SAUSAGE PARTY composer Christopher Lennertz creates beautiful music for filthy edibles – Interview

By DANIEL SCHWEIGER 09/13/2016
SAUSAGE PARTY soundtrack | ©2014 Madison Gate Records

In person or conducting, Christopher Lennertz has a boyishly enthusiastic personality that could easily make you imagine he was a member of The Goonies just a few decades before. So it’s no surprise that he’s becoming a go-to composer for funny animal kids’ movies are increasingly playing a part on a diverse resume with the likes of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, HOP, MARMADUKE and CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE.  It’s a merry melody orchestral style that sings with colorful brightness and adventure. Yet in R-rating land, Lennertz is having just as much fun getting down and dirty for […]Read On »


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GALAVANT: Songwriters Alan Menken and Glenn Slater – Exclusive Interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 01/10/2016
Luke Youngblood as Sid, Karen David as Isabella, Timothy Omundson as King Richard, Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Vinnie Jones as Gareth and Ben Presley as Jester in GALAVANT - Season 2 | ©2016 ABC/Bob D'Amico

Tony- and multi-Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken is both theatre and motion picture musical royalty. Collaborating with the late Howard Ashman, he wrote the songs for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS,THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and ALADDIN. Following Ashman’s death in 1991, Menken has also worked with lyricists Stephen Schwartz and Tim Rice, but lately, he’s often teamed up with lyricist Glenn Slater on projects including Disney’s film TANGLED and the TV series THE NEIGHBORS. Now Menken and Slater are working together with writer Dan Fogelman on the TV musical comedy GALAVANT. The ABC series, now in its second season […]Read On »


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CD Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION soundtrack

By DANIEL SCHWEIGER 06/01/2015
THE LITTLE MERMAID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION soundtrack | ©2015 Walt Disney Records

Disney continues their exceptional series of hard-bound “Legacy Collection” releases with THE LITTLE MERMAID, the 1989 soundtrack, and film that really put the studio back above animated water, netting the fist of many best Song and Score Oscars for the LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS stage duo of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, whose hip energy was sought to awaken the studio from its animated doldrums with this now-classic adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fable – the first fairy tale for Disney since 1955s SLEEPING BEAUTY. What’s interesting about hearing the MERMAID in her complete, symphonic glory is just how […]Read On »


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Hail to King Timothy Omundson on GALAVANT – Exclusive Interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 01/25/2015
Timothy Omundson in GALAVANT - Season 1 | ©2015 Bob D'Amico/ABC

In ABC’s musical comedy fantasy series GALAVANT, which concludes its first season tonight, Sunday, Jan. 25, with two half-hours begging at 8 PM, Timothy Omundson plays King Richard. Richard is a genial tyrant, who kidnapped the beautiful peasant Madalena (Mallory Jansen) away from her true love Galavant (Joshua Sasse). However, Madalena has chosen Richard and his riches over romance, leaving Galavant bereft. Madalena then turns out to be much more despotic than Richard, who is somewhat baffled by his bride’s megalomania. Omundson is delighted by all of it. The actor, born in Missouri and raised in Seattle, recently wrapped up […]Read On »


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GALAVANT star Mallory Jansen sings evil in ABC series – exclusive interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 01/20/2015
Mallory Jansen stars as Madalena in GALAVANT | © 2014 ABC/Bob D'Amico

In ABC’s GALAVANT, Sundays at 8 and 8:30 PM, Australian actress Mallory Jansen (BABY DADDY, YOUNG & HUNGRY) plays sweet peasant girl turned ferocious evil queen Madalena. Created by Dan Fogelman, with songs by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater, GALAVANT tells of a knight’s (Joshua Sasse) quest to regain his true love, Madalena, who is played by Jansen. Unlike the typical hero’s love interest, Madalena happily rejects romance for position and riches. Jansen has just finished singing backup with her GALAVANT cast mates while Menken performs a medley for the Television Critics Association at an ABC party. […]Read On »


