New York's Other Music presented Toumani Diabate in a rare in-store solo lecture-demonstration earlier this year for the Live at Other Music series, to celebrate the release of his new album, The Mande Variations, and now offers up two videos from the event. "When we’re lucky enough to host a musician with the singular vision and dedication of Malian griot and kora prodigy Toumani Diabate," says Other Music's Josh Madell, "it makes us all take pause."

k.d. lang's "Shadow and the Frame," off her recent Nonesuch release Watershed, joins an eclectic mix of song selects on USA Today's Playlist this week, which also includes the likes of the Rolling Stones and Ray Davies. USA Today says k.d. sings "elegantly, painfully" on the track, with its "spare and exquisite string arrangement." You can hear the song on a video clip that is the first of six webisodes launched in January, available here.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson's Academy Award-winning epic There Will Be Blood is out on DVD today. Two versions are available: a single-disc version and a special collector's edition with an additional bonus disc featuring among other things, a 1920s-era silent film on the early days of the oil industry, set to music by the film's scorer, Jonny Greenwood.

The Tim Burton-directed film version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, starring Johnny Depp as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Helena Bonham Carter as his cohort in crime, is available now on DVD. The special collector's edition includes an in-depth look at the Sondheim musical, behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the film, and the history of the legend of the Demon Barber, among a number of additional special features.

In the Nonesuch Journal's final episode from Stephen Sondheim's discussion of Sweeney Todd, the composer expresses a preference for singing actors (over acting singers) and has high praise for all of the actors in the film, beginning with Johnny Depp's "extraordinary" performance in the title role.

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.