Post by ocelot on Dec 11, 2006 1:55:17 GMT -5
News Update 12/10
This past week turned out in its own way to be just as hectic as the previous one, as the promotion for "Un Regard Neuf" continues and other items make news. It started with some remaining news from Quebec…
In the new message on the official site, Lara mentions the reduced pressure she felt during the promotion in Quebec compared with that in France, and this was no more evident than in her appearance on the TV show "Les deux filles le matin". Taped before she left Montreal but played last Monday, Lara was seen eating breakfast and chatting with the two women, without the need to get dressed up or apply much makeup, and sang a straightforward version of 'Aime' with a pianist in the background. She certainly didn't have to be 'on' the way she is in European media events. One can understand why she is looking forward to being back in this country, if for nothing more than to regain her own relaxed attitude. The video is available on the web.
And one more example of her greater openness in Canada, was the revealing interview Lara gave for the publication "Echos vedettes" . In it we learned:
- the sickness that she suffered from in 2004 was adenoma. According to the Wilkipedia dictionary, it is a collection of growths of glandular origin. Adenomas can grow from many organs including the colon, adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, etc. These growths are benign, but some are known to have the potential, over time, to transform to malignancy. Lara indicated that it was caught before it had a chance to impact any of her vital organs.
- she is convinced that 2007 will be the year to have a child;
- it sounds like she really plans to live in Quebec, with her father and mother coming to visit her, and Gerard being 'even more crazy about being there than perhaps she is'.
- that she feels she's been greatly betrayed in her past relationships, and it is necessary for her to believe that she must be learning something from it;
- that she was not prepared for her success, nor for her image to be in the hands of the media;
- that the people in Quebec got angry with her when she started spending her time in Europe, but that now it is better;
- it's easier for women singers to be friends in Quebec (like she is with Isabelle Boulay) because the cost of living is less and the country is less cold [obviously emotionally(!)], mean and cynical than France.
- concerning the current legal battle with Rick Allison, she felt that one should not stop someone from doing their work, that she would not tell him not to touch those songs, and it was a case of artistic freedom. On seeing the photo of Rick with her and her parents on a TV show, she reminisced that it was such a beautiful time in her life, and it was ridiculous that today they were caught up in such a conflict.
Coming back to France, on Tuesday Lara appeared for the taping of the show the 100th Christmas of "Les petits chanteurs à la croix de bois" - a show which included a chorus of some 87 children. It was opened by Charles Aznavour singing "Ave Maria" (which required several takes). Lara sang ""Tue es mon autre" and then at the end came back to sing "Aime". A wonderful description of the goings-on was provided by Aurélie on the official site - the gist of it is that when Lara is invited to a show with other guests, everybody (including the host) has to be prepared for Lara's fans to be extremely enthusiastic when she appears! And Lara enjoys that. It will be shown December 21 on France 2.
On Saturday, 12/9, Lara recorded a show for Kiss FM which will be broadcast on December 17, from 18:30 to 20:00. She signed plenty of autographs for the audience, who sang 'On t'aime' to her; she provided information about her current plans, and looked great - pictures are available on the web (e.g., laradom).
Also on Saturday, Lara appeared in the France Telethon to raise money for health related causes. She sang "Aime" in a lip-synch version (she actually had to signal in the beginning that she couldn't hear the music). While this is obviously for a good cause, it's a shame that a show such as this which asks for a sincere response from the viewers does not provide it with live performances. The video is available on the web.
Today (12/10) Lara appeared on "Vivement dimanche" and sang two songs. The first was with Gad Elmaleh, entitled "Dansez sur moi" (see the translation in the accompanying post), and then she sang "Aime" (a really live version). Both were truly excellent; videos are available on the web.
As Lara noted in a previous message, she collaborated with Matt Herkowitz on the album "Nue" - it was he who provided the piano reprise at the end of it. And as noted in another post by elliot67, she recently again joined with him and his group MaDFusion to record a version of the Gershwin song "I Love You Porgy". It can be downloaded at:
www.hrpmusic.com/html/media.html
by clicking on 'I love you Porgy'.
(Thanks to Cyrllara 1 on laradom for this somewhat easier download site, and to Larabest on the official site ).
[So with the the new duet and this song, we had two new Lara songs this week!]
