SoundtrackNet has posted a 30+ minute podcast interview with Hans Zimmer. In it he discusses in great detail his work on the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and the other Pirates movies. You can hear clips from the score, and there is also a bit at the end about the new Simpsons movie. Listen to the podcast directly.

It is really fascinating to hear first hand from the composer some of the thought process that goes into producing a full movie score, especially when it spans more than one movie. I’m really looking forward to this soundtrack (more so than the actual movie…). The soundtrack will be released on May 22, just in time for my birthday!

A few other articles of interest at SoundtrackNet:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End - First Listen - A full preview of the score, including 30 second clips of each track.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End - Pick of the Week - An extensive review.

SyFi Portal reports that Battlestar Galactica will be ending after the upcoming season four in 2008. While this is not “official” news, it sounds pretty likely. The rumors have been floating around for a while now that season four might be the last.

I have mixed feelings about this. It is currently one of my favorite shows on television, and compared to some shows out there, four seasons is not very long. On the other hand, if the alternative is to have it continue and degenerate into crappy writing and plot, I’m not sure I’d want to see that. Simpsons sure would have been better off if it had finished years ago. I still have very fond memories of all seasons of Buffy and Angel, even though I wish they had continued. At least they had a chance to have an actual “end” in the storyline (although in the Whedonverse there is always room for more). I can tell the writers want to see the story come to a conclusion for BSG as well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

SoundtrackNet has posted a First Listen preview of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End soundtrack. The preview includes a nice long description of the Hans Zimmer score, including 30 second sound clips of each track.

Where the first film brought us the often-played “He’s a Pirate” theme, this third film brings in a whole new melody - a song called “Hoist the Colours”. Originally written for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, this new pirate shanty is heard throughout the score, uniting all the pirates together under one melody. We’re also taken to Singapore, where Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun Fat) gets his own Asian theme, as well as to the ends of the earth where not only do Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) get a new love theme, but it’s a super-theme that also encompasses the lost love of Davy Jones and Calypso and is versatile enough to work as a new Jack Sparrow theme as well.

Check out the preview and sound clips on SoundtrackNet.