New Theme for Batman in THE DARK KNIGHT

Comingsoon.net and Superherohype.com have scooped the fact that composer HANS ZIMMER will be giving Batman a new (or evolved) theme in THE DARK KNIGHT. Here's a quote...

"There is a big Batman theme which I was playing with for the last one, but I always felt the character hadn't earned it yet, so I just want to go and play around, and I now want to go and complete that theme, so that's part of the idea."

Check out the rest of the news blurb here.

First IRON MAN Footage from Comic Con

If you were wondering, like me, just how well Mr. Robert Downey Jr. would be pull of the famous alter-superhero-ego of Tony Stark...well wonder no more. Here is some YouTube footage from this year's Comic-Con.

If the rest of the film can hold form to what we see here, we just might be in for a treat. Currently, JOHN DEBNEY is linked to the film as composer. With past collaborations with director JON FAVERAU: ELF and ZATHURA, this seems plausible if not more-than-likely. Debney has yet to do a straight-hero score, but has danced around the edges of the genre with projects like: THE SCORPION KING and SPY KIDS among others.

Doubting DEBNEY'S ability to go all epic and heroic? Check out the live performance for his work for the upcoming game LAIR:

Ha! Yes...that's what I thought. That's good stuff. Everything seems to bode well for next year's IRON MAN....although some of the music in the clips above would seem to indicate that there will be a strong "music from and inspired by" component.

In order to get a proper score somewhere in the remote vicinity of the release of the film, someone ought to begin the campaign/petition right now.

THE DARK KNIGHT TEASER

So it begins . . . We have until Summer of 2008 to wait.

Music for the teaser apparently from BATMAN BEGINS.

Ropeofsilicon.com is one of those who got the scoop. Check out the teaser there.

BEOWULF TRAILER ONLINE w/ MYSTERY MUSIC

"I'm here to kill your monster."

Ok then...let's get to it!

Director Robert Zemeckis' upcoming 3-D Animated, feature film of BEOWULF will release on November 16, 2007. The trailer has recently been released with, at this point, unidentified music attached to it.



Of course, for the film itself, the long-standing collaborative relationship between Zemeckis and composer ALAN SILVESTRI continues. The site itself features more unidentified score...perhaps some early stuff from Silvestri? Sounds a little aggressive and modern for him, but perhaps it is. Whatever it is, it works well on the site.

The trailer boasts some very impressive visuals...much more intriguing than Robert Zemeckis' last foray into the 3-D realm - THE POLAR EXPRESS. BEOWULF is shaping up to be quite a big-deal for holiday viewing.

Check out the trailer here...or the official site here

COMPOSER EARLE HAGEN INKS WITH SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP

EMMY-WINNING, OSCAR-NOMINATED TV AND FILM COMPOSER EARLE HAGEN INKS WITH SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP

Creator of themes for Dick Van Dyke Show, Andy Griffith Show, Mod Squad and I Spy signs worldwide administration deal with N.Y.-based independent music publisher

NEW YORK (July 17, 2007) —

Earle Hagen, one of the entertainment industry’s most prolific and well-respected TV and film composers, has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Spirit Music Group, it was announced today by Mark Fried, CEO of Spirit Music Group. The pact marks Hagen’s first administration deal in more than six decades of composing. Under the deal, Spirit will represent more than 3,000 scores and themes composed for such classic TV series as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mod Squad and I Spy, for which he earned an Emmy award for Best Theme in 1967. The New York-based independent music publisher will market and promote Hagen’s classic TV themes for synchronization for new film/TV uses, ring tones, and games, as well as for new creative uses in recordings, mixes and sampling.

“Earle Hagen's vast catalog contains some of the most familiar themes and score pieces of the 20th Century,” said Fried. He added, “We are honored to be working with Earle in re-purposing these compositions for licensing into a wide array of traditional and non-traditional media.”


ABOUT COMPOSER EARLE HAGEN


Hagen has gained acclaim for his popular TV themes and scores, but is also noted for the musical innovation that characterized his work. For two decades, Hagen was the resident musical director for legendary TV producer Sheldon Leonard. Other series for which he provided the theme music include The Danny Thomas Show, Gomer Pyle, Mayberry RFD, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, That Girl, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Don Rickles Show and Mary Hartman, Mary Harman, among others. Hagen’s career began after World War II, when he joined 20th Century Fox, where he orchestrated many films in the late ‘40s and ‘50s, including Carousel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Daddy Long Legs and Flower Drum Song. In 1960, he earned an Oscar nomination as co-musical director of Let’s Make Love. Hagen was also a freelance composer, providing orchestrations and arrangements for legends like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. During his stint with the Ray Noble orchestra, he composed “Harlem Nocturne” which has remained a standard to this day. He was also a house arranger for several record labels, including Liberty, Mercury and MGM.

Two of his books, Scoring For Film (1971) and Advanced Techniques For Film Scoring (1990), have become must-reads for modern composers. Further, the Earle Hagen Workshop, offered for more than a decade under the auspices of BMI and the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, provided specialized instruction in the art of film scoring. Hagen also received BMI’s Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1981 and the organization’s President’s Award in 1995. ASCAP honored him with the Irwin Kostal Award.


