My views on the Green Lantern casting

OK, first off, I must apologise for my long and completely unintended hiatus. I guess my blogging skills would put me high on the list for ADHD... well, at least the AD part. I had hoped to continue once I returned to UK in September, but my own remarkable laziness and a surplus of work at university kept me away from this blog.
Now, onto the topic of this post... as some of you (or none, given that nobody in his/her right mind would be reading this) may know, Ryan Reynolds appears to have been cast as Green Lantern Hal Jordan in a forthcoming film adaptation of the classic character's origins. This has raised a bit of an uproar among 'fans' on the internet, with most objecting to the choice of Reynolds, known for many roles in which he played a smart ass. Now, before I weigh in with my views on the issue, one close to my heart as a GL fan, I feel I should first clarify what I hope is going to be done with the character.
As I said, it's almost certainly an origin story, and will incorporate elements from his civilian life as a test pilot at Ferris Aircraft and feature Hal's first steps in the universal police force, the Green Lantern Corps, especially his training with the legendary Sinestro whom he will eventually expose to be a despotic tyrant on his home planet of Korugar. Perhaps it will be similar to the upcoming animated feature, Green Lantern: First Flight, which has been described as Training Day in space. All fine there. But what I really want the focus to be on is Hal's personality, which has been shown in the strangest ways over the years. When he was first created, we (the readers) were told he was a great lantern, arguably the greatest of them all. And people around him thought he was the coolest, with women gushing over him. But the actual character was written to act like an idiot, bumbling his way through accident-filled cases where he'd eventually succeed. The bumbling was even more pronounced in the Justice League of America series, where he'd inevitably get knocked out before any fight even began. With the eventual change of writers came a change in direction. With Green Arrow and Black Canary around him, we saw he had a soul. And his determination started showing through when he was facing tough odds. However, his incredible ability to have others gush over his personality was still a little lacking, although now definitely pointed in a more definite direction. This was carried forward by subsequent writers. Post-crisis, things finally started taking shape, with his impact on younger heroes quite clear. He was inspirational, and his remarkable self-assurance only added to his heroic persona. And, of course, wherever he went, he was extremely popular with the ladies, even if he had one true love (well, at least at a given time). Unfortunately, he also started becoming an asshole around this time. A development that eventually culminated in his becoming Parallax, arguably the most powerful villain conceived in the 90s by DC. Oddly enough, it was also in the run up to this that we finally saw the true might of Hal Jordan, and why he was considered the greatest GL, as all who opposed him, including his old friends and comrades, fell by the wayside. Eventually, Parallax sacrificed himself to reignite the failing sun, and in doing so died, with his soul subsequently taken up by the Spectre for a host. But that's not the focus of this post...
The next bit comes with Geoff Johns' run on Green Lantern, starting with the Rebirth miniseries and continuing to this day. Right since the start, which featured Hal's return to the life and the rebirth of the Corps, Johns did something few other writers had before- he actually gave a sense of character and personality showing why Hal had the impact he did on others, and did the same for the other Lanterns who were included. Sure, we often saw glimpses, but the full picture? Johns was the first. And that's also why most GL fans worship him. He didn't just bring Hal back to life after a series of horrendous editorial decisions- he also finally gave him life. With Geoff Johns, we finally see why Hal is revered by most of his fellow heroes.
He is, unlike what many writers previously showed, pretty damn cool. He's essentially a reckless cowboy, as opposed to Kyle Rayner's overgrown kid, with an ability to charm any woman he meets and he's more than happy to engage in playful banter around friends. But once he's got the uniform on and he's off on the job, he knows EXACTLY what he's focussing on! Sure, his recklessness may get him into the odd scrape, but he's no bumbling idiot, and he makes full use of that willpower, and finally makes the reader consider what it is about him that makes him such an inspirational hero, arguably the greatest of all lanterns. Even more impressive, we see his villains finally endowed with personality, and the relationships and interaction between characters finally seems real.
And that is why I want Geoff Johns' work and character development to play a part in this movie. Show the full picture of a great hero with more personality than he's given credit for, not some dull, lifeless idiot and failure who seems, somewhat inexplicably, to be adored by all around. And that finally brings me to the comments on the character selection. Basically, fans wanted someone like Nathan Fillion. But we all (mostly) admit that it would have worked 5 years ago, and now it just wouldn't be right. Same goes for Hugh Jackman, who I kinda pictured as being capable when he was younger and not pictured as Wolverine. He had the charm to woo ladies and inspire guys, could do reckless and fearless, but when it came down to the job, his characters always have the focus and determination. But he's not right anymore...
Which brings us to the 3 people who went for the screen test. Justin Timberlake (shudder...), Bradley Cooper and Ryan Reynolds. Now, Justin Timberlake I won't even consider. His acting has been surprisingly good in some movies, but he just isn't right by any stretch of the imagination. Now, Bradley Cooper vs Ryan Reynolds. Let's look at the traits of Hal Jordan:

