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Robbie Williams Song Dropped From 2025 Oscar Shortlist: Here’s Why

Robbie Williams’ “Forbidden Road” was removed from the 2025 Oscar shortlist for best original song on the grounds that it lifts from an existing song.

Eleven years ago, a nominated songwriter, Bruce Broughton, was overzealous in promoting his song, running afoul of Academy regulations. The explanation of what happened still appears on the Oscar site all these years later: “After the nominations were announced on January 16, 2014, it was determined that Mr. Broughton had taken actions in promoting the song that were inconsistent with the Academy’s campaign regulations. Robbie Williams speaks on stage during the "Better Man" special screening at Le Grand Rex on Dec. 13, 2024 in Paris, France.

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