News update: 6/10

[davidhr]

Lara had no public appearances this week, but an interview she gave recently to the publication "France dimanche" did appear. In it she discusses her coming plans, among other things. In lieu of simply paraphrasing it, here's the translation:
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[France dimnance]
FINALLY HAPPY IN LOVE AND SOON TO BE A MOTHER!

Lara Fabian always between two planes, takes the time to speak to us exclusively of her new single, an explosive duo with the Italian star Gigi d'Alessio, entitled "Un Cuore Malato ("Un coeur blesse"). It is released for us May 28, it is already well ahead of the others in the top 50 in Italy. But song isn't her whole life, as she confesses to us…

FD: Why this duo?
LF: Between Gigi and me was born a fantastic osmosis. The choice of this duo in French and in Italian came naturally.
FD: How did you know Gigi d'Alessio?
LF: My father drummed into me without ceasing: "It is necessary that you listen to Alessio, absolutely!" I adore Italian singers and I had very much heard tell of him, since he is one of the three greatest artists of the Peninsula. I watched his DVDs, I went to his shows, and I said to myself that he was a unique type. He is as much musical as humanly. Moreover, I invited Gigi to come join me on stage during my last concerts at the Zenith.
FD: It is said that you are also very close to the director Gerard Pulliccino. Is this crazy and ideal love?
LF: Can one answer a question like that? Can one be sure of loving all one's life? I would answer you summarily, with full rationality, that I wish for the best in this adventure, which is a magnificent story, effectively. I am in love, it is marvelous! I cannot imagine my life without him.
FD: He is your great love, but also busy with you, artistically. And then, one thinks of Celine Dion, who is married to her producer…
LF: Not at all! But then, not at all! He is not my producer! He is not my manager! With Gerard, we work together from time to time. I've always loved his work, he is one of the most gifted, it was therefore normal that he be the one who films my tour.
FD: You declared one day that you could not live without a child. Your Sicilian mother must dream of a small 'bambino'. It is on your program?
LF: (Laughs) I have something in view, yes! But it isn't really me who chooses. There are some things that arrive or don't arrive. But if it arrived, it would be great. If it doesn't work, it is not excluded that I adopt an orphan. A life without a child is like a life without love.
FD: Speaking of your program, there would also be a theatrical piece in Paris, in September?
LF: The project has been put back to January, because I am probably going to release an album in the autumn in Italy. We are writing the songs. This (theater) piece will be contemporary, written for me by two French authors, and staged by one of the very great women of the métier. It will be a total creation.
FD: In the piece, you will play opposite a French actor. Can one already say his name?
LF: No! (laughs) I don't have the right to reveal it to you right now. But I work hard already on the text, I have the desire to test myself as a comedian. If it works, I count well on having a second métier, entirely apart.
FD: And to play in a film, in Hollywood?
LF: I have had a proposition in the USA, by means of my agent. I am only at the stage of the audition, but I hope to sign with a big Hollywood film studio. My role would be that of a profiler. This film would be a dramatic comedy, but I confess to you that I still don't know the name of the actors. I find it moreover very strange that you be up to date on this information, because it is very secret!
FD: Song doesn't suffice therefore anymore?
LF: (laughs) I am especially desirous of continuing to make my occupation of performing in all domains, even if I write my songs and that I am author and composer, which one talks about too little. Cinema resembles song: when you are the interpreter of a song, the staging is the music and you, you are the comedienne or the actress.
FD: This summer, what do you contemplate doing?
LF: I am going to relax in Montreal, it is marvelous in the summer. One can go biking, by boat, snow bike, water toboggan, without forgetting the barbecues with my friends.
FD: Can one wish you any more? You already look joyful…
LF: Serenity. To be capable of taking things with a little bit of distance and humor. It is true, I am a little like a sponge and I pick up even that which makes me suffer…But I have a sun inside myself. I fight, and I smile at life.
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Scans of the article are available on the web.

