John Williams Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will close out the 2022 AFI Fest, the American Film Institute announced Tuesday. “The Fabelmans,” which has been touted as Spielberg’s most personal film to date, stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle and Judd Hirsch in a story inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood. The film follows the formative years of a young man as he discovers a shattering family secret, causing him to use movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself. The ensemble cast for “The Fabelmans” includes Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett and Keeley Karsten, with music by John Williams. Janusz Kaminski serves as cinematographer, and the film is edited by Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar. Production design is helmed by Rick Carter, and the costume design is overseen by Mark Bridges.

A magical event that brings the iconic festive family film Home Alone to life is set to arrive in Scotland this Christmas. Home Alone In Concert will feature the beloved film’s charming score, composed by the renowned John Williams, performed live to picture by a full live orchestra.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Home Alone, and while talk of the festive period in September might be triggering for some, events are starting to move into the holiday calendar already. As such, the classic Macaulay Culkin caper will be heading to the Opera House in November.

At the ripe young age of 90, veteran Hollywood composer John Williams says there’s still one more major film franchise he’d like to tackle: “James Bond.” The composer behind iconic scores for such blockbusters as “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jaws,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” “Jurassic Park” and “Indiana Jones” — the fifth installment of which he’s currently working on — briefly opened up about the possibility of composing a 007 score in an interview with Classic FM (via the Guardian), saying only, “I’d love it” when asked if he’d be interested in the opportunity.

At the ripe young age of 90, veteran Hollywood composer John Williams says there’s still one more major film franchise he’d like to tackle: “James Bond.” The composer behind iconic scores for such blockbusters as “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jaws,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” “Jurassic Park” and “Indiana Jones” — the fifth installment of which he’s currently working on — briefly opened up about the possibility of composing a 007 score in an interview with Classic FM (via the Guardian), saying only, “I’d love it” when asked if he’d be interested in the opportunity.

Thania Garcia During his annual Maestro of the Movies concert at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on Friday, John Williams debuted a new piece of music called “Helena’s Theme,” part of the original soundtrack for the upcoming fifth “Indiana Jones” film. Although the fifth Harrison Ford-starring entry doesn’t arrive in theaters until next June (and doesn’t have an official name yet), Williams introduced the track by discussing its title — in reference to actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character in the film — and added that he had recorded music for the James Mangold-directed film one week ago. Williams described the character as “an adventuress, and also a femme fatale… she’s many, many things… She has a kind of lyrical music, like an old movie star.”

Causeway” (A24/Apple Original Films) Though Jennifer Lawrence had a juicy supporting role in Adam McKay’s disaster comedy “Don’t Look Up” last year, we have not seen the former Katniss Everdeen in the driver’s seat of a film since the one-two punch of “Mother!” and “Red Sparrow” (released in 2017 and 2018, respectively). She returns in earnest at TIFF with “Causeway,” about a soldier with a traumatic brain injury trying to readjust to normal life. 

Not a good week of press for Brad Pitt, thanks to a couple very different lawsuits!

People, the $20.5 million settlement was described as “[resolving] outstanding issues in the litigation over homes in the Make It Right development in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.”Thanks to the settlement, which will be managed by California-based nonprofit organization Global Green, homeowners can each be reimbursed for $25,000 for past repairs, according to The Associated Press.In a statement, Pitt said, “Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community.” The actor thanked Global Green for its “willingness to step up and provide this important support for the Lower Ninth families… we are very fortunate to have Global Green’s generous continuing commitment to help address the challenges around these homes and others in need,” Pitt stated. Global Green CEO William Bridge said in the release that the company “has had an ongoing positive working relationship with Mr.

Jon Burlingame editorMike Lang, one of the preeminent pianists in Hollywood history, died of lung cancer Friday morning at his home in Studio City. He was 80.Lang played piano (or organ, harpsichord or celeste) on an estimated 2,000 film and TV scores dating back to the mid-1960s, including scores by virtually every great film composer of the past 50 years: John Williams (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Catch Me If You Can”), Jerry Goldsmith (“Gremlins,” “The Russia House”), John Barry (“Body Heat,” “The Specialist”), Henry Mancini (“10”), Alex North (“The Shoes of the Fisherman”), Elmer Bernstein (“The Rainmaker”), Miklós Rózsa (“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”) and many others.Composer Lalo Schifrin (“Mission: Impossible”) was among Lang’s earliest champions in Hollywood, adding Lang’s piano to what eventually became the Grammy-winning Paul Horn album “Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts” in 1965.

Lizzo is feeling “Good As Hell” as she takes on spicy wings and talks her rise to stardom.

