BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, Kris Kristofferson, and SHOF Curator Oscar Brand

The evening was full of special moments, including one from music impresario Paul Shaffer, who honored inductee Thom Bell with a medley of some of his most famous songs, including "I'll Be Around," "You Make Me Feel Brand New," "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time" and "You Are Everything."

Inductee Will Jennings, SHOF President Linda Moran, Kris Kristofferson, Frances Preston, and inductee Mac Davis

Hal David gave the introduction to Johnny Mercer Award honoree Kris Kristofferson: "Tonight's honoree is a Rhodes Scholar and former United States Army helicopter pilot who, in 1965, resigned his commission, gave up a teaching post at West Point, and moved to Nashville to fulfill his dream of becoming a successful songwriter."

Country star Trace Adkins did Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" proud and presented the honor to his old friend. Kristofferson then thrilled the packed audience with a performance of "Help Me Make It Through the Night."

SHOF Chairman/CEO Hal David, inductee Sylvia Moy, and Will Jennings

BMI composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) came out to help induct fellow BMI affiliate Will Jennings, citing Jennings' amazing songwriting record, which includes co-writing Barry Manilow's first No. 1 smash, "Looks Like We Made It," as well as his extremely successful partnership with Steve Winwood. Broadway vocalist Linda Eder performed his blockbuster hit, "My Heart Will Go On," from Titanic.

Trace Adkins, Will Jennings, ASCAP's John LoFrumento, Paul Shaffer, Mac Davis, Lise Davis, Sylvia Moy, Del Bryant, inductee Thom Bell, and Hal David

Former BMI President & CEO Frances Preston helped induct her longtime friend, Mac Davis. "My first remembrance of Mac Davis was from a very early Nashville music festival," Preston reminisced. "I knew at that moment that Mac Davis was going to be one of America's greatest songwriters."

Thom Bell accepts his award

Davis, who signed his own recording contract in 1970, topped the charts in 1972 with his song, "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me," and wrote the Elvis Presley classics "A Little Less Conversation," "Memories" and "In the Ghetto," which he performed to a standing ovation.

Publishing giant Allen Klein was honored with the Abe Olman Publishing Award, presented by EMI Music Publishing's Martin Bandier and Carlin America, Inc.'s Freddy Bienstock, both previous recipients of the award. Klein's close friend, Yoko Ono, sent a congratulatory letter, which Bandier read. BMI artist Gavin DeGraw then performed an amazing rendition of ABKCO artist Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Kris Kristofferson performs

The induction of BMI writer Sylvia Moy and the late Henry Cosby closed the show, presented by their longtime Motown collaborator, Stevie Wonder. The pair co-wrote many of Wonder's most famous early hits, including "I Was Made to Love Her," "Shoo Bee Doo Bee Da Day" and "My Cherie Amour," which Wonder performed during the ceremony.

Mac Davis performs

Dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. BMI is a long-time supporter of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Thom Bell	Mac Davis

Bell, a two-time Grammy winner and r&b producer/composer, helped to create the "Philly Soul" sound through his work in the '60s with the Delfonics and in the '70s with the Spinners, the O'Jays and the Stylistics. He arranged a string of memorable hits, including the Stylistics' "Stop, Look and Listen" and the O'Jays classic "Love Train."

Davis found success as the composer of the Elvis hits "A Little Less Conversation," "Memories" and "In the Ghetto." He signed his own recording contract in 1970, topping the charts in 1972 with his song, "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me."

Jennings, a Grammy and Academy Award-winning songwriter, composed wildly popular movie themes "My Heart Will Go On," from Titanic, and "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman. His work also includes Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven," Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" and Steve Winwood's "Higher Love."

Moy, a Detroit-born songwriter/producer, composed Motown such classics as Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" and Marvin Gaye's "It Takes Two." She also wrote the theme songs for the TV series Blossom, The Wonder Years and Growing Pains.

Dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. BMI is a long-time supporter of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Each student will receive three additional "master class" advanced sessions as well as a three-hour private, one-on-one session with Mr. Panzer. The winning students will also receive a 3 CD compilation of Marty Panzer's selected Lyrics That Have Succeeded and Endured, a triple CD of Lyrics By...Marty Panzer, and Barry Manilow's current release Manilow Scores - Songs from COPACABANA and HARMONY.

