Post by davidhr on Oct 11, 2011 10:40:46 GMT -5
Mlle. Zhivago, the film at least, jumped back into prominence this week after last week’s diversion to the French album in development, “Le Secret”. There were a number of events. The film was listed on a Russian movie release site, with a 2012 release date, giving Universal Music France and Urktelefilm as the producers, with Ukraine and France as the countries. Then Alan Badoev gave an interview talking about the film, and saying that the first ‘teaser’ for it would be released by October 20th. The English translation of the video, by the LF Romanian site, is available at:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2504842778328
In the video, Badoev suggested that he had to push Lara to work harder, that she felt, as a European, that she innately had more relaxed working habits. In a separate interview Lara acknowledges that they sometimes worked 18-20 hours a day, and she had to learn to relax and enjoy what was going on. However, she still doesn’t seem happy about it – saying she didn’t even have time to see anything of Kiev.
So after a number of false starts, it does look like the movie will be arriving somewhere, in Russia/Ukraine almost certainly, and France perhaps, maybe on TV, maybe as a DVD. Again, Universal Music France’s involvement would suggest that a French release is in the cards, although how that can happen without a simultaneous release of the CD is problematic. In a replay of an interview Lara gave earlier in the year, Lara was asked whether France would get the CD release and she declined to say yes – instead she said there was always the Internet if people wanted to hear it. That may well be the official – and final – stance. For people who haven’t made the effort, they will then hear the music for the first time as background on the clips. Maybe they’ll be able to get it on a ‘soundtrack’ release!
On the same theme, a video with English subtitles was made available (by Ralu Ilie and the LF Romanian channel) of a radio interview from last January where Lara explains how she got involved with the Mlle. Zhivago project in the first place. As noted in earlier updates, it was really the result of her continued appearance in Russia, year after year, that got Igor Krutoi’s attention, and when he sent her a CD of music, in two weeks she responded with the lyrics. Igor then saw it could make a movie, and invited Alan Badoev to direct.
In other news, Lara’s FB site put out a clip of Lara working with AICOM students in a ‘Master Class’, and again the LF Romanian site produced a version with English subtitles. It would appear from what we were shown that Lara’s main intent was to get the students to discover the part of themselves that provides the emotion for the singing, rather than focusing on more mechanical techniques.
‘Buzz Land’, which has had over 1 million ‘hits’ on their web site is running a contest for the Titan of French song. Lara is doing well - if you want to follow it and vote, it’s at:
buzz-land.voila.net/battles/titans.html
Ironically, she’s in competition with Patrick Fiori, among others (and is well ahead of him!).
Now for the last full chapter from the biography of Lara, pp. 233-236. It is on Lara’s relationship/adulation of Barbra Streisand.
**After having idolized her as a child, Lara first met her in 1995 when she went to have lunch with David Foster in New York. Streisand spoke to her in French, and was familiar with her work, asking whether the ‘sickness’ in “Je suis malade” was one of love. Lara replied, “What other sickness could there be, Mme. Streisand?”
**The book notes that in addition to being a singer, Streisand is an excellent business woman (Lara could learn from her in that regard…).
**The author goes out of his way to emphasize that the two singers have many points in common. Chief among them is that both approach their singing tasks as if they were actresses preparing for a role, recognizing that the delivery of the song, the emotional underpinning, is what really helps get the song across.
**The book then notes the number of songs Lara has sung from Streisand (and inexcusably believes that ‘Evergreen’ was included on EWIM).
**In 2004, David Foster suggested to Streisand that she sing “Broken Vow” on her next album. She met with Lara over lunch to finalize the agreement. But for some reason it never happened, with Josh Groban singing it instead (the author speculates it must have been a record company decision).
Lara’s singing has often been compared with Streisand's, and it is not a false comparison. Lara even says her singing methods were developed in part by listening to Streisand. Now if only Lara attacked the world markets the way Streisand does (to this day she has 60 albums, 49 gold records, 39 platinum, 13 multi-platinum; she’s in the top 15 of best sellers in the US, and the top woman].