With respect to the current plans: in her new message, Lara indicates that work is underway for the (once again strictly) Italian album; however, at the KISS FM show she mentioned that its release will be pushed back until May or June, due to circumstances behind her control. Speculation is that it is associated with her problems with Rick Allison (see also below).
Instead, Lara said that starting in January she will go into rehearsal for the show in the Madeleine Theatre, that is now expected to open in July (rather than September as previously indicated). Whatever the exact date, the only type of show that would require actors six months ahead of time is one in which the actors were helping to create it - no strictly commercial production could afford to pay actors for that long prior to opening (the Madeleine Theatre, with seating for some 720 people, is definitely a commercial venue). And it's clear Lara will not be there continually, for otherwise when does she finish the Italian album? And she already has numerous spring concerts lined up, including a number of the Top of the Pops shows. While one can obviously do more than one thing at a time, both the theatrical and singing activities would seem to require the type of focus that Lara as a perfectionist usually devotes to one project; the guess is that Lara will not let the music languish, regardless of her current fascination with this alternate career.
Indicative of that, in her new message and elsewhere Lara confirmed that she will be appearing at the San Remo festival, which takes place beginning March 3, 2007. The performance may consist primarily of her duet with Gigi d'Allessio, but it would be a great occasion to preview some songs from the coming album for the Italian market - if they are really far enough advanced to do that.
Rick Allison, on his website, provided a response to the highly negative publicity he has received for his sarcastic reply to Lara's request to remake some of their songs in other languages. He said it didn't constitute the whole replay, and was the result of his being offended because (1) Lara didn't ask him personally, she had her management company ask; and (2) he wasn't asked to work on them or even comment on the finished product, that they were his songs too, and it would have been only polite to ask his opinion. As noted previously, the case is now in the courts.
In a curious move, the DVD concert of "Un Regard Neuf" is going to be shown on France TV1 after midnight on Christmas Day. One can debate whether this will negatively affect the DVD sales if people record it, or increase the sales due to the publicity. And how many people will be watching at the time anyway - and how much money are they being given to allow this? Apparently it was Lara's people who suggested it, and the presumption is that they (or at least Universal) know what they're doing. (That assumption may not be completely warranted.)
This coming week should finally find Lara free of media obligations as the Christmas holiday draws near. As indicated earlier, her appearance on KISS FM should air on the 17th.
David
This past week turned out in its own way to be just as hectic as the previous one, as the promotion for "Un Regard Neuf" continues and other items make news. It started with some remaining news from Quebec…
In the new message on the official site, Lara mentions the reduced pressure she felt during the promotion in Quebec compared with that in France, and this was no more evident than in her appearance on the TV show "Les deux filles le matin". Taped before she left Montreal but played last Monday, Lara was seen eating breakfast and chatting with the two women, without the need to get dressed up or apply much makeup, and sang a straightforward version of 'Aime' with a pianist in the background. She certainly didn't have to be 'on' the way she is in European media events. One can understand why she is looking forward to being back in this country, if for nothing more than to regain her own relaxed attitude. The video is available on the web.
And one more example of her greater openness in Canada, was the revealing interview Lara gave for the publication "Echos vedettes" . In it we learned:
- the sickness that she suffered from in 2004 was adenoma. According to the Wilkipedia dictionary, it is a collection of growths of glandular origin. Adenomas can grow from many organs including the colon, adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, etc. These growths are benign, but some are known to have the potential, over time, to transform to malignancy. Lara indicated that it was caught before it had a chance to impact any of her vital organs.
- she is convinced that 2007 will be the year to have a child;
- it sounds like she really plans to live in Quebec, with her father and mother coming to visit her, and Gerard being 'even more crazy about being there than perhaps she is'.
- that she feels she's been greatly betrayed in her past relationships, and it is necessary for her to believe that she must be learning something from it;
- that she was not prepared for her success, nor for her image to be in the hands of the media;
- that the people in Quebec got angry with her when she started spending her time in Europe, but that now it is better;
- it's easier for women singers to be friends in Quebec (like she is with Isabelle Boulay) because the cost of living is less and the country is less cold [obviously emotionally(!)], mean and cynical than France.
- concerning the current legal battle with Rick Allison, she felt that one should not stop someone from doing their work, that she would not tell him not to touch those songs, and it was a case of artistic freedom. On seeing the photo of Rick with her and her parents on a TV show, she reminisced that it was such a beautiful time in her life, and it was ridiculous that today they were caught up in such a conflict.