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GALAVANT creator/executive producer Dan Fogelman – exclusive interview

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 01/16/2015
Timothy Omundson stars as King Richard in GALAVANT | © 2015 ABC/Bob D'Amico

GALAVANT, airing on ABC Sundays at 8 PM with two half-hour episodes airing each week for four weeks, is unique. This is partly because it is set entirely in a fairytale realm – unlike its network mate, ONCE UPON A TIME, which is set only partially in a fairytale realm – but mainly because it is a genuine musical. Our hero Galavant (Joshua Sasse), his lost love turned evil Queen Madalena (Mallory Jansen), the wicked but mellow King (Timothy Omundson) and everyone else bursts into songs written by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. ABC throws a party […]Read On »


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Exclusive Interview: Being one of THE NEIGHBORS is alien to Simon Templeman

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 12/27/2013
Simon Templeman in THE NEIGHBORS - Season 2 - "Fear and Loving in New Jersey" | ©2013 ABC/Richard Cartwright

THE NEIGHBORS, now in its second season on ABC, Fridays at 8:30 PM, is half-hour comedy about human/extraterrestrial culture clash. The Weavers, a nice middle-class family consisting of dad Marty (Lenny Venito), mom Debbie (Jami Gertz) and three kids, move to a quiet gated community, where everyone else turns out to be from the planet Zabvron. Chief among the Zabvronians is the family next door to the Weavers. Simon Templeman plays the alien patriarch Larry Bird, who can be doleful, fretful, ambitious and wildly optimistic all at the same time. Larry is married to Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olegundoye) an they […]Read On »


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Exclusive Interview: THE NEIGHBORS creator Dan Fogelman on his ABC series

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 03/13/2013
Ian Patrick, Tim Jo, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Isabella Cramp, Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Clara Mamet, Max Charles in THE NEIGHBORS - Season 1 | ©2012 ABC/Bob D'Amico

In ABC’s freshman comedy series THE NEIGHBORS, Wednesdays at 8:30 PM, the Weaver family, headed up by mom Debbie (Jami Gertz) and dad Marty (Lenny Venito), move to an idyllic-looking suburban development – that turns out to be entirely populated by aliens stuck on this planet after they’ve lost their ability to return to home planet Zabvron. The aliens take their names from human sports celebrities, so the Weavers’ next-door neighbors – and tentative new friends – are dubbed Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) and Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundouye). The results are multiculturalism at a wider range than mere terrestrial folks […]Read On »


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CD review: BEASTLY score soundtrack

By DANIEL SCHWEIGER 05/29/2011
BEASTLY score soundtrack | ©2011 Lakeshore Records

Composing in musical footsteps where Alan Menken (aka Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Georges Auric and Lee Holdridge didn’t fear to tread, rising composer Marcelo Zarvos has written what might be the most unexpectedly pleasant score to accompany a tale as seemingly old as time. His sprightly, alt. stylings of BEASTLY are especially happy given the Goth advertising that’s accompanied this tween update, which throws the characters into a magical high school setting. Zarvos strikes an often lilting, if not sometimes downright pokey mix between lush strings, tender piano playing and subtle rock stylings. Rather than his music reflecting a […]Read On »


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Exclusive Photos from the world premiere of Disney’s TANGLED

By SUE SCHNEIDER 12/01/2010
Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore at the World Premiere of TANGLED

Rapunzel let down her hair, finally (and in 3-D) as Disney held the World Premiere of their new animated film TANGLED at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was a long backdrop that was painted to look like Rapunzel’s hair. Wigs were handed out to some of the photographers, myself included and we wore them while shooting. Mandy Moore  (Rapunzel) and Zachary Levi (Flynn Rider) posed with us as the photographers on the carpet shot our photos. It was fun, except that the long wig kept catching on everything! Walking the carpet were the stars of the film, […]Read On »


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