Julie Andrews

15/01/2022 by radiosatellite.co

Dame Julie Andrews DBE (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. Throughout her career of over 75 years, she has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards.

Andrews was made a Disney Legend in 1991, and has been honoured with a Honorary Golden Lion as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2000, Andrews was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts.

Andrews, a child actress and singer, appeared in the West End in 1948 and made her Broadway debut in The Boy Friend (1954). Billed as “Britain’s youngest prima donna“, she rose to prominence starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady (1956) playing Eliza Doolittle and Camelot (1960) playing Queen Guinevere. On 31 March 1957, Andrews starred in the premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s written-for-television musical Cinderella, a live, colour CBS network broadcast seen by over 100 million viewers. Andrews made her feature film debut in Walt Disney‘s Mary Poppins (1964) and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. The following year she starred in the musical film The Sound of Music (1965), playing Maria von Trapp and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Between 1964 and 1986, Andrews starred in various films working with directors including her husband Blake Edwards, George Roy Hill, and Alfred Hitchcock in The Americanization of Emily (1964), Hawaii (1966), Torn Curtain (1966), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Star! (1968), The Tamarind Seed (1974), 10 (1979), S.O.B. (1981), Victor/Victoria (1982), That’s Life! (1986), and Duet for One (1986). After 1986 her workload decreased, appearing in two films in 1991 and not again until 2000. After the turn of the new millennium, however, her career had a revival. From 2001 to 2004 Andrews starred in The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). From 2004 to 2018 she lent her voice to the Shrek and Despicable Me animated films and Aquaman (2018). In 2017 she co-created and hosted a children’s educational show titled Julie’s Greenroom, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Beginning in 2020, Andrews voiced the narrator Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series Bridgerton. She has also worked hosting performance shows such as Great Performances and narrating documentaries such as the 2004 Emmy-winning series Broadway: The American Musical.

In 2002, Andrews was ranked No. 59 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. In 2003, she revisited her first Broadway success, this time as a stage director, with a revival of The Boy Friend. Apart from her musical career, she is also an author of children’s books and has published two autobiographies, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008) and Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019).

Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on 1 October 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England.Her mother, Barbara Ward Wells (née Morris; 1910–1984) was born in Chertsey and married Edward Charles “Ted” Wells (1908–1990), a teacher of metalwork and woodwork, in 1932.

Andrews was conceived as a result of an affair her mother had with a family friend. Andrews discovered her true parentage from her mother in 1950, although it was not publicly disclosed until her 2008 autobiography.

With the outbreak of World War II, her parents went their separate ways and were soon divorced. Each remarried: Barbara to Ted Andrews, in 1943, and Ted Wells in 1944 to Winifred Maud (Hyde) Birkhead, a war widow and former hairstylist at a war work factory that employed them both in Hinchley Wood, Surrey. Wells assisted with evacuating children to Surrey during the Blitz, while Andrews’s mother joined her husband in entertaining the troops through the Entertainments National Service Association. Andrews lived briefly with Wells and her brother, John in Surrey. In 1940, Wells sent her to live with her mother and stepfather, who Wells thought would be better able to provide for his talented daughter’s artistic training. According to Andrews’s 2008 autobiography Home, while Andrews had been used to calling her stepfather “Uncle Ted”, her mother suggested it would be more appropriate to refer to her stepfather as “Pop”, while her father remained “Dad” or “Daddy” to her, a change which she disliked. The Andrews family was “very poor” and “lived in a bad slum area of London,” at the time, stating that the war “was a very black period in my life.” According to Andrews, her stepfather was violent and an alcoholic. He twice, while drunk, tried to get into bed with his stepdaughter, resulting in Andrews fitting a lock on her door.

As the stage career of her mother and stepfather improved, they were able to afford better surroundings, first to Beckenham and then, as the war ended, back to the Andrews’s hometown of Hersham. The family took up residence at the Old Meuse, in West Grove, Hersham, a house (now demolished) where Andrews’s maternal grandmother had served as a maid. Andrews’s stepfather sponsored lessons for her, first at the independent arts educational school Cone-Ripman School (ArtsEd) in London, and thereafter with concert soprano and voice instructor Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen. Andrews said of Stiles-Allen, “She had an enormous influence on me,” adding, “She was my third mother – I’ve got more mothers and fathers than anyone in the world.” In her memoir Julie Andrews – My Star Pupil, Stiles-Allen records, “The range, accuracy and tone of Julie’s voice amazed me … she had possessed the rare gift of absolute pitch”,though Andrews herself refutes this in her 2008 autobiography Home. According to Andrews, “Madame was sure that I could do Mozart and Rossini, but, to be honest, I never was”. Of her own voice, she says, “I had a very pure, white, thin voice, a four-octave range – dogs would come from miles around.” After Cone-Ripman School, Andrews continued her academic education at the nearby Woodbrook School, a local state school in Beckenham.

