SoundCast Interview with Joris de Man (Killzone 2)

In less than a week, we bust out yet another KILLER interview. After an epic time with master composer Lalo Schifrin just last week, we bring you our one-on-one with composer JORIS DE MAN.

One of the most anticipated games of early 2009, has been KILLZONE 2 for the Playstation 3. Early buzz as been very positive and, just like it's predecessor, KILLZONE, a lot of positivity has centered around the game's musical score - provided by de Man.

We spent a few minutes talking about his experience on KILLZONE 2 in contrast to the original KILLZONE and what it was like working with the LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and recording at Abbey Road Studios.

Don't miss the exclusive musical peeks from the JORIS DE MAN's original score and our discussion on the possibility of an official soundtrack release!

Enjoy our latest SoundCast here

Please Stop the Remakes

In perusing the movie-news of the day, I was driven to utter despair...

In the course of 15 minutes, scrolling from headline to headline in Google Reader, I saw more news about upcoming and potential remakes than I can count. Let me list a few just off the top of my head:

TOTAL RECALL

THE NEVERENDING STORY

CLUE

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

ASTRO BOY

THE GREEN HORNET

YOGI BEAR (Yogi freakin' Bear?)


Admittedly, I have no problem with some remakes like ASTRO BOY or THE GREEN HORNET. Those might be ok in the end, but TOTAL RECALL and YOGI BEAR? YOGI BEAR???? Is there really such a cult following of our favorite picnic-basket-thieving-bear that they need to modernize him? I think Hanna and Barbera nailed Yogi, Boo Boo, and Ranger Smith. You ain't gonna improve on it...just ruin it. Is it that hard to write a story about a new character that is a bear? There must be millions of untold bear-stories waiting to be written and brought to the big screen. Did not UNDERDOG teach you folks anything? Will I be hearing of TENNESSEE TUXEDO and his old pal, CHUMLEY coming in 2011? Go find a new story with new characters, please!

I must also admit that such remakes do offer a chance to revisit some classic movie and TV musical themes, but there is an equal chance that those themes could be hacked and slashed to unenjoyable bits as well...or discarded altogether. We love our classic music themes, but we also like to get introduced to new ones, too. Don't rob us of that experience.

Hollywood is going for the cheap and easy answer. They are milking the past for every penny it has left in it. For every successful remake-venture (Transformers) there are a dozen disasters (Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Bewitched, Scooby Doo, Fat Albert, Wild Wild West, Poseidon). Perhaps this isn't a bad thing, actually. If enough of these remakes bomb at the box office, perhaps...just perhaps...the studios will look at that growing stack of original screenplays and developing some new properties for moviegoers to enjoy.

So I'm begging you producers, please give the remakes a rest. If we are using movies as our escape from the desperate economic times we live in right now, we don't need to go and see poor remakes of properties we already have fond memories of. That's just pourring salt on our collective economic wound and that's just mean.

Capcom's Lost Planet 2 - Music by Soundelux

It's all about Capcom right now. With RESIDENT EVIL 5 and the return of STREET FIGHTER IV, the company has to be pretty happy 'bout now. If that weren't enough for gamers to delight over, Capcom decided to drop a special announcement on Xbox Live a couple of days ago...

A sequel for the hit game LOST PLANET is under development...and by the looks of the announcement footage...is well on the way. I have a special place for LOST PLANET as it was really the first X360 game I invested uncountable hours in...without ever finishing the game.

I also enjoyed JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON's original score for the game, so it was nice to see that SOUNDELUX is handling the sound elements of the game...including the musical score. Let's hope that means Jamie Christopherson will be back on E.D.N. III.

The music in the trailer doesn't seem to be directly from the first game (I could be wrong...it's been a long time), but definitely features the game's title theme. All good signs.

Stay tuned as I'll definitely post more info on this project as it becomes available.

No release date has been given for the game yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it come before the year is over.

