In the second installment of the Stephen Sondheim interview on the making of Sweeney Todd, the composer discusses some of the major inspirations behind the musical (think film) and puts to rest one longstanding misconception about the work. In the end, though, it could all be summed up in one very basic principle; says Sondheim: "All I wanted to do was scare an audience."

Stephen Sondheim sat down for an interview to discuss the forthcoming film version of his musical masterpiece Sweeney Todd. Over the next few days, leading up to the December 18 release of the film's soundtrack, the Nonesuch Journal will bring you exclusive video footage of the composer's candid take on Tim Burton's adaptation of his beloved work. In this first segment, Sondheim comments on the ins and outs of putting this "slasher musical" on screen. "Unlike all other movies of stage musicals that I know," he says, "this really is an attempt to take the material of the stage musical and completely transform it into a movie."

As we reported last week, k.d. lang recently appeared on the UK talk show Parkinson to perform the new song "I Dream of Spring," off her upcoming Nonesuch release, Watershed,
due out in February. You can now watch the performance here.

Given the number of ardent fans Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd has developed over the years, it's understandable that some questions might follow the buzz about the upcoming Tim Burton–directed film version starring Johnny Depp. Like, "Can Johnny sing?" Now you can see, and hear, for yourself, in this video of Johnny in the recording studio, discussing his early concerns and proving them wrong with a performance of "Epiphany."

The Tim Burton–directed film version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp hits theaters across the country next month. Catch a glimpse of what's in store in the film's trailer here.

Catch a glimpse of director Paul Thomas Anderson's monumental new film, There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as a merciless turn-of-the-century oil baron. In the preview, you can hear Jonny Greenwood's powerful score, which the LA Times says gives the film with an "epic sonic scope" worthy of an Oscar nomination. Nonesuch will release the soundtrack December 18; the film hits theaters December 26.

The Criterion Collection has announced that it will release a special four-disc set of the Bernardo Bertolucci masterpiece The Last Emperor on February 26, 2008. The film depicts the tumultuous life of Pu Yi, who came to power in 1908, at the age of three, and became China's last emperor. It garnered nine Academy Awards, winning each of the categories in which it was nominated, including Best Original Score, by Ryuichi Sakomoto, Cong Su, and David Byrne. Among the special-edition DVD's bonus features are audio commentary by Sakamoto and new video interviews with Sakamoto and Byrne.

In this week's sparkling new Rolling Stone 40th Anniversary edition, the magazine calls attention to the international nonprofit network LinkTV 's site for on-demand streaming music videos, interviews, and documentaries on music and musicians from around the world, including concert footage of Malian singers Amadou & Mariam performing songs from their smash CD Dimanche à Bamako in Paris and a documentary that "looks at Brazil and its music through the eyes and voice of it greatest songwriter and poet, Caetano Veloso."

As we reported last week, the phenomenal collaboration between Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet at this year's Bridge School Benefit concerts proved to be the highlight of the weekend's events. Now you can catch a glimpse of the spectacular set on this video released by The Bridge School. In this clip, Waits and Kronos perform the song "God's Away on Business," which they last played together at a benefit concert in 2003.

As reported yesterday, Wilco's latest performance at Austin City Limits will air on PBS stations across the country this Saturday. You can now catch a sneak peek of the band's ACL performance of "Impossible Germany" from Sky Blue Sky here.

Wilco performed live on Minnesota Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion this past Saturday, which you can now here online. Check out "Shake It Off," the trailer for the DVD that comes with the deluxe edition of the band's new album, Sky Blue Sky, and watch "What Light" off the album, here in the Nonesuch Journal.

Read along to the full lyrics of Randy Newman's "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" while watching Randy performing the song live on video. An abridged version of the lyrics appeared in today's New York Times. A recording of the song is now available exclusively at iTunes.