Two original song performances dropped from Oscars programme

The Academy earlier announced that Lady Gaga, Sam Smith and the Weeknd would perform their nominated tunes from “The Hunting Ground,” “Spectre” and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” respectively, on the telecast.

A special performance by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has also been announced.

Last week, the campaigns behind the two outlying original song nominees, performed by lesser-known acts, were informed they would not be part of the show.

“Manta Ray” features music by two-time Oscar-nominated composer J Ralph, with lyrics by Antony Hegarty (aka Anohni), who also performs. “Simple Song #3” was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and performed by South Korean soprano Sumi Jo, a Grammy winner.

But those credentials weren’t enough to keep them on the programme.

Songs have been pulled from the Oscars a few times in recent memory, including J Ralph’s own “Before My Time” from the 2012 documentary “Chasing Ice”.

In 2010 and 2012, all nominees were removed from the rundown, while Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” was the only exclusion on the 2003 telecast, because the hip-hop artist did not attend. He ultimately won the Oscar.