Records in the pipeline, January

As on each month's end, we take a glimpse to the coming records that will be soon in the shop lists:

Meet the Fockers, by Randy Newman (Varèse, 01/11)
Racing Stripes, by Mark Isham (Varèse, 01/11)
Spanglish, by Hans Zimmer (Varèse, 01/11)
The Aviator, by Howard Shore (Decca, 01/11)
The Merchant of Venice, by Jocelyn Pook (Decca, 01/11)
Hotel Rwanda, by Rupert Gregson-Williams & Andrea Guerra (Commotion, 01/11)
New France, by Patrick Doyle (Sony, 01/11)
Jack Holborn, by Christian Bruhn (Hit Hat, 01/17)
Elektra, by Christophe Beck (Varèse, 01/25)
Extreme Prejudice, by Jerry Goldsmith(La-La Land, 01/25)
Assault of Precinct 13, by Graeme Revell (Varèse, 01/25)
Look Up, by Bill Conti (Intrada, 01/25)
Mulan II, by Joel McNeely (Disney, 01/25)
The Film Music of Clifton Parker (Chandos)

John Williams will score Sub-Mariner

One more Marvel legend is about to be taken to the big screen. Now it?s turn for Prince Namor, a hero half man half a water creature. Chris Columbus plans to write and direct a new film on such a Marvel star which will be entitled Sub-Mariner and will show on 2006. Columbus has already asked John Williams to write a score for this film. In fact, the director and the composer have been working together in several films, and know quite well one each other.

Williams old acquaintances come to ask more and more about his film music writing talent... While working still on Episode 3 of Star Wars, maestro Williams is also involved in two new projects of Steven Spielberg: War of the Worlds and the remake of an old comedy, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Director Rob Marshall also wants Williams' music for his film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, so the Oscar awarded composer will be extremely busy in the coming months.

San Diego film critics vote for Million Dollar Baby

One more award coming from a film critics association, now in San Diego. Experts there voted for Million Dollar Baby as the best film music work of the year and awarded Clint Eastwood for his score. This will, no doubt, raise a certain controversy in between film-score lovers...

According to the first awards of the season, it doesn?t seem to be a consensus regarding the best film score of 2004, so the competition seems to keep not a clear winner. There is not a foreseen favourite for the next Academy Awards when it comes to music scoring. We remind that, by now, five different soundtracks have been awarded as best music of the year by different entities: Finding Neverland (Kaczmarek), Sideways (Kent) The Aviator (Shore), The Incredibles (Giacchino), and now Million Dollar Baby, the film about a female boxer (Hillary Swank), in which Clint Eastwood is being credited as main actor, director and also composer.

http://sdfilmcritics.cinephiles.net/

Sideways, best score, according to Phoenix critics

Rolfe Kent's jazzy music for Sideways, one of the favourite pictures to battle for the next Academy Awards, has been awarded as the best score of the year by film critics in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Phoenix Film Critics Society also awarded two more musical categories: "Accidentally In Love", from Shrek 2, has been awarded as the best film song, while the songs recorded for Ray (a biopic about blues singer Ray Charles) won an award for the best song collection. The score for this film, nevertheless, has been written by Scottish composer Craig Armstrong.

Although Sideways stands now for the most awarded film of the year, Phoenix critics voted for The Aviator as best film. Martin Scorsese has also been awarded as best director.

By the way, Spanish actress Paz Vega has been also awarded by Phoenix critics as a revelation figure for her perfomance in Spanglish.

http://www.cinemaclips.com/PFCS.htm

Shore's The Aviator does a good landing in Chicago

The Film Critics Association of Chicago has awarded Canadian composer Howard Shore for having written The Aviator, considered the best film score of the year. Scorsese's new film was also awarded by Chicago critics for the best cinematography, together with Hero.

But the most awarded picture in last Monday's ceremony was Sideways: best film, best script, best actor (Paul Giamatti), best supporting actor (Thomas Haden Church) and best supporting actress (Virgina Madsen).

As best director, Chicago critics voted for Clint Eastwood by Million Dollar Baby, and Imelda Staunton was awarded best actress for Vera Drake.

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was awarded as the best documentary film of 2004, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement was distinguished as the best foreign language film.

http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/

Dreamer comes true for Kaczmarek

Polish film composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek is certainly having a sweet season, due in part to the good critics that his latest work, Finding Neverland, is harvesting in the expertise environments. This will be, no doubt, one of the most serious candidates for the best score in the next Academy Awards which will take place in about a couple of months.

Back to work, Kaczmarek is presently writing a score for Dreamer, a film about a racing horse, featuring Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Shue, Kris Kristofersson and Dakota Fanning, the promising very young actress who starred in Man on Fire and War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg's latest work, to open next summer).