• Charm galore and the ability to woo ladies while having the lads love having you around- Check for both of them.
• Looks- Bradley is closer in appearance to Hal apart from the eyes, while Ryan Reynolds isn't that much further off the mark (but he does have the brown eyes). Minor advantage to Cooper, but it barely matters with this difference.
• Reckless cowboy- Ryan's been doing it for ages with minor variations, and Bradley Cooper did have one helluva wild ride in The Hangover. They can both manage.
• Fearlessness- For the Man Without Fear, it is important the actor looks like he can shrug off an otherwise terrifying thing and forge ahead with the vaguest hint of indifference. This is where I have doubts about Bradley Cooper. His roles thus far have involved him reacting in some way or the other to such situations, and we barely see him merely shrugging something off. Sure, this is generally the script's direction, but is there a reason for his forging ahead with the potential panic than without? Ryan Reynolds can do the nonchalance bit slightly better, I feel. But who knows- with a proper opportunity, Bradley could tone that bit down enough...
• Interaction with others- This is one of those controversial bits. First, Bradley- he'll manage fine, with a good balance of characteristics as outlined in the next few lines. And now onto the main figure in question: Ryan Reynolds. A large number of fans on the internet have objected to Ryan Reynolds 'cos they feel he has too much personality for such a role, and he can't do anything other than being the smart ass in a movie. Now, there are a few things I must point out. One, there's more to Ryan Reynolds than being the guy with a running mouth and lots of one liners. Anyone who has watched movies like The Nines, Smokin' Aces and Fireflies In The Garden can testify to the fact that he can play it straight when required, and do it very well at that. If the scriptwriters for GL give him a proper balance between humorous interactions around his friends such as Tom 'Pieface' Kalmaku and his somewhat more focussed attitude when on the job as a Lantern, I am certain he can do the job. Secondly, all those who claim he has too much personality are clearly in the 1960s camp that believes Hal Jordan is a boring, bumbling idiot who has no interesting features to his character and was only labelled as great and cool by some fluke. He may not be an overgrown kid like Kyle Rayner (who has since been forced to mature due to far too many deaths among those close to him), but Hal certainly has personality, and around his friends he certainly gives as good as he gets when it comes to verbal sparring. Verdict: Cooper and Reynolds could both do this, even if certain segments of comic fans believe Hal should be incapable of witty banter and sparkling conversation with his friends. And believe me, it is shocking just how many such 'fans' there are on the internet (if people seriously believe he should be incapable of having a personality, why do they even want his character as the Lantern in question?).

