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Post by davidhr on Jul 5, 2009 14:19:52 GMT -5
This past week, while appearing at several venues, Lara cancelled her promotional show in Nantes as well as an appearance at the Tour de France on July 4th. According to larafabianweb.com it is because her recent success in Russia has opened up appearances at galas there, and that she will likely be in that country during those days. Her preference for countries other than France is understandable, given the generally snooty reception she’s been receiving from the French media. On the site www.sofoot.com, an article appeared saying that while Michael Jackson was dead and Lara Fabian was not, the two were not so far apart…This caused a firestorm of protest from Lara’s fans, writing into the site to protest the comparison, and strongly suggesting on various Lara’s sites that she should sue the publication. In response, the editor wrote back saying that it was wrong for this to be published, that the writer would be punished and a public apology given on the site. The editor seemed to feel that the comparison went wrong in that Michael Jackson had been accused of being a pedophile, while Lara had not – but of course, that was not the intent of the statement at all (it was a joke about their careers). This reply did not mollify the fans – given all of the criticism Lara has attracted, both in the past and recently, fans are hyper-sensitive to slurs. They also would like Lara to defend herself more strongly, and attack back. In fact, she does defend herself in complaining about the criticisms, but one does get the feeling that she is sufficiently unsure about herself that she starts to believe her critics (a comment Serge Lama made some time ago, and Pascal Negre recently seconded). This is part of Lara’s makeup, and expecting it to change is futile – it will probably forever be her karma that she is loved and disliked with great intensity, giving rise to doubts in her mind. On the positive side, those doubts have led to great songs…. One particular response from Lara appeared in an article released in the Tribune in Brussels this past week. When asked about Paris, Lara’s face apparently closed up, and she said that “there will always be forces of the shadow that try unceasingly to extinguish the light s that others can release,” but that her tribe protects her in Belgium. In the same article, Lara indicated she spends at least 1 and a half hours each day on the phone with her music teacher in Quebec – and since the teacher can concentrate only on her voice, it works very well. Lara’s album is now 19th in France, 7th in Belgium, 20th in Russia. It turns out that the level for being a gold record in France has now dropped to 50,000 copies, which Lara indicated had been exceeded. Her comment that it has sold close to 100,000 copies presumably includes the other countries as well. The latest edition of Farfallina was mailed last Wednesday, and has already started being received in Europe. Apparently it contains a big interview about TLFM – and of special interest, the letter that Lara wrote to France Gall (remember as ‘Babacar’ was not included in the CD itself, there was no accompanying letter for it). Lara’s public appearances (at least in France) will continue to diminish as the summer doldrums set in during the coming weeks. Lara’s had an interesting but challenging time this past month – Russia must look like a pleasant retreat. David
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Post by acespedesf on Jul 6, 2009 10:08:10 GMT -5
"Michael Jackson was dead and Lara Fabian was not, the two were not so far apart" OMG! what is wrong with the french media? What they wrote is just wrong! I cannot believe it!
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Post by jmmazza53 on Jul 6, 2009 13:31:20 GMT -5
Hi David,
Thanks as always for the great report.
Not being French, I guess that I missed something. Michael Jackson was accused of pedofilia, while Lara was not. Michael Jackson was not the father of his kids, while Lara is the mother of her daughter. Michael apparently overdosed on perscription drugs, while Lara appears to not have this problem. Michael Jackson fired Quincy Jones years ago and his career began to tumble, while Lara is in constant contact with Lucette.
I see NO comparison at all! Are they accusing Lara of being too reclusive?
John
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Post by lapayin on Jul 6, 2009 18:25:43 GMT -5
This is what journalism has come to, not just in France but here in the US also - as I am sure elsewere.
Does it make these writers/personalities feel better about themselves when they make fun of and belittle others? How sad and bitter these people are? And shame on us for buying their magazines and watching them on TV.
This seems to be the norm these days. Lara, Michael, Sarah Palin, the Rutgers ladies college basketball team. There was even a local Boston radio talk show host who blamed the H1N1 flu on all of Mexico and his racial slurs were dispicable. He was dismissed temporarily. It should have been permanent. It seems anyone who excels needs to be beaten down by the public.
A Michael Jackson - Lara Fabian comparison that I would like to make is that both are wonderful singer/songwriters. Although Michael's tours where on a larger scale both are great entertainers and care very much for their fans. Both are very family oriented. BTW IMO one does not have to be a biological parent to be a good father. Both are very generous with charities especially for children. Both are passionate. Both have always doubted their abilities (perhaps this is what sets them apart - their constant drive to be better). And sadly both have been beaten down by the press.
Lara's response “there will always be forces of the shadow that try unceasingly to extinguish the light s that others can release,” was right on. Too bad for Lara, Michael and other shining stars.
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Post by acespedesf on Jul 7, 2009 10:16:43 GMT -5
I totally agree with you Paula! Sadly that happends everywhere around the world and it is just sad.
