Avoiding the Seven Year Itch

[FanDeAliFee]

What could be more horrible than losing the intimate friendship of someone you have long loved and with whom you have shared so much? Thus, surely everyone who really loves Alizée wishes her many happy decades with Jérémy!

But their seventh wedding anniversary will be here on November 16. And people talk about The Seven Year Itch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Year_Itch). What advice do you have to Alizée and Jérémy for a long and happy marriage?

I will start: Do not walk near Metro vent gratings!!!

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[User22]

If they travel to New York City, then don't eat the gum under the handrails, its not free candy!

But seriously, I wish them the best:wub:

[Paulina]

Always listen to one another.

[Scruffydog777]

I think Alizée is still head over heals in love with Jeremy and her family. There will be no straying for her in the forseeable future. As far as Jeremy is concerned, it's very hard to say because we know so little and hear so little about him. For him, I'd just tell him when he's in bed with her and she's sleeping, just gaze at that beautiful creature next to him and realize how tremendously lucky he is to be a part of her life and to be the object of her love.

[User22]

For him, I'd just tell him when he's in bed with her and she's sleeping, just gaze at that beautiful creature next to him and realize how tremendously lucky he is to be a part of her life and to be the object of her love.

Man...some amazing advice there Scruff...What a lucky guy he is...

[FanDeAliFee]

Some fans here at AAm claim that Alizée is being extremely lethargic in her profession, and is failing to promote her career through performances, if only at smaller venues. One can think of several reasons she might willfully behave that way. One of them is the fact that while both Alizée and Jérémy were teenage talent show stars, only one of them was catapulted to super-stardom. Do you think Alizée is holding back because a more active career would drive a wedge between her and her husband, even if she never again came close to being France's number-one female recording star?

As an aside, do we have any notion how these two very private healthy young people spend their days? It is not hard to find pleasant amusements when you have a comfortable living without working, and they wouldn't be the first couple in history to take advantage of this opportunity, all the more welcome because they are so young and vigorous. For all we know, they might be trying to pen a modern French epic together, or to become experts in early Anglo-Saxon metalworking. And if there was enough spare cash around, one could even golf one's way from course to course around the world.

Or maybe Alizée is just finally studying for her Bac, perhaps so she can attend a formal university, or just tutor Annily when the girl enters collège. Note that in the years between his early work with Paul Simon and their mega-star run together, Art Garfunkel attended Columbia University and earned degrees in Art History and Math. (See interesting aside about this below.)

ASIDE: Feelin' Groovy About Math

Art Garfunkel and I attended the same neighborhood high school, and only a few years after he earned the master's degree in math, I studied calculus as a senior under a Mr. Jacob Garfunkel. Thus in retrospect, I wonder if they were related! I certainly knew little of the singer's interest in math at the time. I read in an article (http://www.sciencenews.org/pictures/nobel/2008/Tsien-1.pdf) on a famous science talent content that

Gomori listed Forest Hills mathematics teacher Jacob Garfunkel as the most influential person in his development as a mathematician. Garfunkel credits Gomori with "uncanny" intuitiveness, ingenuity and perception in problem-solving; he says Gomori has kept him in after school, rather than vice versa, discussing topics brought up in class.

Curiously, as reported on Art Garfunkel's own Web site, his Dad was ALSO named (http://www.artgarfunkel.com/chrono/1989-1985.html) "Jacob Garfunkel" - but we are told he was a "traveling salesman" who died in 1986. Today, the high school auditorium is called (http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/webcentra/) the Jacob Garfunkel Auditorium, I assume after the singer's father, perhaps in consequence of some large gift to the school.

[Deepwaters]

Thus, surely everyone who really loves Alizée wishes her many happy decades with Jérémy!


If that's what she wants, sure. I'm a pure dyed in the wool stone-faced cynic beyond redemption about the myth of romantic love, though. I just plain flat don't believe in it. So it's entirely up to her, and I would not wish her to stay in a relationship unless she IS happy in it. But if she is, more power to her.


