I posted earlier about Adele and how she manages to work Beyoncé into all of her interviews. Even for Adele, as it is for the rest of us, Beyoncé is always top of mind. On November 19, the day that her album drops, Adele might actually be listening to something else. 

 

Because that’s also the day King Richard, the film starring Will Smith about Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, opens in theatres. It features a brand new song called “Be Alive”, co-written and performed by the Queen herself. While the full track has not yet been released, you can hear it playing in the background of the new King Richard trailer: 

At this point in the season, Oscar experts are predicting that King Richard is in the running for the Best Picture Oscar. The film has screened at Telluride and was warmly embraced. The Hollywood Reporter called it a crowd-pleasing tear-jerker and it’s exactly the kind of film that should play well and build momentum during the American Thanksgiving break and could have the kind of run that The Blind Side did back in 2009; that film came out at exactly the same time of year. 

 

Which means that Will Smith is a strong contender for the Best Actor Oscar with this performance. Right now at Gold Derby (and I know, we still have months to go in award season, but this is a competitive year and we have to pay attention to each leg of the race), a majority of experts have him as the frontrunner in the category. 

And then, of course, there’s the Beyoncé factor. Like I said, we don’t have the whole song but from what you can hear in the trailer, this is Beyoncé at full blast. “Be Alive” is meant to make you feel alive, it’s the kind of song that brings on goosebumps, fist pumps, and feels. Perhaps the kind of song that’s meant to mimic how you might react when Venus would hit a power forehand down the line, or when Serena bombs an ace up the middle on championship point at the US Open – 

Because that’s how Beyoncé herself felt when she watched the movie? 

 

“According to [Will] Smith, Beyoncé's collaboration came about after a screening of the film, where Smith tells EW the sisters inspired the singer — a superstar in her own right — to contribute a song.

"The marriage of a movie and a song is a kind of magic that's unmatched in entertainment," Smith says. "I was so happy when Beyoncé called."

“When Beyoncé called…”

I mean, that in and of itself is !!!!!. 

So this is what Beyoncé is coming with – a power ballad to accompany a film that will be in the Oscar conversation over the next few months. A song that will be in its own Oscar conversation. A Beyoncé power ballad nominated for Oscar Best Song…and performed at the Oscar ceremony by Beyoncé?! Is this our future timeline?!