People should focus more on the possitive instead of the negative.....
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Post by dvlp90 on Jul 8, 2009 6:08:25 GMT -5
Hi David,
thanks for all your news updates, they make following Lara so much easier !! I have been reading this forum for a while, today I am posting because I wanted to add something to the story in the magazine sofoot.com: the original wording in the article was: "Malheureusement, Michael Jackson est mort mais pas Lara Fabian" (Unfortunately Michael Jackson has died, but Lara Fabian has not). I found this absolutely astonishing and beyond tasteless. I wrote to the editor of the magazine, but of course there was no reply.
The french media really seem to have a taste of their own.....
Thanks again for your updates, this is really super stuff !!
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Post by davidhr on Jul 8, 2009 10:36:34 GMT -5
You're right, the phrase actually was (as opposed to what some of the discussion implied): "Malheureusement, Michael Jackson est mort mais pas Lara Fabian, et les choses sont donc loin d’être aussi simples…" "Unfortunately, Michael Jackson is dead but not Lara Fabian, and therefore things are far from being so simple…" which has the implication that the writer would have preferred it the other way around - an even greater insult and clearly inappropriate. BTW, I haven't seen any apology on their site, although they change the website fairly quickly. On another note, Lara's interview in "Platine" appeared today - with the title: "Lara Fabian: our friend explains herself". She has the cover of the publication - it can be seen on the facebook page at: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24511050795Even though Platine itself, in their May issue, said she has the most 'covers', others claim that's not true, that she is still behind Johnny Hallyday et Mylène Farmer. By my count this is her 7th cover (if you count one which she shared). Apparently there are two posters included. The website for the magazine is: www.platine-mag.com/ - doesn't look like it is yet available for order. If (readable) scans are made available, and nobody else translates it first, I'll provide one here. David
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Post by S.C. on Jul 9, 2009 0:29:23 GMT -5
Merci, David! What was said about Lara was disgusting. What another says about another person, especially if the content is completely outrageous, it will reverberate loudly and will cause justifiable consequences. I'm not quite sure what Mrs. Palin[referenced in previous post in the topic] has to do with this, but I will say that she herself has said some very outrageous things. It's extremely hard for me to classify her as a victim of a public browbeating when her own words led her own followers to say things such as 'kill him' as a reference to President Barack Obama and that he hung out with terrorists. She was fine playing the part of a bully as long as she had an audience willing to listen and not question her. I don't care whether it's a male, female, straight, or gay person running to become President Of The United States, the person better damn well have a full grasp of the issues, the rationale, temperament, intellect, and qualifications. She clearly did not. I expect a person to get savaged in the media when that person says that her foreign policy experience is the fact that she can see Russia from her home! I still shake my head in disbelief over that little gem. I absolutely agree that no one should attack her way of life, however, on the issues, I say full steam ahead. I am still haunted by the fact that she was so close to becoming V.P. and possibly President. The fact that it seemed as if asking her questions about her policy positions was somehow an inconvenience to her baffled me beyond belief. Her Katie Couric interview was abysmal as well as countless others. I am so fed up with people like Palin claiming false victimhood. I believe in taking full responsiblity for oneself. Politics is extremely dirty. It is not for the faint of heart. You are either strong enough for it or you are not. She clearly is not. Her blaming the 'Liberal Media' for her downfall is such a cop-out on top of it being extremely weak. She wanted to become the next V.P. of the United States Of America, yes, I expected her to be asked tough questions and I also expected her to have sensible, intellectual answers to those tough questions. She clearly did not know what the hell she was talking about when she answered the tough questions and I might add that she still doesn't! Running to become President or V.P. is nothing to make light of. We had 8 years of complete and utter idiotic B.S. I am happy that in 2008 the electorate this time wised up and rejected the B.S. The dumbing down of America has to end. The anti-intellectualism that the right perpetrates is frightening. The fact that Pres. Obama was made out to be an elitist because he went to Ivy League schools was completely unnerving to me as a person who takes great pride in learning. No, a person does not have to have graduated from an Ivy League school to become President, but I do expect that person to articulate their positions strongly and intelligently no matter the school of choice. I do not think Mrs. Palin was treated differently in the media than anyone else who sought the White House. The lack of understanding the issues and unintelligible, nonsensical answers was to her detriment. Not because she was female, not because she was a mother of 5, and not because she was pro-life. She is a victim of her own stunning ignorance. However, ignorance can be rectified with education. I sincerely hope that she takes some time out to become better acquainted with the issues.
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Post by ocelot on Jul 9, 2009 5:54:31 GMT -5
I find that today's media is directed towards bringing people down, especially any public figures. We don't have news stories about people's achievements while they're alive, only the memorials after they die. The media is more likely to attack people for the choices they've made. The really famous celebrities have every decision they make analyzed and criticized. The mistakes that they make are brought up again and again. If you're famous there's no learning from your mistake and moving on because you bet that the media will bring it up over and over.
