Walter Murphy has been tapped to write the music for the NBC holiday special How Murray Saved Christmas. The project is based on the best-selling children’s book of the same name by Mike Reiss and centers on the cranky deli owner Murray Kleiner, who is forced to fill in for Santa one Christmas and does a weirdly wonderful job. Reiss whose best known credits as a writer include TV shows, such as The Simpsons and The Critic, as well as the features The Simpsons Movie and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs will also executive producing the Universal TV production. Rough Draft Animation will serve as the animation studio. Murphy’s best known film/TV credits include last year’s hit comedy Ted, as well as TV shows including Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. How Murray Saved Christmas is set to air in December 2014 on NBC. (via Deadline)
Tag: NBC
Jeff Cardoni to Score ‘The Michael J. Fox Show’
Jeff Cardoni has been tapped to score the upcoming NBC comedy The Michael J. Fox Show. The shows stars Fox as a news anchor who had to give up his career after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to focus on his health and his family. Five years later, he decides to get back to work and struggles between family and career. Betsy Brandt, Conor Romero, Juliette Goglia, Jack Gore, Katie Finneran and Wendell Pierce are co-starring. Fox is also executive producing the Sony Pictures Television production with Sam Laybourne (Cougar Town) and Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits) who also directed the pilot episode. Cardoni’s previous credits include such TV shows as CSI: Miami, The League and Wilfred and feature films including Just Friends, Firehouse Dog and Miss March.
Brian Tyler to Score ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Hatfields & McCoys’ Pilots
Brian Tyler has signed on to score the pilot for the Fox drama Sleepy Hollow. The show is created by Alex Kurtzman & Bob Orci (Star Trek, Transformers) and Phillip Iscove and stars Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, Orlando Jones, John Cho and Katia Winter. The supernatural thriller is based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and follows Ichabod Crane as he partners with Sleepy Hollow’s Detective Abbie Archer to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil. Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld) has directed the pilot. Kurtzman & Orci are producing the 20th Century Fox Television production with Wiseman and Heather Kadin. Tyler has previously collaborated with Kurtzman & Orci on the TV shows Hawaii Five-O, Transformers Prime and the feature Eagle Eye.
Weekly TV Music Roundup (March 31, 2013)
Premiering on Thursday, April 4 is the new NBC drama Hannibal based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels and developed by Bryan Fuller. The show’s cast includes Hugh Dancy as Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter, as well as Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, Eddie Izzard, Gina Torres, Molly Shannon, Gillian Anderson, Ellen Greene and Chelan Simmons. Brian Reitzell (Lost in Translation, Stranger Than Fiction, Boss) has composed the series’ original score. Check out our previous news article for more information about the project. Hannibal will air every Thursday night on NBC. To learn more about the show, visit the official series website.
John Paesano to Score NBC’s Untitled Rand Ravich Project Pilot
John Paesano has been hired to score the pilot for NBC’s untitled Rand Ravich Project. The conspiracy thriller created by Ravich (writer/director of The Astronaut’s Wife, creator of Life) stars Dermot Mulroney, Gillian Anderson, Rachael Taylor, Lance Gross, Halston Sage, Max Martini and Joshua Erenberg. The show follows an unlikely puppeteer who will bring everyone from CEOs to the president of the United States to their knees by threatening the things they hold most dear. Phillip Noyce (Salt, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games) is directing the pilot episode. Ravich has written the script for the pilot and is executive producing the project with Far Shariat (Life). NBC is expected to announce in May if the pilot will be picked up to series.
Weekly TV Music Roundup (January 27, 2013)
Premiering tonight is the Hallmark Hall of Fame original movie The Makeover directed by John Gray (The Ghost Whisperer, The Glimmer Man) and starring Julia Stiles, David Walton, Frances Fisher, Camryn Manheim and Georgia Lyman. The movie’s screenplay is written by C. Jay Cox (Sweet Home Alabama). The drama centers on a failed congressional candidate who decides to turn a blue-collared beer vendor into the perfect candidate. Michael A. Levine (Cold Case, Close to Home) has composed the film’s original score. The Makeover premieres tonight on ABC. To learn more about the film, visit the network’s official site and click here to watch the trailer.
James Levine Scoring NBC’s ‘Do No Harm’
James S. Levine is scoring the new NBC drama Do No Harm. The series created by David Schulner and stars Steven Pasquale as a highly respected neurosurgeon who iswrestling with his dangerous alter-ego that threatens to wreak havoc on his personal and professional life. Alana De La Garza, Michael Esper, Ruta Gedmintas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phylicia Rashad, John Carroll Lynch and Samm Levine are co-starring. Schulner is executive producing the series with Peter Traugott (Samantha Who?), Rachel Kaplan and Jeffrey Reiner (The Event, Friday Night Lights). Do No Harm is set to premiere on January 31, 2013 and will be airing every Thursday night on NBC.
Weekly TV Music Roundup (January 13, 2013)
A number of new TV shows will be premiering this week:
Premiering tomorrow is The CW drama The Carrie Diaries based on based on the bestselling novel by Candace Bushnell and starring AnnaSophia Robb, Austin Butler, Ellen Wong, Katie Findlay, Stefania Owen, Brendan Dooling, Chloe Bridges, Freema Agyeman and Matt Letscher. The prequel to the HBO hit show Sex And The City is executive produced by Amy B. Harris, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Len Goldstein, Candace Bushnell, Miguel Arteta who also directed the pilot episode. The show’s score is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh (21 Jump Street, Hotel Transylvania). The series will be airing every Monday night on The CW. Check out our previous article for more information on the project and visit the official show website for updates.
Soundtrack for ‘Smash’ Musical ‘Bombshell’ Announced
Columbia Records will release the soundtrack for Bombshell, the musical within NBC’s hit show Smash. The album features 22 original songs that make up the Broadway-caliber cast recording of the musical. The songs composed by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman on the Bombshell soundtrack span both seasons of Smash. The soundtrack will be released on February 12, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Audio clips will be added to this article soon. A previous soundtrack album featuring songs from the first season has been released last spring. Smash starring Katherine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Debra Messing, Tom Levitt, Christian Borle and Anjelica Huston has been nominated for several Emmy Awards (including two nods for the music) and is up for Best Comedy/Musical at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. The first season of the musical show has just been released on DVD earlier this week. The second season of the series will premiere on Tuesday, February 5 on NBC.
Brian Reitzell to Score NBC’s ‘Hannibal’
Brian Reitzell is scoring the upcoming NBC drama Hannibal. The show is based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels (The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon) and stars Hugh Dancy as Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter. Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, Eddie Izzard, Gina Torres, Molly Shannon, Gillian Anderson, Ellen Greene and Chelan Simmons are co-starring. The show, which centers on the serial killer’s budding relationship with the FBI agent, is developed by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) who is also executive producing the project with Martha De Laurentiis (film versions of Hannibal, Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising), Sara Colleton (Dexter), Jesse Alexander (Lost) and Katie O’Connell.