John Takis

Biting my tongue so hard right now I can taste blood. Oh, wait -- that's just the red ink of my pen here...

Sampled, I'd wager. My supposition is that these are from the Hal Leonard Signature Editions: http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=841675&lid=0&keywords=harry%20potter%20harp&subsiteid=1& http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=841505&keywords=harry%20potter%20harp&subsiteid=1& Although I could be wrong, I'm not aware of any other formally released versions of these particular HARRY POTTER arrangements to date. The ANGELA'S ASHES piece is available in a recording by classical harpist Yolanda Kondonassis.

Actually, given his relationship with Slatkin, I can easily see him back at some point, health permitting. Now Williams AND Spielberg together in Detroit ... that's less likely.

It seems to me that "serious music" here refers to the formal sense indicated by Miguel, not as a dig at Williams' "popular music" output. Some folks do tend to draw unhelpfully rigid lines between these two spheres, using them as a club; others quibble about the definitions and their usefulness. Nevertheless, this is a well-established academic and critical term and the context matters a great deal. Slatkin has deep family roots in Hollywood, and has championed the works of John Williams in particular. They have been good friends for many decades. I don't see an insult here.

The only specific references to future projects that I can recall were Williams' wry comments about the next STAR WARS film.

This was a beautiful concert! The players really poured their hearts into it, and it was incredibly moving to see Williams and Spielberg together on stage. The concert hall was absolutely packed -- I didn't see a single vacant seat. Here's a quick rundown: ACT I (Spielberg was not present for this half of the program. The concert received a video introduction by Maestro Leonard Slatkin.) Hooray for Hollywood (Williams arrangement, set to montage of classic Hollywood clips; only video during Act I) Selections from FAR AND AWAY Suite from HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (Hedwig's Theme, Nimbus 2000, Harry's Wondrous World) Dartmoor, 1912 from WAR HORSE Main Title from STAR WARS: Suite for Orchestra ACT II (Spielberg entered for this half and spoke briefly about each of these selections.) Main Title from JAWS (Spielberg entered after this.) Excerpts from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (Set to creatively edited video clips from CE3K, emphasizing Barry's abduction and return.) Techniques of Film Scoring: The Circus Train Chase from INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (Played without music, then with.) Marion's Theme from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Set to a lovely video montage of great Hollywood actresses.) The Duel from THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (Set to a montage of great movie swordfights.) Theme from SCHINDLER'S LIST (Soloist was DSO Concertmaster Yoonshin Song, I believe; no video.) Adventures on Earth from E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (No video.) ENCORES With Malice Toward None from LINCOLN (Thanks to Incanus for remembering the official title of this piece -- Spielberg simply introduced it as music for Lincoln's Second Inaugural. If memory serves, it was performed by the string section only.) Raiders March from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK The concert program booklet was also unusually nice. I didn't snap any pics, but Doug Adams did, and you can see them on his Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/DougAdamsMusic

A flawed film that I love, warts and all. Some genuinely great scenes and moments for the Big Three, and Laurence Luckinbill and George Murdock are superb. And that score!

...or, as it is more commonly known, Vuvuzela.

The author of the article does, in fact, explicitly say, "we have listed the 25 most important composers in the history of film." (Emphasis mine.)

No Mancini, no Korngold, no Waxman, no Alfred Newman. The absence of Alex North in particular is embarassing if we're talking about importance to the direction of the art form. I mean, I don't wish to insult anyone in particular, but to suggest that the achievements of a few of these names are "more important" than his seems just objectively wrong.

The Professor.

Here is Tolkien's timeline. All dates are from the Third Age (which begins, recall, with the defeat of Sauron by the Last Alliance). 1050: A shadow falls on Greenwood the Great. A mysterious "Necromancer" appears, identity unknown. 2063: Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur to investigate, but Sauron flees without revealing himself. The Watchful Peace begins. 2460: Sauron reoccupies Dol Guldur. 2770: Smaug descends on the Lonely Mountain. 2845: Thrain is captured and taken to Dol Guldur. 2850: Gandalf reenters Dol Guldur. Confirms Necromancer is Sauron. 2941: The year of the Quest of Erebor. The White Council drives Sauron from Mirkwood. So at the time Gandalf met Thorin and hatched the quest, the White Council had known for 91 years that the Necromancer was Sauron. (And they had SUSPECTED as much for around 900 years!) As for the corruption of Mirkwood, it had been ongoing for almost two millennia prior to the events of The Hobbit. In Peter Jackson's films, these nineteen centuries of history are essentially compressed into a single year.

