"A frightened captain makes a frightened crew." -- Sinclair Lewis
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COUNTDOWN TO NARNIA: ONE MORE DAY ...
EMI CMG Distribution will release Walt Disney Records' two versions of the soundtrack for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to Christian retail on Tuesday, Dec. 13, just after the film opens nationwide this Friday.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Original Soundtrack will feature the sweeping orchestral score by composer Harry Gregson-Williams plus four original songs: "Can't Take It In," performed by Imogen Heap, "Winter Light" by Tim Finn (formerly of Crowded House), "Where" performed by Lisbeth Scott, who lent her vocal talents to the Shrek and Passion of the Christ soundtracks, and "Wunderkind" performed by Alanis Morissette.
The Special Edition Soundtrack set -- created for the ultimate Narnia collector -- includes a 40-page collectible souvenir booklet filled with film imagery, liner notes by director Andrew Adamson and quotes from Gregson-Williams.
The package will include a DVD with a Film Art Gallery, Concept Art Gallery, the Theatrical Trailer, Behind the Magic of Narnia: Featuring the Score with Harry Gregson-Williams and Music Inspired by the Film. The latter features interviews and song samples from Inspired by album on EMI CMG Label Group, featuring Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, Bethany Dillon, TobyMac, Nichole Nordeman, Jars of Clay and more.
"We're seeing incredible sales increases and excitement for all things Narnia as we near the release of the movie and the soundtracks," says Greg Bays, senior vice president of sales and marketing for EMI CMG Distribution. "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a beloved story for so many Christians who are now rallying around the Hollywood movie release with similar zeal we saw with Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ."
The two CDs follow the late September release of EMI CMG’s Inspired By project, which has been steadily climbing the charts and gaining momentum, with scans of more than 62,000 units sold thus far. Chapman's song "Remembering You" is being worked to Christian and Mainstream Hot AC radio and Jars of Clay's "Waiting For The World" will be worked to Triple A radio formats.
Chapman's music video for "Remembering You," featuring clips from the movie, has been serviced to video outlets nationwide and premiered on http://music.yahoo.com this week.
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MORE FOR GILEAD
2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead has now also claimed the 2006 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion. It is the first time a novel has won the Grawemeyer religion prize, which is given jointly by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the University of Louisville.
Described as "profoundly theological but never preachy," Marilynne Robinson's novel takes the form of a diary written in the late 1950s by John Ames, a third- generation Congregationalist minister in the small town of Gilead, Iowa. As Ames' heart is failing, he writes the diary as a legacy to his young son.
Ames reflects in the diary on his life and ministry and on the often tangled relationships of fathers and sons. His theological musings, a seamless part of the story, evoke thought about God's continuous re-expression, how Christ stands waiting to take sins upon himself and how the "other" remains life's greatest mystery. The Grawemeyer Foundation at U of L annually awards $1 million each year -- $200,000 each for works in music composition, education, ideas improving world order, religion and psychology.
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PRINT TO SCREEN
Grizzly Adams Productions recently acquired the TV/DVD rights to two best-selling books exploring the lives and teachings of the apostles. The books Twelve Ordinary Men (W Publishing Group) by John MacArthur and The Search for the Twelve Apostles (Living Books/Tyndale House) by William Steuart McBirnie will be featured in a documentary to appear on "i" Independent Television network (formerly PAX TV).
The broadcast version of the show will release during 2005 while the DVD will be a 2006 Easter release.
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IT'S JUST AN HONOR TO BE NOMINATED ...
Infuze Magazine is publishing a collection of their best Short Stories and Poems from 2005 -- and asking readers to help decide which stories and poems make it into the volume.
The nominated short stories were announced yesterday. This is a great time to catch up on any of the great stories you missed this year: Here are direct links to all the nominated stories.
Cast your vote here. (Eligible poems will be announced later this week.)
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Chris Well is the author of the suspense thriller Forgiving Solomon Long (Harvest House). He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Inc. Find him online at StudioWell.com, or at his new blog, Chris Well: Learning Curve. (Subscribe to the RSS Feed).
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