Dreamer has been directed by script-writer, actor and producer John Gatins, who sets behind the camera for the first time in his life, and it is expected to be in theaters (U.S.A.) on the next summer.

The Game of Their Lives goes now to William Ross

Just a few days ago, we echoed a news from the IMDB saying that James Horner was about to compose the music for The Game of Their Lives, a film directed by David Anspaugh about how the United States soccer team won England in the World Championship of 1950, held in Brazil.

This is, in fact, a quite long story, because the score for this film was first attributed to Jerry Goldsmith, who had to quit a few months before his decease (July 2004)... Now, IMDB clarifies that the final author of The Game of Their Lives soundtrack will be William Ross, who has been recently credited for Ladder 49 and still works in collaboration with credited masters, such as John Williams, in doing some orchestrations.

An Award for Michael Giacchino "The Incredibles"

Michael Giacchino have won the best soundtrack award from Los Angeles Cinema Critics Asociation, in a ceremony when the movie won best animation picture award, too.

The most awarded film of the night was Sideways, from Alexander Payne. This film have won four awards and now it's one of the favourite for the Oscar next year.

The next project from Michael Giacchino, in the next year, will be "Sky High", another Disney animated production. The movie is about a superheros college. Other project will be "The Muppet's Wizard of Oz", this time a television project.

Howard Shore scores a video-game

It came to be known some months ago, but still is the news: Canadian composer Howard Shore has been requested by the Webzen company to write the music for a new video-game: Sun: Soul of the Ultimate Nation.

The new product will be available in a few weeks, and will feature as well in the Internet. One particular thing about this game is that the film composer won?t write only the main theme (as Danny Elfman did for another video-game, Fable), but the whole score.

Howard Shore, on the other hand, is news for his involvement in Peter Jackson's King Kong beyond music writing... The composer will perform a short cameo in the film as an orchestra conductor.

Nominees to the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

We?re in the middle of an awarding season. The Broadcast Film Critics Association has recently published the nominees for its awards in three musical categories:

Best composer:

Michael Giacchino for The Incredibles
Rolfe Kent for Sideways
Howard Shore for The Aviator

Best soundtrack :

Alfie
Beyond the Sea
De-Lovely
Garden State
Ray

Best song:

"Accidentally in Love", by Counting Crows (Shrek 2)
"Believe", by Josh Groban (The Polar Express)
"Old Habits Die Hard", by Mick Jagger/Dave Stewart (Alfie)

"The Games of Their Lives" hired for Horner

United States isn't a powerful nation in soccer, except in feminine soccer. However, in the 1.950 World Cup celebrated at Brazil, the world was amazed by the defeat of England team made by the American team. This match is the crux of the movie "The Games of Their Live", a movie directed by David Anspaugh, starring by Wes Bentley, Richard Jenik and Gerald Butler.

The soundtrack was one the latest hiring works for the late Jerry Goldsmith, and now, IMDB announces that James Horner is hire to compose this soundtrack. As we know, James Horner have many movies about the sport world, like "Field of Dreams" or "Bobby Jones, Stroke of a Genius".

Other future projects from James Horner are the sequel of "The Mask of Zorro" called "The Legend of Zorro", and the very awaited new project from Ron Howard, the film adaptation from Dan Brown's novel, "The DaVinci Code".

Thomas Newman, New Work with Sam Mendes

We're expecting Thomas Newman's new work with Mendes. From the moment we know that Sam Mendes had new project, there are no doubts about the composer for this work.

Now it's been confirmed by Music From the Movies. The film it's a war drama starring by Jake Gyllenhaal, Lukas Black and Jamie Foxx, and it's based upon Anthony Swofford about the Desert Storm Operation preparatives at Saudi Arabia at 1.991, after Kuwait invasion.

Few days ago Newman has published in USA his most recent work, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events", directing by Brad Silberling and starring by Jim Carrey. And for the next year the composer has pending the latest film from Ron Howard, about boxing world with Russell Crowe, "Cinderella Man".

2.004 Grammy Nominations

The Grammy Artist Academy recently has announced the nominations for the 47th Grammy Awards, the most important award in world music. The ceremony will feature at USA by CBS channel, february 13, 2.005. One of the most nominated artists is the recently deceased Ray Charles with his duet album "Genius Loves Company" and his song with Norah Jones "Here We Go Again", is one of the favourites for the Record of the Year Award.

Like other years, a great presence of R&B musical style with artists like Alicia Keys or Usher, new singers like Joss Stone or great performers like Josh Groban, have nominations, too.