ABOUT SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP


Spirit Music Group, founded in 1995, is the fastest growing independent music publisher of the last decade, owning and/or managing more than 15,000 songs spanning 7 decades and every musical genre. The company’s repertoire reflects some of the most beloved songs and songwriters including hits and gems by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holliday, Elmore James, Elvis Presley, Charles Mingus, Dion, The Beach Boys, Alice Cooper, Pure Prairie League, Chaka Khan, The Go-Go’s, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin and Mary J. Blige, and the complete catalogs of such iconic writer/artists as Bob Marley, Lou Reed, The Grateful Dead, The Marshall Tucker Band, Billy Squier, A Taste Of Honey, Angela Winbush and C&C Music Factory. The company has earned a strong reputation as an aggressive royalty administrator and a peerless promoter of its songs into film, television and advertising productions as well as a wide range of new media.

###

Spirit Music is based in New York with affiliate offices all over the world.
For further information about Spirit Music Group,
go to http://www.spiritmusicgroup.com/

CONTACT:

Rebekah Alperin, Alperin Ent. PR
ralperin@alperinent.com

Two TRANSFORMERS sequels in the works?

EVEN MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE?

According to a story posted by DIGITALSPY back in May 2007, there may be two sequels coming for the new TRANSFORMERS franchise. Perhaps by the release of the sequels Steve Jablonsky's score from the FIRST movie will actually be made available.

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"Studio bosses have given early approval for two sequels to the Transformers remake due out in July.Director Michael Bay has also told how his version of the 1980s cartoon classic is heavy on the special effects and has cost some £50 million. "

READ MORE

DAWN OF THE SNOW WALKER

Opus Ed
(originally posted 7/16/2007)

In the schlog of Summer and the tyranny of the box office...I have come across a number of entertaining pieces of film music that bear mentioning. Forget about the fact that there is no score release of SPIDERMAN 3 or TRANSFORMERS (yet). There's plenty of stuff out there waiting to be discovered. Here are a couple scores that I'm getting a lot of mileage out of in recent weeks.

THE SNOW WALKER by Mychael Danna - this is a gem of a little film with a gem of a score. Not many have seen the film and even less have taken notice of its score. Thankfully, Mychael Danna has released it on iTunes. There are a couple of strong themes and a beautiful blending of Americana a la Michael Kamen and Thomas Newman. It's an intimate and beautiful score...just like the film and both are highly recommended.

RESCUE DAWN by Klaus Badelt - This film has been a long time coming and you can probably hear get a hold of the soundtrack before the movie comes anywhere near a theater in your neck of the woods. A somber, surprisingly engaging score for a film that I can hardly wait to see myself. Word of Christian Bale's performance was inviting enough, but now, having heard Klaus Badelt's heartfelt music, that film will be irresistable.

Who says scores don't sell tickets?

Christopher Coleman

Ratatouille by Michael Giacchino

Michael Giacchino Stirs Things Up!

Director Brad Bird's latest effort, after the surprisingly good IRON GIANT (1999) and then, put simply, Pixar's best feature to date, THE INCREDIBLES (2004), is a charming flick that, for the most part, met my expectations. Decent story, interesting characters, and cutting edge 3-D animation are Pixar's staples and RATATOUILLE delivers on all three fronts. Thankfully, but with much respect, Pixar didn't dip into the Randy-Newman-bag again and instead wisely chose composer MICHAEL GIACCHINO to provide the musical ingredients this time 'round.

How much one appreciates Giacchino's work here will greatly depend on the context in which the score is heard. In terms of the in-film experience, Michael Giacchino's score works perfectly. He once again demonstrates that there is a deep well of talent from which he seems to drawn upon project after project. The composer himself has admitted that RATATOUILLE was one of his biggest challenges to date. The film delivers some interesting ingredients that, if not mixed with the right "yeast" of score, would have ended up...well, flat.


Read the Full Review Here

Official Site for STARDUST features Ilan Eshkeri's score?

The new official site for the upcoming film, STARDUST, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, and Robert De Niro, appears to feature quite a bit of composer ILAN ESHKERI'S epic music.

Definately worthy a listen!


You can check it out here.

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix Soundtrack Now Available

Ethan Haas Was Right. 01 18 08

Ok...so everyone is talking about this upcoming flick. Oh...you don't what the heck I'm talkin' about? Well, here's the teaser that has been running in front of Transformers.


Speculation is running rampant on what this latest J.J. ABRAMS project is. From Godzilla to Voltron to the truly ridiculous...everyone is guessing. My gut reaction? I think "EthanHaasWasRight" is some sort of anagram, but I haven't come up with anything that make sense yet.


I have to admit...the teaser definately has me interested. Then again, so did the Emmerich's trailer for Godzilla.

I'll do you one better...since its an Abrams film...I'll speculate that MICHAEL GIACCHINO will be involved.


You can check the teaser out here: There is even a high def version! Enjoy.

SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES TRAILER RELEASED

Just in case more Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Stardust and Narnia films aren't enough for you . . .

One of early 2008's most anticipated films, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES' trailers has just been released. The 2 minute trailer features among others, some of JAMES NEWTON HOWARD'S moving music from Lady in the Water.

Composer JAMES HORNER has been attached to THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES which is scheduled for release in February 2008.

You can check the trailer out here:

Win HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX!

The winner of this month’s caption contest will receive a copy of the soundtrack "HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX" by Nicholas Hooper.

Check out the contest rules HERE. Enter the contest HERE.