The sound of music

The sound of Music

The sound of music Julie Andrews /Christopher Plummer

Cast of Sound of Music

Termed “Britain’s youngest prima donna”, Andrews’s classically trained soprano voice, lauded for its “pure and clear” sound, has been described as light, bright and operatic in tone. When a young Andrews was taken by her parents to be examined by a throat specialist, the doctor concluded that she had “an almost adult larynx.” Despite the continual encouragement to pursue opera by her voice teacher, English soprano Lilian Stiles-Allen, Andrews herself felt that her voice was unsuited for the genre and “too big a stretch”. At the time, Andrews described her own voice as “extremely high and thin”, feeling that it lacked “the necessary guts and weight for opera”, preferring musical theatre instead.

Victor Victoria

As Andrews aged, so did her voice, which began to naturally deepen. Losing her vast upper register, her “top notes” became increasingly difficult to sing while “her middle register matured into the warm golden tone” for which she has become known, according to Tim Wong of The Daily Telegraph.

Musically, she had always preferred singing music that was “bright and sunny”, choosing to avoid songs that were sad or otherwise written in a minor key, for fear of losing her voice “in a mess of emotion”. She cited this as another reason for avoiding opera.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Mary Poppins

Andre Rieu / Mary Poppins / Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

A Spoonful Of Sugar / Julie Andrews / Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins – Chim Chim Cher-ee

Additional informations about “the sound of music” : The original Broadway cast. The original Broadway cast was started by Mary Martin. Her singing style was very different than Julie Andrews’s style.

(Mary Martin was Larry hagman’s mother)

Sources Youtube / Wikipedia

A star is born (version 2018)

04/01/2022 by radiosatellite.co

A Star Is Born ou Une étoile est née est un film musical américain coécrit, coproduit et réalisé par Bradley Cooper, sorti en 2018. Salué à la fois par le public et les critiques, le film et sa bande originale remportent plus d’une soixantaine de prix.

Il s’agit du quatrième remake du film Une étoile est née de William A. Wellman, sorti en 1937.

Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) se produit dans des concerts qui se vendent bien tout en ayant des acouphènes assez fréquents et des addictions à l’alcool et à la drogue qu’il cache au public. Son principal soutien et manager n’est autre que son demi-frère aîné Bobby (Sam Elliott) qui s’occupe de lui. Ally Campana (Lady Gaga) est une jeune autrice-compositrice qui travaille comme serveuse avec son ami Ramon (Anthony Ramos), tout en chantant dans un bar de drag queens. Après un concert au Coachella Festival, Jackson arrive dans ce même bar pour boire un verre et découvre Ally qui chante La Vie en rose. Impressionné par son talent, il partage un verre avec elle. Ally lui révèle qu’elle n’a jamais poursuivi de carrière professionnelle car les gens de l’industrie lui ont trop souvent dit qu’elle avait un nez trop grand et qu’elle n’arriverait jamais à rien. Jackson lui avoue trouver cela séduisant et lui propose d’écrire des chansons ensemble. Elle le ramène chez elle, où elle vit avec son père veuf, Lorenzo (Andrew Dice Clay), qui dirige un service de chauffeurs avec ses amis. Jackson demande à Ally de venir à son concert le soir même, mais elle refuse malgré l’insistance de Lorenzo. Elle change finalement d’avis et emmène Ramon avec elle. Jackson demande à Ally de chanter avec lui sur scène. Après hésitation, elle cède et finit par être adulée sur les réseaux sociaux grâce à son interprétation de Shallow.

Jackson et Ally partent sur les routes, chantent ensemble à plusieurs concerts et commencent à se lier. Après l’évanouissement de Jackson à cause de son alcoolisme, Bobby dit à Ally qu’elle doit être très prudente avec lui. Jackson emmène Ally en Arizona voir une ferme qu’il a achetée pour Bobby et où son père est enterré, mais découvre que Bobby a vendu le terrain et que le corps de leur père a été emporté dans une tornade. Furieux de sa trahison, Jackson frappe Bobby, qui décide de démissionner de son poste de manager.

À la fin d’un concert, Ally rencontre Rez (Rafi Gavron), un producteur qui lui propose un contrat après l’avoir entendu chanter Always Remember Us This Way. Malgré le fait qu’il soit visiblement contrarié, Jackson soutient sa décision et aide Ally à traverser les premières épreuves de sa notoriété. Pendant un de ces concerts, Rez réprimande Ally sur sa décision d’annuler le numéro de danse initialement prévu et lui suggère de se teindre les cheveux en blond platine, ce qu’elle refuse. Supposé venir au concert, Jackson, ivre, s’évanouit en centre ville et est aidé par Noodles (Dave Chappelle), un de ses amis d’enfance qui l’autorise à rester temporairement chez lui. Ally le rejoint et lui avoue avoir de plus en plus de mal à supporter ses addictions. Jackson lui fait alors sa demande en mariage en créant une bague avec un bout de corde de guitare, et ils se marient le jour même.