You can find the announcement trailer all over the net. Just google "Lost Planet 2."

2008 Oscar Wrap Up - Musical Failings

As if you haven't listened to or read enough opinion on this year's Oscars...or yammered on and on about it yourself...here's even more. Let me tell why the Oscar's failed...musically speaking.

First off - congrats are, again, in order for A.R. RAHMAN for winning BEST ORIGINAL SCORE for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE...and also for BEST SONG, "JAI HO" also from the film. "The Dog" was anything but that tonight taking a home a handful of the "Golden Boys" in addition to the two musical categories.

Rahman winning didn't come as much of a surprise. All the signs were there for SLUMDOG to do well were there and that included Rahman's score. While I'd like to have seen Alexandre Desplat win for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, I knew it was a loooooooong shot against the tidal wave that is Slumdog Millionaire. Now, "Jai Ho" was an easy pick and was far and away the most memorable song of the year...despite all the love "The Boss" was getting for "The Wrestler" earlier in the award season.

Taking a look at the show as a whole...and it's revised format...it had some great moments, but wasn't what I had expected. First, the good. By far having the 5 former winners of the acting categories come out, pay tribute to the nominees, and then have them all on stage with the winner was a stroke of genius. It really makes those particular awards special. It was clearly written on the faces of the nominees. By the way, seating them so close to the stage was also smart (and intimate). Next, Hugh Jackman was the right man for that particular job. The opening number was entertaining enough and got me to thinking this just might work. Finally, it was good to see MICHAEL GIACCHINO on stage and did a decent job for the night.

Ok...now for the bad. After the opening number, things went down hill (aside from the best actor/actress categories). What started as a decent-enough award/winning theme, became a serious pain 3.5 hours later...no matter how many variations they played. Talk about listener fatigue. As a video game composer, GIACCHINO had to know that this theme was going to get old fast....and boy did it ever. That's just too many awards to play the same theme over.

What upset me was the fact that by replacing the original themes from the associated movies, one of the most important moments for film music exposure was totally lost. Instead of walking up (albeit a very short walk...or jog/run) to the podium with the related music of the project, we got this winner-theme again and again. I was ecstatic when costume designer, Michael O'Connor, made direct reference to RACHEL PORTMAN's score for THE DUCHESS and how that was NOT the music he had just walked up to the mic with. The general public, who hardly ever pays attention to film scores, was robbed of one of the few chances that film music would be publically highlighted.

The best score medley was average - hitting all the right beats, but the best song medley became a disaster. Now, I love John Legend, but he was not the right replacement for PETER GABRIEL. How about Phil Collins or Steve Winwood...or someone somewhat related? I understand why Gabriel pulled out and the producers of the show had to do something, but "Jai Ho" and "Down to the Ground" just don't mix very well.

I also somberly look forward to the "In Memoriam" segment...usually underscored with an approriately beautiful piece from Mark McKenzie or other talented composer. This time, we got a vocal performance by Queen Latifa. It was the least emotional of all the In Memoriams that I can recall. And why no Heath Ledger?

Now, I am all for change and experimentation and I think there were a few things to like about this year's Oscars; however, I definitely prefer the set up and style of the past. Somehow this felt more like THE TONY's than THE OSCARS. In their quest to shorten the show, things felt rushed... and much of the emotional impact felt in previous shows was absent. Of course, skimping or radically changing the use of original score will do that.

So here's to next year. May they return to some of the traditions of the past...at least when it comes to the music.

Soundcast Interview with Lalo Schifrin

I'm very excited to share with you my recent interview with composer LALO SCHIFRIN. I was able to ask him about his recent book, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: MY LIFE IN MUSIC, his thoughts on the current state of film music, and what continues to drive him into new areas of composing (video games and graphic novels). He also shares about why he started Aleph Records and who he is pulling for to win the Oscar for Best Original Score.