What advice do you have to Alizée and Jérémy for a long and happy marriage?


Don't do what I did. :p

[wasabi622]

Never been married yo, don't got nutin' :p

Some fans here at AAm claim that Alizée is being extremely lethargic in her profession, and is failing to promote her career through performances, if only at smaller venues. One can think of several reasons she might willfully behave that way. One of them is the fact that while both Alizée and Jérémy were teenage talent show stars, only one of them was catapulted to super-stardom. Do you think Alizée is holding back because a more active career would drive a wedge between her and her husband, even if she never again came close to being France's number-one female recording star?



Somehow, I just don't think so. That would just be, in my opinion, incredible immature of Jeremy. Besides, I thought he willingly decided not to pursue singing? I know absolutely nothing about his career, but it sort of seems that way.

[Mon Maquis]

Never been married yo, don't got nutin' :p

Somehow, I just don't think so. That would just be, in my opinion, incredible immature of Jeremy. Besides, I thought he willingly decided not to pursue singing? I know absolutely nothing about his career, but it sort of seems that way.

Jeremy is quite active and doing good in his new career. If you don't know what that is, then he is also doing a good job of hiding it from everyone too.

[Fenris]

I'm no expert on Jérémy, but i know that he did and does a plethora of things from song writing to fashion and he even was (is?) the artistic director of the french star academy.

So, i don't believe Alizée is holding back because of him. He is successful enough on his own, although not as a singer.

[SaintÀlizee]

As long as Jeremy keeps Alizee happy, I wish him all the luck in the world there is. Besides that fact, I don't care for the guy all that much.

[Deepwaters]

Jérémy is active enough, he just doesn't perform and he avoids publicity.

That's a possible friction between him and Alizée, much more likely than jealousy arising if she became a mega-star again. To the extent that she's successful as a performer, he will find it more difficult to remain anonymous, particularly if he's associated with her in any way beyond being her husband.

Which could be the reason why his name is conspicuously absent from the credits for UEDS.

[AlizéeInspired]

I think they're alright and I don't see them breaking it off anytime either, but that's just me. And honestly, I don't think any of it is any of our business.

[User22]

I think they're alright and I don't see them breaking it off anytime either, but that's just me. And honestly, I don't think any of it is any of our business.

Well, if they ever did break it off, then it would be somewhat our business since it would affect Alizee's career. But yah I don't like to go much into the marriage part of Alizee, like you I think we should be happy for them but mostly stray away from serious discussion about them.

[Fèvier]

I think this year they should get a pet kitty. cause kitties are so cute and adorable :D :wub:

[Zeerre]

As long as Jeremy keeps Alizee happy, I wish him all the luck in the world there is. Besides that fact, I don't care for the guy all that much.

Same here. As long as Alizée is happy with Jeremy, it's all good by me. I care about Alizée, I don't give two cents about Jeremy.

[FanDeAliFee]

Jeremy is quite active and doing good in his new career. If you don't know what that is, then he is also doing a good job of hiding it from everyone too.

I guess I find it curious that fans at AAm can rationalize Jérémy's absence from the stage this way without concluding he is being "lazy about his singing career", while they cut Alizée no slack this way.

I don't know the music business. Maybe Alizée thinks it is better to have few prominent bookings - even at the risk of reaching too far and getting canceled - than doing smaller bookings which have the potential to diminish her perceived stature. That could be wrong, but it's her choice.

By the way, did you notice that Alizée's Goom radio station now appears to be Alizée-free? It started off by playing lots of her music, including UEdS, and her bumper remarks frequently as well. Now she has "banned" herself from it. Since we are talking entirely about RECORDED stuff, this is NOT a matter of laziness! Could Tinkerbell be taking her late "Uncle" Walt's tacit advice? For many years, the Disney corporation refused to release leading classic films to VHS/DVD, but instead showed them ONLY in movie theaters, and for a LIMITED run only, with YEARS between showings.

