Husband-and-wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are no strangers to writing musical earworms. They’ve won Oscars for “Let It Go” from “Frozen” and “Remember Me” from “Coco” and an Emmy for “Agatha All Along” for “WandaVision.” Now they’re reuniting with friends and family, penning “You Are the Music” for the Apple TV Plus animated comedy “Central Park,” which returns to the streamer March 4.
Songwriters Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Kristen’s sister) invited the duo to write a song, and it was an offer they couldn’t turn down. “The family ties to ‘Central Park’ are huge,” says Anderson-Lopez. Rory O’Malley was in the Broadway show “The Book of Mormon” (which Lopez co-wrote and for which he won a Tony Award), and Josh Gad voiced Olaf in Disney’s “Frozen.” The scripts for the new season of “Central Park” came with four empty song slots. “We picked...
Songwriters Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Kristen’s sister) invited the duo to write a song, and it was an offer they couldn’t turn down. “The family ties to ‘Central Park’ are huge,” says Anderson-Lopez. Rory O’Malley was in the Broadway show “The Book of Mormon” (which Lopez co-wrote and for which he won a Tony Award), and Josh Gad voiced Olaf in Disney’s “Frozen.” The scripts for the new season of “Central Park” came with four empty song slots. “We picked...
- 3/11/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Award nominations should not be surprising at this point to husband-and-wife composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. Between them, they have won practically every entertainment award on the books for beloved projects like “Frozen,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Coco” and “Avenue Q.” and accomplished the first feat before he was even 40 years-old.) But even they could not have predicted the attention that their mic-drop reveal song “Agatha All Along,” as heard in the eventful seventh episode of Disney+ and Marvel’s “WandaVision,” would end up garnering.
In a Q&a with TheWrap, the Lopezes discuss their Emmy nominations (they are nominated in the Main Title Theme Music category as well as Music and Lyrics), the shock of seeing their infectious, just-over-one-minute ditty charting on Billboard, and why Kathryn Hahn is such a pro she needs to be shared with family.
Congratulations on the Emmy noms! I’m actually going to...
In a Q&a with TheWrap, the Lopezes discuss their Emmy nominations (they are nominated in the Main Title Theme Music category as well as Music and Lyrics), the shock of seeing their infectious, just-over-one-minute ditty charting on Billboard, and why Kathryn Hahn is such a pro she needs to be shared with family.
Congratulations on the Emmy noms! I’m actually going to...
- 8/13/2021
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
“Central Park” creator Josh Gad actually called the election results early during a Zoom call with the show’s composers Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel. “I’ll never forget that because we all just cried, and then he was like, ‘No wait, never mind that was a fake news article,’” Samsel says. Gad, who also stars in the series as a busker named Birdie, turned out to be right.
Now in its second season, the Apple TV Plus show follows the Tillerman family as they continue to navigate living in and caring for the world’s most famous park. Molly (Emmy Raver-Lampman replaces Kristen Bell) experiences the trials and tribulations of adolescence, Cole (Tituss Burgess) is challenged by a truly embarrassing moment at school, Paige (Kathryn Hahn) continues to chase down the mayor’s corruption story, and Owen (Leslie Odom Jr.) juggles managing the park, his staff, and his family...
Now in its second season, the Apple TV Plus show follows the Tillerman family as they continue to navigate living in and caring for the world’s most famous park. Molly (Emmy Raver-Lampman replaces Kristen Bell) experiences the trials and tribulations of adolescence, Cole (Tituss Burgess) is challenged by a truly embarrassing moment at school, Paige (Kathryn Hahn) continues to chase down the mayor’s corruption story, and Owen (Leslie Odom Jr.) juggles managing the park, his staff, and his family...
- 7/16/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
When Josh Gad needed original songs for a new show, the first people he turned to were the songwriting team of Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, whom he had met on Disney’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.”
The Apple TV Plus animated series “Central Park” follows the Tillermans, a family living in a castle in New York’s Central Park, as they battle investors who threatening to build hotels and condos on the park grounds.