Now, as I mentioned earlier, Ryan Reynolds got the role and this doesn't displease me. I do maintain that Bradley Cooper can do this. In fact, for the sake of the movie, I was rooting for Bradley. With someone like Ryan, who has a higher profile for his roles as a smartass, people will go into this movie just hoping to come out saying he was the wrong choice. If the scriptwriters put in too many one liners, people will say they were right and he is incapable of playing it straight. If he does get a chance to play it straight, people will come out saying they overdid it to show Reynolds could do it straight and boring. If they find the perfect balance, 90% of the 'fans' will still come out complaining about which aspect they thought was overdone. Warner may have made a mistake with this one, not because he can't do the role, but because he's high profile enough for fans to want him nowhere near the role. Fans are fickle, opinionated and remarkably self-obsessed, and I know this for I too am a fan. I just also happen to be someone who has seen different sides of Ryan Reynolds' acting and I have faith in his ability to do justice to whatever script the writers do put together.
Do I consider Ryan Reynolds the ideal Hal Jordan? Probably not. Do I consider him the best of the options available? Maybe, maybe not- even I can't say. Do I think he can do a great job? Absolutely. He's got the ability, and he can manage the other aspects. He's got the passion of a comic geek, and will strive to do this character the way it should be done and the way the writers and director want it to be done. In the end, I feel it comes down to what balance they strike between the charismatic Hal Jordan and the serious space cop Green Lantern. And now that they seem to have settled on Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, I think the time for personal preferences is past, and now I just want to see if he will do the role as well as I think he can, and on his abilities. Not the roles everyone knows him for, or even about what they expect from him without having seen him in more than 4 roles, but for what he can do in this role. And that is quite a lot, and quite well. So, here's hoping he justifies that selection, and that the character he portrays is as it should be portrayed... to Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern Hal Jordan!

Birthday of The Day (07-09-2008)- Evan Rachel Wood

Ah, the special post. This is about that one person even a cynical hellhound such as myself can't help but idealise/idolise [the choice of person being specific to the hellhound in question, of course]. In my case, that's my favourite actress, Evan Rachel Wood.
I won't do just the standard 'info from Wikipedia' for this one. First, I must tell about my fascination with her. While the first movie of hers I watched was Practical Magic, it would be a long time before I knew she was in it. No, my first experience of this actress was in a movie called 'Little Secrets.' I found this movie on TV and started watching it cos it had Michael Angarano, someone I really liked in some other roles he had done. While my primary focus was on Michael Angorano, and I was pretty much all set to ignore the female lead, over the course of the movie I was drawn to something quite magical in the petite blonde with eyes I could dive into (she may be 6 months older than me, but by the time I saw the movie, she definitely seemed a little girl in comparison). And it wasn't the looks that caught my attention (didn't hurt, but that wasn't it). Cos I see plenty of blondes with blue-green eyes in movies, but few actually make an impression. This one, though, was captivating. Although I had set out to merely enjoy Michael Angarano's comic relief, the young girl actually drew me into the story, and I felt like I was there with her at all times. I still feel the shock I did back then, when the character fell off a roof. It was a genuine effect, given that I wasn't yet a fan of the actress. The young girl was, as it turned out after some minor research, Evan Rachel Wood, a young actress whom I had only heard mention of as the 'edgy It girl' of Hollywood and a darling of the indie film industry.
Over the 2 years since then, I watched almost all her movies and paid attention to some other work as well.
Born to renowned Raleigh theatre personality Ira David Wood III and actress Sara Lynn Moore, Evan was always destined to be an actress. She was merely a few months old when cast in her father's annual production of A Christmas Carol. Eventually, she started dabbling in TV roles (American Gothic, Profiler) and moved to LA with her mother. She got noticed for her role as young Harriet Frankowitz in Digging To China and impressed even when acting with stalwarts such as Kevin Bacon and Mary Stuart Masterson. Over the next few years, she would obtain more roles in film and TV, gaining critical applause for her portrayal of the complex Jessie Sammler in TV's Once and Again where her character grappled with many issues such as eating disorders and sexuality. Her film career continued with movies such as Sim0ne with Al Pacino and Catherine Keener and the aforementioned Little Secrets, but it was the indie movie Thirteen that became the defining work of her career thus. Her performance as Tracy Louise Freeland (hah! How many psychotic fans remember the middle name as well? Not enough...), an innocent girl corrupted by the popular girl at school and getting into bad habits such as drink and drugs, and the strained relationship between self-harming Tracy and her single mother as Tracy descends into a downward spiral, earned Evan many awards and nominations, and remains one of the most jarring portrayals this century. The performance set a bar to which other depictions of self-harm and descent into a dangerous lifestyle must aspire- a bar that none has even come close to touching, of course. Evan continued her 'troubled girl' series with Pretty Persuasion and the Edward Norton starrer Down In The Valley (I still maintain the latter would have been one of the best movies I had seen if it wasn't for the pointless shootout that followed Evan's character's being shot) as well as acting in the multistarrer Sundance favourite The Upside of Anger. Since then she has worked in a wide variety of movies such as Mike Cahill's The King of California (I loved that movie- gave me a newfound respect for Michael Douglas as well), Beatles musical Across The Universe (for about a year, my Google Talk display picture was from the movie and my status was set to 'Across The Universe'- fairly appropriate given that at the time I felt that far away from friends back in India), Running With Scissors (didn't come near the book, in my opinion, but Evan was amazing- I was not even in the same room and I felt the daggers coming out of her eyes during one scene in the movie. Plus, during one scene in this movie, when she was asked to cry, she asked which eye to do this from. The director and crew thought she was joking, and called out which eye to do it from- and then stared in absolute shock when she produced tears from that eye. 'Zen master stuff,' the awestruck director called it) and most recently she has acted in Vadim Perelman's tale of a Columbine-like disaster, The Life Before Her Eyes alongside Uma Thurman, and the Golden Lion winning film from Darren Aronofsky The Wrestler. She is currently shooting for Woody Allen's next project, also starring Larry David.
In addition to her film and TV work, Evan has voiced characters in multiple animated movies, such as Asterix and The Vikings (Abba-English version), Shark Bait/The Reef (Cordelia) and Terra (Princess Mala). She has also appeared in Bright Eyes' music video for At the Bottom of Everything, her current boyfriend Marilyn Manson's somewhat risque video Heart Shaped Glasses and most famously in Green Day's Wake Me Up When September Ends (check out the full video. Please.). Evan's musical background isn't restricted merely to appearing in videos, however. A lifelong fan of the Beatles, she performed in the Beatles themed movie musical Across The Universe and sang many Fab 4 songs in the movie. What many don't know is that the movie was not Evan's first singing job in showbiz. Apart from singing a few songs featured in Once And Again episodes, she also recorded two songs for the School's Out Christmas Album (I have both songs- surprise, surprise...)
As for her personal life, well, she met her previous boyfriend Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame) on the sets of Wake Me Up When September Ends. The relationship was going well, until Evan met her current beau Marilyn Manson who went on to paint a few portraits of her and cast her for his forthcoming movie. I'll admit her decision to go out with Manson shocked me and for a while I was unhappy (not cos it's Manson, but cos I like Jamie), but I am her fan and I eventually got over it. Happy for her now, and happy that her career is going great guns at the moment.
Hope things continue to go brilliantly for Evan. Happy birthday! [she is now old enough to drink legally in USA-21. But keep away from Manson's Mansinthe, Evan. Please]