[wasabi622]

By the way, did you notice that Alizée's Goom radio station now appears to be Alizée-free? It started off by playing lots of her music, including UEdS, and her bumper remarks frequently as well. Now she has "banned" herself from it. Since we are talking entirely about RECORDED stuff, this is NOT a matter of laziness! Could Tinkerbell be taking her late "Uncle" Walt's tacit advice? For many years, the Disney corporation refused to release leading classic films to VHS/DVD, but instead showed them ONLY in movie theaters, and for a LIMITED run only, with YEARS between showings.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that listens to that.. well, used to. Her whole Goom Radio thing has changed, they don't really play any of her music anymore.. what's going on?!

[Deepwaters]

I guess I find it curious that fans at AAm can rationalize Jérémy's absence from the stage this way without concluding he is being "lazy about his singing career", while they cut Alizée no slack this way.

Well, that's because Jérémy no longer HAS a "singing career," and that appears to be by his own choice. He has a music-writing career instead. He made a deliberate choice not to perform and to avoid publicity. He can write music for other performers without ever getting on stage himself.

Alizée, on the other hand, does have a singing career, or is trying to anyway. And so the criticism is valid leveled at her, but not at him.

[truebreakerz]

If I were Jeremy, I'd hug her at a random time on that day and not let go for literally 5 minutes.

[Azhiri]

Do you guys think Alizee is trying to erase her mark in the public eye completely? Maybe she wants people to forget about her for the moment, and then she's going to start over with a completely different slate.

It's interesting.. what if she joined a band? Or even changed her stage name? I think she has tired of Lolita and wants to let go of her, what with this new style and all. As to her degree of being "fed up" with Lolita, I read an interview earlier with her where she commented that "Mexico [knew] nothing of [her] past, they like [her] for Alizee." I'd probably want the rest of the world to like me for me, too, not some image another person created.

[Tom]

Sometimes I think she want people to forget about her and that she just wants to be left alone. :confused: :(

<hr>
On topic, this:

As long as Jeremy keeps Alizee happy, I wish him all the luck in the world there is. Besides that fact, I don't care for the guy all that much.

[Zeerre]

If I were Jeremy, I'd hug her at a random time on that day and not let go for literally 5 minutes.

Me too. I really hope Jeremy appreciates her.

Do you guys think Alizee is trying to erase her mark in the public eye completely? Maybe she wants people to forget about her for the moment, and then she's going to start over with a completely different slate.

Maybe, but I'm afraid her Lolita image is gonna follow her to the grave.

As to her degree of being "fed up" with Lolita, I read an interview earlier with her where she commented that "Mexico [knew] nothing of [her] past, they like [her] for Alizee." I'd probably want the rest of the world to like me for me, too, not some image another person created.

I'm sure they knew about JEAM, but I'm also pretty confident that a lot people in Mexico knew nothing about her, and fell in love with her, not some meticulously fabricated image.

[C-4]

I think Alizée is still head over heals in love with Jeremy and her family. There will be no straying for her in the forseeable future. As far as Jeremy is concerned, it's very hard to say because we know so little and hear so little about him. For him, I'd just tell him when he's in bed with her and she's sleeping, just gaze at that beautiful creature next to him and realize how tremendously lucky he is to be a part of her life and to be the object of her love.



This says it all.
Well stated Dave.

[Deepwaters]

This says it all.
Well stated Dave.

Except that, as usual, people are filling in what they don't know with their own fantasies. :rolleyes:

Look, we know next to nothing about their relationship and that's the way both of them want it. Just let it be. The only way it's any of our business at all is to the extent it impacts her musical career, and there have been times I've worried that that was the case. But as far as what happens privately -- maybe they're crazy about each other. Maybe they're staying together only for the kid. Maybe he's discovered he's gay and has a secret boyfriend.

We know nothing, and there's no reason we should expect to. Honestly, I think the premise of this thread is flawed in itself.

[OndrejSc]

he's discovered he's gay and has a secret boyfriend

I knew it!

