charlesk

This topic makes me so sad, that I just had to come back just to reply to it. You are right: United States of America ('America' alone is not a country, but a whole continent) doesn't have the best education system in the world. If fact, it is pretty bad, considering the resources and the power it has as a country. For that SAME REASON, people like yourself "can't think of any unbelievable talented person who is not american", since you haven't seen them on TV, or study them at school. If you truly admire talent, you'll have to compensate the subpar education you have received with a lot of reading and researching. You will be impressed to find that your list of unbelievable talented americans, which include, amazingly, people such as Mr. Copperfield, is quickly replaced by a lot of far more talented people from all around the world. It is also a bit worrisome to hear that some people think most talented people are from USA, because this type of ignorance could easily degenerate into nationalistic fanatism that will make it easy for people's conscience to discard the importance of other countries and make it easier to invade them for USA's profit (since they are just lame and untalented) Also, I would like to bring to your attention that the people in your list are only people from the entertaintment industry and since USA is undoubtely the first country in terms of this particular industry, it is just natural that this list is dominated by residents of this country, but you'll have to agree with me that entertaintment alone is not the only legacy to mankind. Since you are one of the few privileged ones that can understand complex orchestral music such as Williams' I have hopes that in a few years you'll think about this topic in a way totally different from today. -Charles

Yeah, is a pitty women often lose interest in sax after a few years and get into things concerning administration of other people's money. Charles LOL

Yeah, SaxBabe... very nice pics... and that looks comes with an appreciation for Williams' music? CharlesK - who is a little confused now.... down there...

Well, I told you before, and is a great piece... next time, invite me to the recording sessions

I was wondering how long it would take until a thread with this topic name will start having political connotations. Without discussing about politics, have any of you guys seen then republican party opening earlier this year when they used Goldsmith's end credits for "Rudy" when George and brother Jebb made a choreographed entrance? George shaked hands in fake slow motion when the emotive Rudy theme played and Jebb stood at the podium in synch with the final chord. Hilariously manipulative . I assume they had to pay Goldsmith to play it on National TV or he donated the royalties. Or is it the studio who owns this music?

Actually I just made the same suggestion to a person in chat: to restore Yared's rejected Troy and use it in Alexander. Of course is not possible. What intrigues me is that Oliver Stone should know better about good sounding sountracks... and Williams turning down an epic by Oliver Stone??? I think if he would have asked, Williams would have squeezed it somewhere in his schedule, unless he had had a bad experience with this director, which I'm not aware of. For musicians, this Vangelis track is a big dissappointing because is basic harmony 101, no orchestration, just what it would have come out by improvising at the synths. Vangelis has done much better in the past.

Is crap... sounds like Horner for Dummies

yeah, it is kind of a rude title... people usually don't use the word 'dead' when someone passes away. Anyway, there is the sticky thread for good old Goldsmith...

Damien Omen, Final Conflict, Star Trek TMP, Theme for The Edge.... I would rather vote favorite cues, since there are interesting things all over his works. The Omen trilogy really blow my mind, it's so energetic and organic and he does so many interesting things in strings and choir. I love the unique 'noises' and weird sounds and instruments he incorporates as signature for each score. It's a nice touch. In the documentary Morlock mentions they say it was an insiders joke among Goldsmiths musicians that if during rehearsals some worker made a noise outside the studio, Goldsmith would call him in and make the noise part of the score

I didn't know he was battling with cancer either. It's a sad day in filmmusic. I also find it sad that the actual news title is "Oscar-Winning composer dies", reminding us how unfair the Academy was with this talented man. Rise, Maestro, to the theme of The Edge. Charles

Wow! 57% classical? BTW... I AM offended by stereotypes when I say I like classical and people think of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons violin concerts, Handel's Messiah and Beethoven's Fifth. That's only a diminute part of what classical music is. I burned those when I was 13 years old. I still enjoy them, but what I hear of classical nowadays is much closer to Williams than Vivaldi's. Some of the more recent composers from the 20th century have amazing works of thrilling action and emotion that could be easily be confused with some of Williams best scores. Just check out some Shostakovich's symphonies, Prokofiev, Stravinsky... I just wish more contemporary composers did works for full orchestra, some amazing stuff is coming out with the introduction of computer-assisted composition techniques. And finally, the main reason I admire Williams so much is that the fact he's 'only' scoring a film doesn't stop him from composing authentic works of musical art, and explore and reinvent himself.

No, we can turn off the crappy programs and read a book, watch a film or do anything even the slightest bit enlightening. AND encourage others to do the same (which I do). If "we" (meaning society) are over stereo-types, why are we still beat over the head with them? You and I are over stereo-types, but can you speak for the millions that watch this drivel. Reality television and idiotic programs like the ones you mentioned glamorize immorality and reinforce stereo-typical behavior, especially to the younger audiences. You are right, MJW... they are reinforcing stereotypical behavior in youth, but as we discuss this very interesting and in my view, important topic, other people keeps playing the stereotype game in this very same thread, and as I can see, it's beyond their ability to comprehend how much they are influenced by these stereotypes. It becomes worse when stereotyping devolves into discrimination and intolerance. Unfortunately, making a big task force against stereotypes with make us another stereotype. So, I don't really see any other solution but to leave open access to comprehensive education at all socio-cultural-economic levels; censorship will only accentuate stereotypes, I think, because stereotypes are all about having one single point of view about things and generalizing people according to these half truths. Reading books, creating the culture of challenging our own ideas from time to time, the culture of looking boths sides of the coin.... but I don't see this in the near future, though.

But they show equal amounts of stereo-typical Man Show kind of programming, which is extremely insulting to the intelligence. Jeff - who hates Spike TV Warner Bros. TV Teen serials are stereo-typical insults to teens, MTV's hip-hop emphasis of easy life is a stereo-typical insult to african americans, Fox's The Swan promotes superficial beauty as the key for women's success and happiness, is a sexist insult. We can only watch and be happy that we are over stereo-types and we can see people as individuals, and not assume things about other people just based on a little detail of their personality. Charles

Read the rules: 03 - Discussions concerning film music, movies or music in general are allowed in the General Discussion forum. For topics unrelated to the aforementioned you can use the Other Topics board. And I posted it in the Other Topics. And if you were stirred just because I'm gay, is not my problem.

Common sense, dude. It wasn't any real big surprise to you or anyone else that the thing got locked down. Homosexuality belongs in the same category as politics and religion..."Controversial Off-Topic Debate." That's my objective opinion, too. Now who agrees? The Rule was: 04 - In order to avoid controversial off-topic debates, political and religious references are NOT ALLOWED on any of the forums. Star Wars and Harry Potter are also very controversial debates, but unless they put them in the above rule of prohibited items I don't expect people to easily put these along in the same category as religion and politics and avoid them. Besides, the topic was Sexual Orientation, not homosexuality. If the person who created the thread was a heterosexual, I'm sure none of the overreaction would have occurred, Daniel. Charles