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  • HOLLYWOOD BOWL'S ANNUAL MOVIE NIGHT PRESENTS THE BIG PICTURE-AFI'S GREATEST MOVIE MUSICALS
  • Sep. 3, 2006
  • The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and American Film Institute (AFI) Partner Again To Host a Live Countdown of the Top 25 Greatest Movie Musicals

    John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Perform Excerpts from the Winning Musicals Shown with Film Clips on the Bowl's Big Screens

    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 7:30 PM

    Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    I'm Singin' in the Rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling - I'm happy again! Singin' in the Rain, 1952

    I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night! And still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings and done a thousand things I've never done before. My Fair Lady, 1964

    You're looking swell, Dolly, We can tell, Dolly, You're still glowin', you're still crowin' You're still goin' strong. Hello Dolly, 1969

    Could it be? Yes, it could. Something's coming, something good, If I can wait! Something's coming, I don't know what it is, But it is Gonna be great! West Side Story, 1961

    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Mary Poppins, 1964

    What is the greatest movie musical of all time? The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, in cooperation with the American Film Institute (AFI), answers that question on Sunday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. as they team up again during the Hollywood Bowl's annual movie night. Director John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra perform portions from the top 25 song and dance movies of all time before a live audience. Movie clips from each selected film are shown on the Hollywood Bowl's large video screens as the Orchestra starts with number 25 until they reach the number one favorite. The list will not be announced prior to the concert. Following the concert, the complete list of the top 25 movie musicals will be available at www.hollywoodbowl.com and www.afi.com.

    The AFI partnership is the perfect complement to the Bowl's annual movie night, which celebrates the music of the world's most beloved films. Last summer, the two organizations counted down the greatest film scores with John Williams' iconic score from the classic film STAR WARS voted the most memorable film score. Created as a sidebar to AFI's popular AFI's 100 Years... series, AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals continues the mission of this program-to reignite an interest in classic American cinema. To determine the top 25 movie musicals, AFI distributed a ballot with 180 nominated films to a jury of over 500 leaders from the creative community, including composers, musicians, film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors and cinematographers), critics and historians.

    The earliest film nominated was THE JAZZ SINGER in 1927 with Al Jolson and the most current film was CHICAGO (2002) with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellwegger. The Minnelli family led all entries with a combined 29 nominations for actress Judy Garland (16), director Vincente Minnelli (11) and daughter Liza Minnelli (2). Top-tapper Gene Kelly has the most individual nominations with 26 (for cast, director and choreographer) while dancer Fred Astaire has 21 for cast and choreographer.

    The comprehensive list includes entries such as ALL THAT JAZZ, CABARET, CARMEN JONES, FAME, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, FUNNY GIRL, GREASE, GUYS AND DOLLS, GYPSY, HAIR, JAILHOUSE ROCK, THE KING AND I, THE LION KING, MOULIN ROUGE!, MY FAIR LADY, OLIVER, PURPLE RAIN, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, WEST SIDE STORY and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Due to the extensive number of memorable movie musicals in American film, jurors may also write in votes for up to five scores that may not already appear on the ballot. Only films from the sound era (1927 to present) are considered. The ballot for AFI's GREATEST MOVIE MUSICALS can be found at: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/100yearslist.aspx.

    AFI's 100 Years… series has garnered considerable attention from movie lovers around the world-and consistently spark national discussions of America's film history. Previous programs within this series have included AFI 100 Years…100 Movies (1998), ...100 Stars (1999), ...100 Laughs (2000), ...100 Thrills (2001), ...100 Passions (2002), ...100 Heroes & Villains (2003), ...100 Songs (2004), ...100 Movie Quotes (2005) and ...100 Cheers (2006).

    About the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE:

    AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival-as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 34 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

    JOHN MAUCERI's accomplishments extend nationally and internationally, not only to the world's greatest opera companies and symphony orchestras, but also to the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, before large television and radio audiences, and in recording studios and major publications. Mauceri has received substantial recognition for his work as one of the principal forces behind the movement to preserve two of America's great art forms, the American musical and music for the American cinema. He is equally at home conducting artists ranging from Plácido Domingo (during a live broadcast of the Grammy Awards) to Madonna (with whom he recorded the soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita), from Garth Brooks (an inaugural inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame) to the Smashing Pumpkins (for the 1996 MTV Music Awards). Carol Burnett, Chicago, John Denver, Rodney Gilfry, Jonathan Pryce, Jane Eaglen, Jennifer Larmore, Patrick Stewart, Tito Puente, Charlotte Church, and Trisha Yearwood are among the multitude of artists who have performed with Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra have presented an astonishing number of premieres, and during his year tenure, opera and ballet along with the staging of Broadway musicals returned to the Bowl. In addition to his Hollywood Bowl position as Director, Mauceri was recently elected as Chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts and has served as music director for the Pittsburgh Opera since June 2000. The 2006 Hollywood Bowl season marks Mauceri's 16th year and final season with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1991.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 at 7:30 PM

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

    The Big Picture: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA

    JOHN MAUCERI, conductor

    Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

    Tickets ($5 - $111) are on sale now online at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, or at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations). Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Rachelle Roe, 213.972.3408; Photos: 213.972.3034