The celebrities that tend to be honest and real so often get a back lash for being that way. If you answer a question honestly but someone doesn't like your answer you get ripped apart.
People have gotten in the habit of blaming others for their mistakes and bad-turns in their lives. The media is really good at ripping apart everyone who isn't perfect or doesn't agree with them. People who are different or think differently are put down constantly.
It's a sad state of the world where we aren't praising people till their dead. The positive stories are often no where to be found because the media is obsessed with bringing people down.
I think the comment about Lara was absolutely crazy and insulting to both Lara and Michael Jackson. So soon after his death, his name should not be used to throw insults. Shameful.
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Post by bward on Jul 11, 2009 10:08:19 GMT -5
Thankis David for your update.
In regards to all the comments about Lara....she is an entertainer and unfortunately like all professional singers, their lives are scrutinized by the media, journalists, fans etc. It's just a fact of this society.
I think Lara can handle those remarks/comments quite well.
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Post by lapayin on Jul 12, 2009 12:17:01 GMT -5
IMO there is no excuse for this yellow journalism.
Lara is a public figure and critism of her work as an entertainer is fair game. But to wish she was dead instead of Michael Jackson sounds like a two year old's response (if indeed that was the message). Two year olds have no business making money writing or talking about others.
Shavon I totally agree with you about Sarah Palin. IMO if she were vice president we would not only be the laughing stock of the world but our country would suffer terribly. She does not even seem to have the credentials to be governor. She is fair game and deserves all the critism she is getting. But the comments made by David Letterman about her daughter were as disgusting as the comments made about Lara. And this was not because her daughter did anything but because an different two year old acting personality lashed out at her instead of her mother.
There have so many more examples of this type of behavior for ratings. The brighter side is that people are infuriated and letting their feelings be known. Some of these people are getting fired from their jobs and being sent a clear message. Hopefully it will stop soon.
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Post by ely on Jul 12, 2009 13:32:04 GMT -5
Hi guys, I'm back! Finished my exams and been to two Anastacia's gigs here in Italy... Now I finally have the time to read your words and write again!
I believe, like you all said many times, that that comment is awful. I think the journalist could not have found a more terrible thing to say to a human being, in this case Lara! That's what happens when one crosses the line...that limit between a criticism and an offence. It's so disgusting. You know I love to write, but I'd never be able to be a journalist. They're so...fake. They'd be able to do anything for a piece of news, they first "kill" an artist and then, after he's dead, consider him like a saint. I hate all this hypocrisy! You can see it with Michael Jackson: about three weeks ago he was a f*****g pedophile, now he's almost a god, who has to be remembered, and shown every single minute in television...and they keep on talking about his amazing career, his unique talent, his love for childred, his goodness... Yes, I (and someone else) have never doubted about it, but the other people? Media have made him die inside many years before his physical death, in my opinion.
So, comments like that are nothing but the confirmation of how people suck and can so cruel towards another human being.
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Post by lapayin on Jul 12, 2009 20:14:44 GMT -5
Welcome back Ely.
First how did your exams go?
Second how was the Anastacia gigs? I love Ana and I am glad she's back from her time off to start her fashion business. I just got her CD "Heavy Rotation".
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Post by ely on Jul 13, 2009 9:22:55 GMT -5
Awww Paula she was amazing! She's so energetic, and sweet and down to earth... I've met her outside her hotel, she had to go to the sound check but stopped to sign every single autograph and take every single picture together! So we have one cheek to cheek The first concert, in Verona, was weird: she had to sing for 45 minutes, before Elton John's show...they made her begin at 8.00 (instead of 8.30), so the Arena wasn't full and the Sun was still shining, and people kept on arriving and searching their seats while she sang! :/ But she was great anyway, she performed songs like One Day In Your Life, Paid My Dues, Same Song, I Belong To You (together with her italian background singer, who's Sicilian and has an accent even stronger than Lara's! lol)... The second one, in Lucca (Tuscany), was unbelievable. After meeting her we got to the little square (there were something like 5000 people) and I gave a sheet to everyone with the phrase "You're our dream". (I'm one of the admins of the italian fans' website) So, when she sang Pieces Of A Dream everybody put that sheet in the air...... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni5SHE8-260It was fantastic. Another funny moment was when she made a man of the audience come on stage, and started to dance with him! (and his wife that on front row kept on saying "Oh gooosh, he never asked me to dance in a lifetime and now look how he's shaking the a*s!" hahah) Or when she climbed the scaffolding while singing Beautiful Messed Up World....crazy! If you want me to show some pictures I've made just ask, I'm so glad you love Stacey too!!! Oh and my exams went well, thank you! I'm seeing the results in a couple of days, but I already know it's about 85/100!
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Post by lapayin on Jul 14, 2009 19:13:38 GMT -5
Nice going Ely you made Ana cry!!! LOL What a great video. She seemed truly touched.
Did she sing my favorite song - "Sick and Tired'?
Good job on the exams. :-)
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