It's a decent TV movie, although a bit jam-packed with characters and plotlines for a ninety-minute film. Keach does a typically solid job in the lead. Despite the title, there's not a whole lot of focus on sharks -- and nothing approaching the intensity of Quint's JAWS monologue. (It's said that imagination is often more terrifying than reality, and that applies here.) The captain is the central figure, and the film kind of morphs into a courtroom drama at the end.

Williams fans who appreciate Americana should also enjoy Safan's MISSION OF THE SHARK.

Too bad this is just a caricature of the theme, and not the theme as Williams wrote it -- but I suppose the genuine article wouldn't as effectively get the idea across to non-musicians. Wish the item description didn't brag "note for note," though.

LEGO sets often take liberties for the sake of play and character variety, and the licensed sets are sometimes based on early or incomplete concepts. For example, the final Fountain of Youth in POTC: ON STRANGER TIDES looks absolutely nothing like this: So while these new DOS sets provide plenty of fodder for speculation, it's risky to assume that any single piece of "information" is a genuine spoiler.

Interesting factoid: Roger Christian was recommended to John Travolta for BATTLEFIELD EARTH by none other than Quentin Tarantino, who was a rabid fan of Christian's underrated, little-seen 1982 horror film THE SENDER (another collaboration with composer Trevor Jones). I first learned about BLACK ANGEL while researching the liner notes for La-La Land's release of THE SENDER, and I am thrilled to get the opportunity to finally view it! I'm also a big fan of John Boorman's EXCALIBUR, making this news doubly exciting. Incidentally, THE SENDER is on sale at LLL for only $4.98 through 11/5. It's a moody, hypnotic dreamscape of a score, with flashes of great intensity. At that price, there's really no excuse for fans of Trevor Jones (particularly during his EXCALIBUR/DARK CRYSTAL period) not to have a copy!

It's probably as simple as flexibility, in case they wanted to include it as its own track on the LP ... perhaps Williams mulled over using it to end Side A, with the End Title ending Side B.

Williams' sketch does end with a fermata on an Eb major chord in the horns - is that what it sounds like? Yep, that's it exactly. I'm not aware of it being up on YouTube or any such thing, but the CRIMSON EMPIRE audiobook is still in-print. (It appears at the end of disc one, by the way, not disc two.)

clean? Yes, surprisingly.

There's another recording of the Finale (the shorter version) where the last bars slow down and end on a sustained note, rather than segueing into the End Title. It wound up being released at the end of the CRIMSON EMPIRE audio drama CD set.

There are a few early "John Williams" screen credits (Daddy-O in 1958 was "John Williams"). But the formal transition from "Johnny" back to "John" happened circa 1967. Valley of the Dolls had a "John Williams" screen credit (although the soundtrack LP still used "Johnny" on the cover). Fitzwilly had "Johnny Williams," which I believe qualifies it as the last. In 1968, both Land of the Giants and Heidi were "John Williams" -- and for these two productions, both his screen credit AND the original Capitol Records LPs had "John" on the cover. The fact that the Label X CD of Heidi uses "Johnny Williams" is one of the errors on that release.

Fringe has a very tangled mythology, but in the end it's more about the emotional journey of the characters. The plot starts out as a relatively simple tale of two universes, but as the series goes on it becomes increasingly beholden to time travel. Logic eventually goes out the window in favor of sentimentality. So if you aren't going to enjoy it unless it all makes sense at the end (or even MOSTLY makes sense) you might as well stop watching now. But if you're prepared to put logic on hold, the emotional core of the series -- although it gets a little muddled at times -- holds up pretty well. And yes, the music by Chris Tilton is some of the best written for television in recent years. Real instruments, and real CHARACTER THEMES that are coherently developed as the show evolves.

His studio and the media are definitely TREATING this announcement with more gravitas and finality than the others. Even so, I won't truly believe Miyazaki is through directing until he's through living.

"What does God need with a starship?" is perhaps THE quintessential Captain Kirk line. And the "I need my pain" speech is among the classic Kirk monologues. Trek V is full of heart. It's also horribly misguided at times -- but I still find it compulsively watchable, and enjoy it as a film more than Trek III. At the end of the day, I think the least of the original six films is better than the best of the TNG films. (And it's not because I'm a TOS fanatic -- my favorite series is DS9.) I also enjoy TMP more than TWOK. Sue me.