Looking through the RSVP sidebar of a screening schedule for Warner's upcoming "The Bucket List," my eye was drawn to a contender for Best Original Song that I hadn't come across yet.  The track is called "Say" and both the lyric and vocal are by John Mayer.  Perhaps a soft, breathy track from the celebrated vocalist can get into the mix for a seemingly warm-hearted movie like this one?

The original song category already seems stacked this year as opposed to previous years where it seemed stretched a bit thin.  To begin, there's already four songs from Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" in play.  All are from Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder.  "Guaranteed" is the track prevalent throughout the film, and therefore might be deemed the most attractive choice.  "Society," however, is also integral to the narrative and could push through.  Vedder, you might recall, was passed over by the Academy in 2003 for his song "Man of the Hour" on the "Big Fish" soundtrack.

Paramount Vantage is getting out ahead of their music contenders again this year, mind you.  A modest event is already scheduled next weekend with Penn on the scene and Vedder crooning three of the tracks from the movie live.

Marc Shaiman, meanwhile, added three new tunes to the "Hairspray" set list that have to be taken seriously.  Most seem to be leaning on the Zac Efron ditty "Ladies' Choice."
 
Speaking of musicals, the little summer film that could -- "Once" -- is adding a one-two punch with "Falling Slowly" and "If You Want Me" (the former seems to be the best bet).

Alan Menken is back on the scene with Stephen Schwartz in Disney's "Enchanted."  Apparently the duo wrote a whopping five new songs for the film, which is already garnering lead actress buzz for Amy Adams.

Elsewhere there's the closing credits number "Lost" from Annie Lennox on "In the Valley of Elah."  However, given the song's usage, it might not pass the test.  New rules figure in the way a song is integrated into the film and the story.

There's also new Shakira material in "Love in the Time of Cholera," namely a track called "La Despidida."  And will Stephen Sondheim offer new material to the soundtrack of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street?"  I'm in the dark on that one.

So that's 18 potential contenders without breaking a sweat.  There are others eligible, but these seem to be the real threats.