NBC News feted Pete Williams with a send off at Cosmos Club in Washington as the longtime Supreme Court and Justice Department correspondent prepares to retire at the end of the month.

Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Harry Potter and more is set to retire scoring films after completing his work on the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 film.In an interview with Associated Press, Williams, 90, revealed, “At the moment I’m working on Indiana Jones 5, which Harrison Ford – who’s quite a bit younger than I am – I think has announced will be his last film,”“So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”AP notes that Ford has yet to make such a public statement. Williams did leave himself room for a return, however, telling the outlet he didn’t want to be seen as “categorically eliminating any activity” from his future plans.While Williams is moving away from scoring film, the five-time Oscar winner has stated that he will still be involved in music.

Jon Burlingame editorArtie Kane, Grammy-nominated pianist and composer of film scores including “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” and “Eyes of Laura Mars,” died Tuesday at his home on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, Wash.

John Williams is behind some of the most iconic scores in modern cinema. The list is impressive and seemingly endless: “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park,” “Indiana Jones,” “Harry Potter,” “Schindler’s List,” and more.

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment announced today that U.S. audiences will soon be able to experience Steven Spielberg’s classics E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jaws on Imax screens nationwide for the first time. E.T. will be released exclusively on Imax beginning August 12, in celebration of the film’s 40th Anniversary, with Jaws to be released on Imax and in RealD 3D beginning September 2.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticNot since Kanye and Drake played the Coliseum together six months ago has there been a coming together of forces quite so opposite on a stage in Los Angeles, or maybe anywhere. We’re speaking, of course, of the combined performance by the UCLA and USC marching bands (mentioned here in alphabetical order — no favoritism) that climaxed the official opening of the Hollywood Bowl’s summer season Friday night.It takes a lot to overshadow Gwen Stefani, the LA Phil, Gwen Stefani with the LA Phil, a pair of world-class ballet dancers, Branford Marsalis performing the film music of John Williams, and Williams making a surprise appearance to conduct his own world-premiere piece.

Star Wars fans got a treat Thursday. Harrison Ford made a surprise stop at the Star Wars Celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center to give an update on "Indiana Jones 5."  Thursday’s event marked the first in-person convention since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance at the Star Wars Celebration event in Anathema, Calif., Thursday.

Jon Burlingame editorComposer Nicholas Britell can keep a secret. The three-time Oscar nominee and Emmy winner for “Succession” has been working on “Andor,” the next “Star Wars” TV series, for the past two years, totally under wraps.Details about “Andor” were announced yesterday by Lucasfilm at the “Star Wars Experience” in Anaheim, Calif. Diego Luna will reprise his role as Cassian Andor from the 2016 film “Rogue One” in a 12-part series beginning Aug.

Harrison Ford from Indiana Jones 5.The actor made a surprise appearance at Star Wars Celebration on Thursday (May 26), sharing the photo and that he’s “very proud of the movie that we made”.Ford, who came out onstage following the classic theme by John Williams, added: “It’s a special honour for me to be able to congratulate John on his 90th birthday. I told John on another occasion that we had the chance to be together, and that music follows me everywhere I go.

The fifth installment in the “Indiana Jones” franchise will be swinging into theaters next summer!

Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance at Star Wars Celebration on Thursday to share the release date for the upcoming adventure film — in which he returns as the titular swashbuckling archaeologist: June 30, 2023.«I’m really proud of the movie we made,» Ford said of the upcoming film. «So, I will be seeing you around campus.»Ford's appearance was also to honor the 90th birthday of legendary composer John Williams, who will once again be providing the music for the upcoming film.  director James Mangold is helming the film, which also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook and more.«We have almost completed the next film featuring the music of John Williams,» Ford said of the movie music icon.

Harrison Ford appeared Thursday at the Lucasfilm panel at Star Wars Celebration to announce that Indiana Jones 5 will hit theaters on June 30, 2023.

Jon Burlingame editorWith “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” debuting Friday on Disney+, English composer Natalie Holt becomes the first woman to score a live-action “Star Wars” project, on the heels of her success with Marvel’s “Loki.”She spent four months on the project, including two months in Los Angeles recording with many of the same musicians who recorded John Williams’ new theme for the series, as revealed by Variety in mid-February.“It’s been such a fine balance, all the way along, finding the right level of ‘Star Wars’ homage, because we’ve got heritage characters,” she says, referring to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and others, “and adding in new elements as well,” she says. “These heritage characters have big themes that everybody expects to hear when they get on screen.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi”: playing John Williams’ score while filming.McGregor has long joked about how much he struggled on the prequel trilogy with not making the sound effects himself while wielding a lightsaber, as has Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen. Both have poked fun at themselves over the years for ruining takes because they were making the iconic noises.

