While film actors seem to vie their whole lives to be recognized by AMPAS for even just a single performance, it's amazing how many singers and non-actors all but wander into receiving Oscar nominations. 

For instance: Did you know that Lesley Gore, who just passed away at the age of 68, was an Oscar nominee for a song she co-wrote from “Fame”? Turns out her oeuvre of classic songs covers more than the importance of crying jags. Who knew?

With less than a week until the Oscars, let's take a fond and befuddled look back at 10 singers who scored Oscar nominations we'd totally forgotten about. This goes beyond flashy winners like Jennifer Hudson and Elton John and enters the sinister, intriguing realm of — oh, yes — VH1 veterans of the early 2000s.