Scholarship recipients will be selected by the instructor based on progress made within the course, lyric writing ability and the instructor's assessment of real potential in the field of songwriting.

What past winners have said about Marty Panzer and the scholarship program:

"It was an honor to be selected as a recipient of the Barry Manilow Scholarship. Marty's genuine caring and musical insight has left an indelible mark on me and my writing for which I will be forever grateful." - Ginny Emrick, class of 2003

"Being a part of the scholarship class has been a godsend. Marty Panzer has some kind of supernatural insight and, coming from a writer that has been successful for so many years, you know it's the real deal." - Jim Dilbeck, class of 2004

"Although a believer in structure, Marty throws away any rules that may get in your way and just allows you to write with passion from your soul. I absolutely recommend the class to anyone who takes songwriting seriously and wants to raise their game." - Nancy Bates, class of 2003]]> 2005-11-22T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234411 Artists, Berry, Chuck, Charles, Ray, Clapton, Eric, Cropper, Steve, Domino, Fats, Estefan, Gloria, Hayes, Isaac, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Huff, Leon, Manilow, Barry, Nelson, Willie, Porter, David, Sherman, Robert, Simon, Paul, Sting, Wilson, Brian Songwriters Hall of Fame between now and May 20, 2005 will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to this year's SHOF induction ceremony, to be held June 9 at New York's Marriott Marquis. BMI songwriters Steve Cropper, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and Richard and Robert Sherman are among those who will be inducted.

BMI writers receive a 15% discount off the standard one-year membership fee of $50. Dues-paying members receive the following exclusive benefits:

• the opportunity to vote (with the exception of Associate Members) in SHOF's annual fall elections to determine who will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame the following spring
• the chance to participate in members-only showcase and workshop programs
• a subscription to "Words About Music," the newsletter of SHOF/NAPM
• quarterly NAPM events fliers with information about networking meetings and open mics
• an invitation to the annual SHOF Awards Dinner held each year.

To be entered in the drawing, sign up for membership now through the "Platinum Privileges" zone in the online services area.

BMI has played a vital role in the development and growth of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the list of BMI songwriting greats honored by the organization includes Chuck Berry, Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Pete Seeger, Carole King, Sting (PRS), Barry Manilow, Queen, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Eric Clapton (PRS), Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, Holland-Dozier-Holland and Barry, Maurice & Robin Gibb.

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships.

Edelman has been kicking around the music business since 1970 — first as an arranger, then a singer/songwriter, eventually becoming a popular recording artist, playing to tens of thousands of fans in the U.S. and England.

But it was as a composer for movies and TV in the ’80s and ’90s that he finally found his niche and his greatest success to date. On May 14, he joined the distinguished roster of the composers who have won BMI’s top honor for film composers, the Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement.

Director Rob Cohen (Dragonheart, XXX ) describes him as the classic Central Casting notion of a contemporary musician — “crazy, hyperkinetic” — but on a recent visit to his Beverly Hills home, Edelman was clearly humbled by the honor.

“It means a lot to me,” he says. “To have been on this journey and gotten to this place, to feel that something you’ve done is appreciated, is wonderful. It’s a good feeling to think that people have noticed.”

In fact, millions of people have noticed. Whether it’s the soaring strings of Dragonheart (1996), the tender piano of Come See the Paradise (1990), the evocative sounds of The Last of the Mohicans (1992), the warmth of While You Were Sleeping (1995) or the colorful Shanghai Noon (2000), Randy Edelman’s music has made its mark on moviegoers. And TV watchers too, considering the popularity of his catchy MacGyver theme (1985) and the enduring “Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” (1993), the theme for a short-lived Fox series that found new life as a sports anthem on NBC.

Edelman is at a loss to explain why his music resonates with so many listeners. “I’d like to think that, musically, I’m adaptable to different styles, and that I can deliver emotionally to the picture and the director something that enhances their vision,” he says.

The people with whom he works, however, are effusive in their praise of Edelman’s abilities. One word crosses everyone’s lips: melody. “Randy is in the great tradition of melody writers,” says Cohen, his collaborator on five films, beginning with Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). “Randy’s music goes right into the soul.”

“He’s one of the great songmeisters of this era,” adds director-producer Ivan Reitman, who has used Edelman on several comedies, including Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Six Days, Seven Nights (1998). “His symphonic scores are chockablock full of wonderful melodies that inform the emotionality of the scenes, and sweep you away in a kind of sweetness and joy that works well for comedies.”

