04 June 2009

Hey, Robert Osborne!

So, you all know that Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is, like, the best television network in existence today -- maybe not the best ever (that would be CBS, the Tiffany network, which has -- let's face it -- lost a lot of its original luster), but certainly the best today.

You also know they USED to (emphasis on USED to) do this really great competition called the young film composer competition in which people under a certain age (or whatever) competed to see who would win and be awarded the opportunity to score a silent movie that would make its world premiere on TCM.

Well, they stopped doing that. Why? Who knows.

Okeh, so I was sitting here typing away and it suddenly dawned on me that what TCM should do now (since they stopped the young composer thing) is get some grant money and hire some of the best up-and-coming professional film composers to score some silent movies -- not a competition, just let them have a go at it. I am thinking of some of the young greats like Michael Giacchino, Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell.

Wouldn't that be super? I'm not talking a lot of money, but a token. They could say they are donating to the cause of great cinema art by taking a cut in their salary and doing this. Then, TCM could premiere them, like, once a month for a year or something. Not only would great silent films get great new scores (which I cannot imagine being worse than some of the new scores they've been getting -- you know who I mean) PLUS it would be a great marketing coup for TCM, for the composers and for cinema, itself.

Are you listening, Robert Osborne?

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