Also, you'll be seeing a lot more of her in a different form (inspired be her, rather) once my Wacom Bamboo arrives...

Late post- BOTD Sept 6- Saeed Anwar

First of all, I know I should have posted this yesterday, but the net connection at home wasn't working as well as it should have (yes, it's been fixed, but barely seems any better than having no connection). But better late than never, and this being a post for my sis' birthday, I couldn't shelve it.
Now, coming to the choice of BOTD for today. I would, in 999999 cases out of 1000000, pick Roger Waters for the BOTD when it happens to also be his birthday. But, I said I would pick someone of my sis' preference, and from the list I saw on Wikipedia, that turned out to be Pakistani cricketer Saeed Anwar.
Saeed Anwar, for those who don't know, was a very accomplished Pakistani batsman who still holds the record for the highest individual score in a limited overs match (194 vs India in 1997). He was a naturally elegant player who used his wrists to steer the ball away for runs rather than merely bludgeoning the ball. He could, however, adapt very well to the situation, and could switch fairly easily between dour defence and freeflowing attack. An opening batsman, he combined his ability with rare concentration and was one of the greatest accumulators of runs around the turn of the century, and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997.
In his later years, he had a bad spell of form, which coincided with the unfortunate demise of his daughter in 2001 at the tender age of three. Following this tragedy Anwar became a born-again Muslim, taking a break from cricket and serving as a devout Muslim. He eventually returned to cricket, with a very noticeable beard, as part of a Pakistani team full of similarly reborn Muslims. At the 2003 World Cup, Anwar was one of the few Pakistanis to perform well, but following the team's disappointing showing he was axed, as were many other senior players in the squad. In his retirement, he is now part of Tablighi Jamaat, and regularly goes out to preach Islam.

