Varese Sarabande Records has announced the details of the soundtrack release for HBO’s drama Hemingway & Gellhorn. The album features the original score from the film written by Academy Award-nominated composer Javier Navarrete (Pan’s Labyrinth, Wrath of the Titans). Also included is the song Ay Carmela performed by both Voces Del Pueblo and Alarcon. The soundtrack will be released on June 12, 2012 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Hemingway & Gellhorn is directed by Philip Kaufman and stars Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, David Strathairn, Parker Posey, Rodrigo Santoro, Molly Parker, Lars Ulrich, Peter Coyote, Diane Baker and Tony Shalhoub. The film tells the story of the romance between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway’s inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls. The drama will premiere on May 28, 2012 on HBO. Read the rest of this entry »

This past Wednesday, Rolfe Kent has received the Richard Kirk Award at the BMI Film and TV Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The award is bestowed on composers who have made significant contributions to the realm of film and television music. BMI has published a video of Kent’s full acceptance speech, which can be checked out after the jump, where you can also find interviews with other composers who received awards at the event, including John Williams (The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse), Thomas Newman (The Help), Mark Mothersbaugh (21 Jump Street, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked) and Mychael Danna (Moneyball). For the full list of winners, visit BMI’s website. Read the rest of this entry »

Perseverance Records has announced the premiere release of John Corigliano‘s rejected score for the 2010 thriller Edge of Darkness. The album, entitled Music from the Edge, features the unused score from the film composed by the Academy Award-winning composer whose other film scores include The Red Violin and Altered States. Howard Shore ended up replacing the composer on the film and his score was released on WaterTower Music. To order the release and to listen to audio clips, click here. Edge of Darkness is directed by Martin Campbell and stars Mel Gibson, Ray Winston, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic and Jay O. Sanders. The film based on the 1985 BBC mini-series revolves around a detective who is investigating the murder of his activist daughter, while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

Christian Henson is the composer of the upcoming adventure series Sinbad. The show stars Elliot Knight as the title character who is thrown out of Basra with a curse on him for having killed a man and, unable to spend more than 24 hours on land, embarks on an quest to rid himself of the curse. The cast also includes Naveen Andrews (Lost), Sophie Okoendo (Hotel Rwanda) and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, The King’s Speech). The 13-part series is produced by Impossible Pictures, the production company behind Primeval. The project is produced by Tim Haines, Sophie Gardiner and Andrew Woodhead for Impossible Pictures and Elwen Rowlands for Sky. Read the rest of this entry »

Three new movies are opening wide this weekend:

Opening in most theaters is Universal Pictures’ action tentpole Battleship directed by Peter Berg and starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, Hamish Linklater and Rihanna. The film’s music is composed by Steve Jablonsky (Transformers). Varese Sarabande Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score. For the full album details and to listen to audio clips, visit our previous article. Also check out this recent Variety article on Jablonsky’s work on the film based on Hasbro’s classical naval combat board game.

Also opening wide is the ensemble comedy ensemble What to Expect When You’re Expecting directed by Kirk Jones and starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock and Rodrigo Santoro. Mark Mothersbaugh has composed the film’s original score. A soundtrack album featuring the movie’s songs by artists including Chiddy Bang, The Human League, Kinky, Sleeper Agent, Black Lips, Robert Palmer and David Gray has been released by Capitol Records. For audio clips and the full track list, check out our soundtrack announcement. Read the rest of this entry »

Madison Gate Records will be releasing a soundtrack album for the upcoming mini-series Hatfields & McCoys. The album entitled Famous For Killing Each Other features songs from and inspired by the series performed by Kevin Costner & Modern West. Also included is one track from the period drama’s original score composed by John Debney. The soundtrack will be released on May 22, 2012 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Hatfields & McCoys is directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and stars Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton as two lose friends during the Civil War who return to their neighboring homes to increasing tensions, misunderstandings and resentments that soon exploded into all-out warfare between the two families. Read the rest of this entry »

Rachel Portman has been tapped to score Diablo Cody’s currently untitled directorial feature debut. The comedy written and directed by the Academy Award-winning writer (Juno, Young Adult) writer stars Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Octavia Spencer and Holly Hunter. The movie follows a sheltered young woman who loses her faith after a plane crash and goes to Las Vegas to experience the wild life, where she meets an unlikely companion who helps her find her true self. Mason Novick (500 Days of Summer, Juno) is producing and Nathan Kahane (50/50, Stranger Than Fiction) is executive producing the Mandate Pictures production. No word yet on when the film will be released. Read the rest of this entry »

Cicero Recordings will be releasing a soundtrack album for Dustin Lance Black’s drama Virginia. The album features the film’s music composed by Nick Urata (Crazy, Stupid, Love, I Love You Phillip Morris). The soundtrack will be released digitally on May 18, 2012 and is available to download on Amazon. Audio clips from the score can be checked out after the jump. Virginia marks the directorial debut of the Academy Award-winning writer (Milk) and stars Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Emma Roberts and Toby Jones. The film revolves around single mother who struggles to raise her son while dreaming of escaping her small Southern boardwalk town and is mucking up the state senate campaign of a sheriff with whom she’s long had an affair. The drama will be released in select cities this Friday, May 18. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent article in Variety, composer Steve Jablonsky has already started working on Michael Bay’s upcoming comedy action thriller Pain & Gain. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Ed Harris, Ken Jeong, Tony Shaloub, Anthony Mackie, Rob Corddry and Bar Paly. The movie is based on the true story of body builders in Miami Beach who headed a kidnapping and extortion ring that went terribly wrong. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Chronicles of Narnia) have written the screenplay. Bay is producing the film with Ian Bryce (Transformers, Saving Private Ryan) and Donald De Line (The Italian Job, Green Lantern) through his Platinum Dunes production company. Read the rest of this entry »

A soundtrack album for the historical drama A Royal Affair has been released on iTunes last week. The album features the film’s original music composed by Academy Award-winning composer Gabriel Yared (The English Patient) and Cyril Aufort (Splice). The soundtrack is now available digitally and a limited physical release is scheduled to come out on May 22, 2012 by Movie Score Media. Audio clips are available on iTunes. A Royal Affair is directed by Nicolaj Arcel (King’s Game, screenwriter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and stars Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander as Caroline Mathilda. The Zentropa production is set in the early 1770’s and centers on the affair between Chr. VII’s German physician, Johan Struensee, and the English born queen of Denmark, Caroline Mathilda. The drama premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and has already been released in several European markets. Read the rest of this entry »