Elton John is not happy. Neither his partner, David Furnish. Right after the Golden Globes show last night Sir Elton told me in no uncertain terms that he was furious Madonna had won Best Song for “Masterpiece,” her last minute add on to the mostly panned “W.E.” Sir Elton was nominated for his song “Hello Hello,’ written for his film, “Gnomeo and Juliet.” The latter project took nine years and was warmly received when it was released. “W.E.” is kind of strange item in the movie world. And “Masterpiece” was only added to it at the last minute, well after the film was shown at the Toronto Film Festival.
Sir Elton did summon an expletive to describe his feelings–indeed, two, neither of which can be printed. I can’t say I blame him. The Globes do favor celebrity and aren’t above a little horse trading. Since our conversation, I’m told that there have been private Facebook postings by Mr. Furnish on this subject. Sore loser? I don’t think so. But “Hello Hello” will be an Oscar nominee for sure, and it has a good chance of winning. Sir Elton can take solace that “Gnomeo and Juliet” will last a lot longer in the culture than “W.E.” and give a lot more pleasure. That’s the lesson of the night.
