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2022 Emmy Nomination for Terence Blanchard

Terence Blanchard’s original dramatic score for “They Call Me Magic” has been nominated for Outstanding Musical Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) for the 2022 Emmy Awards.
The new docuseries chronicles Earvin "Magic" Johnson's life and legacy in the NBA.

Terence Blanchard’s original dramatic score for “They Call Me Magic” has been nominated for Outstanding Musical Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) for the 2022 Emmy Awards.

They Call Me Magic” is a four-part documentary series detailing the life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the iconic star of the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers. The documentary features an impressive lineup of stars, including Jerry West, Spike Lee, Barack Obama, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Riley, Snoop Dogg, Magic himself, and many others. It chronicles Magic’s storied basketball career, his struggles with the HIV virus, family life, and pivot to becoming a successful businessman and investor in the Black community.

“This nomination is an honor,” said Terence Blanchard, professor of music and global jazz studies at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, “it is humbling to be nominated for composing music for the documentary about one of my heroes, Magic Johnson—someone that I admire. Working on this documentary was a reminder of what it takes to be great and the focus and effort that are needed to be the best you can be.”

Nominations and awards are nothing new to Blanchard. The Six-time Grammy winner has also been nominated twice for an Oscar for his original film score compositions. His 2021 album Absence was nominated for both Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Jazz Instrumental Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Blanchard’s opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, premiered to great acclaim in 2019, and then opened the New York Metropolitan Opera’s 2021-2022 season.

The 74th Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater on Monday, September 12 (8:00-11:00 PM EDT/5:00-8:00 PM PDT) on NBC and will stream live for the first time on Peacock. The 2022 Creative Arts Emmy Awards will take place at the Microsoft Theater over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 3, and Sunday, September 4. An edited presentation will be aired Saturday, September 10, at 8:00 PM EDT/PDT on FXX.

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This article was originally published by UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, July 20, 2022

UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music