Montco Native Earns Two Oscar Nods For "La La Land" Songs

After bringing home a Golden Globe earlier this month for the song "City of Stars" in the hit musical "La La Land," Ardmore's Benj Pasek now is in the running for an Academy Award and statistically has a better chance to win than the other nominees.

Pasek, who is an alumni of Friends Charter in Wynnewood, has been nominated twice thanks to his "La La Land" contributions. The songs "City of Stars" and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" have been nominated for Best Original Song in the 2017 Academy Awards.

Pasek wrote the lyrics with his longtime writing partner Justin Paul and the film's composer Justin Hurwitz wrote the score, so all three could take home an Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26.

The trio is up against musical titans, such as Justin Timberlake for "Can't Stop the Feeling" from "Trolls," Lin-Manuel Miranda for "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana," and Sting for "The Empty Chair" from "Jim."

Despite being up against these music stars, Pasek has double the chance to win and bring home an Oscar for the Philadelphia area.

"La La Land" earned 14 total Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Directing, best acting for stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and many others.

Listen to "City of Stars" and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" below:

Image via Sony