Post, known for his hit themes from such top television shows as Rockford Files, Hill Street Blues and Law & Order, thought it would be fun to call up his friends, jam in the studio and see where it takes them. The result, the upcoming 15-song release What a Life, due in stores May 15. The L.A. Blues Alliance recently celebrated by debuting their songs at the House of Blues, West Hollywood.

Fellowship winners are given the opportunity to intern with renowned BMI composer Mike Post in his Los Angeles studio and meet with other distinguished theatrical, film and TV composers. A stipend for travel and living expenses is also part of the award. Post, Carpenter's longtime writing partner, has penned some of the most memorable theme songs in television history, including Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, Magnum P.I., NYPD Blue, Law and Order, L.A. Law, The Rockford Files, Quantum Leap and City of Angels.

Gregory Tripi is a classically-trained composer of music for film, television and multimedia. An accomplished musician on piano, bass, bassoon and sitar, he has studied film scoring, music synthesis and composition with many extraordinary teachers at both Berklee College of Music and the University of Alabama. His dedication to the art has earned him recognition as a talented composer and a well-versed electronic musician.

Tripi has won several prestigious awards for his music, including the Georges Delerue Film Scoring Award, the Thomas Dolby Production Award and the 2005 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Music Internship working with BMI composer W.G. Snuffy Walden.

Based out of his studio in Boston, Tripi's recent projects include Trust The Process, a documentary featured on Cambridge Television Network; Fire Stream, a short film by Fireside Productions & Gourly Filmworks; Trumpery, a short film by Fallenstar Film Productions featured at the Canadian Youth Film Festival; Life Is a Cabaret, a film by David Zermeno; The Five Essential Messages of Family Literacy, a commercial for Child Care Resource Center; and the short film Conversations in Black and White by Boston-based Anima Films.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 97% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.

BMI's Ivanne Deneroff, composer David Schwartz (Northern Exposure, Arrested Development, Deadwood) and BMI's Linda Livingston.

BMI's Linda Livingston, composer W.G. Snuffy Walden (The West Wing, Providence, Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life) BMI's Ivanne Deneroff.

BMI's Ivanne Deneroff, composer Earl Hagen (The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, The Mod Squad, Gomer Pyle, That Girl) and BMI's Linda Livingston.

The BMI Family photo

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the BMI award for Outstanding Career Achievement to Spider-Man composer Danny Elfman. Named after past BMI Vice President Richard Kirk, the prestigious award is given annually to the composer who has made significant contributions to film and TV music. Past recipients of the award include John Barry, Charlie Fox, Jerry Goldsmith, Earle Hagen, Michael Kamen, Alan Menken, Thomas Newman, Mike Post, Lalo Schifrin, Richard and Robert Sherman, W.G. “Snuffy” Walden, John Williams and Patrick Williams.

Spider-Man Composer Danny Elfman with BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston

A highly prolific and influential musician, Elfman carries dual notoriety - that as a highly respected and revered composer and as the lead singer of seminal Southern California rock band Oingo Boingo. Elfman entered the world of film music in 1985, when director Tim Burton and star Paul Reubens called him to write the music for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. In addition to Spider-Man and Pee-Wee, other scores include the upcoming Men In Black II (opens July 3), Men In Black, Planet of the Apes, Proof of Life, Spy Kids, Sleepy Hollow, Family Man, A Simple Plan, Good Will Hunting, Mars Attacks!, Mission: Impossible, Dead Presidents, To Die For, Dolores Claiborne, Black Beauty, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Batman Returns, Midnight Run, Scrooged, Beetlejuice, The Simpsons, Tales From The Crypt, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Amazing Stories, as well as songs for such diverse films as Ghostbusters 2, Weird Science and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

BMI Richard Kirk Outstanding Career Achievement Award recipients past and present: W.G. Snuffy Walden, Thomas Newman and Danny Elfman

Elfman has also won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for the theme to Batman, a Saturn Award for Best Score for The Nightmare Before Christmas, and has been twice nominated for an Academy Award.