[truebreakerz]

I knew it!

I'm gonna put my vote into that hat.

[Jurre]

I have this theory that he was gay before he met her :D

[Fenris]

Except that, as usual, people are filling in what they don't know with their own fantasies. :rolleyes:

Look, we know next to nothing about their relationship and that's the way both of them want it. Just let it be. The only way it's any of our business at all is to the extent it impacts her musical career, and there have been times I've worried that that was the case. But as far as what happens privately -- maybe they're crazy about each other. Maybe they're staying together only for the kid. Maybe he's discovered he's gay and has a secret boyfriend.

We know nothing, and there's no reason we should expect to. Honestly, I think the premise of this thread is flawed in itself.

I agree. People should stay out of her private life. There's a reason why she is hiding from the public.
We know little about the private Alizée. People are making up fantasies about her. Maybe they are totally wrong.

[wasabi622]

You know.. if you think about if, I'm sure Alizée would be pretty offended by this thread. The integrity of her relationship with Jeremy has been questioned and there's been speculation that her husband is gay. Call me old school, but I don't think she'd be overly impressed by this conversation.

[Zeerre]

You know.. if you think about if, I'm sure Alizée would be pretty offended by this thread. The integrity of her relationship with Jeremy has been questioned and there's been speculation that her husband is gay. Call me old school, but I don't think she'd be overly impressed by this conversation.

Agreed. Some people just don't know when things are in poor taste.

[wasabi622]

Agreed. Some people just don't know when things are in poor taste.

I mean, as fans, of course we're going to speculate, and we do do a crap ton of it! But maybe we shouldn't be so offensive about it. We wouldn't want to bring the wrath of the Goddess upon us. :p

[Deepwaters]

I mean, as fans, of course we're going to speculate, and we do do a crap ton of it! But maybe we shouldn't be so offensive about it. We wouldn't want to bring the wrath of the Goddess upon us. :p

Just to clarify, I don't actually think Jérémy is gay. (Anyway he's never made a pass at me. :D) I just tossed that out there as a way of saying, "we don't know doodly-squat here." I suppose he might be bisexual but if he were gay he wouldn't have married a woman and fathered a child.

I have a dislike for threads of this nature that try to probe into Alizée's private life, which she has made it abundantly clear she does NOT want to be any of the public's business. If there are any problems in her marriage (and it would be surprising if there weren't -- aren't there problems in all marriages?) we're still in no position to help solve them, and it's still none of our concern. Frankly, I think this thread should be closed.

[Azhiri]

I agree. People should stay out of her private life. There's a reason why she is hiding from the public.
We know little about the private Alizée. People are making up fantasies about her. Maybe they are totally wrong.

Yep. we're making judgements and speculations that we have no right to make. Saying such things (and worrying about such things) about her private/personal life and relationships is sort of crossing the line, not just for us; that goes for fans of any celebrity. The truth of the matter is we don't know Alizee or Jeremy, therefore it's silly to assume or even care, really, about what goes on behind closed doors.

[BrianO1]

Dont forget guys, in a somewhat recent interview, she did say that she wants a "public who is more interested in my music than my private life." :)

-2010-03-13 Clark magazine #41

[wasabi622]

Dont forget guys, in a somewhat recent interview, she did say that she wants a "public who is more interested in my music than my private life." :)

-2010-03-13 Clark magazine #41

Just to play devils advocate.. there's really not much going on with her music right now, so I guess it's just natural for our interest to wander.

[Zeerre]

I mean, as fans, of course we're going to speculate, and we do do a crap ton of it! But maybe we shouldn't be so offensive about it. We wouldn't want to bring the wrath of the Goddess upon us. :p

Yeah, speculating is fine, but there are certain boundaries that we should respect, like you said no need to be "so offensive about it."

[FanDeAliFee]

Look, we know next to nothing about their relationship and that's the way both of them want it... and there's no reason we should expect to. Honestly, I think the premise of this thread is flawed in itself.

