Alan Menken News & Discussion

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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

Alan Menken to Compose Score for 'Mirror Mirror'
http://broadwayworld.com/article/Alan-M ... m-20111208
"Despite my love of musicals, of both the stage and film variety, my most intense composing experience actually comes from scoring a movie. The contained period of time when I spend my days and nights living within every fraction of a second of a motion picture is an exquisite combination of being totally at the service of a director’s vision and yet in a powerful position to influence and interpret the meaning of the film.

I would consider my career incomplete without having the privilege of composing film scores and the thrill of hearing them fully realized thru the brilliant work of so many fantastic orchestrators, conductors and musicians. Right now I’m deep within the fantastic and beautiful world that Tarsem Singh has created with Mirror Mirror. I was drawn to the film because of its wide family appeal, comedic spirit and adventurous nature, and couldn’t be more excited about the thematic and emotional kind of score he is encouraging me to write," said Menken.

Oscar-Winning Composer Alan Menken Scores 'Mirror Mirror'
http://www.pr-inside.com/oscar-winning- ... 075847.htm
Alan Menken wrote an original score but no original songs for the production. Menken describes the film scoring process, “The period of time I spend with a motion picture is an exquisite combination of being at the service of the director’s vision and yet in a powerful position to influence and interpret the meaning of the film.” The composer developed a thematic score, one which the music reflects and enhances the multidimensional characters and the timeless story. “I created purely heartrending theme music for Snow White, a formal Mozart theme for the Queen and used classic hunting horns for the noble Prince,” Menken explains.
Last edited by Sotiris on Fri Mar 09, 2012 11:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

Alan Menken's song "Star-Spangled Man" written for Captain America: The First Avenger is nominated for Best Original Song by the Houston Film Critics Society and by the Phoenix Film Critics Society.

Let's hope it will also get an Oscar nomination.
Last edited by Sotiris on Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

Alan Menken won a Grammy for "I See the Light" in the category Best Song Written for Visual Media. He was also nominated for Tangled in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category.

Congratulations, Alan! :party:
Last edited by Sotiris on Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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DisneyJedi
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Post by DisneyJedi »

Wait. Mirror, Mirror? As in the Snow White adaptation featuring Julia Roberts? :?
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

DisneyJedi wrote:Wait. Mirror, Mirror? As in the Snow White adaptation featuring Julia Roberts? :?
Yes. He will compose the score.
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TsWade2
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Post by TsWade2 »

Sotiris wrote:Alan Menken won a Grammy for "I See the Light" in the category Best Song Written for Visual Media. He was also nominated for Tangled in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category.

Congratulations, Alan! :party:
WHEE! :party:
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Post by Prince Edward »

That's great news! Alan deserved that one:)
Favorite Disney-movies: Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates, Enchanted, Prince of Persia, Tron, Oz The Great and Powerful
TsWade2
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Post by TsWade2 »

Prince Edward wrote:That's great news! Alan deserved that one:)
And for Glenn Slater too. After all, he wrote the lyrics.
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

For Alan Menken, 'Beauty' Was His 'Oscar Pinnacle'
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... ionstories

The Busiest Songwriter on Broadway
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 10218.html

Suddenly, Three More: Songwriter Alan Menken Scores a Trio of Broadway Shows
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/16 ... dway-Shows
Last edited by Sotiris on Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:24 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Polizzi »

In the lyrics (in German) of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, doesn't, "Alle Menschen," (English: all men) sound like saying, "Alan Mencken?" Coincidence, isn't it? I said it to my choir friends, and they find it funny and coincidence.
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

Alan Menken talks about religion for the first time:
While Menken admits to being on the cynical side as far as "organized religion," he says, "I am not cynical about spirituality and the sacredness of life and whatever God might mean to any of us."
Source: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/16 ... ng-Mix/pg2
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Sotiris
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Post by Sotiris »

2012 Tony Nominees Alan Menken, Jack Feldman and Harvey Fierstein Turn Old "Newsies" Into New Newsies
http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detai ... 3858/5007/

Alan Menken on 'Newsies,' Film vs. Theater and Writing 'A Whole New World'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/0 ... 82341.html

Broadway's Best Wish Upon a Star
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 04296.html

Harvey Fierstein would like to act again
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/ ... 674569.php

'Newsies’: Extra! Movie flop turned stage hit now on the road
http://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/ ... 078079.php

How Newsies went from underdog movie to hit musical
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/st ... sical.html

'Newsies' goes from Razzies to riches
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/artsand ... 3ba20.html
Last edited by Sotiris on Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Disney Duster »

With King David, Sister Act, and Leap of Faith, and, well, Disney, I had long suspected Alan Menken was a super duper Christian. But the interview suggests he really isn't that much. Maybe he still super duper loves Jesus.
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Post by ajmrowland »

^Or maybe he just likes musicals?

I didnt even know he did those live action movies.
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Post by Wonderlicious »

Disney Duster wrote:Maybe he still super duper loves Jesus.
Alan Menken is actually Jewish. :p
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Post by TsWade2 »

Wonderlicious wrote:
Disney Duster wrote:Maybe he still super duper loves Jesus.
Alan Menken is actually Jewish. :p
How do you know.
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Post by Wonderlicious »

TsWade2 wrote:
Wonderlicious wrote: Alan Menken is actually Jewish. :p
How do you know?
I think it was briefly mentioned in the Alan Menken retrospective on the Aladdin Platinum Edition DVD, though I can't quite remember. In any case, he appears on this list:

http://www.jinfo.org/Academy_Award_Original_Song.html
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Post by SWillie! »

Does it matter what his religion is?
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Post by Wonderlicious »

SWillie! wrote:Does it matter what his religion is?
No, not at all. :)
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Post by Disney Duster »

Oh yea, I think I do remember he is Jewish.
SWillie! wrote:Does it matter what his religion is?
Does anything on this forum matter? I say yes. Geeze I'm just discussing something.
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