For Grammy-winning producer-songwriter Alexander Shuckburgh, the Academy Awards are so close and yet so far.
Shuckburgh should be celebrating as an Oscar nominee since a song he co-wrote — "All the Stars" from the "Black Panther" soundtrack — is competing for best original song at Sunday's show.
But he isn't.
This combination photo shows musician Kendrick Lamar, left, and Solana Rowe, better known as SZA, who, along with Mark Spears and Anthony Tiffith, were nominated for an Oscar for best original song for "All the Stars," from the film "Black Panther." Alexander Shuckburgh, who is also credited with writing the song, is not included in the Oscar nomination because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences limits the number of nominees in the best original song category to four names. (AP Photo)
That's because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences limits the number of nominees in the best original song category to four, forcing one of the song's five writers to take a backseat. Shuckburgh, also known as Al Shux, shares writing credit for "All the Stars" with rapper Kendrick Lamar; R&B singer SZA; Anthony Tiffith, the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, whose roster includes Lamar and SZA; and Mark Spears, the producer-songwriter known as Sounwav who has worked closely with Lamar for a decade.
Some feel strongly that Shuckburgh should be able to call himself "an Oscar-nominated songwriter."
"It is important that in keeping with the times, all credited songwriters be recognized when a song is being considered for an award. If the PROs (performing rights organizations) have a writer listed and that writer is receiving royalties from them for the song, there is no question that the writer be acknowledged along with the others," Linda Moran, the president and CEO of Songwriters Hall of Fame, said in a statement to The Associated Press.
FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Common, left, and John Legend pose in the press room with the award for best original song for "Glory" from the film, "Selma" at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Che "RhymeFest" Smith earned credit from the Grammys for his songwriting work on “Glory,” but not at the Oscars because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences limits the number of nominees in the best original song category to four. (Photo by Jordan StraussInvisionAP, File)
"Who decides and what method is used to determine which writer or writers over the allowable maximum does not qualify for the award? It is definitely not fair to limit the number of writers," Moran continued. "In order for an organization to be relevant, it is important that it be flexible and willing to move forward."
Shuckburgh declined to be interviewed for this story and representatives for Shuckburgh and Lamar didn't reply to emails seeking clarity on how the "All the Stars" songwriters decided who would be left off the Oscars ballot. The academy said it couldn't disclose that information when asked by the AP.
Although big-name acts like Eminem, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder have won the best original song Oscar, the last few years have seen more and more pop stars earn nominations for songs that hit big on radio, from Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!" to the Weeknd's "Earned It." And those songs, which range from rap to pop to R&B to dance, tend to feature a large number of songwriters.
FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2010 file photo, Grammy Award-winning rap artist Che "RhymeFest" Smith smiles before announcing his candidacy for Chicago 20th Ward alderman in Chicago. Smith earned credit from the Grammys for his songwriting work on Common and John Legend’s “Glory,” from the 2014 film, "Selma," but not at the Oscars because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences limits the number of nominees in the best original song category to four. (AP PhotoM. Spencer Green, File)
The Top 10 songs on this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart, for example, includes songs written by three people (Marshmello & Bastille's "Happier") to 12 (Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode"). And last year's Grammy for song of the year — a songwriter's award — went to eight people for the first time when Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" won the prize.
Shuckburgh, who won a Grammy for co-writing Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind," earned a nomination for best original song at the Golden Globes for "All the Stars"; he also received three nods at this year's Grammys for his work on the track, including record of the year, song of the year and best song written for visual media.
Like Shuckburgh, Che "Rhymefest" Smith earned credit from the Grammys for his songwriting work on Common and John Legend's "Glory," but not at the Oscars.
FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2007 file photo, Beyonce Knowles, a co-star in the film "Dreamgirls," performs a medley of songs from the nominated film during the 79th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Beyonce, who contributed to nominated song, "Listen," was not nominated in the category because the category was limited to three writers. Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences limits the number of nominees in the best original song category to four. (AP PhotoMark J. Terrill)
Smith told the AP he worked with Common on his two verses on the song, which won best original song at the 2015 Academy Awards and is from the 2014 film "Selma," based on the 1965 civil rights marches led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
"You have individuals who are making songs about injustice while at the same time, cheating or leaving out the collective that helped them bring that creation to the table," Smith said. "Sometimes we forget, we get caught up in the individual and don't give credit to the power of the collective."
