Happy Birthday, James Newton Howard!

Today, we are celebrating the 61st birthday of Oscar-nominated composer James Newton Howard. A Los Angeles native, Howard attended the University of Southern California's music school, but he dropped out so that he could tour with Elton John. From there, Howard turned to composing and creating music for film and television, and he's been doing that ever since. Interestingly enough, Howard never actually conducts his own music; rather, he simply crafts and composes it then allows other conductors to take the helm in bringing the score to life. In his career, he has scored over one hundred films, and he continues to go strong to this day. In recent years, he has established an ongoing relationship with director M. Night Shyamalan, for whom Howard has scored a number of films. In his personal life, Howard has been married twice: first to Rosanna Arquette for just over a year, and then to Sophie Howard, with whom he has been married since 1992 and with whom he has had two children. And now, here's a few fun facts and accolades that Howard has earned throughout his career:

Composing

First Film: Head Office (1985)

Last Film: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Next Film: The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Academy Awards

Nominated: Best Original Score, The Princes of Tides (1991)

Nominated: Best Original Score, The Fugitive (1993)

Nominated: Best Original Song, Junior (1994)

Nominated: Best Original Song, One Fine Day (1996)

Nominated: Best Original Score, My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Nominated: Best Original Score, The Village (2004)

Nominated: Best Original Score, Michael Clayton (2007)

Nominated: Best Original Score, Defiance (2008)

Over the years, I have managed to see thirty-one films with Howard's scores, and on average, those films have received a 'B-' grade. From those thirty-one, I have created the following list of my five favorite of his scores:

5. Defiance

2008

*****

4. The Sixth Sense

1999

*****

3. Waterworld

1995

*****

2. Batman Begins

(with Hans Zimmer)

2005

*****

1. King Kong

2005

Once again, I'd like to wish James Newton Howard a happy 61st birthday!

Happy Birthday, Danny Elfman!

Today, we're celebrating the 59th birthday of Academy Award-nominated composer Danny Elfman. A Los Angeles native, Elfman has made quite a name for himself in his thirty-year career, crafting himself into one of Hollywood's premiere film composers. His first composing work came in 1982's Forbidden Zone which he followed with 1985's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, the film which started his frequent collaboration with director Tim Burton. Elfman went onto score Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice and his 1989 film Batman, and that was just the start. In the 1990s, Elfman scored such big-time films as Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mission: Impossible, Men in Black and Good Will Hunting. He followed it up with the 2000s, in which he stamped his name across films like Spider-man, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Milk and Alice in Wonderland. Most recently, audiences have heard Elfman reprise a former score in Men in Black III as well as offer something a little bit new in Dark Shadows, and they'll next be able to hear his work in the upcoming 2012 film Frankenweenie. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've compiled a list of my ten favorite of his scores, and I've managed to find snippets of each score for your listening pleasure. Once again, happy birthday, Danny Elfman!

10. Sleepy Hollow

1999

*****

9. Real Steel

2011

*****

8. Corpse Bride

2005

*****

7. Alice in Wonderland

2010

*****

6. Spider-man

2002

*****

5. Batman

1989

*****

4. Milk

2008

*****

3. Big Fish

2003

*****

2. Edward Scissorhands

1990

*****

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

1993

Happy Birthday, John Williams!

Today, we are celebrating the 80th birthday of five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams. Lauded as one of the greatest cinematic composers of all time, Williams has found a way to enter the collective public consciousness more often than any of his peers. While I could easily go through his list of work, I'd rather make this a more personal post. I've grown up listening to John Williams, and his work became a part of my life at an early age. I can remember listening to one of his "Greatest Hits" albums on family road trips, and it was from this particular CD that I garnered my initial appreciation for Williams's exceptional talent. My dad is just as taken by each John Williams score, so much so that he has associated a score with each of his three children. In his mind, I was given the score to the 1978 film, Superman, which has become one of my all-time favorites. The fact that this man has scored such iconic films as Jaws, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series and, more recently, the start of the Harry Potter saga goes to show that he has quite a bit of range, and he is extremely well-respected throughout the Hollywood community. I mean, the man has nabbed a whopping forty-seven Oscar nominations in his career, bringing home the aforementioned five statuettes. There must be something brilliant about him, right? Most recently, we've heard his work in the 2011 films War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, for both of which he received Oscar nominations. We'll next hear his work in the 2012 film, Lincoln. So, to celebrate his birthday, I've listed my ten favorite of John Williams's film scores, and I've provided a snippet of each for your listening pleasure. Once again, happy birthday, Mr. Williams. I look forward to hearing more of your work in the coming years.

10. War Horse
2011


*****

9. Schindler's List
1993


*****

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2001


*****

7. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
1982


*****

6. Superman
1978


*****

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977


*****

4. Jurassic Park
1993


*****

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981


*****

2. Star Wars
1977


*****

1. Jaws
1975


*****

And now, for your added viewing pleasure, I've included a fan video entitled "Star Wars (John Williams Is the Man)" by Corey Vidal that became an overnight Internet sensation a few years back. I just love this video, and it truly serves as a real tribute to John Williams's composing prowess. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Alan Menken!

This is a little off-beat, but we had two big names celebrating birthdays today, so there was no way I could leave both of them off the posts. We're also celebrating the 62nd birthday of composer and songwriter Alan Menken, who forged his career by crafting some of the most memorable songs and scores for some rather iconic Disney films. Sure, he's dabbled here and there on some other projects with other studios, but anyone who knows about Alan Menken can't deny the fact that he owes a lot of his success to Disney. So what I've done here is list my five favorite cinematic scores that Menken has produced over the years. Not so ironically, they are all from his times with Disney, but that's neither here nor there. He's been able to craft some of the most magical musical compositions I've ever heard, and I hope you enjoy these just as much as I do. Once again, happy birthday, Alan Menken!

5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1996


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4. Enchanted
2007


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3. The Little Mermaid
1989


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2. Aladdin
1992


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1. Beauty and the Beast
1991


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Awards
2007: Nominee - Best Original Score
2010: Nominee - Best Original Score