Ronald Maxwell, the director of Gettysburg and this year’s Gods and Generals , says: “Randy is a great melodist. What makes him special is that the melody seems to be derived from the character and the moment. He is able to capture the deep emotion of these characters and what they’re going through.”

Perhaps that’s because Edelman has been through a lot himself. Born in Paterson, N.J., he began playing piano at the age of 5 and continued piano studies through high school and at the Cincinnati Music Conservatory. There, his classical-music studies were augmented by outside work as an arranger for James Brown’s King Records.

After college, he was signed by CBS’s April/Blackwood Music as a songwriter and soon embarked on a career as a singer, opening for The Carpenters and Frank Zappa in the early ‘70s. He got his feet wet in film scoring with the original Kennedy assassination-conspiracy film Executive Action (1973) and a handful of TV movies.

But success as a solo act, especially in England, whisked him away from Hollywood. Barry Manilow turned Edelman’s “Weekend in New England” into a top-10 hit stateside, and the songwriter became a fixture on such U.K. shows as “Top of the Pops,” even weighing in with talk-show host David Frost on the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan as president. His last solo album as an artist was 1985’s Switch of the Seasons .

Actor-turned-producer Henry Winkler invited Edelman to score the medical drama Ryan’s Four (1983), and while that gig was short-lived, Winkler’s subsequent adventure series MacGyver was not. That, inevitably, led to offers for movies. The composer met Reitman on the comedy Feds (1988), and the result was music for the director’s Twins (1988) and Kindergarten Cop .

Some of Edelman’s biggest hits have been matters of good timing or unexpected opportunity. Roger Birnbaum, a former record-company executive who was a production boss at 20th Century-Fox, recommended Edelman as a composer for director Alan Parker’s wartime drama Come See the Paradise . Although the film was not a commercial success, Edelman’s poignant theme became one of the most widely heard tunes in years thanks to its consistent use in coming-attraction trailers.

His work on Last of the Mohicans resulted in Golden Globe and British Academy Award nominations, and the soundtrack album — which he himself assembled when it appeared that no soundtrack would be issued — went platinum in no time. And his fresh, inventive scores for comedies such as The Mask (1994) have made those films even funnier.

Edelman’s reputation as television’s premier sports-theme writer is actually the result of producers’ repeated use of his many anthem-style pieces from various movie and obscure-TV scores. He won a 1996 Emmy for his musical contributions to Summer Olympics telecasts.

Producer Birnbaum contrasts Edelman’s music for such diverse movies as My Cousin Vinny, Shanghai Noon and Angels in the Outfield, noting: “Randy’s versatility doesn’t pigeonhole him into being one kind of composer for one kind of movie. He has the ability to write for all kinds of stories, whether they’re dramatic or comedic.” Adds Winkler: “Somehow, he is able to translate life into music. It is filled with emotion, with inspiring sounds that go right up your spine.”

Edelman — now at work on Nia Vardalos’ new musical comedy Connie and Carla and the DreamWorks holiday film Surviving Christmas starring Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini — continues to branch out in new directions. He recently wrote a concert piece, Transcontinental: A Mad Dash Across the U.S.A. , for conductor Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

What’s the best thing about his career? “The most fun is in the writing,” the composer confesses. “Being in a room by yourself and coming up with something that you think works. The kick is that that you get immediate feedback. You write it, you execute the recording, and you get to hear it back. And it’s going to be in a movie that’s already in the wind.”

The Barry Manilow Scholarship will be awarded to the six highest-achieving students from the Winter 2005 UCLA Extension course "Writing Lyrics That Succeed and Endure," taught by long time Manilow collaborator Marty Panzer. Each student will receive three additional "master class" advanced sessions as well as a three-hour private, one-on-one session with Mr. Panzer.

The winning students will also receive a 3 CD compilation of Marty Panzer's selected Lyrics That Have Succeeded and Endured, a triple CD of Lyrics By... Marty Panzer, and Barry Manilow's current release Manilow Scores - Songs from COPACABANA and HARMONY.

Scholarship recipients will be selected by the instructor based on progress made within the course, lyric writing ability, and the instructor's assessment of real potential in the field of songwriting.