You can check out the latest edition of the Soundcast here

Watchmen Soundtrack 7" Vinyl Picture Disc Box Set

Warner Brothers Records has just made the special release available for pre-order. The first 1000 orders will be signed by composer TYLER BATES. If you are a hard-core fan...or think you might become one in a couple weeks...now's your chance to grab some sure-fire collector's material.

You can get the details here.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Takes Home AIAS Award for Oustanding Achievment in Original Composition

Yesterday The 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards was held. While LITTLE BIG PLANET dominated by taking home 8 total awards, one that got away was for its music. This year's winner for Outstanding Achievement in Original Composition goes to METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS by HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS, NOBUKA TODA and company! Congrats!

You can view all the winners here.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. - Music by Tom Salta

TOM CLANCY'S H.A.W.X™ FEATURES ORIGINAL MUSIC BY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER TOM SALTA

Salta Records with A-list Musicians in New York for the New Title in the Prestigious Tom Clancy's Video Game Franchise

New York - February 19th, 2009 - Composer and music producer Tom Salta, whose previous credits include the MTV VMA-nominated original score for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter® (GRAW) and the acclaimed sequel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter® 2, has written and recorded the exhilarating original music score for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X™, the first air-combat game set in the world-renowned Tom Clancy's video game universe. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will be available March 3, 2009 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Windows-based PC version of the game will be released the following week.

Developed by Ubisoft®'s Bucharest studio, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X delivers an intense and authentic aerial combat experience by fully leveraging the benefits of the current-generation platforms. To emphasize the game's cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights, Salta composed an adrenalized and emotionally-charged live orchestral / electronic hybrid score recorded at Legacy Studios in New York with A-list musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

"In Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X we had to explore five emotional dimensions: the patriot, the life of a mercenary, betrayal, hopelessness and open war on U.S. soil," said Emil Gheorghe, producer of H.A.W.X. "Tom Salta managed not only to tie all these elements together in an astoundingly rich and memorable score but he also crafted an acoustical identity for our game to stand up in the midst of the Tom Clancy's titles. Using orchestral arrangements, high-tech sounds and a mix of traditional instruments, he built an incredibly diverse soundtrack ranging from flavorful traditional themes to military tracks."

To preview samples of Salta's music for the game, visit the official website at http://hawxgame.com/.

Tom Salta's other video game credits include Ubisoft's exclusive first-person action title for the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, Red Steel, drawing from traditional and contemporary Japan for the game's original soundtrack which received IGN's Wii Award for Best Original Score. Recording under the artist name Atlas Plug, he is currently writing the follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut solo album 2 Days or Die. For more information on Tom Salta visit www.tomsalta.com.

© 2006-2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. H.A.W.X, Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, the Soldier Icon, Red Steel, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

International Film Critics Association 2008 Award Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION (IFMCA) ANNOUNCES ITS 2008 WINNERS FOR SCORING EXCELLENCE

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT’S THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON WINS BEST SCORE OF 2008

February 19, 2009. Alexandre Desplat wins the 2008 IFMCA’S Film Score of the Year Award for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, David Fincher’s imaginative re-telling of a 1921 F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man who ages backwards from an old man to a baby. These are the fourth and fifth awards for Desplat from the IFMCA, having been named Composer of the Year in 2006 and 2007. The score also wins Best Original Score for a Dramatic Film.

Danny Elfman is named Film Composer of the Year for his excellence in scoring four high-profile movies this year: MILK, WANTED, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY and STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. The latter score also wins Elfman an individual scoring award for Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature.

Canadian composer Andrew Lockington wins Breakout Composer of the Year for his two high-profile scores in 2008: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and CITY OF EMBER. Lockington is a former orchestrator for fellow Canadian composer Mychael Danna, and worked with his countryman on scores such as 8MM, GIRL INTERRUPTED and HEARTS IN ATLANTIS before embarking on his solo composing career.