I should point out that my call for BOTD would have been Roger Waters, frontman of Pink Floyd. While his biog will have to wait until next year (and it will definitely show up next year...), here's a clip of him performing 'Mother'



(Belated) Happy birthday, sis

The return of the prodigal... idiot

Sorry, first I was occupied with stuff to take care of before returning to Bath, and then it turned out my connection here had been cut off while I was in India. Don't think I have the time to do a detailed birthday set for all the days I missed, so I might as well list the people I would have done a post on below. Will try and make up for it by doing a post on them next year even if they are dead by then.

August 24: Stephen Fry
August 25: Sean Connery, I guess, but there are so many people for this date...
August 26: Barbet Schroeder just about edges it...
August 27: Deco, though Pee Wee Herman deserves a lifetime shout just for being Pee Wee Herman :P
August 28: Jack Black edges out a lotta people
August 29: John McCain edges out so many people, cos he is one of the men of the moment
August 30: Andy Roddick may have earned it over the years, but I choose to do it on young hope Ernests Gulbis. If he's still doing the job next year...
August 31: A really hard one, but Queen Rania, cos she is a rare public figure I consider worthy of admiration overall, not just for achievements in a field.
September 1: Ruud Gullit. Though it should be Phil McGraw. Why? COS HE'S PHIL MCGRAW, DAMMIT!
September 2: I could play club favourites and choose Pato, but I'll be fair and take Joey Barton on experience and interestingness. That, and cos he would kill me if I didn't do so.
September 3: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
September 4: Dawn Fraser (also, my granddad)
September 5: Freddie Mercury

Will start posting again from tomorrow... I assume. It's also my sis' birthday, so I will definitely pick someone good :)

Birthday of The Day: Demetrio Albertini

I could have done this post about a lot of people (as usual, some of the more interesting ones are dead, including Keith Moon and River Phoenix), but today's BOTD is former AC Milan and Italy footballer Demetrio Albertini.
Although he played for numerous clubs towards the fag end of his career, Albertini will always be remembered for his time at AC Milan. An integral part of the legendary Milan and Italy teams of the early 90s, he was as essential to his team for his solidity in his own half as for his vision and spectacular set pieces at the other end. And this guy almost always delivered when he was up for a crunch shot (the lone failure being a penalty miss in the 98 World Cup which wasn't THE crucial miss, but he did score in the 94 final shootout). In particular, the moment that convinced me most of the Albertini magic was a freekick he scored for Atletico Madrid in the 2002-03 season at a time when he wasn't considered to have little more than experience and vision left. Trailing 2-1 to city rivals Real Madrid, Atletico got a freekick 30 yards out with seconds to go. Basically one shot to try something against one of the best shotstoppers in the world in Iker Casillas, Demetrio Albertini had to pull off something truly magical in a crunch situation. What followed was a freekick so perfect in every manner, in a tough spot, that t-shirts of a photo capturing a photo of that moment continued to be sold even after Demetrio had left the Estadio Vicente Calderon for Italy. Seriously, if anyone finds a proper video of that free kick, PLEASE let me know...
My media attachment for the day instead will be another moment that captured the magic of the man and his ability to provide something special. In his testimonial match, a game where the object of the testimonial usually ends up scoring from some pointless penalty just so he can celebrate a goal in his testimonial, this guy went and scored a blinder of a freekick, swerving inside out to beat a keeper of the calibre of Andoni Zubizarreta... this is that freekick.



