>Randy Newman

Though nominated for three Academy Awards this year (for his Pleasantville and A Bug's Life scores and the song "That'll Do" from Babe: Pig in the City), singer-songwriter Randy Newman, 55, went home Oscarless. Last month the wryly acerbic composer (his big hit: 1977's "Short People") released Bad Love, his first pop album in 11 years.

If not an Oscar, what award would you most like?

A platinum record for selling a million records. I know that's not feasible, but I've always wanted that.

Have your experiments with children's music—-in Toy Story or Babe: Pig in the City, for instance—affected your audience?

I had a 4-year-old heckler at this benefit I did the other day.

Who is your audience, exactly?

Well, I have relatives in Albuquerque, and when my [1998] boxed set came out, I noticed that two copies sold in one week there. I knew exactly who bought them.

Are you worried about losing pop fans after so long an absence?

I'm ready to do what it takes to get people to listen. If they asked, I'd do the nude scene—if it were dignified, of course.