Marc Shaiman Talks Oscars, 'CATCH' and Broadway to The Los Angeles Times

As reported earlier, Oscar®-nominated composer Marc Shaiman will serve as music director for the 82nd Academy Awards, telecast producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic announced today.

The Los Angeles Times questioned Shaiman on his upcoming Oscar stint and also about his newest musical creation, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN;

The composer revealed some tidbits about his current and upcoming stage and screen projects. His musical adaptation of the film "Catch Me if You Can" is currently looking for a home on Broadway, after out-of-town tryouts in Seattle earlier this year.

"We're circling theaters like Broadway vultures," he said. "You have to actively hope for a show to fail. It's a terrible thing to think."

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Shaiman is a prolific music composer who has earned five Academy Award® nominations. He received Original Score nominations for his work on "The American President" (1995), "The First Wives Club" (1996) and "Patch Adams" (1998), and he received nominations in the Original Song category for "A Wink and a Smile" from "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993) and for "Blame Canada" from "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" (1999). Shaiman has also been nominated for four Emmy® Awards, three of which were for his work on Oscar telecasts. He won the Emmy in 1992 for co-writing Billy Crystal's "Oscar Medley" for the 64th Academy Awards. Shaiman's other film credits include "The Bucket List," "Bee Movie," "Hairspray," "A Few Good Men," "Sister Act" and "City Slickers."

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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