The LA Times spoke with Howard Shore today regarding his recent Academy Award nomination. Included was a little nugget I think you might find interesting. Excerpts below:

Some things never get old. Just ask composer Howard Shore, who woke to a phone call very early Tuesday morning in Hawaii and learned he had earned his fourth Academy Award nomination. "It's always thrilling," Howard said of being nominated, this time for his original score for Martin Scorsese's "Hugo."

The film, about an orphan living in a train station in 1930s Paris, leads the Oscar pack with 11 nominations, and it marks Shore's sixth film with Scorsese. "It's a wonderful collaboration," Howard said of working with the director. "I think [Scorsese] works with music the way he works with all his other collaborators: I think he casts well, and then he shapes and guides and inspires."

In writing the music for "Hugo," Shore drew inspiration from the film's time and setting, 1930s Paris. "It's a very rich period of music," Shore said. "It's the exuberance and the thrill of making movies in this early period with this new technology. … It's a very rich world to write in and compose in, and it's very inspiring to me."

[...] 

After his layover in Hawaii, Shore is headed to New Zealand, where he is working on "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" with director Peter Jackson.

The Academy Award nomination for BEST SCORE of 2011 are in:


Ludovic Bource THE ARTIST
Alberto Igelsias TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
John Williams TINTIN
John Williams WAR HORSE

HUGO, incidentally, also garnered nominations for BEST PICTURE, DIRECTING, ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, ART DIRECTION, CINEMATOGRAPHY, SOUND MIXING, SOUND EDITING, COSTUMES, FILM EDITING, VISUAL EFFECTS.

Congratulations to all nominees!

ORIGINAL MUSIC 

THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO Howard Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE John Williams

This is slightly out-of-date, but video interviews are always fun to watch.

Howard Shore and Elizabeth Cotnoir discuss their work on the award-winning score to Hugo.

 

MyDesert.com has a nice little followup on the Palm Springs Film Festival gala, which was held last night (January 7):

"It's wonderful to be back," Shore told emcee Mary Hart backstage. 

Shore is being honored for the score he composed for "Hugo." 

"For me, composition is ... a way to take things that I love and express them through music," Shore said as he accepted the award.

Read the full piece HERE.

As previously reported, Shore was on-hand last night to receive the Frederick Loewe Music Award for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.

Happy New Year, everyone!

We're finally here: 2012. Every new year is full of exciting possibilities, but if you frequent this blog, you know that this year looks to be especially promising. I was a little quieter than usual during the final months of 2011, and will probably remain a bit guarded through the beginning of 2012, but I have much to say, and will proclaim it all soon enough. In the meantime, let's all enjoy the unlimited promise of a year not yet lived!

While I certainly don't wish to burden the light mood, I do feel we should take a second to recognize the passing of Bob Anderson. If you don't know who Mr. Anderson was, please take a moment to read the linked Wiki page. His artistry contributed not only to The Lord of the Rings films, but also to The Princess Bride, Star Wars, and more. I had brief contact with Mr. Anderson's daughter in September of 2010. He was living in London at that point, and his daughter had heard about the Royal Albert performance of The Return of the King: Live to Projection. Plans were made for him to attend, but he was ultimately not well enough to do so. Nevertheless, this gentleman touched many lives, and I know we'll all send our thoughts to his family.



On a lighter note, today (it's officially just past midnight on January 3 in Chicago) marks the 120th birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien. TheOneRing.net is reminding everyone of the usual 9:00 p.m. salute. I may be a bit early -- and a bit digital -- but: "The Professor!"

Salude!