What past winners have said about Marty Panzer and the scholarship program:

"It was an honor to be selected as a recipient of the Barry Manilow Scholarship. Marty's genuine caring and musical insight has left an indelible mark on me and my writing for which I will be forever grateful." - Ginny Emrick, class of 2003

"Being a part of the scholarship class has been a godsend. Marty Panzer has some kind of supernatural insight and, coming from a writer that has been successful for so many years, you know it's the real deal." - Jim Dilbeck, class of 2004

"Although a believer in structure, Marty throws away any rules that may get in your way and just allows you to write with passion from your soul. I absolutely recommend the class to anyone who takes songwriting seriously and wants to raise their game." - Nancy Bates, class of 2003 ]]> 2004-11-11T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234148 Artists, Diddley, Bo, Manilow, Barry, Musical Styles, Rock, Type, Important, Licensing It's a good question with a simple answer. After paying expenses, the remaining licensing revenue is distributed by BMI to affiliated songwriters and publishers. Currently, copyright owners receive approximately 85% of every revenue dollar collected. Songwriters pay nothing to join BMI.

"Many of our customers don't realize BMI operates on a non-profit basis," said Tom Annastas, Vice President, General Licensing. "We are firmly dedicated to giving the maximum amount of money possible to those whose rights we protect: the songwriters, composers and publishers. Our diligence in cost management has resulted in a substantial drop in the company's overhead rate in recent years.

"Some of our business customers are surprised to hear that BMI never earns a profit," said Annastas. "Since its founding in 1939, BMI has had a unique business model."

Like any organization, BMI does have bills: salaries, rent, office supplies and other necessary operating expenses. By decreasing those expenses, BMI is able to increase income for songwriters while keeping costs reasonable for businesses using music.

Some expense is incurred while determining what share of the revenue should be distributed to each of BMI's approximately 300,000 songwriters and publishers. To accomplish this, BMI monitors more than 500,000 hours of radio play lists in all styles and formats, including college radio. BMI also compiles music performance information from network, cable and local television. Music performances on commercial music services and during major concert tours also are reported to BMI.

Under U.S. Copyright Law, songwriters have the exclusive right to publicly play or authorize performances of their songs. Many songwriters from around the world give BMI permission to license performances of their works in the United States. BMI collects license fees on their behalf from businesses which use their music, making the licensing process easier. Without the services of BMI, each business using music is required under law to obtain permission from each songwriter for each song -- an overwhelming task for everyone. BMI makes it simple for hundreds of thousands of American businesses to have lawful access to an enormous catalog of music (approximately 4.5 million songs) from 300,000 copyright owners from more than 60 countries.

The average restaurant or bar pays about $1.50 per day for BMI's services. "It has taken this organization 65 years to reach our current level of expertise," said Annastas. "What we do is not easy, but we try to make the process simple for our business customers as well as our affiliates."

Songwriters who have composed hit songs for themselves or others are obvious beneficiaries of BMI's work. Often, songwriting royalties help unknown composers survive long before they become known as recording artists. Barry Manilow said, "BMI got me through some very lean times when I was a struggling songwriter back in New York City. They supported and encouraged me back in the early days. They have been very important to me."

Another BMI affiliate, rock legend Bo Diddley said, "The only people that ever did me right, in the 1950s and all the way up through now, is BMI," he said. "I have no regrets in my 47 years with them; everything in the book was right."]]> 2004-08-03T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233774 Artists, Charles, Ray, DeGraw, Gavin, LaBelle, Patti, Little Richard, Manilow, Barry, Morrison, Van, Musical Styles, Singer-Songwriter Bravo presents the 34th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards, the National Academy of Popular Music's annual celebration of the work and lives of composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world. The awards show will air on the NBC-affiliated cable network on Wednesday, July 9 at 9pm.

This year's inductees included such BMI legendary songwriter/artists as Queen (PRS), Van Morrison, Little Richard, Patti LaBelle, Phil Collins (PRS) and industry icon Clive Davis, as well as Jimmy Webb, Tony Bennett, and EMI Music Publishing's Martin Bandier.