Thomas Newman’s score for Pixar’s WALL*E wins Best Original Score for an Animated Feature. John Williams’ score for Steven Spielberg’s INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL wins Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film, and James Newton Howard wins for his score to THE HAPPENING in the Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film category. Javier Naverette’s score to INKHEART, which opened in parts of Europe in 2008, receives the award for Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film. The Coen Brothers’ BURN AFTER READING wins Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for their longtime collaborator Carter Burwell, and Michael Giacchino wins Film Music Composition of the Year for his “Roar Overture” from CLOVERFIELD that played during the end credits of the monster ‘reality’ movie which otherwise did not include any other underscore.

Non-film winners include Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli, who win Best Original Score for Television to for their score for the HBO mini-series, JOHN ADAMS; Norwegian composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen, who wins Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media for the Funcom PC role-playing game AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES; and the Intrada label, which wins Film Music Record Label of the Year for the third year in a row for their continuing excellence in releasing older, catalog scores, some for the first time, including their world premiere release of the complete score to Jerry Goldsmith’s 1978 THE BOY FROM BRAZIL, which wins this year’s prize for Best New Release/Re-Release of an Existing Score.


2008 FILM WINNERS:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Danny Elfman

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Andrew Lockington

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
• Burn After Reading, music by Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, music by John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM
• Inkheart, music by Javier Navarrete

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM
• The Happening, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
• Wall*E, music by Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• Standard Operating Procedure, music by Danny Elfman

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
• Cloverfield: “Roar Overture,” music by Michael Giacchino


OTHER CATEGORIES:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
• John Adams, music by Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
• Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, music by Knut Avenstroup Haugen

BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• The Boys from Brazil, music by Jerry Goldsmith; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)

BEST RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• El Cid, music by Miklós Rózsa; conducted by Nic Raine, produced by James Fitzpatrick (Tadlow)

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM OR BOX SET
• Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection, music by John Williams; produced by Laurent Bouzereau (Concord)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
• Intrada


The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a regular contributor to Music from the Movies, and the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media.

Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 50 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007, James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, its members and the list of past awards, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.

Video Game Orchestra Performs Live

I recently received an email from composer DUNCAN WATT (BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL'S HIGHWAY) about an upcoming concert at the Berkless Performance Center on March 5, 2009. If you're in the Boston area, you might want to check it out.


Hi everyone - I'm happy to announce the Video Game Orchestra will be performing some material I've worked on from Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway on March 5th, at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. the 90-piece (!) ensemble will be playing a wide variety of video game music, including pieces from some wonderful composers, including Jack Wall (who I believe will be guest-conducting his material), Gerard Marino, Keith Zizza, and many others.

Full information below - I hope to meet some of you there!

Duncan


PRESS RELEASE:
VIDEO GAME ORCHESTRA PERFORMS LIVE
MARCH 5, BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER

Boston, MA, February 5, 2009 – Donkey Kong will swing – think Ellington, not Tarzan – and the music of retro Nintendo titles and Playstation mega-hits alike will be brought to life when the Video Game Orchestra (VGO) hits the stage, March 5, at Berklee. The 90-member VGO comprises a 45-piece orchestra, 40-piece choir, and 5-piece rock band, with players from over 20 countries who are students at Berklee, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, and New England Conservatory. The concert is $10 and all ages and takes place on March 5, 8:15 p.m., at the Berklee Performance Center, located at 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Please call 617-747-2261 or visit berkleebpc.com for show information.

Prominent composers from the video game industry have arranged music for the show and will be in the audience, including Gerard Marino (God of War), Keith Zizza (Caesar IV, Sim City Societies), Duncan Watt (Brothers in Arms), and Jack Wall (Mass Effect), co-creator of Video Games Live, a national tour that showcases video game music.

For more information, visit: http://www.vgo-online.org/live

Who Should Score Star Wars: Episode VII?

A couple of weekends ago, I got the strangest feeling...one I hadn't felt since...

Anyway, that feeling was to marathon the prequels and so I did. Episodes I - III. ( I fell asleep during Episode III, but don't worry, I know what happens.)