We will end the book excerpts next week, with the Epilogue and Bonus, as well as a short review. If you’ve been following it up to this point, you undoubtedly have your own opinion.
David
www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2504842778328
In the video, Badoev suggested that he had to push Lara to work harder, that she felt, as a European, that she innately had more relaxed working habits. In a separate interview Lara acknowledges that they sometimes worked 18-20 hours a day, and she had to learn to relax and enjoy what was going on. However, she still doesn’t seem happy about it – saying she didn’t even have time to see anything of Kiev.
So after a number of false starts, it does look like the movie will be arriving somewhere, in Russia/Ukraine almost certainly, and France perhaps, maybe on TV, maybe as a DVD. Again, Universal Music France’s involvement would suggest that a French release is in the cards, although how that can happen without a simultaneous release of the CD is problematic. In a replay of an interview Lara gave earlier in the year, Lara was asked whether France would get the CD release and she declined to say yes – instead she said there was always the Internet if people wanted to hear it. That may well be the official – and final – stance. For people who haven’t made the effort, they will then hear the music for the first time as background on the clips. Maybe they’ll be able to get it on a ‘soundtrack’ release!
On the same theme, a video with English subtitles was made available (by Ralu Ilie and the LF Romanian channel) of a radio interview from last January where Lara explains how she got involved with the Mlle. Zhivago project in the first place. As noted in earlier updates, it was really the result of her continued appearance in Russia, year after year, that got Igor Krutoi’s attention, and when he sent her a CD of music, in two weeks she responded with the lyrics. Igor then saw it could make a movie, and invited Alan Badoev to direct.
In other news, Lara’s FB site put out a clip of Lara working with AICOM students in a ‘Master Class’, and again the LF Romanian site produced a version with English subtitles. It would appear from what we were shown that Lara’s main intent was to get the students to discover the part of themselves that provides the emotion for the singing, rather than focusing on more mechanical techniques.
‘Buzz Land’, which has had over 1 million ‘hits’ on their web site is running a contest for the Titan of French song. Lara is doing well - if you want to follow it and vote, it’s at:
buzz-land.voila.net/battles/titans.html
Ironically, she’s in competition with Patrick Fiori, among others (and is well ahead of him!).
Now for the last full chapter from the biography of Lara, pp. 233-236. It is on Lara’s relationship/adulation of Barbra Streisand.
**After having idolized her as a child, Lara first met her in 1995 when she went to have lunch with David Foster in New York. Streisand spoke to her in French, and was familiar with her work, asking whether the ‘sickness’ in “Je suis malade” was one of love. Lara replied, “What other sickness could there be, Mme. Streisand?”
**The book notes that in addition to being a singer, Streisand is an excellent business woman (Lara could learn from her in that regard…).
**The author goes out of his way to emphasize that the two singers have many points in common. Chief among them is that both approach their singing tasks as if they were actresses preparing for a role, recognizing that the delivery of the song, the emotional underpinning, is what really helps get the song across.
**The book then notes the number of songs Lara has sung from Streisand (and inexcusably believes that ‘Evergreen’ was included on EWIM).
**In 2004, David Foster suggested to Streisand that she sing “Broken Vow” on her next album. She met with Lara over lunch to finalize the agreement. But for some reason it never happened, with Josh Groban singing it instead (the author speculates it must have been a record company decision).
Lara’s singing has often been compared with Streisand's, and it is not a false comparison. Lara even says her singing methods were developed in part by listening to Streisand. Now if only Lara attacked the world markets the way Streisand does (to this day she has 60 albums, 49 gold records, 39 platinum, 13 multi-platinum; she’s in the top 15 of best sellers in the US, and the top woman].
We will end the book excerpts next week, with the Epilogue and Bonus, as well as a short review. If you’ve been following it up to this point, you undoubtedly have your own opinion.
David