Diane Warren poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Diane Warren was a good sport after losing the 2025 Oscar for Best Original Song – for the 16th time.
The acclaimed songwriter – who garnered her record nomination for The Journey from The Six Triple Eight – left the Dolby Theater on Sunday (March 2) night empty-handed following the 97th Academy Awards with the prize going to El Mal from the movie Emilia Perez.
But she’s not sweating the loss.
“I’m happy to be nominated,” the hitmaker behind songs for Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Cher and Lady Gaga told Variety later at the Vanity Fair’s post-Oscars party. “I’m consistent as f—.”
She added: “You know, it is what it is. I’m happy to be here.”
Warren, 68, got her first Oscar nomination in 1987 for Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now from the 1986 film Mannequin. She lost that award to the timeless Dirty Dancing ditty (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
Throughout the decades, she received nods for songs such as Celine Dion’s Because You Loved Me from Up Close And Personal, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing from Armageddon and There You’ll Be from Pearl Harbor.
This year’s winners for Best Original Song went to French music artists Clement Ducol and Camille, who also took home the Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards for El Mal from the Netflix French Spanish-language film Emilia Perez.
Mikey Madison, winner of the Oscar for Best Actress for 'Anora', Adrien Brody, winner of the Oscar for Best Actor for 'The Brutalist', Zoe Saldana, winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for 'Emilia Perez', and Kieran Culkin, winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 'A Real Pain', pose in the Oscars photo room at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 2, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Warren, who ironically lost in the same category to The Journey singer H.E.R. in 2021, assured the outlet it’s not over for her.
“I’ll be back. I’m the Terminator of the Oscars,” she joked to Variety’s Marc Malkin, referencing the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger catchphrase from the 1984 film.
“I’m coming back,” Warren continued. “Can’t get rid of me.”
The one-time Grammy winner already has an Oscar statuette on her mantle: She received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in 2022. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