With each episode boasting anywhere from three to six original songs, it was a dream come true for Samsel and Anderson. Not only did they love Gad, but they loved New York City — Samsel in particular connected with his park busker character, Bertie, on a personal level.
Ahead of the show’s season finale, Variety spoke to Samsel and Anderson about writing tunes for the toon.
How did Josh approach you for “Central Park?”
Kate...
The Apple TV Plus animated series “Central Park” follows the Tillermans, a family living in a castle in New York’s Central Park, as they battle investors who threatening to build hotels and condos on the park grounds.
With each episode boasting anywhere from three to six original songs, it was a dream come true for Samsel and Anderson. Not only did they love Gad, but they loved New York City — Samsel in particular connected with his park busker character, Bertie, on a personal level.
Ahead of the show’s season finale, Variety spoke to Samsel and Anderson about writing tunes for the toon.
How did Josh approach you for “Central Park?”
Kate...
- 7/25/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
When Josh Gad approached songwriters, Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel, about writing original numbers for his animated show, “Central Park,” he didn’t have to say much to convince them to come on board. Anderson explains, “He said, ‘Do you know the show ‘Bob’s Burgers?’’ And I was like, ‘Are you doing something with Loren Bouchard?’ He said yes and I said, ‘Say no more. We’re in!’ We’ve been dying to work with him, he’s a hero of ours.” Samsel adds that learning about the what the show was actually about and her personal connection to specific aspect only made them more excited to be a part of the project. “He said the main character is going to be a busker and I freaked out because I used to play my violin and busk with my case open in Central Park.”
SEEJosh Gad Interview: ‘Avenue 5’ and...
SEEJosh Gad Interview: ‘Avenue 5’ and...
- 7/2/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
(l-r) Renée Webster with cast members Ben Mortley and Keala Kern and Dop Darrell Martin (Photo credit: Nic Duncan).
Australian children’s TV series rarely venture into the fast-paced action adventure genre. Rarer still is a teenage protagonist who is highly intelligent and passionate about science.
That’s the premise of Itch, the 10-part ABC-tv series now shooting in Albany, Wa, produced by Komixx Entertainment in association with Feisty Dame Productions.
It was an irresistible hook for Renée Webster, who directed the first block before handing over to co-director Nick Verso.
Adapted from former BBC broadcaster Simon Mayo’s novel Itch, the series stars Waapa graduate Samuel Ireland as Itchingham Lofte, a science-obsessed teen who pursues the unusual and sometimes dangerous hobby of collecting all the elements on the periodic table.
“I am attracted to projects whose values resonate with mine: that is really important,” she tells If. “Nick and...
Australian children’s TV series rarely venture into the fast-paced action adventure genre. Rarer still is a teenage protagonist who is highly intelligent and passionate about science.
That’s the premise of Itch, the 10-part ABC-tv series now shooting in Albany, Wa, produced by Komixx Entertainment in association with Feisty Dame Productions.
It was an irresistible hook for Renée Webster, who directed the first block before handing over to co-director Nick Verso.
Adapted from former BBC broadcaster Simon Mayo’s novel Itch, the series stars Waapa graduate Samuel Ireland as Itchingham Lofte, a science-obsessed teen who pursues the unusual and sometimes dangerous hobby of collecting all the elements on the periodic table.
“I am attracted to projects whose values resonate with mine: that is really important,” she tells If. “Nick and...
- 3/20/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Get into the holiday spirit early, Frozen-style! Snippets of new songs from the upcoming sequel featurette Olaf's Frozen Adventure were released Friday. The special sees Olaf, voiced by returning star Josh Gad, seeking to set new family holiday traditions for Anna and Elsa, who have none. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, who reprise their roles as the sisters, sing the duet "When We're Together." The featurette also contains the songs "Ring in the Season," performed by Bell, and "That Time of Year," performed by Gad. The special contains four original songs overall, all written by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. Olaf's Frozen...
- 9/8/2017
- E! Online
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