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Aug 15, 2024 · Step into the creative process with Carol Heikkinen, the brilliant mind behind the cult-classic Empire Records film. In this exclusive interview, Carol shares her journey of transforming the...
- 3 min
- 282
- McCarter Theatre Center
Jan 25, 2023 · In an article celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Empire Records," Carol Heikkinen spoke to Australian reporter Paul Donoughue and revealed the origins of night manager Lucas' less than fruitful...
Carol Heikkinen was born in 1966. Carol is a writer and producer, known for Empire Records (1995), Center Stage (2000) and The Thing Called Love (1993).
- Writer, Producer
- Carol Heikkinen
- Happy Rex Manning Day
- The Real Story Behind Lucas
- Hit Singles But No Movie to Promote
- Anthony Lapaglia Really Wanted That AC/DC Song
- The One Film Poster That Draws All The Attention
Only in the past five years did Carol Heikkinen realise the movie had achieved cult status. "Everything I have really learned about the fanbase I have learned from Twitter or Instagram," Heikkinen, who wrote the screenplay for the 1995 film, tells the ABC. Speaking from Los Angeles, she says she's not sure why what was supposed to be a wide cinema ...
At beginning of the film, Lucas, after discovering the imminent sale of Empire Records, takes $9,000 from his boss Joe's desk and goes to Atlantic City in a misguided attempt to save the day. Lucas's theft was inspired by a story Heikkinen heard while working at Tower Records in West Hollywood. "And the interesting part of it to me was he came back...
When the film was released, in its very limited way, it got some fairly bad reviews, and one of which called it "a soundtrack in search of a film". That was almost a compliment for Mitchell Leib, a music supervisor on Empire Records who put together the soundtrack. "My job was to have hit singles and a giant soundtrack that was supposed to not only...
One of many musical highlights of the film is the scene where Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia's character Joe vents frustration via an office drumming session involving AC/DC's If You Want Blood. The song choice was LaPaglia's, Leib says, and he fought for it even when the cost of licensing the song raised the ire of the film's budget-conscious p...
While the movie bombed, the soundtrack did not. "I think we did end up selling 2 million records, which is f***ing unbelievable for a movie that did $147,000 at the box office," Leib says. The evidence of the film's legacy for him: when people come into his office at Disney and see the posters of the projects he has worked on lining the walls. "The...
- Paul Donoughue
Carol Heikkinen. Writer: Empire Records. Carol Heikkinen was born in 1966. Carol is a writer and producer, known for Empire Records (1995), Center Stage (2000) and The Thing Called Love (1993).
Sep 23, 2024 · Now, you can catch the world-premiere musical at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center, now onstage through October 6, 2024. When I heard original film writer Carol Heikkinen wrote the musical’s book, I pulled out my combat boots, plaid mini, and velvet choker.
Sep 16, 2024 · Shepherded to the stage by composer Zoe Sarnak and librettist Carol Heikkinen, this new treatment also retains every ounce of the source material’s offbeat charm. No doubt it helps that...
