Two new movies are opening wide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the fantasy epic The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug directed by Peter Jackson and starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Evangeline Lilly, John Bell and Jed Brophy. The film’s original music is composed by Howard Shore. WaterTower Music has released the composer’s score in two different versions. For the full details of both the regular and deluxe edition, visit our previous article. Included on both versions is the end credits song I See Fire written and performed by Ed Sheera. Click here to listen to audio clips from the soundtrack.
Also opening wide is the comedy Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas written, directed and produced by Perry who also stars in the film alongside Chad Michael Murray, Larry the Cable Guy, Kathy Najimy, Eric Lively, Alicia Witt, Lisa Whelchel, JR Lemon and Noah Urrea. Christopher Young (Spider-Man 3, The Shipping News) who also scored Perry’s upcoming Single Moms Club has composed the film’s original music. Lionsgate and Motown Records have released a soundtrack album featuring the film’s songs by artists including including Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, James Brown, the Jackson 5, Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight and Ashanti. For the full album details, check out our soundtrack announcement.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the eligible movies in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 86th Academy Awards. Notable, but expected omissions include American Hustle (Danny Elfman), August: Osage County (Gustavo Santaolalla), Frozen (Christophe Beck) and Nebraska (Mark Orton). The 114 eligible scores along with the composer are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:
The nominations for the 71st Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning. Here are the music-related categories and nominations:
Thomas Newman will be honored with the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing at the 25th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). The composer will be receiving his award for his music for John Lee Hancock’s 
A couple of major local critics associations have been announced their winners for this year’s movies. The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis was honored by three organizations for its soundtrack produced by T Bone Burnett. As a side note, the film doesn’t feature an actual score and only one original song, which is why the LA Film Critics’ choice in the Best Music Score category is somewhat misleading. For a full list of winners, click on each group’s name below.
The only movie to open wide this weekend is the drama Out of the Furnace co-written and directed by Scott Cooper and starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana and Sam Shepard. The film’s original score is composed by Dickon Hinchliffe (Winter’s Tale, Last Chance Harvey). Relativity Music Group has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score earlier this week. Check out 
Opening in limited release is the drama Inside Llewyn Davis directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake. Nonesuch Records has released a soundtrack album produced by T Bone Burnett and the Coen Brothers, which features 12 new recordings made for the film performed by the movie’s cast, an existing recording by Dave Van Ronk, as well as a previously unreleased version of the song Farewell by Bob Dylan. Check out 
The nominations for the 56th Grammy Awards have been announced. Here are the nominations in the film music-related categories:
The International Press Academy has announced the nominees for its 18th annual Satellite Awards today. The nominees in the music-related categories are:
The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood has announced the nominations for the 41st Annual Annie Awards. Here are the music-related nominees:
Opening nationwide this holiday weekend after a 5-day exclusive engagement at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre is Disney’s animated feature Frozen directed by Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck and featuring the voice talent of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk and Ciarán Hinds. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have written the film’s original songs and Christophe Beck (The Muppets, The Hangover) has composed the original score. Walt Disney Records has released the soundtrack featuring the songs and score in two different editions. For the full details, visit 
Also opening wide is the action thriller Homefront directed by Gary Fleder and starring Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Frank Grillo, Kate Bosworth and Rachelle Lefevre. The film’s original score is composed by Mark Isham (Crash, Once Upon a Time) who has previously collaborated with the director several times, including on such films as Kiss the Girls, Don’t Say a Word and The Express. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. Homefront centers on a former drug enforcement agent and family man who moves off the grid with his daughter to a seemingly quiet bayou backwater to escape his troubled past. To learn more about the thriller, which is being released by Open Road Films, visit the