Loaded Couch Potatoes

While there have been rumors floating around for the last several months about the possibility of a new Indiana Jones movie being made, there has been nothing definitive said … until now.

Speaking at Dragon*Con today, Karen Allen said that it was her understanding that the plan is to film in the summer of 2011 for a release in 2012.

Obviously it took quite a while to get a script for the fourth film that all parties could agree on, so there could be a delay again.

However, Allen told a story about spending time with Steven Spielberg at the Tanglewood Music Festival – where they heard a new extension of “Marion’s Theme” composed and conducted by John Williams. At that time Spielberg excitedly told her “We’re doing another one.”

Time for a confession: there’s something about the Harry Potter franchise — be it the novels or the movies — that just doesn’t connect with me.  I’ve enjoyed it, overall; I read the final three novels as soon as I could get my hands on them, and I’ve seen each of the movies at the earliest available opportunity.

But they’re not sticking with me, for some reason.  I can remember a few details here and there, and the broad strokes of the stories are still more or less present in my head … but I spent a large portion of the sixth movie thinking to myself, “Man, I don’t remember much of this.”

Is that a problem with me or a problem with the movie(s)?

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The Hollywood Reporter has issued its rankings of the top 100 film scores of all time.

Topping the list is Nino Rota’s classic score for The Godfather.

The composer with the most total scores on the list is (of course) John Williams with eight (including four in the top ten).  Following him were Bernard Herrmann with seven and Jerry Goldsmith with six.

Overall, a list full of great scores … but any Top 100 Scores list that doesn’t include Conan the Barbarian is iffy in my book.

The Independent has a review of the London opening of Star Wars, A Musical Journey.

The stage show is not what you might expect from that title; rather than being a tasteless, production-number-filled travesty (like the Star Wars Holiday Special), it’s a celebration of John Williams’ classic scores for the film series.

Host Anthony Daniels performs live narration, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs roughly two hours worth of Williams’ music, all of which is backed by numerous film montages on a big cinema screen.

The production is expected to begin a world tour later this year, but details have not been announced.