This special evening was taped on June 12 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York and features special performances by the honorees and many of their presenters. Queen performs their classic hits "We Will Rock You" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" featuring Wynonna Judd. Van Morrison performs with Ray Charles, and Paul Schaffer and Solomon Burke salute Little Richard. Billy Joel performs a line-by line breakdown of Jimmy Webb's song "Wichita Lineman." Additional performances include Pink, Gavin DeGraw, Paul Williams and a very special medley honoring Clive Davis by Barry Manilow.]]> 2003-07-02T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233741 Artists, Brown, James, DeGraw, Gavin, John, Elton, LaBelle, Patti, Little Richard, Manilow, Barry, Mayfield, Curtis, Morrison, Van, Preston, Frances, Wilson, Brian, Awards, Industry Awards, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Musical Styles, Dance, Rock, Musicworld, Hitmaker Van Morrison, Little Richard (who was unable to attend), Queen (PRS), Patti LaBelle (Lifetime Achievement Award), Phil Collins (PRS) and RCA Music Group Chairman/CEO Clive Davis (Hitmaker Award). Other honorees included Tony Bennett, who received the first ever Towering Performance Award for "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" which was named Towering Song, Jimmy Webb (Johnny Mercer Award), EMI Music Publishing Chairman/CEO Marty Bandier (Patron of the Arts Award) and BMG Music Publishing Chairman Nicholas Firth (Abe Olman Publishing Award). National Music Publishers Association CEO Ed Murphy, who was the 2002 Abe Olman Award recipient but was unable to attend last year's ceremony, was also honored.

Patron of the Arts Award recipient Marty Bandier (center) is congratulated by Warner/Chappell's Les Bider and BMI's Frances Preston

Other top BMI stars who were in attendance included newcomer Gavin DeGraw, Barry Manilow, and Pink, who paid tribute to Patron of the Arts recipient Marty Bandier with an incredible acoustic version of the Janis Joplin classic, "Me and Bobby McGee."

Roger Taylor of the legendary rock band Queen, Phil Collins and Queen guitarist Brian May

The 34th Annual Induction Ceremony was presented by the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world. Founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond, BMI is proud to support the work of the NAPM/SHOF, which is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Over the course of the past 33 years, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees have included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Jim Croce, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, among many, many others.

Gavin DeGraw and BMI's Frances Preston

Tennis pro John McEnroe and Queen's Roger Taylor

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Patti LaBelle and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jr.

photos: Gary Gershoff

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the BMI Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement to composer Randy Edelman. Named after late BMI Vice President Richard Kirk, the prestigious award is given annually to the composer who has made significant contributions to film and TV music. Past recipients of the award include John Barry, Danny Elfman, Charlie Fox, Jerry Goldsmith, Earle Hagen, Michael Kamen, Alan Menken, Thomas Newman, Mike Post, Lalo Schifrin, Richard and Robert Sherman, W.G. "Snuffy" Walden, John Williams and Patrick Williams.

Randy Edelman

Merv Griffin

Eminem

Another highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the BMI President's Award to entertainer Merv Griffin. BMI created the President's Award in 1993 to honor an exceptional person in the entertainment industry deserving of special recognition. It symbolizes BMI's commitment to creative and unique individuals who have made this industry what it is today. Past awardees include Harlan Howard, Earle Hagen, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Alabama and Pete Townshend.

Recognized as one of the great melodic composers in film music, Edelman grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, studying piano at an early age and later majoring in piano and composition at the Cincinnati Music Conservatory. While in Cincinnati, he began freelancing as a music arranger at James Brown's King Records, and also wrote original music for regional theater. Upon graduation, Randy headed back to New York where he signed on as a staff writer at CBS April Blackwood Music. He worked as a music arranger and musician on Broadway and later went on the road as a musical director for many entertainers. He recorded solo records, which led him to open for such diverse groups as The Carpenters and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. His songs were recorded by such popular recording artists as Barry Manilow ("Weekend in New England"), Olivia Newton-John, Patti LaBelle, The Carpenters, The 5th Dimension, Jackie DeShannon, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Edelman became interested in using his background as a classical musician and arranger to pursue his interest in film scoring. In between his album recording, he began scoring several television and feature films including MacGyver, Maximum Security, Brisco County Jr. and several award-winning After School Specials. Within 12 years, Edelman had scored over 60 films. His diverse credits include the Golden Globe and British Academy Award-nominated score for The Last of the Mohicans, Gettysburg, Kindgergarten Cop, XXX, While You Were Sleeping, The Mask and Anaconda. Edelman has also written the NBC NFL Football Theme, the Sports Century documentary series theme, and the on-air Olympic theme for NBC. His scores have opened the Super Bowl and closed the Atlanta Olympic broadcast for which he received an Emmy Award. He is currently scoring the theme to the 2003 Wimbledon tennis tournament and Nia Vardalos's new film, Connie and Carla.