Another side of this story is Lara's actual participating in an interview with this publication. Before it actually came out, the news about it provoked skepticism because it has often printed very salacious, and unflattering, stories about Lara, without ever talking to her. But as one can see, Lara did grant the interview; maybe she was trying to change her image with them.

The publicity for Un Cuore Malato/Un Coeur blesse continued, and the song is now getting airplay on the major channels. It also was reviewed very favorably on the program 'On a tout essaye' whose host, Laurent Ruquier, is quite influential. The panelists thought it could be the hit of the summer, and were quite enthusiastic about Lara (even though, humorously, they couldn't really agree where she was from, with 'North Africa' being one of the choices!. Her 'origin' is confusing for those who haven't paid close attention.) A video of this program is available on the web, as well as the short video of the promo...

The single entered the charts at #16 on the French Billboard music charts, and in one other survey it is 12th. The CD single including both the Italian and Italian/French versions is available from Amazon.fr (and probably FNAC) - hence it is a REAL single, not just a promotional version given to radio stations, as was the case for many of the 'singles' from "Neuf". It was suggested by someone who got it that the sound is much better than the versions currently available on the web. All of this should help the sales of Gigi's album in France and Lara's reputation, at least.

BTW, in case you missed it, the official video of the Italian version in high quality, unburdened by the continual scroll at the bottom and the occasional intrusions, has finally been made available (by Olympio) at
www.megaupload.com/?d=0WRGXKVE
It is a beautiful version. Interestingly, it was posted on the official site, so apparently they have no problem with people downloading it once it has played on Italian TV.

Lara's next public appearance is scheduled to be with Gigi D'alessio on the program "Fan De", Saturday June 23 on M6 (it was originally scheduled to be aired June 9). Some people are holding out the possibility that she will join some 30 other artists on the program "Fete de la musique" on the 21st, as was originally indicated, but the latest list does not have her name. From the interview above, she may actually be in Montreal.

Finally, below is a translation of the message posted by "Tit ange" on the official site. It is of course more meaningful to people in France, but it does mark a highly significant turning point in Lara's career.

"I am astonished that no one has opened the subject and that the site hasn't done any publicity but this month we celebrate 10 years of Lara's career in France. It is June 3, 1997 that "Pure" was released nationally.

10 years that her voice has filled our ears with wonder for our very great happiness,
10 years of emotion, of sharing, of generosity and of moments of unforgettable music.

Happy career anniversary, Lara!!! Smile

Thanks, Lara, for all these moments…"


David

[achebeautiful]

I just love the intimacy of Lara's interviews!

"My father drummed into me without ceasing: "It is necessary that you listen to Alessio, absolutely!"

LOL...I would just love to have heard his passion about this while drilling Lara about it! Very cool.

FD: It is said that you are also very close to the director Gerard Pulliccino. Is this crazy and ideal love?
LF: Can one answer a question like that? Can one be sure of loving all one's life? I would answer you summarily, with full rationality, that I wish for the best in this adventure, which is a magnificent story, effectively. I am in love, it is marvelous! I cannot imagine my life without him.

What an answer! It reads like a poem or song....beautiful!

"A life without a child is like a life without love."

What a beautiful way to describe a deep longing for a child! Again, very poetic.

"FD: Speaking of your program, there would also be a theatrical piece in Paris, in September?
LF: The project has been put back to January, because I am probably going to release an album in the autumn in Italy. We are writing the songs. This (theater) piece will be contemporary, written for me by two French authors, and staged by one of the very great women of the métier. It will be a total creation.
FD: In the piece, you will play opposite a French actor. Can one already say his name?
LF: No! (laughs) I don't have the right to reveal it to you right now. But I work hard already on the text, I have the desire to test myself as a comedian. If it works, I count well on having a second métier, entirely apart.