When I got to ATTACK OF THE CLONES, I started really paying attention to the score. Oh the pain! I had forgotten what a butcher-job they had to JOHN WILLIAMS' music. The music editing is nothing short of a crime and I'd still really like to hear what Williams came up with for the final battle on Geonosis. The amount of re-used music in ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH is just shame. Even though Williams doesn't write the way he used to, "George, you still have JOHN WILLIAMS for crying out loud. Utilize him!"

Well, after that, I started to think about the future of STAR WARS...for adults, that is. (Clearly THE CLONE WARS is meant for kids and I have been able to stomach only one episode thus far. The idiotic droid army and their ridiculous one-liners just irritates me too much to watch.) Although there is a live-action, television show coming as well, the real future lay in another feature film or films. Why not film THE FORCE UNLEASHED (and it's sequels?). Why not jump back to the future and do an Episode VII? Now there's a thought. If they did, let me ask you to ponder two questions:

First, who you like to see take the directorial reigns? Peter Jackson? Steven Spielberg? J.J. Abrams? Zack Snyder? Jon Favreau? M. Night Shyamalan? Darren Aronofsky? Brad Bird? James Cameron? Who?

Second, who would be the best choice to score such a picture? There is no shortage of composers who could do it. Here are some names that I think should be considered. First, some of the more well-known: MICHAEL GIACCHINO, DON DAVIS, might do a nice job of it. And here are some others that could probably be true to tradition but yet add something fresh: MARK GRISKEY, JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON, or CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ.

I asked this question on TWITTER not too long ago and addition to the composers I've already listed, a few other suggested composers were: JOEL MCNEELY, BRIAN TYLER, and WILLIAM ROSS.

So what say you? Who directs? Who composes?

It's ok to dream.

Peter Gabriel Pulls Out of Oscar Performance

A part of the Academy's fiddling with the Oscar Award show this year has meant trimming down performances of the Best Song nominees. They did promise some surprises afterall.

Instead of full performances of all 3 songs, there was to be a medley comprised of each. Gabriel said he was only offered 65 seconds for an arrangement of his song "Down to Earth" from Wall*E. Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood has the full story including Gabriel's letter to AMPAS.

I have had no problem with the running time of the Oscars. Why people cry about it being 4 hours or more is beyond me. I'm pretty sure everyone can work a remote control. Well, the show's producers have sought to shorten the show down to 3 hours....and apparently the music category is going to suffer for it.

I definitely support Peter Gabriel's move. Don't let them dis your music that way. If it was good enough to be nominated, it's good enough to be heard...in its totality. The last thing the soundtrack genre needs now is to be marginalized even further by the mainstream.

I can't wait for next year when they relegate the BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Award to the untelevised Scientific and Technical Award Presentation.

I guess we'll have to settle for a two song medley from SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. Perhaps they'll allow for more songs to be nominated next year...and hope that more than 1 artist will be willing to hack up their music for the show.

Hope you all are happy with your shorter Award show this year.

Maurice Jarre Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Variety posted an interesting article about composer MAURICE JARRE receiving the Berlin Film Festival's Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement Award (the worlds longest award title). Here are a couple of great quotes:


“I owe him everything,” Jarre said of Lean. “He gave me the best pictures, the opportunity to receive three Oscars for four films — not so bad! — and he gave me his friendship. He was a gentleman. When I lost him, I lost not only a great director, but a great friend.” . . .

“The biggest directors I worked with are gone,” he said sadly. “And the fashion now is very quick-cut, so fast that you don’t even see what is going on. Also, there is no music — it’s a kind of complement of sounds, more like clang-clang-clang. We don’t know if they are sound effects or music.”


Congrats to Mr. Jarre! Another award well-deserved!

You can read the full article here

BAFTA Video Game Score Nominees

I love the fact that the BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS also honors video games. This year Infinity Ward's CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE dominates with some 15 nominations. I guess it must have been a pretty good game. Maybe I should pick it up. (Just jokes ... I lost many hours last year to that game.)

