MUSIC MAKERS & SHAKERS

Walt Disney Studios' Mary Poppins Returns has two songs in the mix - "The Place Where Lost Things Go" and "Trip a Little Light Fantastic," both written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman - that sometimes feel like flattened sound-alikes of the indelible tunes from the original Julie Andrews vehicle. [...]Lin-Manuel Miranda's singing and dancing skills, on full display in his number, don't equal his powers as a writer and a creator. [...]the Coup's "OYAHYTT" from Boots Riley's surrealist classconscious indie Sorry to Bother You brings hip-hop edge to the race, but might lose traction thanks to lyrics by the writer-director like "I'm Boots Riley, they ain't merc'd me yet / Gon' get shit popping like Percocet." The moment arrives when Gaga's Ally walks onto the concert stage and sings this heart-melting duet with Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine in front of a sold-out crowd. [...]it delivers in spades, making it a virtual lock for the final five and presenting a tough challenge for whichever tunes sit alongside it on the Oscar ballot.