FD: And to play in a film, in Hollywood?
LF: I have had a proposition in the USA, by means of my agent. I am only at the stage of the audition, but I hope to sign with a big Hollywood film studio. My role would be that of a profiler. This film would be a dramatic comedy, but I confess to you that I still don't know the name of the actors. I find it moreover very strange that you be up to date on this information, because it is very secret!"


This is very exciting. I think that the talents of European and especially French artists are incredible! They are so theatrical, cinematic and passionate about their art. Whatever Lara is working on promises to be quite a spectacle! And I am sure the music will be wonderful!

And about that Hollywood film.....hopefully the lead role will again be played by Ashley Judd! LOL Hey, she's gorgeous! What do you want from me?

FD: Song doesn't suffice therefore anymore?
LF: (laughs) I am especially desirous of continuing to make my occupation of performing in all domains, even if I write my songs and that I am author and composer, which one talks about too little. Cinema resembles song: when you are the interpreter of a song, the staging is the music and you, you are the comedienne or the actress.

This is a great answer, and perhaps reveals why the European artists are so amazing! They see the arts as a whole: a way to make known a vision. A way to reveal in the flesh what cannot be seen in the heart. And they will use any medium or all of them to reveal it.

FD: This summer, what do you contemplate doing?
LF: I am going to relax in Montreal, it is marvelous in the summer. One can go biking, by boat, snow bike, water toboggan, without forgetting the barbecues with my friends.

Hmmm, Matt Herskowitz lives in Montreal....wouldn't it be cool to go to one of Lara's barbecues and sit and talk with them!

FD: Can one wish you any more? You already look joyful…
LF: Serenity. To be capable of taking things with a little bit of distance and humor. It is true, I am a little like a sponge and I pick up even that which makes me suffer…But I have a sun inside myself. I fight, and I smile at life.

Another poetic and wise answer from Lara. This answer reminds me so much of Leona's latest song entry "Listen To The Wind".

In the song, Leona even paints a picture of the inner life by writing

"The sun lights up the darkness"

This is similiar to me in what Lara says:

"But I have a sun inside myself"

What a beautiful thought!

David, thank you as always for another brilliant update!

[davidhr]

Mark, not to carry this too far afield, but there is a hindu mantra that goes:

Aditya hridayam punyam, sarv shatru bena shenam

which means

All evil vanishes from life for him who keeps the sun in his (spiritual) heart.

(It's from the Ramayana.)

With respect to Lara, she has explicitly stated that she has been trying to do that. There have been numerous opportunities in the past 6 months when she could have criticized someone or other (particularly in the interviews in Montreal) and she refrained from doing it - this along with abandoning black in favor of white attire. She says she felt her illness in 2004 was the result of negativity, and she was given a warning to change.

David

[achebeautiful]

I do not think that you are carrying anything too far afeild, David! What you have shared is absolutely beautiful and wise, and worthy of discussion. Especially in light of these revelations becoming such a major part of Lara's life.

I remember watching Lara on a video interview say that she is always striving to perfect her singing, and the craft of songwriting as a whole. It is great to learn from you, David, that she applies the same desire to grow spiritually as well.

Thank you so much for the comments.

[lapayin]

Perhaps Lara's positive attitude could also be partially attributed to the book you gave her David "The Power Of Now".

Thanks for the interview translation. Very informative.

[dezita]

Hey! Very cool interview! Thanks for posting it david!

Let me share something with you guys... lol 2 days ago was at the mall, when I heard I guess I loved you playing! hehe! It made me so happy And just a day before that, I heard the same song at the market! It's always so cool to hear Lara outside my house lol when it's not me who's playing it

Bye bye!

[achebeautiful]

Hey, that's awesome Andreza!

I remember one time about a year ago, John called me while driving to help someone with something to tell me that he heard Lara Fabian singing on the radio! It kind of blows you away when it happens because you are so accustomed to hearing her only when you play her CDs or DVDs. So, I can understand your excitement!

Thanks for sharing that with us, Andreza!

