ASCAP Honors Top Film and Television Music Composers at 21st Annual Awards Celebration; Mark Isham and Laurence Rosenthal Receive Special Awards

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) presented its Henry Mancini Award to Mark Isham and The ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award to Laurence Rosenthal at the 21st Annual ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards gala held last night (April 11) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. In addition to honoring Isham and Rosenthal, ASCAP also honored the composers of the biggest box office film music and the most performed television music of 2005. Over 750 members of the music industry elite attended the event, which was hosted by Academy Award-winning lyricist and President and Chairman of ASCAP, Marilyn Bergman.

One of the many highlights of the evening was the presentation of the ASCAP Henry Mancini Award to Grammy, Emmy and Clio award winner, and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Mark Isham in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to the music of film and television.

Some of Isham's collaborators joined Marilyn Bergman on stage to co-present the award, including Academy Award winner Paul Haggis, who wrote and directed the recent hit "Crash," Frank Marshall, who directed the Antarctic adventure "Eight Below," and Anne Archer who starred in "Rules of Engagement," "Love At Large" and "Short Cuts," which Isham scored.

Isham's musical versatility is evident in his memorable scores for such notable films as "Eight Below," "Running Scared," "Crash," "The Cooler," "A River Runs Through It," "Blade," "Nell," "Men of Honor," and "Miracle." He has composed over 70 film scores, exploring a wide range of musical styles -- in addition to the "traditional" orchestral approach; he has incorporated modern minimalism, big band swing, avant-garde jazz, Americana, world music, ambient electronica and other elements that defy such categorization.

Past recipients of the ASCAP Henry Mancini Award, which was established in 1996, include John Debney, Quincy Jones, Michel Legrand, Randy Newman, James Newton Howard, Johnny Mandel, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore, and Hans Zimmer.

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of The ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award to Laurence Rosenthal for his outstanding accomplishments as a composer in the field of film and television music. ASCAP Board Member and composer Bruce Broughton ("Silverado," "The Rescuers Down Under"), director Irvin Kershner ("Return of a Man Called Horse," "The Empire Strikes Back"), and director William A. "Billy" Graham ("Mussolini") joined Marilyn Bergman on stage to co-present the award to Rosenthal.

Rosenthal's career as a film and television music composer spans six decades. Among his best-known film scores are "A Raisin in the Sun," "The Miracle Worker," "Becket," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "The Return of a Man Called Horse," and Peter Brook's "Meetings with Remarkable Men." He has been nominated for two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and 12 Emmy Awards; winning seven Emmys for miniseries including "Peter the Great" and "Anastasia," as well as for episodes of George Lucas' "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles."

Previous recipients of The ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award, presented at ASCAP's Film and Television Music Awards, are Van Alexander and Buddy Baker.

Several veteran film and television music composers as well as some of the best and brightest of a new generation of writers were in attendance to collect their awards, which were presented in four categories -- Most Performed Themes, Most Performed Underscore, Top Television Series, and Top Box Office Films -- including, Klaus Badelt and Brian Tyler ("Constantine"), Jeff Cardoni ("CSI: Miami"), Sean Callery ("24," "Medium"), Catherine Dennis ("American Idol"), Grant Geissman ("Two and a Half Men"), Michael Giacchino ("Lost"), John Keane ("CSI"), Johnny Klimek ("Without a Trace"), Russ Landau ("Survivor: Guatemala" and "Palau"), Michael Levine ("Cold Case"), Rick Marotta ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), David Vanacore ("The Apprentice 3," "Survivor: Guatemala" and "Palau") and Lyle Workman ("The 40 Year-Old Virgin").

Also in attendance were U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and her husband Stewart Boxer, executive producer Mark Gordon ("Criminal Minds," "Grey's Anatomy"), producer Rick McCallum ("Star Wars," "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles"), producer Kathleen Kennedy ("War of the Worlds," "Munich"), and from the hit TV series, "24," executive producers Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon, director Brad Turner, and head of post production Paul Gadd.

For the complete list of winners, please visit www.ascap.com.

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 230,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP also represents the repertories created by the international affiliates of 70 foreign performing rights organizations. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com

About the ASCAP Foundation

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States.

Media, Please Note:

High-resolution photos of the 2006 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards are available for downloading from ASCAP's Press Room (www.ascap.com/press).

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