One nomination Call of Duty did NOT get is for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE. That honor goes to the following titles:

“Assassin’s Creed” - Jesper Kyd
Jade Raymond, Patrice Desilets, Claude Langlais
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Entertainment

“Dead Space” - Jason Graves
Development Team
Electronic Arts/Electronic Arts

“Fable II” - Russell Shaw (theme by Danny Elfman)
Development Team
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios

“Fallout 3” - Inon Zur
Todd Howard, Emil Pagliarulo, Istvan Pely
Bethesda Game Studio/Bethesda Softworks Europe

“LittleBigPlanet” - Daniel Pemberton
Kenneth Young, Mark Healey, Leo Cubbin
Media Molecule & XDev Studio Europe/Sony Computer Entertainment

“Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” - Harry Gregson-Williams
Kojima Productions/Konami Digital Entertainment


If the list seems a little weird, that's because nominees can go back as far as October 2007. I'm excited to see Daniel Pemberton's work for LITTLEBIGPLANET finally get some recognition. So what do you think of theses noms? Do you think other associations, like The Oscars, should start of game-division as BAFTA has?

You can check out the full list of nominees here

Halo Wars Original Score Soundclips

We interrupt your all-nighter on the HALO WARS demo that was released today on Xbox Live, to bring you a peek at the upcoming score by STEPHEN RIPPY to be released by Sumthing Digital on February 17, 2009.

You can check out soundclips from 18 of the 25 tracks contained on the soundtrack here or you can pre-order the 2-Disc Soundtrack at Amazon.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Video Game Music by Julien-K

We all know the sequel to TRANSFORMERS is coming this Summer, but did you know that there is follow-up game tie-in as well? The game, TRANSFORMERS, did not get a very warm reception, but that hasn't stopped Activision from announcing that the TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN video game is coming as well. Along with the big, blockbusting film, we'll get the game sometime in June.

Now, STEVE JABLONSKY's score for TRANSFORMERS has become one of the most collectible scores in the last couple of years and remains popular among the Remote Controllers. It would stand to reason that utilizing his music for the game might be a good option. Seeing that he has experience in the world of video game scoring (Command & Conquer, Gears of War 2) too, it would also seem feasible to have him write some a couple of pieces specifically for game too. Instead that honor goes to the electronica/industrial group, JULIEN-K, who had a song featured in the TRANSFORMERS movie.

We'll see (or hear) how this all works out. You can find out more about the group here at Plugin Music, but you can check out the teaser trailer for the game below.

How Well is Your Music Doing Online? Try Band Metrics

I was turned on to this app via the great site, ReadWriteWeb. Band Metrics is currently in private Beta, but is soon to open up. It will allow bands...or composers...to track how their music is doing online: who's listening and sharing your music via social networks, who's talking about your music and so on. Some great potential here. You can head over to ReadWriteWeb for a bit more info and screenshots or you can go directly to Band Metrics and register for an invite.

Oscar Award Ceremony Changes for Composers?

So there are going to be some changes at the Oscar Ceremonies this year. Oh...they aren't saying what exactly...only that there will be some different things going on regarding certain categories. Via Cinematical we have this quote of Sid Ganis,

"Cinematographers, editors, composers. All of you guys. You're in for a big surprise."

I'll be happily surprised if they just give the award to the person I feel is the most deserving. In this year's case, that would mean that ALEXANDRE DESPLAT would walk away with the golden hardware. I take that back...if THOMAS NEWMAN won for WALL*E, that, indeed, would be a big surprise...and one that I think I'd be pretty happy about...even though I wouldn't call Wall*E the most deserving.

What do you think the Academy has up their sleeves? Do you even care?

