Oscar-nominated, Grammy- and Emmy-winning composer Alan Silvestri received BMI’s Icon Award Wednesday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. His was the top honor among dozens distributed by the performing-rights society. The evening was a who’s-who of composers, songwriters and music supervisors active in films and TV. Variety asked me to cover the event, so I managed to sneak in a little time with the composer of Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, TV’s Cosmos and so much more. Among others in attendance: Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy), Brian Tyler (Fate of the Furious), the legendary Mike Post (Law & Order), W.G. Snuffy Walden (The West Wing) and many others. Excerpts from my red-carpet interviews are included in this video.
Tag Archives: BMI Icon
An interview with James Newton Howard
It was a thrill to be asked to talk with Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning composer James Newton Howard on the occasion of his being named a BMI Icon. He’ll receive his award on May 11, but BMI has already posted our video interview: Fourteen fascinating minutes with one of today’s greatest movie composers. (His credits, in case you don’t know, include The Hunger Games films, The Sixth Sense, The Fugitive, The Prince of Tides, King Kong, My Best Friend’s Wedding and many others.) Both parts of the interview are here.