The team behind the sound mixing of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo has won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing at 48th annual Cinema Audio Society Awards at Saturday night’s awards ceremony at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. For the first time, scoring mixers have been included in the awards. Scoring mixer Simon Rhodes, along with production mixer John Midgley and re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman have received the award for Hugo. The other contenders in the category were Hanna (including scoring mixer Andrew Dudman), Moneyball (including scoring mixer Brad Haehnel), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (including scoring mixer Alan Meyerson) and Super 8 (including scoring mixer Dan Wallin).
Category: Film Music News
Weekly Film Music Roundup (February 17, 2012)
Three new movies are opening in theaters this President’s Day weekend:
Expected to have the best weekend at the box office among the new releases is the superhero action sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor and starring Nicolas Cage, Idris Elba, Violante Placido, Ciaran Hinds and Christopher Lambert. The film’s score is composed by David Sardy (Zombieland, 21). A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score has been released by Madison Gate Records earlier this week. For the full album details, check out our soundtrack announcement.
Also opening wide is the romantic action comedy This Means War directed by McG and starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Angela Bassett and Til Schweiger. the film marks the second collaboration between McG and Christophe Beck who has written the music for the movie. No soundtrack album has been announced, but one clip from Beck’s score can be checked out here. To learn more about the film, visit our previous news article.
Dory Previn Dead at 86
Lyricist Dory Previn has passed away today at age 86 at her home in Southfield, Mass. Previn has been nominated for three Academy Awards for her songs Faraway Part of Town from the 1960 musical Pepe and Second Chance from the 1962 drama Two For The Seesaw, both co-written by her then husband Andre Previn, as well as Come Saturday Morning from the 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo co-written by Fred Karlin. Probably her best known collaboration with Andre Previn was the theme song for 1967’s Valley Of The Dolls, which became a massive hit for Dionne Warwick. She also received two shared Emmy nominations for the songs We’ll Win This World from 1982’s Two from a Kind with James Di Pasquale and Home Here from the TV show Two Marriages with Bruce Broughton. Dory Previn is survived by her husband, Joby Baker.
Marc Shaiman to Score ‘Parental Guidance’
Marc Shaiman has signed on to score the upcoming family comedy Parental Guidance. The movie is directed by Andy Fickman (The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain) and stars Billy Crystal and Bette Middler as two grandparents who struggle with their grandkids’ modern ways and soon resort to an old-school style of parenting. Marisa Tomei, Bailey Madison and Tom Everett Scott are co-starring. Crystal, Peter Chernin & Dylan Clark (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Samantha Sprecher are producing the 20th Century Fox and Walden Media co-production.
Ludovic Bource Wins BAFTA for ‘The Artist’
Ludovic Bource has won the Orange British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) in the Original Music category for his score for The Artist. Bource accepted his award in person at the awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London. The composer’s competitors in the category were Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Howard Shore (Hugo), Alberto Iglesias (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and John Williams (War Horse). The award marks Bource’s first BAFTA win. The composer has previously received the Golden Globe for his work on the black-and-white silent film and is considered to be the frontrunner to win the Academy Award on February 26. UPDATE (February 13): To watch Bource’s BAFTA speech, as well as a backstage interview, visit YouTube.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (February 10, 2012)
Four new movies are opening in wide release this weekend:
Expected to top the weekend box office is the action thriller Safe House directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Liam Cunningham, Brendan Gleeson, Robert Patrick and Sam Shepard. The film’s score is written by Ramin Djawadi. Varese Sarabande Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score. The album is available digital now and will be released on CD on February 21. Visit our previous article for more details and audio clips.
Also opening wide this week is the romantic drama The Vow directed by Michael Sucsy and starring Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Wendy Crewson and Jessica Lange. Rachel Portman and Michael Brook have composed the film’s score, which has been released by Madison Gate Records earlier this week. For the full details, click here. A seperate soundtrack album featuring the movie’s songs by artists including Meat Loaf, Matt Pond PA, The National, The Cure, Light FM is available on Rhino Records. For audio clips and more information, check out our soundtrack announcement.
‘Smash’ Premieres Tonight on NBC
The musical drama Smash is premiering tonight on NBC. The show features original songs written by Academy Award-nominated composer Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut) and Scott Wittman who are also also executive producing the show. Shaiman is also writing the original score. Columbia Records has already released the first two songs from the series’ pilot, including Let Me Be Your Star (performed by Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty) and The National Pastime. Both songs are available to download on iTunes. A third song from the pilot, a cover version of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful (performed by Katherine McPhee) will be released on February 13. More songs will be coming out over the next few months. For audio interviews with Shaiman about his work on the show, check out WNYC’s Soundcheck and KDHX’s Break a Leg.
John Williams Wins Annie Award for ‘The Adventures of Tintin’
John Williams has won the Annie Award in the Music in a Feature Production category for his score for Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin at tonight’s 39th Annie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt. The other contenders in the category were Henry Jackman (Puss in Boots), Mikael Mutti, Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes & John Powell (Rio) and Zooey Deschannel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Henry Jackman & Robert Lopez (Winnie The Pooh). The Adventures of Tintin marks Williams’ first animated film project and therefore his first Annie Award win.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (February 3, 2012)
Three new movies are opening in wide release this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the supernatural thriller Chronicle directed by Josh Trank and starring Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell and Ashley Hinshaw. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring 14 electro and indie rock tracks from the movie by artists including Blond Acid Cult, The LongCut, Bad Veins, Simian Mobile Disco, Deastro, Ab & The Sea, Capsule, Congorock and M83. For audio clips and the full album details, visit our soundtrack announcement.
Also opening wide is the gothic horror thriller The Woman in Black directed by James Watkins and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey and Liz White. The film’s score is composed by Marco Beltrami. Silva Screen Records will release a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score digitally next Tuesday, February 7 and the CD version is set for a release on March 27. To listen to audio clips and for more details about the album, visit our previous article.
Alan Silvestri In Talks for ‘Back to the Future’ Broadway Stage Production
Deadline is reporting that composer Alan Silvestri is in early talks to explore a stage transfer of Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic Back to the Future. Apart from Silvestri, Zemeckis and his company ImageMovers, as well as Back to the Future producer and writer Bob Gale also appear to be involved in the project. The production would mark the composer’s first Broadway production. Silvestri has been the composer of all Zemeckis-directed films since 1984’s Romancing the Stone, including Forrest Gump, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination and most recently, A Christmas Carol and Beowulf. The composer’s upcoming projects also include Joss Whedon’s comic book adaptation of The Avengers, one of the most anticipated movies of the year.