Jon Burlingame editor“Star Trek” has always been known for its progressive casting on screen. But over seven live-action series and 13 movies dating back more than half a century, the science-fiction franchise has never had a woman composer – until now.Nami Melumad, who has been scoring the animated “Star Trek: Prodigy,” has stepped up a notch and is scoring weekly episodes of “Strange New Worlds,” the new Paramount Plus series that chronicles the voyages of the pre-Captain Kirk Enterprise.“It’s been a very busy few months,” says the Israeli-born composer, who has been writing an average of 45 minutes of music per episode of “Strange New Worlds” and is now on her 14th episode of “Prodigy” for Nickelodeon.

Hayden Christensen was ready for the fun to begin after being cast as Anakin Skywalker in. While stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Phillippe and Paul Walker had also been in contention, George Lucas decided to go with a relatively unknown Canadian actor to kick off Darth Vader's origin story.When chatting with ET in 2000, and in Christensen’s first on-camera interview after nabbing the role, he could barely contain his excitement about taking his . “I can't wait.

Jon Burlingame editorBrian Tyler, composer of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” was named a BMI Icon at Wednesday night’s 38th annual Broadcast Music Inc. Film, TV and Visual Media Awards in Beverly Hills.Tyler (above, right) is among the top 10 highest-grossing film composers of all time.

Although the show will be missing the month’s famed “Star Wars” celebration day of May 5th, the grand return of one of the franchise’s most beloved characters is almost here. Directed by Deborah Chow of “The Mandalorian,” written by Joby Harold of “Army of the Dead,” with cinematography from frequent Park Chan-wook collaborator Chung Chung-hoon, and music from Natalie Holt and John Williams, the second trailer for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” has arrived for its eagerly-anticipating fans.

Natalie Holt has been set as the composer for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, becoming the first woman to score a live-action Star Wars project. She broke the news in an interview with Vanity Fair published on Friday, also confirming previous reports that longtime Star Wars composer John Williams will provide the new show’s main title theme.

Will Smith is the most talked-about man in Hollywood right now, in the days after he walked on stage during the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife.

Will Smith has been branded "hypocritical" after a resurfaced video showed him mocking a man for being bald.The 53 year old actor left the world in shock as he slapped host Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday after he made a joke about Will's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair. However, more than two decades earlier, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor made a similar joke about bassist John Williams while appearing on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1991.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences more than once — and won.The Post looks at past winners and those to keep an eye on this year — a few high-profile nominees have the potential for record-breaking wins. And no matter what happens, this year’s ceremony is already a record-setter in one respect: It’s the first time three women — Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and Amy Schumer — have hosted the ceremony.The records for most Oscars ever for a single person are actually held not by actors but behind-the-scenes talents of various stripes.

Jon Burlingame editorPam Hupp, the real-life murderer played by Renee Zellweger in NBC’s “The Thing About Pam,” apparently had a habit of slurping her flavored soft drink from the local convenience store. It’s a recurring gag in the six-part series, and it even became part of its musical score.Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli, the composing team whose music for “The Witcher” became a viral hit in early 2020, have spent the last five months coming up with unique sounds for “Pam,” which dramatizes a small-town Missouri murder in 2011 and the botched police investigation that followed.“This is a true-crime, network show,” Ostinelli notes, “and there is a certain sound that goes with this.

BOSTON -- The music is back.For the first time since the pandemic began, the Boston Pops is holding a spring season with live performances, the orchestra announced Thursday.“The musicians of the Boston Pops Orchestra join me in expressing our sheer joy in presenting the upcoming Spring Pops season and welcoming back a live audience at Symphony Hall in 2022,” conductor Keith Lockhart said in a statement.Reviving in-person concerts will return “the power and meaning of the live concert experience,” he said.It's the Pops' first spring season since 2019, rekindling a tradition that dates to 1885.This spring's lineup will pay tribute to Pops conductor laureate John Williams, who turned 90 last month, including performances of Williams' theme for the 1980 classic, “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.”It opens on May 19 with works by composer Alan Menken, best known for “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” In June, concerts will highlight the music of jazz legend Duke Ellington, and the season will close with a night devoted to gospel.Live performances were canceled for 2020 and most of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, though the Pops ventured briefly back to Symphony Hall in December for a holiday concert series.

Southern California local Gwen Stefani will kick off the Hollywood Bowl’s 2022 summer lineup, which marks the venue’s 100th such season. The June 3 in a program also featuring the L.A. Phil, led by musical director Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced today.