Smith, who won a Grammy alongside Kanye West for co-writing the hit "Jesus Walks," said he respected West for making sure everyone who worked on a song got credit (some of West's songs have featured close to 20 songwriters, including "All Day" featuring Paul McCartney).
Smith said it was a longtime dream of his to work with Common, which first happened on "Glory." But as he watched the 2015 Golden Globes from his couch with his family, he wondered why he didn't get invited to the show. And when it was announced that Common and Legend won best original song, he was surprised he didn't see his named listed as one of the songwriters.
"I had to call Common and ask him, 'What's going on?'" he said. "I'm sitting there with my family, with my wife and my daughter and my mother and we're watching, and we're excited and I'm wondering, 'Why didn't I get a ticket?' Then you see writers and your name doesn't come up and then your family looks at you and their like, 'OK, what happened?' And you don't know what to say."
Representatives for Common and West didn't immediately reply to emails seeking comment.
Smith said he and Common no longer talk to one another, adding: "But It's not that we don't speak because anybody's angry at anybody, it's just, after that, it was just, you know, you just don't speak."
"I love Common. I respect him as an artist. I think he's dope as hell. In fact, he's one of my heroes," he added, calling the controversy "a learning experience."
"You can't go around feeling cheated or you can't move forward. So, I don't feel cheated. Also, it was an opportunity for me. I did get a Grammy. I did get a Soul Train Award. I did get a plaque. I was part of a great thing that happened, and guess what? More than me, the world needed 'Glory.' I think that's another thing — when we talk about the ego, we as artists do have to look beyond ourselves. Maybe you won't get everything you think you should have, but there's a bigger picture. The bigger picture is the healing that the song was able to do. I have to throw me to the background and be like, 'Yo, let the world have it.'"
Though "All the Stars," which reached peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100, is a strong contender Sunday, Lady Gaga's "Shallow," co-written with Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando, is the frontrunner. "Shallow" won the Golden Globe and two Grammys: one for its songwriters and the other for Gaga and Bradley Cooper's vocal performance.
The other best original song nominees are "I'll Fight" from the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary "RBG," written by Diane Warren, marking her tenth nomination; "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from "Mary Poppins," written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; and "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," written by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch.
Like Shuckburgh, Beyonce was in similar shoes when her song "Listen," from the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack, was nominated for best original song at the 2007 Academy Awards. At that point the category limited the writers to three; "Listen" was written by Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven and Beyonce, and Beyonce's name was left off the submission.
The rules changed for the 2012 show, where the limit was raised to four. But throughout the years the rules have had many changes: Though at one point the writers were limited to three, at the 1982 Oscars four writers won best original song (Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen won for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from "Arthur.")
The academy said it meets yearly to discuss its rules and makes adjustments accordingly.
"Artists have to speak up. We speak up for a lot of issues these days. People say, 'Oh, the Oscars are so white.' And guess what? The Oscars said, 'OK, we're going to try to diversify,'" said Smith. "I think in my case, nobody said anything. It wasn't anything against me, it was probably more of a fear of the institution."
For full coverage of the Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/AcademyAwards
VENICE, Italy (AP) — Under the gaze of the world’s media, the fragile lagoon city of Venice launched a pilot program Thursday to charge day-trippers a 5-euro (around $5.35) entry fee that authorities hope will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.
Visitors arriving at Venice's main train station were greeted with large signs listing the 29 dates through July of the plan's test phase, as well as new entrances separating tourists from residents, students and workers.
Stewards were on hand to politely guide anyone unaware of the new requirements through the process of downloading the QR code to pay the fee.
“We need to find a new balance between the tourists and residents,’’ said the city’s top tourism official, Simone Venturini. “We need to safeguard the spaces of the residents, of course, and we need to discourage the arrival of day-trippers on some particular days.”
Arianna Cecilia, who lives in Rome and was visiting Venice for the first time with her boyfriend, said it felt “strange" to have to buy a ticket to enter a city in her native Italy, and then pass through a tourist entrance.
The couple were staying in nearby Treviso, and had paid the fee and downloaded the QR code as required prior to arrival.
Workers in yellow vests carried out random checks at the train station, and anyone caught faces fines of 50 euros to 300 euros — though officials said “common sense” was being applied for the launch.
