'La La Land' Named Best Flick By Washington DC Film Critics; Emma Stone's Cool, Quirky Singing Praised By Songwriters

Emma Stone's singing has been praised by the songwriters of "La La Land." The movie was also recently named by Washington DC film critics as the best flick this year.

Billboard caught up with the songwriters of "La La Land," Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and they talked about what it was like to hear both Stone and Ryan Gosling sing. Paul shared that he and Pasek have always been both Broadway and radio listeners and that good pop writing has been an interest for them that is why they incorporated that in their new Broadway show "Dear Evan Hansen." The two talked about their idols such as Ben Folds, Ingrid Michaelson, Taylor Swift, and Sara Bareilles.

They noted that their songs in "La La Land" were both old-fashioned music that feels very fresh in a contemporary story. Paul said that there was this one ballad that Stone sang and it felt to him like a musical theater-influenced song that was somewhere between jazz and American songbooks.

More on what fans could expect regarding Stone and Gosling, Paul shared, that the two main stars of "La La Land" have great voices. Stone could reportedly soar when she needs to but Paul fell in love with her voice when the actress was just looking in a mirror and was quietly singing to herself. Paul added that Stone's styling, the way she uses her breath, is cool and quirky. Gosling, on the other hand, was described as a real crooner who has a beautiful vocal tone that is both enticing and alluring.

As for "La La Land" being the best film as chosen by Washington DC area film critics, The Hollywood Reporter shared that the Damien Chazelle movie won a total of seven awards from the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Other awards received by "La La Land" are Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Original Score.

Other flicks that received awards from the Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association are "Manchester by the Sea," "Jackie," "Moonlight," "Fences," "Hell or High Water," "A Monster Calls," "The BFG," "Arrival," "Kubo and the Two Strings," "The 13^th" and "Elle." The Joe Barber Award for Best Portrayal of Washington, DC went to "Jackie." "La La Land" will be out this December 15.