Pendant qu’Ally se produit dans l’émission Saturday Night Live, Bobby arrive et se réconcilie avec Jackson. Plus tard, Jackson exprime sa réprobation face à une des chansons d’Ally, qui perd en authenticité et se transforme petit à petit en produit commercial. La traitant de « laide », ils se disputent puis essaient rapidement de laisser le problème derrière eux. Sous l’emprise de l’alcool et des opiacés, Jackson se produit aux Grammy Awards avec un hommage à Roy Orbison. Ally gagne le Grammy de la meilleure nouvelle artiste. Pendant qu’elle prononce son discours, Jackson arrive sur scène au même moment mais s’humilie en s’urinant dessus et en perdant connaissance. Lorenzo emmène Jackson dans les coulisses, le réprimande et le met sous une douche pour le faire dessoûler. À la suite de cet incident, Jackson part en cure de désintoxication.

Ally lui rend visite et Jackson s’excuse pour son comportement. Avant le retour de Jackson chez lui à la fin de sa cure, Ally propose à Rez de faire une tournée commune avec son mari, désormais sobre et remis sur pied. Mais le manager refuse catégoriquement. Hors d’elle, Ally lui dit qu’elle préfère annuler la tournée. Rez se rend à leur domicile et dit en privé à Jackson qu’il finira par replonger tôt ou tard et qu’il pourrait ruiner la carrière d’Ally à cause de ses addictions, mais qu’elle n’osera jamais lui dire. Celle-ci ment à Jackson et lui explique qu’elle a annulé sa tournée européenne pour enregistrer son deuxième album. Lorsqu’elle part pour son dernier show, elle lui demande de la rejoindre sur scène pour chanter ensemble. Il accepte. Mais après le départ d’Ally, Jackson prend des pilules et se suicide en se pendant, comme il avait tenté de le faire durant sa jeunesse.

Ally demeure inconsolable malgré les efforts de Lorenzo et de Ramon pour l’aider. Bobby lui explique que la mort de Jackson n’est pas sa faute mais celle de Jackson lui-même. Elle s’approprie une chanson que Jackson avait écrite mais jamais présentée en public, I’ll Never Love Again, et décide de la chanter à une cérémonie de commémoration, au Shrine Auditorium, où elle se présente elle-même comme Ally Maine. Elle se remémore le moment où Jackson la lui avait présentée chez eux et regarde vers le haut, une larme à l’œil.

LES VERSIONS DE ” A STAR IS BORN”

A star is born (William Wellman, 1937)

Avec : Janet Gaynor et Fredric March.

A star is born (George Cukor, 1954)

Avec : Judy Garland ( Rappel : Judy Garland étant la mère de liza Minelli ) et James Mason.

A star is born (Frank Pierson, 1976)

Avec : Barbra Streisand et Kris Kristofferson

BRADLEY COOPER SPEAKING FRENCH / BRADLEY COOPER PARLANT EN FRANCAIS

Sources Wikipedia / Youtube / Divers

Grease… Musical…on Stage…Mogador..Paris

05/11/2017 by radiosatellite.co

The teams of our two radio stations: “Radio Satellite” and “Radio Satellite2” were able to attend the show, GREASE (Musical comedy taken from the famous movie film of the 70s).

We (teams) lived a pure happiness during these 3 hours of show.

Yes…It was a physical show: Dances, somersaults, young people performing breathtaking acrobatics. Fantastic dances and choreographies.

A synchronized show synchronized. Twenty actresses and actors who are also singers (beautiful voices), dancers …. To summarize, as said “a pure jewel” “pure happiness”

The show mixes Grease‘s English-language hits and some titles in French. Anyway, the show was translated to English on 2 screens in Mogador theater, for non-French speakers, for tourists.

This show can be easily exported and can be performed on various stages / stage boards around the world. In fact, it’s an international show.

The day you read this article, if the show is still played, do not hesitate to go there with your family. The comedy is worth the detour

Last point to be specified: It’s a Live Show: It means…. The singers are “really” singing.

It’s not a playback. There is an orchestra. This orchestra consists of 8 musicians : pianist / synth, solo electric guitar, bass guitar, drummer, trumpet player etc …

Here are 2 videos: One taken by one of our team members.

The other whose source is youtube (Théotha Paris)

+ A link to an article presenting Grease’s musical team at the Mogador Theater in Paris.