If you can’t find Michael Giacchino these days it’s probably because he’s at Ikea, buying more shelves. When he’s done building those shelves (and using creative new ways to insert “monkey-farmer” into a sentence) he’s likely stocking them with a trove of trophies he’s been racking up lately — including a Golden Globe and two Grammy Awards for his Disney/Pixar effort Up. The award prognosticators like to think Giacchino is front-runner for an Oscar nomination (due to be announced tomorrow, February 2), and considering he’s on a roll faster than an unintended-accelerating Toyota, they may well be right.

While considerably less star-studded than the Grammys (there is no film music equivalent to Lady Gaga), the International Film Music Critics Association has piled on the Giacchino love, having recently announced their nominations for the best in film, television and videogame music in 2009. Michael leads with 9 nominations (including multiple nods for Up, Star Trek, a nod for the doc Earth Days, and for Composer of The Year).

Full disclosure: I am a voting member of this association, but am not easily influenced by expensive gifts and baubles. However, I do appreciate the Avatar-branded iPad from James Horner’s publicist (now I can browse Cinemusic from the toilet!). Further disclosure, I did not cast a single vote to nominate Alexandre Desplat’s musical ode to barbiturates Twilight: New Moon. My top pick for Sci-Fi/Fantasy score, Danny Elfman’s bone-crushing Terminator Salvation, didn’t even make the five nominees. Son of a bitch!

The International Film Music Critics will announce the winners of its Sixth Annual Awards on February 26, 2010.

Check out the full list of nominees at filmmusiccritics.org.