Academy Awards scandal - Oscar nomination rescinded!

Many entertainment pundits were shocked when the obscure religious film Alone Yet Not Alone came out of nowhere to receive a Best Original Song Oscar nomination for a song of the same name. 

But now in an extraordinarily rare move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has rescinded the nomination, arguing that the song's author, Bruce Broughton, improperly lobbied Academy voters, according to People Magazine. Broughton is a former member of the Academy's Board of Governors and a current member of the Music Branch executive committee, and the Academy argues that a "for your consideration" letter that he sent to Academy members may have broken strict Academy guidelines and improperly implied an official Academy endorsement of the film.

Revoking an Oscar nomination is very rare and has only happened a handful of times, according to Entertainment Weekly. In 1992, Uruguay's official Best Foreign Language Film nomination for A Place in the World was rescinded after it was discovered that the film was produced in Argentina. In 1972, The Godfather received a Best Original Score nomination, but when it was revealed that part of the theme had been used in another movie, the music branch had a revote and it did not get nominated the second time around. And in 1968, the documentary Young Americans was declared ineligible after already winning the Oscar, and the award was subsequently given to runner-up Journey Into Self.

The Academy has announced that it will not replace the nomination, and that the remaining four nominees will compete against each other for the award. Those nominees are:

• "Happy" from Despicable Me 2
• "Let It Go" from Frozen
• "The Moon Song from Her
• "Ordinary Love" from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Broughton claims he did nothing improper. Check out this news clip for more: