# 50th Oscar Nomination John Williams



## Jerome Vonhogen (Jan 14, 2016)

John Williams just got his 50th Oscar Nomination (for "Star Wars - The Force Awakens"), and he didn't even need any samples to achieve this!

- Jerome Vonhögen


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## Mike Greene (Jan 14, 2016)

Big deal. That's only 50 more than I have.


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## givemenoughrope (Jan 14, 2016)

Eager to see Tarantino pick it up for Morricone.


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## Vin (Jan 14, 2016)

givemenoughrope said:


> Eager to see Tarantino pick it up for Morricone.



Haha, yeah, that was (and would be) awesome :D


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## sluggo (Jan 14, 2016)

Let that be a lesson...always show up for your award or the director might get drunk, spew some totally incorrect information about your awards history, and proceed to make an ass out of himself while trying to assert his supreme taste and knowledge in music.
GG's this year was an all time low. Embarrassing. Even though all the nominees do tend to have great merit...it's become clear to almost everyone in hollywood that these awards are purchased. Well...nothing like a free meal in a room full of STAHHHS!


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## resound (Jan 14, 2016)

I hope Steve Harvey isn't hosting


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## givemenoughrope (Jan 14, 2016)

sluggo said:


> Let that be a lesson...always show up for your award or the director might get drunk, spew some totally incorrect information about your awards history, and proceed to make an ass out of himself while trying to assert his supreme taste and knowledge in music.
> GG's this year was an all time low. Embarrassing. Even though all the nominees do tend to have great merit...it's become clear to almost everyone in hollywood that these awards are purchased. Well...nothing like a free meal in a room full of STAHHHS!



I only tuned in for that part after I heard he had won. It's QT: embarrassing and cool at the same time. Besides, if EM could make the trip for this then he could finally play a concert here. He's cancelled at the Hollywood Bowl twice in recent years bc he can't make the flight.


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## David Story (Jan 14, 2016)

Medal from the President.


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## givemenoughrope (Jan 14, 2016)

resound said:


> I hope Steve Harvey isn't hosting



Jamie Foxx killed that part. He's probably the only person there who is actually a 'star' imo.


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## Zhao Shen (Jan 14, 2016)

To me personally, Oscars have started meaning less and less. Hear me out - I'm not saying "oh please I'm above the Oscars" or anything to that effect. It's an incredible honor to be nominated, but the event itself is an overglorified awards ceremony whose choices are dominated by the politics of the film industry, and that's a sad thing indeed. However, I think my sentiment applies less to music, and I'm thrilled to see the Maestro pick up his well-deserved 50th nomination.


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## OleJoergensen (Jan 14, 2016)

Congratulation Maestro.


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## Guffy (Jan 14, 2016)

Eminem has more oscars than Ennio Morricone and Leonardo Dicaprio combined.


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## JohnG (Jan 14, 2016)

JW is so annoying with all his "knowledge" and "experience" and "musical genius" going on. Probably has no idea how to use Hybrid Tools. Whatsoever.


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## dcoscina (Jan 15, 2016)

I still believe winners should be voted only by fellow musicians just like any other category should- voted by their peers meaning people who actually know the craft. What does a costume designer know about marrying music to picture and vide versa? On average nothing. I know peers within the category nominate but the academy should think about extending that to the process of selecting he winners as well. I'm sure there would have been more cases of Goldsmith winning as well as Herrmann, Morricone, Broughton, James Newton Howard, Jerry Fielding, Hans Zimmer (Rain Man and Thelma & Louise and Interstellar come to mind) and the list goes on.


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## Udo (Jan 15, 2016)

Jerome Vonhogen said:


> John Williams just got his 50th Oscar Nomination (for "Star Wars - The Force Awakens"), and he didn't even need any samples to achieve this!
> 
> - Jerome Vonhögen



Does anyone really believe he deserves it??


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## Jaap (Jan 15, 2016)

JohnG said:


> JW is so annoying with all his "knowledge" and "experience" and "musical genius" going on. Probably has no idea how to use Hybrid Tools. Whatsoever.



This made my day haha. Thanks John


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## Jerome Vonhogen (Jan 15, 2016)

Udo said:


> Does anyone really believe he deserves it??


 

You mean, 'cause he ain't ... black? 

As the OP of this thread, I don't mind starting a "debate on the Oscars Race", as long as we stay away from the "Oscars' Race Debate". 

- Jerome Vonhögen


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## quidam (Jan 15, 2016)

dcoscina said:


> I still believe winners should be voted only by fellow musicians just like any other category should- voted by their peers meaning people who actually know the craft.



Actually the final voting in every category is done by all members of the academy, according to this article (if I understand this right): 

"Nominees for each category are selected by votes from members of the corresponding branches – for example, only actors vote to nominate actors in acting categories. But all members vote to nominate films for the Best Picture category. *After the nominations are announced, the full body of the Academy votes for the winners of every category via paper and online ballots.*"

http://www.ibtimes.com/oscars-2015-who-votes-academy-awards-how-winners-are-chosen-1817984


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## acicero (Jan 15, 2016)

Udo said:


> Does anyone really believe he deserves it??


I haven't seen all the other films, but I certainly think its a contender. The score has grown on me a lot and I have really started to appreciate what he has done. Its just a new chapter in Star Wars that sounds different for a whole bunch of reasons, but is good music in the end.


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## Pingu (Jan 15, 2016)

Udo said:


> Does anyone really believe he deserves it??



Please let that be a joke! Not only does he deserve the 50 nominations, but also deserves far more wins than he's had. Almost every time he picks up his pen he produces the year's best score by a mile, but it seems to be politically incorrect to give the award to the best work over and over. It's almost as if the panel deliberately give it to an also-ran in order to encourage them.

I mean, who honestly thought 'Fellowship of the Ring' was a better score than Harry Potter or A.I.? Sure I loved the film, and the music was passable in context, but hardly a work of art. Whereas Harry Potter was just sublimely crafted. And Empire Strikes Back - the greatest film score of all time - beaten by Fame, a bunch of watered down 70s easy listening.


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## Vin (Jan 15, 2016)

Udo said:


> Does anyone really believe he deserves it??



Not his best, I agree, but miles better than Jóhannsson 2-note glissando score (and I'm a fan of Jóhann). Burwell's score is at times a close emulation of Philip Glass' work, but great nonetheless, my favorite besides Morricone's score.


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## patrick76 (Jan 15, 2016)

Morricone's score is also my favorite. A real standout this year. It is always nice to hear something that isn't following the trends and is very successful. Not that I feel the trends are bad, but sometimes the repetition can be tiring. I haven't seen Star Wars yet (I think I'm the last human on the planet that hasn't) but am looking forward to it.


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## Zhao Shen (Jan 15, 2016)

It's much easier for composers and people who enjoy orchestral music in general to appreciate Williams' score. It's not the same type of score as the previous six he's done for Star Wars, but I found myself really loving the nuances and fresh approach.


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## Baron Greuner (Jan 15, 2016)

edited


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## pavolbrezina (Jan 15, 2016)

Thomas Newman has 13 (!) nominations and not single one Oscar (even worse than diCaprio statistics). I wish he win this year...


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## mwarsell (Jan 15, 2016)

Thomas Newman likes to take a Bach minuet and improvise dreamy piano sequences over it.

*gets some popcorn*


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## Baron Greuner (Jan 15, 2016)

edited


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## StrezovSampling (Jan 15, 2016)

mwarsell said:


> Thomas Newman likes to take a Bach minuet and improvise dreamy piano sequences over it.
> 
> *gets some popcorn*


Have you listened to 'The Good German'?
George


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## Aenae (Jan 15, 2016)

pavolbrezina said:


> Thomas Newman has 13 (!) nominations and not single one Oscar (even worse than diCaprio statistics). I wish he win this year...


And Williams has received 19 nominations since his last win which was 22 years ago.


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## Jerome Vonhogen (Jan 15, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> The greatest living _working (not semi retired) _film composer musically today is Thomas Newman.
> Why has Tom Newman never won an Oscar. Don't really know.


 

Well, he could always clean out the attic and play with his father's nine Oscars before his brother takes the golden statues and melts them down to pay for his coast-to-coast concert tour with the Chipmunks.

The point being, you should never trust a singing squirrel if you want to be a successful composer with an Oscar (or never trust a brother who trusts singing squirrels for that matter). 

- Jerome Vonhögen

PS: Just in case you hate squirrels and therefore missed the reference, David Newman scored the Alvin and the Chipmunks "Squeakquel".  He is another Oscar nominee who never won the Academy Award, by the way.


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## Jetzer (Jan 15, 2016)

Pingu said:


> I mean, who honestly thought 'Fellowship of the Ring' was a better score than Harry Potter or A.I.? Sure I loved the film, and the music was passable in context, but hardly a work of art. Whereas Harry Potter was just sublimely crafted. And Empire Strikes Back - the greatest film score of all time - beaten by Fame, a bunch of watered down 70s easy listening.



Wow, if any score deserved the award the last two decades it was fellowship of the ring.


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## Andrajas (Jan 15, 2016)

JH said:


> Wow, if any score deserved the award the last two decades it was fellowship of the ring.


I agree, that score is something special and is also my favorite score.


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## Pasticcio (Jan 15, 2016)

Zhao Shen said:


> To me personally, Oscars have started meaning less and less. Hear me out - I'm not saying "oh please I'm above the Oscars" or anything to that effect. It's an incredible honor to be nominated, but the event itself is an overglorified awards ceremony whose choices are dominated by the politics of the film industry, and that's a sad thing indeed. *However, I think my sentiment applies less to music, and I'm thrilled to see the Maestro pick up his well-deserved 50th nomination.*


I'm not saying it was related to politics, but somehow Hancock's rearrangments of an *existing *score won in the category of best *original* score over Morricone's The Mission, Horner's Aliens & Goldsmith's Hoosiers... So yeah. Hooray for awards :D


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## Hanu_H (Jan 15, 2016)

Guys come on, it's really annoying that some of you post all the threads to Sample Talk. Do you see any talk about sample libraries here? There is a reason for different sections at this forum. Wouldn't this topic be more at home in Off Topics - General Musings - Universe Repair than Sample Talk?

-Hannes


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## Jerome Vonhogen (Jan 15, 2016)

Hanu_H said:


> Guys come on, it's really annoying that some of you post all the threads to Sample Talk.


 

That would be me, I guess. I don't start threads very often, so I apologize for this one (not for the threads of other members). If I had known this would be such a big deal, I would have been more careful.

I must say, in my defense, that the forum layout is very confusing on my Note 4 Samsung smartphone. Most of the time, I can't see what section of the forum I'm posting in, so if you wish to be less annoyed by those misplaced threads, then please display the section names clearly visible at the top of every page of every thread, so at least we know when we break a holy forum rule.

By the way, I can't control what people write in this thread. It's their choice entirely. I cannot be blamed for the fact that in this thread no one talks about sample libraries, and I don't think I'm supposed to monitor or correct this either.

- Jerome Vonhögen


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## germancomponist (Jan 15, 2016)

Jerome Vonhogen said:


> If I had known this would be such a big deal, I would have been more careful.


It is not "such a big deal", but we all have to be careful, also you! With your hype you can not ridicule it. Who do you want to impress with this sentence?


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## dcoscina (Jan 15, 2016)

quidam said:


> Actually the final voting in every category is done by all members of the academy, according to this article (if I understand this right):
> 
> "Nominees for each category are selected by votes from members of the corresponding branches – for example, only actors vote to nominate actors in acting categories. But all members vote to nominate films for the Best Picture category. *After the nominations are announced, the full body of the Academy votes for the winners of every category via paper and online ballots.*"
> 
> http://www.ibtimes.com/oscars-2015-who-votes-academy-awards-how-winners-are-chosen-1817984


I'm aware of that hence why I was suggesting that in the future the academy stick with the dept only to nominate and vote on a winner because they would know better than unrelated depts as far as what a good score is. Most people off the street are rather uninformed about how music functions in film. They just like a catchy tune which is why Fame beat Empire Strikes Back or Midnight Express won over Superman...


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## Jerome Vonhogen (Jan 15, 2016)

germancomponist said:


> It is not "such a big deal", but we all have to be careful, also you! With your hype you can not ridicule it. Who do you want to impress with this sentence?


 

I'm sorry if I sounded sarcastic. The truth is, I always use the "Latest Post" button when I visit the forum, so I usually don't pay attention to categories and sections. In a mobile browser, you can't see what category you're in, once you are in a specific thread. I thought it would be relevant to mention this, not as an excuse, just as an opportunity to improve things.

Now, about John Williams' 50th Academy Award nomination, I remember that JW once said in an interview that his wife would always wear black at the Oscars, because he had "lost" so many times at the event. Does anyone know which interview that was? I would like to watch that again.

- Jerome Vonhögen


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## Hanu_H (Jan 16, 2016)

Jerome Vonhogen said:


> That would be me, I guess. I don't start threads very often, so I apologize for this one (not for the threads of other members). If I had known this would be such a big deal, I would have been more careful.
> 
> I must say, in my defense, that the forum layout is very confusing on my Note 4 Samsung smartphone. Most of the time, I can't see what section of the forum I'm posting in, so if you wish to be less annoyed by those misplaced threads, then please display the section names clearly visible at the top of every page of every thread, so at least we know when we break a holy forum rule.
> 
> ...



Hey Jerome. It's not a big deal, just something everybody should think when posting. I visit this forum all the time with my phone and tablet, I always know which section I am in. If you want to start a thread just go to the right section and then start it. That last one is just ridicilous, of course there is no need to monitor what others say. But starting a thread about Oscars will not likely create talk about sample libraries, thats why it belongs to the other section...

Don't get offended by this, now it seems to be in the right place. Carry on with the conversation.

-Hannes


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## Baron Greuner (Jan 16, 2016)

How many Oscars did Alfred Hitchcock win?

Go on. Look it up look it up.


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## Pingu (Jan 16, 2016)

JH said:


> Wow, if any score deserved the award the last two decades it was fellowship of the ring.



Well obviously you're entitled to believe that, but I still maintain that it's one of the most overrated scores of all time, benefitting from the humungousness of the film's general hype and success. I wouldn't have minded the courtesy nod to Shore after the third film, to acknowledge the size of the whole trilogy, but there's no way the first film outdid Harry Potter in any way.


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## Baron Greuner (Jan 16, 2016)

^^^^^

It's basically a bit of a dirge. But there's some great moments too. It works with the films for the most part. But this is the bollocks you always get with the Oscars.

If anyone really doesn't get this yet, go and check the score nominations for 1960 and then.................GO FIGURE!


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