Pharrell at The Oscars

It's the start of Oscars weekend and it's been remixed by two of the best producers in the business: Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams!

Composer Hans Zimmer and hip hop super-producer Pharrell Williams joined forces as music consultants for The Oscars (credit: Los Angeles Times)

"I hadn't seen sheet music in 20 years. When I sat down at a piano and had to sight-read, I felt like I was back in high school," he said in a joint interview with Zimmer in Friday's Calendar section. But he proved a quick study --  "But they let me learn on the job and walk around and ask questions. The only thing I know how to do is feel, and a composer has to know what sound will elicit that feeling."

For the Oscars' commission, which involved composing for interludes and walk-ons and arranging segments of the five nominees for best film score, they had only one real rule — try everything. "We went crazy. We wrote new music for everything," Zimmer said during a lunch break between rehearsals in the Capitol studio. "Some people had told us that the Oscars score is all about repeating everything. But that's just not how we're built."

Zimmer and Williams kept mum on many of the score's specifics, though Zimmer did promise that "you might see some odd faces in the orchestra."

"There will be a few surprises — it's diverse and international in the way that only musicians can be," he added.  Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams, LA Times

 Zimmer and Williams first worked together on the hit animation film, Despicable Me.

Banksy nominated for an Oscar

After the Grammys, the second red carpet event of February is coming up! On Sunday, the 83rd Academy Awards kicks off. Better known as the Oscars!

As a taster, the second annual Oscar Docs! event is being held in Beverly Hills tomorrow and Banksy's "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is up for the documentary feature prize!

The evening's event will include clips from each of the nominated documentaries in the feature and short documentary categories and a panel discussion with each group of nominees. Banksy's camp might be in attendance. Check out all the categories at the end of this post. You might be able to get tix here.

What the Academy had to say about Banksy accepting an Oscar:

"...it would not be dignified for the Academy to have somebody come up wearing a monkey’s head.” Tom Sherak, President of the Board, The Academy

Cheeky! But, whatever the outcome will be, it hasn't stopped Banksy causing more mischief and buzz! Passions ran high last week when a Banksy painting suddenly appeared on a billboard in Hollywood. When the sign company removed the poster the owner of the billboard put up a fight...and lost!

Did you know This painting goes against Banksy's M.O. as he rarely paints walls or structures that can be removed so easily. I guess this advertisement image was too tempting for Banksy and he had to get up on it! It's good that Banksy is "going local" and following in the footsteps of so many other L.A. writers and getting up high.



Other artworks also appeared around Los Angeles last week, as reported by the celebrity gossip website and TV show, TMZ. These are a lot harder to just take away, but they are at high risk of being whitewashed by graffiti-hating landlords.

Public reaction Update: I heard one of the paintings has already gone missing and the "craola bullets" has been vandalized. Banksy always gets a reaction, but with pieces being swarmed by UCLA students and gaining Facebook pages (as shown in the news video below) it's unsurprising that the feedin frenzy got out of control.

Downer Personally, I've hit my personal low-point with Banksy mania after seeing the news footage!

The question is who's responsible? The stealing of public art?...probably some rogue entrepreneur. The vandalism?...a jealous graff artist or anti-graff hero? But don't put it past Banksy himself being behind such stunts. The international man of mystery!

Banksy, Beverly Hills, CA

Banksy, Westwood, CA

Banksy, West Hollywood, CA

Banksy Makes Los Angeles His Canvas: MyFoxLA.com

THE 2010 NOMINEES ARE:

Documentary (Feature)

• "Exit through the Gift Shop" - Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
• "Gasland" - Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• "Inside Job" - Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• "Restrepo" - Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• "Waste Land" - Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

• "Killing in the Name" - Jed Rothstein
• "Poster Girl" - Sara Nesson and Mitchell W. Block
• "Strangers No More" - Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
• "Sun Come Up" - Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
• "The Warriors of Qiugang" - Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Roadblock!

Living in Hollywood has its moments. The Oscars are coming to town on Sunday, 24th (do they ever leave?) so Hollywood and Highland is closed as the staging is prepared....a full 5-days ahead?!

Yawn I pass it on the way to work. I pass it on the way home. There's nothing glamorous about that ;)