The "world of soundtracks" nominations this year are the next ones:

Best Musical Show
- "Assassins" Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
- "Avenue Q" Music by Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx, Lyrics by Jeff Whitly
- "The Boy from Oz" Music & Lyrics by Peter Allen
- "Wicked" Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
- "Wonderful Town" Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green

We must remember that Grammy nominations candidates are all the CD album published at USA between first october, the year before the nominations announced, and 30th of september of the nominations year. Because of that, there are soundtracks from the this and last year. These are the nominees:

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)
- Cold Mountain
- De-Lovely
- Garden State
- Kill Bill vol. 2
- Shrek 2

Best Score Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)
- Angels in America (Thomas Newman)
- Big Fish (Danny Elfman)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Jon Brion)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams)
- The Return of the King (Howard Shore)

Best Song Written For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media (A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)
- "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows for Shrek 2
- "Belleville Rendez-Vous" for The Triplets of Belleville
- "Into the West" by Annie Lennox and Howard Shore for The Return of the King
- "The Scarlet Tide" by Elvis Costello and Henry Burnett for Cold Mountain
- "You Will Be My Ain True Love" by Sting, performed by Alison Krauss for Cold Mountain

In other way, Gabriel Yared has been nominated for Best Instrumental Composition, with the theme "Ada Plays" from "Cold Mountain" original soundtrack.

In this link you can see all the nominations:
47th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominee List

The first notes from "Batman Begins"

"Batman Begins" teaser poster is here, the most awaited prequel from this bat hero, starring by Christian Bale and directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento").

As all we know, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer will compose the music for this movie, a movie with a great talented actors like Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes o Ken Watanabe.

Now, it's an official confirmation about the release of the first official trailer (not teaser) with the U.S.A. release of "Blade: Trinity", next wednesday 8th of december. This trailer, that we can to download from the official site next 13th of december, will have original music composed by James Newton Howard and all we can hear the first notes of one of the most awaited scores for the next year.

New from Spanish Cinema Site: Butaca de Sueños

Kaczmarek Wins a National Board of Review Award

"Finding Neverland" soundtrack by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, is the first movie soundtrack to receive an award this season, in the National Board of Review. This film, directed by Marc Foster, won the best film awards too. In spite of this awards, the film does not work in the USA box office, with only 7,8 millions of dollars in its first three weeks.

In other side, one of these awards, the Breakthrough Performance Actress, goes to Emmy Rossum, for her role of Christine Daae, in "The Phantom of the Opera".

If you want to know all the awards, goes to:

National Board of Review Awards Website

Trevor Jones deepens into Chaos

This hasn't been indeed a very busy year for composer Trevor Jones, with only two requests for the account: Around the World in 80 Days and The Unsteady Chough (a short animation film).

Nevertheless, Jones is to start 2005 back in action, writing the score for a new film, Chaos, in which Wesley Snipes plays the role of a bank robber who's being tracked by two policemen (Ryan Phillippe and Jason Statham). Tony Giglio (In Enemy Hands) has written and directed this action plot to open next year.

Marc Shaiman is back again with producer Rob Reiner

A Few Good Men, When Harry met Sally or The American President are by far three good examples of composer Marc Shaiman and director and producer Rob Reiner long collaboration.

Now they?re both back on the track with Rumor Has It. The plot isn't conventional at all: a family finds out that their private affairs had inspired Mike Nichols film The Graduate in 1968... Jennifer Aniston, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Kevin Costner and Kathy Bates will be in the cast.

Shaiman's last movie project, Team America: World Police, was finally rejected by producers and given to Harry Gregson-Williams. However, the composer will keep busy arranging the Broadway hit Hairspray to be taken into the screen for 2006. Shaiman wrote, in fact, all the songs for Hairspray, together with lyricist Scott Wittman, but he's also planning to write more musical material, according to Music from the Movies, for the film adaptation.

Two more scores for Rachel Portman

Music from the Movies announces that composer Rachel Portman has been hired to write the music for two new films. One of them is Roman Polanski's adaptation of Oliver Twist, Dicken's immortal novel, featuring Barney Clark and Ben Kingsley. The film is scheduled to be in theaters on september 2005.

The other film will be a hitchcockian thriller about a girl who's misteriously missing during a flight from Berlin to North America. Flightplan is the title of this psycho-thriller in which Jodie Foster plays the role of a mother who tries to find his daughter while everyone starts to doubt that his daughter even exists... Robert Schwentke will be the director of this film to open on October next year.

Meanwhile, Portman is finishing her score for Because of Winn-Dixie, a family comedy directed by Wayne Wang, about the daughter of a preacher man (Jeff Daniels) who is travelling to a small town in Florida.