ANY nominees.)

If you’re watching one clip after another, of course you’re more apt to vote for songs and musicals numbers that actually happen in the film (hence recent multiple nominations for DREAMGIRLS and ENCHANTED, and probably a couple from THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG this year). Since AMPAS doesn’t list songwriters on the initial ballot, voters can’t be swayed by seeing someone’s name (a practice I’m not totally behind). (Though could they NOT tell who was singing?!) Without that visual on paper, you’re left with the song.

And ignoring my opinion, which ultimately doesn’t matter a damn to anyone but me, they apparently weren’t impressed enough to give it the 8.25 average score. (That’s a whole problem in and of itself. Let the top five songs be the nominees, period.)

I still think “Jai Ho” stands the best chance at a Grammy. SLUMDOG is a far more popular film than THE WRESTLER, with or without Springsteen.

However, “The Wrestler” didn’t require my complete dispensation. Rourke was fearless and Tomei was solid, and the entire affair was itself a rather moving requiem of sorts. If you didn’t buy it, then I can understand an impartiality to the song, but it was so simple and so weary and spoke so precisely to the narrative that I should be surprised that the Music Branch didn’t nominate it, but alas, I no longer am with their recent track record.

Thank goodness that NARAS is around to rectify the error.