The requirement applies only for people arriving between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Outside of those hours, access is free and unchecked.
Venice has long suffered under the pressure of over-tourism, and officials hope the pilot project can help provide more exact figures to better manage the phenomenon.
The city can track the number of hotel visitors — which last year numbered 4.6 million, down 16% from pre-pandemic highs. But the number of day visitors, which make up the majority of the crowds in Venice, could only be estimated until recently.
A Smart Control Room set up during the pandemic has been tracking arrivals from cell phone data, roughly confirming pre-pandemic estimates of 25 million to 30 million arrivals a year, said Michele Zuin, the city’s top economic official. That includes both day-trippers and overnight guests.
But Zuin said the data is incomplete. “It’s clear we will get more reliable data from the contribution” being paid by day-trippers, he said.
Venturini said the city is strained when the number of day-trippers reaches 30,000 to 40,000. Its narrow alleyways are clogged with people and water taxis packed, making it difficult for residents to go about their business.
Not all residents, however, are persuaded of the efficacy of the new system in dissuading mass tourism. Some say more attention needs to be paid to boosting the resident population and services they need.
Venice last year passed a telling milestone when the number of tourist beds exceeded for the first time the number of official residents, which is now below 50,000 in the historic center with its picturesque canals.
“Putting a ticket to enter a city will not decrease not even by one single unit the number of visitors that are coming,’’ said Tommaso Cacciari, an activist who organized a protest Thursday against the measure.
“You pay a ticket to take the metro, to go to a museum, an amusement park; you don’t pay a ticket to enter a city. This is the last symbolic step of a project of an idea of this municipal administration to kick residents out of Venice,” he said.
Venturini said about 6,000 people had already paid to download the QR code, and officials expect paid day-tripper arrivals Thursday to reach some 10,000.
More than 70,000 others have downloaded a QR code denoting an exemption, including to work in Venice or as a resident of the Veneto region. People staying in hotels in Venice, including in mainland districts like Marghera or Mestre, should get a QR code attesting to their stay, which includes a hotel tax.
The tourist official says interest in Venice's pilot program has been keen from other places suffering from mass tourism, including other Italian art cities and cities abroad such as Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Marina Rodino, who has lived in Venice for 30 years, is opposed to the new plan. She was passing out mock EU passports for “Venice, Open City,” underlining the irony of the new system, and challenging its legal standing with citations from the Italian constitution guaranteeing its citizens the right to “move or reside freely in any part of the national territory."
Rodino has seen her local butcher close and families leave her neighborhood near the famed Rialto Bridge as short-term apartment rentals spring up. But she said the new entrance fee requirement will still allow young people to flood the city in the evening for often rowdy gatherings.
“This is not a natural oasis. This is not a museum. It is not Pompeii," she said. “It is a city, where we need to fight so the houses are inhabited by families, and stores reopen. That is what would counter this wild tourism.”
Tourists arrive in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Stewards check a tourist QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A steward shows the QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
A steward checks a tourist QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The fragile lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. The daytripper tax is being tested on 29 days through July, mostly weekends and holidays starting with Italy's Liberation Day holiday Thursday. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment, while another 70,000 will receive exceptions, for example, because they work in Venice or live in the Veneto region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourists take pictures at the St. Mark square in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourists ride on a ferry boat in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
People stand in front of an information board explaining how to pay the tourist tax in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Marco Bettini, director of Venis Informatics System, gestures as he talks to reporters at the police Venice control room, in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Venice councillor Simone Venturini speaks with reporters in front of a tourist tax totem in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers prepare banner explaining how to pay the tourist tax in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Marco Bettini, director of Venis Informatics System, gestures as he explains the Venice density to reporters at the police Venice control room in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourists arrive at the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers prepare the tourist tax cashier desks outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Porters wait for tourists outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers prepare the tourist tax cashier desks outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers prepare the tourist tax cashier desks outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Porters wait for tourists outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourists arrive outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourist information boards are seen outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tourists arrive outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The lagoon city of Venice begins a pilot program Thursday, April 25, 2024 to charge daytrippers a 5 euro entry fee that authorities hope will discourage tourists from arriving on peak days. Officials expect some 10,000 people will pay the fee to access the city on the first day, downloading a QR code to prove their payment. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