Producer T Bone Burnett being interviewed for bmi.com

At the dinner, Elfman was feted by many of the directors with whom he has worked. Burton, who spoke about having seen Elfman with Oingo Boingo in clubs in Southern California before ever meeting him, described him as “�a real artist in the sense that he is like his music and his music is like him. From the very beginning it was always exciting for me to work with someone who was experiencing things new and coming at it from an interesting perspective. He brings that intuitive excitement to a project. He respects tradition without doing it exactly. He’s able to understand things people don’t understand on the surface and get underneath it, like a silent movie to where you’re part of the emotion of it without overstating it.”

George S. Clinton, Sam Phillips and T Bone Burnett

Calling Elfman’s music for Spider-Man “rousing and uplifting,” director Raimi said, “�I feel like he always waits for the film and the audience to create a feeling together, and I think what Danny does is he gently carries the audience to that next place - but he allows them to do the work. He has the unique ability to create a soul to his music. He’s a genius, he really is, that ‘can’t’ word can’t be thrown about it, but when you listen to his music and the diversity of it and how successful it is with the images, I don’t know if there’s a better word to describe him.”

Director Barry Sonnenfeld ("Men In Black," "Men In Black 2") and Danny Elfman

Also honored with BMI Film & Television Awards was composer John Williams, who received the most crystal statuettes during the presentation, with four for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Jurassic Park III, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Composer Mike Post led the way for Television Awards, receiving three for Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and NYPD Blue. Composer David Newman received two awards for Ice Age and Dr. Dolittle II. A number of recording artists who are making a name for themselves in the worlds of film and TV music received awards including BT for The Fast and The Furious, Moby for the 2002 Winter Olympics, Paul Oakenfold for Swordfish, David Holmes for Oceans 11 and Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh for Rugrats.

Danny Elfman and Director Brett Ratner ("Red Dragon")

Composer T-Bone Burnett received a special Certificate of Achievement for the five-time Grammy Award-winning O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, as did the composers of the original music for the 2002 Winter Olympics, including the aforementioned Williams and Moby, as well as Kurt Bestor, Sam Cardon, David Foster, Michael Kamen and Linda Thompson.

BMI's Frances W. Preston, T Bone Burnett and BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross

This year also marked the first time BMI presented Cable Television Music Awards to the composers of the highest-ranking cable television shows of the year. Award recipients included Guy Moon for Chalkzone and Fairly Oddparents, Jim Johnston for WWF Monday Night RAW, Howlin’ Wolf for The Sopranos, Douglas Cuomo for Sex and the City, Michael Kamen for Band of Brothers and Thomas Newman for Six Feet Under.

Director Barry Sonnenfeld, Danny Elfman, BMI's Frances W. Preston, director Brett Ratner and BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross.

BMI’s Emmy Award winning composers were also honored, including Patrick Williams for “A Dream That Only I Can Know” from Yesterday’s Children; Buckwheat Zydeco for Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich; Brian Siewert for “Where There Is Hope” from Guiding Light; Lolita Ritmanis, Michael Mc Cuistion and Kristopher Carter for Batman Beyond; and Gary Kuo, Robert Sands and Dominic Messenger for As The World Turns.

Don Davis and Christopher Young

High-resolution photos of the 2002 BMI Film & Television Awards will be available for downloading on the BMI Media Relations web site at press.bmi.com.

BMI's Frances W. Preston and composer Patrick Williams

Danny Elfman and BT

Composer Richard Marvin, BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross and composer Richard Gibbs

Composer Mike Post, BMI's Frances W. Preston and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden

Director Brett Ratner, BMI's Frances W. Preston, composer Lalo Schifrin and BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross.

Shown at the reception with some of this year’s nominees and winners are (l to r, back row): Lolita Ritmanis, Daytime Emmy winner, “Batman Beyond”; Michael McCuistion, Daytime Emmy Winner, “Batman Beyond”; Fax Bahr, nominee, “MAD TV”; Greg O’Connor, nominee, “MAD TV”; Adam Small, nominee, “MAD TV”; Velton Ray Bunch, nominee, “Papa’s Angels”; BMI’s Ray Yee; Robert Klein, nominee, “Colonoscopy - Child In His 50’s”; and (l to r, front row): BMI’s Linda Livingston; W.G. Snuffy Walden, nominee, “The West Wing”; BMI’s Ivanne Deneroff; Marty Davich, nominee, “Women of Camelot”; Laura Karpman, nominee, “The Living Edens - Kamchatka.”