Other birthdays (excluding the deceased such as River Phoenix, Giuseppe Meazza, Gene Kelly and Keith Moon):
Daniel Ruettiger, American Football player and inspiration for the movie Rudy
Shelley Long, Actress
Chris DiMarco, Golfer
Jay Mohr, Comedian and Actor
Mark Butcher, Cricketer
Scott Caan, Actor
Kobe Bryant, Basketball player
Carlos Cuellar, Footballer
Natalie Coughlin, Swimmer
Glen Johnson, Footballer

Birthday Of The Day: Misc Media

Ok, today's BOTD looks like being a mixed bag, cos the ones who have had some influence on me died in the last few years and hence I will have to bend my rules today to show some multimedia relating to a few dead people as well. There are quite a few notable people born on this date whom I can't, unfortunately, really talk about, but deserve to be noted. One of these is Ray Bradbury.
Ray Bradbury is a giant of 20th century literature, and is part of the famed ABC of science fiction (Asimov, Bradbury and Clarke), arguably the greatest of the modern science fiction writers. He is most noted for his influential work Fahrenheit 451 and boasts among his other work The Martian Chronicles and a collaborative work that later developed into The Addams Family. He continues to garner honours for a lifetime that inspired a generation of science fiction authors and will continue to do so in the future. As recently as earlier this year, he has been awarded prestigious honours, being named a Grandmaster of the Science Fiction Poetry Association earlier in 2008. Alas, not being much of a science fiction person myself I am not qualified to describe him in great detail, but it speaks volumes about the influence of the man on all areas of modern life that even one as 'illiterate' as I would place him as the most important person in today's post.

Henri Cartier-Bresson died in 2004, the first (well, he died a year after the other, actually) of the 2 influential dead I will mention in this post. He was one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, and is considered a pioneer, if not the pioneer, in the field of photjournalism. My first experience of his work was a collection of photos he had taken in South India that I had obtained at Alliance Francaise. The simplicity in his work that inexplicably captured the most complex of emotions and states of being, accentuated by a fascinating interplay of shadow and light, captivated me. Well known for his portraits of famous people, the man himself refused to be photographed as he found the notion of being photographed for being 'famous' a ridiculous one, and one occasion held up a sheet of paper to cover part of his face (those who know me will recognise that I do the same thing when in front of a camera, but I should point out my ideological problem with being photographed is entirely different). A master of exploting shadows, Cartier-Bresson worked primarily with black and white photography and was an influential figure in the photography cooperative that he co-founded, Magnum Photos. He died in 2004, but even from beyond the grave he continues to influence photography and to win laurels for his work.
Leni Riefenstahl (1902-2003)is the last of the 3 persons I am profiling in this post. The filmmaker is mostly remembered as the director behind Hitler's propaganda films, but it is also beyond doubt that behind that controversial persona she was a visionary auteur, best characterised by her documentary about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Olympia. She possessed a style well ahead of her time, and the universal appeal of even her niche works (apart from the Hitler ones, of course) continues to this day. Today, I choose not to remember the woman who helped manipulate the will of people to back a genocidal dictator, but the other side of Leni Riefenstahl- the artiste with the vision, and the magical ability to bring that vision to life. Hence, a brief and wholly unrepresentative clip of Olympia follows.



Other notable living people with their birthdays today:
Honor Blackman, Actress best known for her role as Bong girl Pussy Galore
E. Annie Proulx, Author best known for Brokeback Mountain among other works
Valerie Harper, Actress
I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Professional Liar, Obstructor of Justice and Creep (just search Wikipedia or YouTube...)
Chiranjeevi, Telugu actor who has achieved everlasting fame on the internet due to a Telugu version of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' video
Steve Davis, Snooker player
Colm Feore, Actor
Tori Amos, Singer
Mats Wilander, Tennis player
Rob Witschge, Footballer
Alexander Mostovoi, Footballer
Richard Armitage, Actor (check out BBC's Robin Hood, where Armitage plays Guy de Gisbourne)
Kristen Wiig, SNL comic
Heidar Helguson, Footballer

Also, in honour of the tooltip from today's XKCD comic, HAPPY LINKSYS DAY! [this date will have to do until a proper date is finalised by Randall Munroe and the loyal readers of XKCD]

