With the news dropping recently that Black Panther's "All The Stars" and A Star Is Born's "Shallow" would be the only nominated songs performed at the 91st Academy Awards, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper decided to get a bit of impromptu practice in. During Gaga's Saturday night performance of her Las Vegas residency, the artist called her Star Is Born co-star and director up on stage to deliver a rendition of the duet that's been stuck in my goddamn head since what feels like 2015.
"Jackson never used these," Cooper said of the in-ear mics that Gaga handed him, just one charming moment in an incredibly charming thing, even if a more cynical mind—like me? I daren't say—could see it as just another stop on a particularly bumpy road to the Oscars. (Okay I'm 60% sure Bradley Cooper hit "send" on that awful Peter Farrelly penis story.)
In one of the more baffling decisions made by the Academy this year, Cooper was excluded from the Best Director category. But A Star Is Born still came away with seven nominations, including acting nods for both leads, Best Cinematography for Matthew Libatique, and a well-earned Supporting Actor slot for Sam Elliott. Interestingly enough, though, "Shallow" for Best Original Song seems like the only locked-down category A Star Is Born has, although not a soul on this Earth could be mad if The Ballad of Buster Scrugg's snuck away with it for "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings."
Either way, check out footage from Gaga and Cooper's performance below, courtesy of Garret Gagnon and Gaga Daily. The 91st Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 24.
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For more on A Star Is Born and the Oscars, check out the links below:
- Oscars: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises from the Nominations
- For Your Consideration: Episode 21 - Oscar Nominations Analysis
- Watch: Ryan Coogler, Alfonso Cuaron, and More Talk Directing in 1-Hour Roundtable
