The International Film Music Critics Association announces its 2009 nominees

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) announces its list of excellence in musical scoring for 2009 with composer Michael Giacchino receiving nine individual nominations, the most for any composer in a given year since the Association began issuing awards in 2004. Along with multiple mentions for his score to the Disney Pixar movie UP and JJ Abrams' reinvented STAR TREK, Giacchino receives nominations for his scores to the TV series LOST as well as the documentary EARTH DAYS. Giacchino is also nominated for Composer of the Year along with Alexandre Desplat, James Horner, Christopher Young and Brian Tyler.

Both UP and STAR TREK are nominated for Score of the Year, along with James Horner's score to the worldwide blockbuster AVATAR and Christopher Young's score to Sam Raimi's DRAG ME TO HELL. These film scores are tied with the most nominations this year at four noms each. Alexandre Desplat's score to THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON rounds out category.

In the category of Breakout Composer, the Association took notice of scores by up-and-coming composers Henry Jackman (MONSTERS VS ALIENS), Abel Korzeniowski (A SINGLE MAN and BATTLE FOR TERRA), James Peterson (THE RED CANVAS), Clinton Shorter (DISTRICT 9) and Austin Wintory (CAPTAIN ABU RAED, GRACE, MAKE THE YULETIDE GAY).

The nominations by the IFMCA, which has members from around the world, reflect the Association?s global perspective. International nominees include Alejandro Amenábar's latest movie AGORA with a score by Oscar winner Dario Marianelli; Giuseppe Tornatore's semi-autobiographical BAARÌA with a score by Ennio Morricone; Australian composer Christopher Gordon's score to Bruce Beresford's MAO'S LAST DANCER, about ballet dancer Li Cunxin; as well as the Spanish documentary GARBO: EL ESPÍA with a score by Fernando Velázquez.

The International Film Music Critics will announce the winners of its Sixth Annual Awards on February 26, 2010.

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International Film Music Critics Association Awards - Nominations 2009

FILM CATEGORIES:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
AVATAR, music by James Horner
DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young
STAR TREK, music by Michael Giacchino
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, music by Alexandre Desplat

UP, music by Michael Giacchino

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Alexandre Desplat
Michael Giacchino
James Horner
Brian Tyler
Christopher Young

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Henry Jackman
Abel Korzeniowski
James Peterson
Clinton Shorter
Austin Wintory

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
AGORA, music by Dario Marianelli
BAARÌA, music by Ennio Morricone
CREATION, music by Christopher Young
MAO'S LAST DANCER, music by Christopher Gordon
A SINGLE MAN, music by Abel Korzeniowski

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
COUPLES RETREAT, music by A.R. Rahman
DUPLICITY, music by James Newton Howard
THE INFORMANT!, music by Marvin Hamlisch
JULIE & JULIA, music by Alexandre Desplat
LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS, music by Debbie Wiseman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, music by Alan Silvestri
LUCKY LUKE, music by Bruno Coulais
THE RED CANVAS, music by James Peterson
SHERLOCK HOLMES, music by Hans Zimmer
UNDER THE MOUNTAIN, music by Victoria Kelly

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM
AVATAR, music by James Horner
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, music by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna
KNOWING, music by Marco Beltrami
STAR TREK, music by Michael Giacchino
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, music by Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM
DRAG ME TO HELL, music by Christopher Young
IMAGO MORTIS, music by Zacarías M. de la Riva
IN THE ELECTRIC MIST, music by Marco Beltrami
THE KILLING ROOM, music by Brian Tyler
TRICK 'R TREAT, music by Douglas Pipes

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, music by Alan Silvestri
CORALINE, music by Bruno Coulais
FANTASTIC MR. FOX, music by Alexandre Desplat
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, music by Randy Newman
UP, music by Michael Giacchino

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BROTHERS AT WAR, music by Lee Holdridge
EARTH DAYS, music by Michael Giacchino
GARBO: EL ESPÍA, music by Fernando Velázquez
HOME, music by Armand Amar
UNDER THE SEA 3D, music by Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
AVATAR. "War", music by James Horner
DRAG ME TO HELL. "Concerto to Hell", music by Christopher Young
THE RED CANVAS. "Ballet for Brawlers", music by James Peterson
STAR TREK. "Enterprising Young Men", music by Michael Giacchino
UP. "Married Life", music by Michael Giacchino

OTHER CATEGORIES:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 4.5, music by Bear McCreary
CAPRICA, music by Bear McCreary
LIFE, music by George Fenton
LOST SEASON 5, music by Michael Giacchino
YELLOWSTONE, music by Edmund Butt

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ASSASSIN'S CREED II, music by Jesper Kyd
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2, music by Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, music by James Hannigan
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN, music by Chris Tilton
SPORE HERO, music by Winifred Phillips

BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE
BACK TO THE FUTURE, music by Alan Silvestri; Douglass Fake, producer (Intrada)
INNERSPACE, music by Jerry Goldsmith; M.V. Gerhard and Mike Matessino, producers (La-La Land)
THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN, music by James Horner; James Horner, Simon Rhodes and Douglass Fake, producers (Intrada)
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, music by James Horner; Lukas Kendall, producer (Film Score Monthly)
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, music by Jerry Goldsmith; Bruce Botnick, Lukas Kendall and Mike Matessino, producers (Film Score Monthly)

BEST RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, music by Max Steiner, cond. William Stromberg; Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg, producers (Tribute Film Classics)
EXODUS, music by Ernest Gold, cond. Nic Raine; James Fitzpatrick, producer (Tadlow)
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, cond. William Stromberg; Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg, producers (Tribute Film Classics)

BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM OR BOX SET
40 BANDES ORIGINALES POUR 40 FILMS, music by Vladimir Cosma; Vladimir Cosma, producer (Larghetto Music)
DAVID RAKSIN AT M-G-M, music by David Raksin; Lukas Kendall, producer (Film Score Monthly)
THE FILM MUSIC OF MISCHA SPOLIANSKY, music by Mischa Spoliansky; Philip Lane, Ralph Couzens and Neil Varley, producers (Chandos)
HOWARD SHORE: COLLECTOR'S EDITION Vol.1, music by Howard Shore; Jonathan Schultz, producer (Howe)
NORTHWEST PASSAGE: CLASSIC WESTERN SCORES FROM M-G-M Vol.2 (1940-1974), music by Various; Lukas Kendall, producer (Film Score Monthly)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
Film Score Monthly
Intrada
La-La Land Records
MovieScore Media
Varèse Sarabande

Sumthing Else Music Works announces release of Halo Legends Original Soundtrack

Sumthing Else Music Works, through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo Legends Original Soundtrack featuring the original music from the anime series Halo Legends composed by Tetsuya Takahashi (Sonic: Night of the Werehog, Resident Evil: Degeneration) and Yasuharu Takanashi (Genji: Dawn of the Samurai). Presented by 343 Industries Halo Legends is an unprecedented gathering of the finest talent in Japanese animation that have drawn together to explore the mystery and action of the Halo universe. Halo Legends Original Soundtrack will be released on February 9th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works www.sumthing.com, and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.

Created by some of the world's leading anime studios including Bones Inc., Casio Entertainment Inc., Production I.G, STUDIO4°C and Toei Animation, Halo Legends takes one of the most iconic franchises in science fiction and video games to an amazing new level; Eight episodes and a stunning range of visual styles shed new light and epic perspective on Halo lore. Halo Legends will be distributed by Warner Home Video on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital formats on Feb. 16, 2010.

For more information on Halo Legends, please visit www.halolegends.com and www.halolegendsdvd.com.