[S.C.]

David,
Thank you for the update. What I have noticed about Lara since becoming a fan years ago, is that she is a very deep, spiritual, tragic person. I use the term tragic, not in a negative sense but because Lara is an amazing artist. Most artists' lives are filled with great pain and sorrow. Lara is a poet. It is reflected in her music and in her words. Of great pain, tragedy, and sorrow becomes great art.

Her lyrics are often mysterious and masked with deep-seated emotions. Lara is the only artist I know, that when I listen to her songs, I'm left with more questions than answers! Her songs are lyrical riddles. She invites her listeners into her world, but it's almost as If it's at the individuals' own peril.

Her lyrical world of intrigue and mystery is not for the lighthearted. Her music challenges us to think, challenges us to reach deep within ourselves. It is only there, in the deepest side of ourselves will we too discover how tragic we all are. Our tragedies are our art, our art is our tragedies.

Dans mes yeux, Lara is tragically beautiful.

~Shavon

[achebeautiful]

Ahhh, this business of life and love is just maddening!

I would have to nominate your post, Shavon, for some kind of award. It is absolutely brilliant and wise. Never more true. Can I borrow your words when trying to explain to people the meaning of my username "Ache Beautiful", because you absolutely nailed it!

I agree with you 100% and more! Great post! Thanks for sharing!

[lapayin]

Yes Shavon. Exactly!!

Just look at her answer to the do you love Gerard question:

"Can one answer a question like that? Can one be sure of loving all one's life? I would answer you summarily, with full rationality, that I wish for the best in this adventure, which is a magnificent story, effectively. I am in love, it is marvelous! I cannot imagine my life without him."

She says their love is an "adventure" - "a magnificent story" but "Can one be sure of loving all one's life?"

She could have just answered "I am in love, it is marvelous! I cannot imagine my life without him." But she was "poetic", "dramatic", "deep" and yet there was a"tragic" element by saying it might not be forever.

Just as you perfectly described. And that is what I love about her.

[S.C.]

Mark,
You can absolutely use my words.

Paula,
Yes, I agree that Lara could have answered all of those questions with a simple yes or no, but she herself is not simple. Lara is a big mystery.


~Shavon

achebeautiful said:

Ahhh, this business of life and love is just maddening!

I would have to nominate your post, Shavon, for some kind of award. It is absolutely brilliant and wise. Never more true. Can I borrow your words when trying to explain to people the meaning of my username "Ache Beautiful", because you absolutely nailed it!

I agree with you 100% and more! Great post! Thanks for sharing!

[jimfromtexas]

Tragic ? Yes. But that is something all true people of greatness tend to share in their personal and private lives. Especially the ones that bring us joy through laughter. And to me it is very obvious that Lara’s impeccable comedic timing, pace and rhythm set her out as one of the best stand up comedians on stage today.

As far as the tinges of tragedy heard in the words of her interview; now this is just my own feeling on the matter but - I believe we are starting to see a rift opening between Lara’s pop princess persona and the true greatness that wells up inside of her. The tragedy will only deepen as her current management, friends and family try to keep her confined in the bubble they have created around her. The way I see it, Lara’s destiny is not something that can be confined.

Oh wow, I’m getting way to deep for myself. Sorry but I’m gonna have to put my boots on and go walk around the back yard for a while.

Jim

[achebeautiful]

Jim, I have met you in person, and so I know for certain that you not only tread in the deep, but reside there! It is my opinion that you should consider just wearing those boots all the time (even in bed while sleeping)! LOL...that's a compliment, by the way.

You make a very interesting observation. I see your point, and have to believe that you very well might just be right. But you refer to Lara confined in some kind of bubble, and I am wondering about this. Sometimes I think that we as fans are the ones confined in a bubble, because we measure success differently. Is it making it big in the United States? Selling more albums? Greater worldwide popularity? And the standards we place on artists such as Lara confuses me as well. A lot of fans want more of the Nue and Pure albums in her recent stuff. A lot of fans want her to take another stab at the English speaking market and the United States.