Birthday of the Day: Alizee Jacotey

For those of you who don't know, Alizee Jacotey is a French singer who first rose to prominence as a young girl with her single 'Moi...Lolita' and gained a reputation as a precocious teenaged star with a very sensual style. Mentored by Mylene Farmer, a Quebecoise performer who specialised in churning out hits following a certain formula, a similar style of music and sensuality brought more hits to young Alizee (or Lili, as she's known to her fans). One of these was J'En Ai Marre, a single whose stage performances have become legendary for her dancing in skimpy outfits and even inspired a dance in World of Warcraft (the female night elf- the male one was taken from Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'). I will not post that video as it's too common a post anyway. Just search for Alizee on YouTube and that should be the first video up there.
Getting back to Lili... after a few mega-successful years where she just couldn't fail, and through her voice managed to bring soul and personality to somewhat dance-oriented songs in a manner Mylene couldn't have dreamed of, Alizee suddenly took an extended break. She married a singer by the name of Jeremy Chatelain, became a mother, and for the most part lived a reclusive life. In another decade, she would have disappeared completely. But in this period, the internet rules, and her loyal fans not only kept her career alive, but popularised her around the world to the extent that she could perhaps be considered more famous a French singer than even Edith Piaf, albeit within the internet using public.
Then last year, the erstwhile Lolita returned, sans Mylene Farmer's presence and formula-driven records. Her third studio album, Psychedelices, showed a gentleness to her voice and variety not previously expected of the popstar, but it came at a bit of a cost, failing to match the sales of the previous two albums in her native France. Overseas, though, her fanbase was enormous, to say the least, and she has taken the opportunity to visit her fans in other parts of the world. It can only be hoped that the creative tinkering continues and she continues to grow as an artist, and that she can not only regain but also exceed the success of her Lolitaesque PR phase as masterminded by Mylene Farmer.
Now, coming to my own experiences with Lili's music. My first experiences were rocky to say the least, as my housemate played me a song of her's the day before an exam, a song that stuck in my head and almost wrecked my exam. Not being into dance music, that song didn't impress me much, but her voice did have soul. I listened to a few more songs, and eventually found some that appealed to me. Her voice and ability as a performer grew on me, and I became a fan by the time the third album came. Once it came, I loved the new lyrical direction the music took, though I did miss some of the sweeping orchestral symphonies from previous works. But it was like a rebirth, one that Lili needed to be able to move forward after Mylene, and I hope to see her strike the perfect balance in the future. Also, I hope to actually see her perform- I was quite taken with her 'Alizee En Concert' performance- not just the performance, but the rocked-out music and attitude, everything. I even added the drummer from that concert tour as a friend on MySpace because he was so awesome!
Now, for a video. Not the J'en Ai Marre one, but perhaps my favourite Alizee song, A Contre Courant. This has that perfect mix of her soulful voice, and sweeping electric orchestral music. And she just went up on stage and did her bit, which was the best part for me. No revealing outfit, no ass shaking- she went up and sang, and showed she doesn't need to resort to gimmicks to retain that allure [admittedly, given what usually happens on this show Disques D'Or, she probably lip synched, but you get what I mean- this performance was natural].



Other songs of hers containing that mix of soulfulness and sweeping background music include 'Veni Vidi Vici', some tracks from her new album (though this time it's soft, sweet, childlike soulfulness) such as 'Mon Taxi Driver,' among many others on the Psychedelices album, and even some of those dance track hits. And her Alizee En Concert album, quite frankly, cos it showed me that she can cut it, it's not just a million overdubs, that she has a good voice and with properly arranged music she can definitely cut it as a 'real artiste' rather than a popstar clone.

Joyeux Anniversaire à notre p'tite Lili!

Other notable birthdays of the day (only people who are alive, otherwise Joe Strummer would be on this list):
Kim Cattrall, Actress (don't think I would ever be doing a post on her...)
King Mohammed VI of Morocco, King (well, duuuhhh...)
Carrie-Anne Moss, Actress
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google [gee, I wonder who next year's BOTD will be about ;)]
Alicia Witt, Actress (she is a capable actress, I believe, and good looking- think she could have gone a lot farther than she has)
Simon Katich, Cricketer
Usain Bolt, Sprinter (I could have done this post on him, but it hardly seems like Usain Bolt needs ANOTHER post about him at this time!)
Hayden Panettiere, Actress (don't think there's any shortage of posts about her, either...)