Slumdog Millionaire (Soundtrack) by A.R. Rahman Review

Destiny of the Dog
Review by Christopher Coleman

A movie that starts off with a multiple choice question for the audience has to be something special. Right? With the exception of some jittery 16 mm film shown in one of my high school classes, I can't remember that ever being done before. Danny Boyle's SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE does just that...and it only get's better from there. Let me say upfront that, while I love the movie's title and believe this is a pretty special flick, I don't believe it is the best movie of the year...as many others apparently do. It's funny. Whenever there is mass or critical praise for something, there seems to be an inevitable backlash to follow. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE seems to be facing what THE DARK KNIGHT did earlier in the year. Sometimes there is so much talk and hype about a film that people simply get tired of hearing about how good it is and so slide into a group of counter-fans. SLUMDOG is, indeed, a very charming movie that I was fully engrossed in while viewing it, save the "outhouse" scene. Fortunately, I wasn't into that as much as our little hero was. This film making it to the big-screen is a story unto itself, but it doesn't compare to the tale it tells of a poor, Indian boy incredibly winning a few boatloads of Indian rupees on the localized Who Wants to be a Millionaire? television show. It's rags to riches story with an international twist. SLUMDOG is, at once, familiar and yet exotic and that description goes right down to it's music.

Read the full review here

Epic Goldsmith Radio Celebration on Sirius/XM's Cinemagic

EPIC GOLDSMITH RADIO CELEBRATION!

Date: 2/1/2009

Varèse Sarabande Records and Sirius/XM’s Cinemagic launch a weeklong, 80th birthday celebration remembering and honoring the life and work of one of Hollywood’s greatest film composers of all time …Jerry Goldsmith.

Special guest host Robert Townson, who worked extensively with Goldsmith on 80 of his albums, will guide listeners on an extensive tour of the legendary composer’s extraordinary and enormous career. From such classics as Patton, The Omen, Star Trek and Chinatown to some obscure gems that will be a discovery for almost everybody, over 130 scores will be featured over the course of five, daily five and six-hour shows.

Beginning on Monday, February 9 at 4:00 pm EST/1:00 pm PST this very special celebration will continue each day at the same time. As a grand finale, all five programs will be run consecutively, all weekend long, beginning Saturday, February 14 at 12:01am EST.

Tuesday, February 10 would have been Jerry Goldsmith’s 80th birthday. Join us all week long to remember in music one of the greatest composers to ever write for film.

Jerry Goldsmith’s 80th Birthday Celebration will be available to all Sirius/XM Radio subscribers on Cinemagic, channel 76. Sirius/XM’s CINEMAGIC is also available online to subscribers and as a free trial.


Direct TV subscribers can also access Sirius/XM’s Cinemagic on channel 822.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Trailer feat. music by John Williams

Looks like Indy is back - back to his 30s-era self and back to gaming consoles.

Dailygamesnews.com recently posted this new trailer for the long rumored game. The trailer makes extensive use of music from INDIANA JONES and the KINGDOM OF CRYSTAL SKULL by JOHN WILLIAMS, specifically "The Adventures of Mutt." This is a strange choice as this theme represents Indy's son, not Indy...and it's in Williams' more contemporary style which I don't personally consider iconic for Dr. Jones. Of course, we do get a quick quote of the main theme as well.

One other sad note. It looks like this game is coming only to the WII (although it will likely be pretty fun), Playstation 2 and PSP. Rumors were that this game was going next-gen and that it would use the same technologies from THE FORCE UNLEASHED. Too bad that seems to have fallen through.

No word on who is set to score the game. I'd bet on music from John Williams' existing scores. I'll certainly post any official information I can get regarding the game's music.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Teaser

If you don't want to wait for its release during the SUPER BOWL today, that take a gander at what MICHAEL BAY and company have in store for us this year. All I can say is, "Oh My!" And I mean that in a good way. STEVE JABLONSKY will have come through again to match the insanity of these visuals! Make sure you pre-order your soundtrack now...so you too can capitalize on its scarcity 6 months later. ;)