But think about it. Here we are, over ten years of Lara albums, and we are still being stretched by new and different styles, languages and concepts from her. That is not being confined in a bubble at all! That is true artistic visionary freedom, if you ask me.

The only artists that I know of today who go back to their earlier work after years of albums are those artists who have lost their vision....and their popularity to go with it. So they at least try to get the fans back by making an album reminiscent of their earlier work.

I certainly agree with you that her management and family may be playing a big part in containing Lara. Perhaps that is not such a bad thing. Would that it be so of artists such as Elvis to have family like that! Maybe Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan will still be around after twelve years of entertaining us.....or maybe they won't even be around at all. But Lara is still giving her fans a worldwide musical ride, never to be confined or placed into some bubble of her previous work.

I love it!

[achebeautiful]

I also love the mileage that we get out of discussing Lara after David's updates. David, thanks a million!

[jimfromtexas]

So Mark, have you ever thought about wearing cowboy boots. You actually sound like someone who would be comfortable in that kind of attire. That’s a complement also, by the way

Thanks for your counterpoint to my point. Maybe bubble was the wrong word for me to use. For I agree completely with your thoughts about Lara demonstrating true artistic visionary freedom in what she has done in the past and where she is going in the future. She has actually been a ground breaker along these lines.

Okay, let me see, instead of saying confined in a bubble let me say; staying within the boundaries of the commercial music industry as a whole. What fascinates me is when someone steps outside those boundaries to break new ground. And if one reads between the lines in the interview above, I believe you will hear that the Princess is ready for that step.

Case in point from the interview;

“Cinema resembles song: when you are the interpreter of a song, the staging is the music and you, you are the comedienne or the actress.”

I read this as a person who is ready to step outside of the boundaries of the pop music world and start reaching for new adventures. And as wonderful and gifted as Lara is at songwriting I do believe she needs to take part in the screen writing process as well as acting in film. Through her songs, Lara has shown that she can tell a story with the best of them. So why not reach across that boundary and try her hand at pros. She has all the sensibilities to create splendid characters with complex, intertwining story lines. She has already done that in La Letter.

There is another paragraph I would like to mention, while we are at it. This one though, just might verify my use of the word bubble.

“I have had a proposition in the USA, by means of my agent. I am only at the stage of the audition, but I hope to sign with a big Hollywood film studio. My role would be that of a profiler. This film would be a dramatic comedy, but I confess to you that I still don't know the name of the actors. I find it moreover very strange that you be up to date on this information, because it is very secret!”

“…because it is very secret!” HUH! This profiler gig has been mentioned in various forums for at least two to three years now and she is still at the audition stage and doesn’t know the names of the actors. This just causes me to ask what kind of agent does she have anyway.

“This film would be a dramatic comedy.” What the heck is a “dramatic comedy”? I have to admit that I have been referred to by several people as an oxymoron, but I think the term fits much better hear. Well, the moron part still applies in my case.

Now as a (wanna-be) professional performing artist myself this next statement scares the heck out of me.

“…but I hope to sign with a big Hollywood film studio.”

Oh Lordy, I do hope there is a glitch between the way this is said in French and how it translates into English. To take this statement at face value as above, the Princess can kiss all her “true artistic visionary freedom” goodbye. Once you sign with a big Hollywood film studio they own you. You do what they say, when they say it, and they don’t give a rat’s behind about what you think. Like I said, I do hope this is glitch between the two languages. If it is not, whoever her agent is, they need to be fired ASAP.

Let me close by saying that I have posted all of this mainly for entertainment purposes and not because I think I know what I’m talking about. I make these statements honestly, but I also believe that the only way to grow as a person is to, sometimes, stick your foot in your mouth and see if anyone calls you on it. Do I have any takers?

Jim