At the dinner, Edelman was honored by many of the directors with whom he has worked, being described by them as a passionate, focused, committed, free spirit with a devil-may-care attitude. Writer/Director Jonathan Lynn (The Whole Nine Yards, My Cousin Vinny) said Edelman's award was, "Thoroughly well deserved for years of writing one terrific score after another, and it's been my pleasure and privilege to work with you." Calling him one of the great songmeisters of this era, Director/Producer Ivan Reitman (Twins, Ghostbusters II, Kindergarten Cop) said Edelman, "...latches onto what's going on in the film in a very clear and emotional way, and he tries to find a musical equivalent that parallels his own emotional response."

Producer Roger Birnbaum (Connie and Carla, Shanghai Noon, Six Days Seven Nights), who has worked with Edelman since he wrote "Weekend In New England" which Barry Manilow recorded, said "...the thing that's unique about Randy is that in his compositions the basis is always a very, very beautiful melody - and that to me distinguishes him from other composers." He went on to add that; "...it's his versatility, his love of movies, his love of music that doesn't really pigeonhole him into being one kind of composer for one kind of music. He has the ability to compose for all kind of stories, regardless if it's dramatic or comedic."

Director Rob Cohen (XXX, The Skulls) added that, "...when you have a Randy Edelman score thematically things develop and interrelate, and it very much feels like an emotional world being described..." Director/Producer Henry Winkler (MacGyver) added that, "Randy brings a sweetness, an innocence, a soul to his music and somehow he can translate life into music. When you listen to it, it's filled with emotion; it's filled with inspiring sounds that literally go right up your spine."

Director/Producer Ronald F. Maxwell (Gods and Generals, Gettysburg) referred to him as a "tune factory," "...what makes him special for a motion picture is that the melody he comes up with is derived from the moment or absolutely from the character in that moment. There's nothing alien about what he does in terms of the story, so the music fits completely..."

One of the television's most successful personalities with his Emmy-award winning "Merv Griffin Show," Merv Griffin has created the scores and themes for two of the most-watched and longest-running game shows in television history: "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" He has also made significant contributions as a recording artist, songwriter and producer, and is highly regarded for his business acumen and philanthropic activities. Owner of Merv Griffin's Beverly Hilton Hotel among other hotel properties, he recently released his second autobiography, Merv: Making the Good Life Last, and has signed a deal with ABC Family to bring back his hit series, "Dance Fever."

Composers receiving the most nods at the BMI Film & Television awards included composers John Williams for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Catch Me If You Can and Minority Report; Danny Elfman for Spider-Man, The Simpsons, Men In Black II and Chicago; and Mike Post for Law &Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI and NYPD Blue. Other multiple winning composers included David Vanacore for Joe Millionaire, Survivor: Amazon and Survivor: Thailand; Thomas Newman for Six Feet Under (two awards) and Road to Perdition; and Eminem for 8 Mile and "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile (two awards).

For the second year, BMI honored the composers of the highest-ranking cable television shows of the year with the BMI Cable Television Music Award. Award recipients included Mark Mothersbaugh for Rugrats and Mind of the Married Man, Kara Dio Guardi for For The People, Howlin' Wolf for The Sopranos, Douglas Cuomo for Sex and the City, Starr Parodi and Jeff Fair for The Division, and Danny Pelfrey and David Bergeaud for Strong Medicine. BMI also gave the first Cable Mini-Series Award to Laura Karpman for Taken.

"Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile was named The Most Performed Song From A Motion Picture and also recognized for winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. "Lose Yourself" was written by Eminem and Jeff Bass and published by Eight Mile Style Music.

BMI's Emmy Award winning composers were also honored, including Newman for Six Feet Under, Glen Daum for Sesame Street, Jeff Beal for Dateline NBC: Peggy & Dorothy; Walter Murphy for "You've Got A Lot To See" from Family Guy, A.J. Gundell, Jerry Pilato, Dominic Messinger and Gary Kuo for All My Children; Lenny Williams for National Geographic Explorer - "Haunt of the Hippo"; and George Fenton (PRS) for Blue Planet: Seas of Life. 2003 BMI Film & Television Awards