Last night, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) held its annual Film & Television Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Elliot Goldenthal was honored with the ASCAP Founders Award, which is given to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. The Academy Award-winning composer was presented the award by director Michael Mann who collaborated with Goldenthal on Heat and Public Enemies. Goldenthal’s partner Julie Taymor who worked with him on Frida, Titus, Across the Universe and various stage productions, as well as Neil Jordan who collaborated with the composer on films including Interview with the Vampire and Michael Collins congratulated the composer via a video message. The event also featured a live performance of some of the composer’s scores, including Cobb and A Time to Kill. Check out Goldenthal’s acceptance speech below.
In addition, Deborah Lurie was honored with the ASCAP Shirley Walker Award, which was established last year to honor those whose achievements have contributed to the diversity of film and television music. Director Joe Nussbaum who worked with the composer on all of his theatrical features, including Sleepover, Sydney White and Prom and Randy Spendlove, president of music at Paramount, presented the award to the composer who has worked on numerous films for the studio, including Footloose, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Katy Perry: Part of Me. Joss Whedon who collaborated with Lurie on his indie feature Much Ado About Nothing congratulated the composer via a video message.
For the second time, the performing rights organization handed out the Composers’ Choice Awards, which was voted for by participating ASCAP writers. Film critic Leonard Maltin presented the Composers’ Choice Award for Best ASCAP Film Score of 2014 to Johann Johannsson who was honored for his music for James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything. The composer previously received a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for his work on the film. In the Composers’ Choice Award for Best ASCAP TV Composer of 2014 category, which was presented by SCL president Ashley Irwin, Sean Callery who scored such shows as Homeland, 24: Live Another Day, Bones and Elementary over the last year won the award. For the first time, a Composer’s Choice Award was given out for Best Video Game Score, which Austin Wintory took home for his music for The Banner Saga.
The evening also featured a number of live performances: Shawn Patterson performed his Academy Award-nominated song Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie; Dave Kushner, Curtis Stigers and Bob Thiele performed their theme song for FX’s Sons of Anarchy and a seven-piece house band played such songs as Lana Del Rey’s Big Eyes from the movie of the same title, Sia’s Opportunity from Annie and Empire of the Sun’s Tonight from Dumb and Dumber To. In addition, composer John Williams made a surprise appearance to honor ASCAP special consultant for film and TV music Nancy Knutsen.
Throughout the evening, the composers of the top box office film music, the most performed television music and the top video game music of 2013 were also honored at the event. Among the composers who accepted their awards in person were Nathaniel Walcott (Fault in Our Stars), Heitor Pereira (If I Stay), Joseph Bishara (Annabelle), Greg Kurstin (Annie), Empire of the Sun (Dumb and Dumber To), Nathan Whitehead (The Purge: Anarchy), Pedro Bromfman (RoboCop) and Shawn Patterson (The Lego Movie). Other recipients of the award in the Top Box Office Films category include Hans Zimmer (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Interstellar, Son of God), John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon 2, Rio 2), Michael Giacchino (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Dario Marianelli (The Boxtrolls), Steven Price (Fury), Patrick Doyle (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), Howard Shore (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies), Henry Jackman (Big Hero 6, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), John Paesano (The Maze Runner), Gustavo Santaolalla (The Book of Life), Trent Reznor (Gone Girl), Fernando Velazquez (Hercules) Nick Glennie-Smith (Heaven Is for Real), Lorne Balfe (Son of God, Penguins of Madagascar), Bret McKenzie (Muppets Most Wanted) and Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods).
ASCAP composers whose combined works earned the highest number of performance credits on network, local and cable television in the category of themes and dramatic underscore for the 2014 survey year were Joel Beckerman, Sean Callery, Robert Duncan, Jay Ferguson, James Levine, Jeff Lippencott, Gabriel Mann, Didier Lean Rachou, David Vanacore and Mark T. Williams. Among the composers who were honored for writing the themes and underscore for the highest rated television series in 2014 and accepted their awards during the evening were Tobias Enhus & Kenneth Jordan (Almost Human), Sean Callery (Homeland, Elementary, Bones), Robert Duncan (Castle), Jay Gruska (Supernatural), James Levine (The Last Ship, Royal Pains), Gabriel Mann (Modern Family, Twisted, The McCarthys, Friends with Better Lives), Photek (How to Get Away with Murder), Bear McCreary (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Walking Dead, Black Sails, Defiance, Outlander), Marcelo Zarvos (Extant), Jim Dooley (The Last Ship), Lee Holdrige & Robert Irving (When Calls the Heart), Dave Porter (The Blacklist), Orr Rebhun & Erica Weis (The Crazy Ones), Jeff Cardoni (The Lottery), Mateo Messina (Growing Up Fisher), Jeff Rona (Dominion), Carl Thiel (Last Man Standing), Nathan Whitehead (The Last Ship), Brian Lapin (Madam Secretary, Black-ish), Jeff Russo (Fargo), Shawn Patterson (Robot Chicken), Marc & Steffan Fantini (Criminal Minds), Jay Ferguson (NCIS: Los Angeles and Fred Coury (The Night Shift). For the full list of winners, click here.
