early childhood traumas

Ryan Murphy Is Still Haunted to This Day by The Muppet Movie’s ‘Rainbow Connection’ Losing the Best Song Oscar

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

In case you’re wondering what great injustice keeps Ryan Murphy up at night, it’s The Muppet Movie’s “Rainbow Connection” losing the Best Original Song Oscar to “So It Goes” from Norma Rae at the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980. The American Horror Story creator recalls the incident, which plagues him still, in a new Hollywood Reporter essay. “For me, it’s the gay Super Bowl,” he says of the Academy Awards. “And yes, I’ve lost many an Oscar pool. My most devastating loss was when “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie lost the original song Oscar to the theme from Norma Rae. I’m still fuming about that one.” If you think Ryan Murphy won’t somehow eventually turn that early psychological devastation into a season of television, you have literally never heard of Ryan Murphy before. Cheyenne Jackson and Denis O’Hare can play, let’s see, songwriters Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher. Sarah Paulson will be cast in the role of Janice from the Electric Mayhem band, and she will be transcendent.

Ryan Murphy Still Haunted by The Muppet Movie’s Oscar Loss