Coming back to France, on Tuesday Lara appeared for the taping of the show the 100th Christmas of "Les petits chanteurs à la croix de bois" - a show which included a chorus of some 87 children. It was opened by Charles Aznavour singing "Ave Maria" (which required several takes). Lara sang ""Tue es mon autre" and then at the end came back to sing "Aime". A wonderful description of the goings-on was provided by Aurélie on the official site - the gist of it is that when Lara is invited to a show with other guests, everybody (including the host) has to be prepared for Lara's fans to be extremely enthusiastic when she appears! And Lara enjoys that. It will be shown December 21 on France 2.
On Saturday, 12/9, Lara recorded a show for Kiss FM which will be broadcast on December 17, from 18:30 to 20:00. She signed plenty of autographs for the audience, who sang 'On t'aime' to her; she provided information about her current plans, and looked great - pictures are available on the web (e.g., laradom).
Also on Saturday, Lara appeared in the France Telethon to raise money for health related causes. She sang "Aime" in a lip-synch version (she actually had to signal in the beginning that she couldn't hear the music). While this is obviously for a good cause, it's a shame that a show such as this which asks for a sincere response from the viewers does not provide it with live performances. The video is available on the web.
Today (12/10) Lara appeared on "Vivement dimanche" and sang two songs. The first was with Gad Elmaleh, entitled "Dansez sur moi" (see the translation in the accompanying post), and then she sang "Aime" (a really live version). Both were truly excellent; videos are available on the web.
As Lara noted in a previous message, she collaborated with Matt Herkowitz on the album "Nue" - it was he who provided the piano reprise at the end of it. And as noted in another post by elliot67, she recently again joined with him and his group MaDFusion to record a version of the Gershwin song "I Love You Porgy". It can be downloaded at:
www.hrpmusic.com/html/media.html
by clicking on 'I love you Porgy'.
(Thanks to Cyrllara 1 on laradom for this somewhat easier download site, and to Larabest on the official site ).
[So with the the new duet and this song, we had two new Lara songs this week!]
With respect to the current plans: in her new message, Lara indicates that work is underway for the (once again strictly) Italian album; however, at the KISS FM show she mentioned that its release will be pushed back until May or June, due to circumstances behind her control. Speculation is that it is associated with her problems with Rick Allison (see also below).
Instead, Lara said that starting in January she will go into rehearsal for the show in the Madeleine Theatre, that is now expected to open in July (rather than September as previously indicated). Whatever the exact date, the only type of show that would require actors six months ahead of time is one in which the actors were helping to create it - no strictly commercial production could afford to pay actors for that long prior to opening (the Madeleine Theatre, with seating for some 720 people, is definitely a commercial venue). And it's clear Lara will not be there continually, for otherwise when does she finish the Italian album? And she already has numerous spring concerts lined up, including a number of the Top of the Pops shows. While one can obviously do more than one thing at a time, both the theatrical and singing activities would seem to require the type of focus that Lara as a perfectionist usually devotes to one project; the guess is that Lara will not let the music languish, regardless of her current fascination with this alternate career.
Indicative of that, in her new message and elsewhere Lara confirmed that she will be appearing at the San Remo festival, which takes place beginning March 3, 2007. The performance may consist primarily of her duet with Gigi d'Allessio, but it would be a great occasion to preview some songs from the coming album for the Italian market - if they are really far enough advanced to do that.
Rick Allison, on his website, provided a response to the highly negative publicity he has received for his sarcastic reply to Lara's request to remake some of their songs in other languages. He said it didn't constitute the whole replay, and was the result of his being offended because (1) Lara didn't ask him personally, she had her management company ask; and (2) he wasn't asked to work on them or even comment on the finished product, that they were his songs too, and it would have been only polite to ask his opinion. As noted previously, the case is now in the courts.
In a curious move, the DVD concert of "Un Regard Neuf" is going to be shown on France TV1 after midnight on Christmas Day. One can debate whether this will negatively affect the DVD sales if people record it, or increase the sales due to the publicity. And how many people will be watching at the time anyway - and how much money are they being given to allow this? Apparently it was Lara's people who suggested it, and the presumption is that they (or at least Universal) know what they're doing. (That assumption may not be completely warranted.)
This coming week should finally find Lara free of media obligations as the Christmas holiday draws near. As indicated earlier, her appearance on KISS FM should air on the 17th.
David