Skip to main content

John Williams Honored by the L.A. Philharmonic



Earlier this week, multiple award-winning composer John Williams was honored by the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the "Celebration of John Williams" gala that opened their new season.  The event took place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and it raised $3.5 million for the L.A. Phil and its educational programs.

Among those featured were violinist Itzhak Perlman, who performed selections from Schindler's List, and L.A. Phil conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who conducted selections from The Duel and The Adventures of Tintin as clips of classic films were shown on a screen behind the stage.

The Los Angeles Children's Choir, along with the Angeles Chorale, performed "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" from Amistad.  Dudamel then had the orchestra launch into the theme from Jaws.

For the epic finale, John Williams took over the podium to conduct the orchestra in a rousing rendition of "The Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back.  Confetti in the shape of R2-D2 and C-3PO descended as Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers took to the stage.

During the gala dinner, there was a birthday celebration for Julie Andrews, and - outside the dinner - Vader and his Stormtroopers posed for pictures.  Even the Mos Eisley Cantina Band showed up to perform their own Star Wars music!

Guests at the event included William Shatner, Stana Katic, Don Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Michael Eisner, and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Of Williams, Gustavo Dudamel had this to say:

“We are here tonight to pay homage to your genius and to your heart, because you are one of the best composers in our time. But the most important thing is, you are a great human being.”

You can see more photos from the event here: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts

Source: LA Times

THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK
THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER
THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+
THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST

CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON STEVEN SPIELBERG
CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON GEORGE LUCAS
CLICK HERE FOR FACTS ON JOHN WILLIAMS

Contact Lisa at lisad@coffeewithkenobi.com

Comments

Post a Comment

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment, don't be shy.

Popular posts from this blog

Did Paul Freeman Accidentally Eat A Fly In Raiders of the Lost Ark?

The Famous Indiana Jones Fly In Belloq's Mouth Scene.  Did It Really Happen? I've always wondered if Paul Freeman unintentionally consumed a fly in this scene in  Raiders of the Lost Ark ?  It's the scene where Indiana Jones shouts down to Bellosh...I mean Belloq and threatens to blow up the ark.  Did a fly go in his mouth? I remember watching this scene back in the early eighties and my ten year old mind thought he definitely had a snack while filming.  I recall talking about 'flygate' in my school playground at the time and the general consensus with my friends was that Freeman definitely had a sneaky snack. Paul Freeman talks about the famous 'fly' scene in an interview with TheIndyExperience.com  and settled 'flygate:' This is a bit of a dicey question so don’t get too upset. (Laughs) A movie’s always got bloopers in it, some have a lot, and some only have three or four. And the most remarkable blooper was right before the opening of th

Star Wars VII Movie Poster - Every End Is A New Beginning

Star Wars VII Movie Poster Just saw this Star Wars VII movie poster on Kyle Newman's Facebook fee d.  The poster is by  Lyndon Berresford and Paul Bateman.  I am loving this.  Who do you think the two characters are?  Lando and Leia?  Han and Leia's children? Have you seen other Star Wars VII movie posters?  Let me know. Rob Wainfur @welshslider

Explaining That "Weird" Cut In Poltergeist. Read The Missing Scene

Why Is There A Strange Cut In The 1982 Horror Classic, Poltergeist? If you're a fan of the 1982 Horror classic, Poltergeist then you will be very familiar with that "weird" cut in the movie.  It's 32 minutes and 47 seconds in to the movie and the scene is where Diane is explaining the strange phenomenon that is happening in the kitchen.  First, she shows to Steve a chair scraping across the floor all on its own then she does the same with Carol Anne.  Steve leans up against the kitchen wall and is completely shocked at what just happened.  It's at this point Diane starts to explain the sensation of being pulled and then...A very abrupt cut.  One moment we are listening to Diane and suddenly it cuts to Diane and Steve at their next door neighbours door.  Why the sudden cut?  It's on the VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and even the streaming versions.  Why does this awful and weird cut exist in the movie, Poltergeist?  Watch the clip below to see the cut: Well, the ans