People are entitled to grow and change their mind about the compromises they must make to optimize their happiness, so no final supposition about how someone felt about something can be made until they are no more, and even then mysteries may endure forever. (Some "sleeper agents" are never activated before they pass away.) I would not be surprised if Alizée has changed a lot in the decade-plus she has been a public figure, especially so because she was a young teen when it all started.

A celebrity and interviewer agree to an interview when it is, on balance, to their mutual advantage to alternatives. Even apparently "spontaneous" interviews can follow earlier negotiations about what will and won't be discussed. Either party can of course break such agreements, but only at the price of consequences which follow from the power politics of their two situations.

with this preamble, I will observe that in doing publicity for UEdS this spring, Alizée cooperated in one of the very few interviews I audited to talk about her family and their activities. By such means, I learned that so far, Annily is not very good at golf.

Now, one might argue that an interview is sometimes only grudgingly given out of necessity, and in all events talking about your daughter's sports prowess is hardly the same as discussing the stability of your marriage.

To this objection I will answer that only a year ago, quite spontaneously, outside the venue of any interview, Alizée tweeted at her Twitter account that the "rumor" that she and Jérémy were at the point of breaking up was not true. I had not known of any such "rumor" before her denial, and at the time, I explicitly offered that it could easily be a savvy invention, for the sake of creating a buzz about her while she and Institubes labored furiously to complete the recording work for the upcoming album. I hope no one thinks that Alizée just felt a mysterious urge to don a prom dress and pose like Madonna for the hell of it in the spring, as opposed to creating a motivation for people to talk about her again.

For all you guys know, I could be a simple tool of such likewise gossip-mongering... which squeezes out a few more new sales by keeping the last licks of a flame alive. Not everyone is willing to acquiesce to reconstructive surgery (http://alizeeamerica.com/forums/showpost.php?p=178683&postcount=1)! ;)

[Deepwaters]

None of that has any bearing on the situation under discussion. We should not be probing into her personal life. We have little or no information about it, and that's the way she wants it. Yes, she is capable of changing her mind. If and when she does, we are likely to find out about that. So far we have not.

About the Tweet -- YOU may not have heard any rumors, but that doesn't mean others hadn't. I certainly had; there was an article in a French gossip rag that said they were splitting up. And in the tweet itself there were no details, just a joke -- Ha-ha, right, I'm leaving Jérémy for Julien Doré. No real information at all, and thus no sign of any change in approach. We know nothing about all that, whether the article was totally made up or based on a misunderstood leak, whether there were problems in the relationship that didn't lead to a separation, or anything. Situation normal.

Let it be.

[FanDeAliFee]

About the Tweet -- YOU may not have heard any rumors, but that doesn't mean others hadn't. I certainly had; there was an article in a French gossip rag...

It remains the case that a year ago, Alizée made a categorical statement to THE WHOLE WORLD (or at least those in it who give two cents about the matter) concerning the state of her marriage, for whatever reason. No one forced her to do so.

[Fenris]

It remains the case that a year ago, Alizée made a categorical statement to THE WHOLE WORLD (or at least those in it who give two cents about the matter) concerning the state of her marriage, for whatever reason. No one forced her to do so.

Her tweet was a direct response to the false rumour that GALA published, and she made this clear by mentioning the name of the gossip rag and making fun of it in her tweet.
It was obvoiusly her sole intent to squash this false rumour, not to feed the public with details of her marriage, so one could say she felt forced to make a statement.

[Jenny_HRO87]

why he have to discuss her relationship with Jérémy anyway... I mean what you we really know about it? not much... I don't like it very much that people discuss these thinks apart from wishing them a great time and a never ending love...

btw - I always thought the 7 Year Itch is a phenomena of the period between anniversary No. 6 and 7. so it's nearly over and nothing has happened. They are still together. cheers.

[FanDeAliFee]

why he have to discuss her relationship with Jérémy anyway... I mean what you we really know about it? not much... I don't like it very much that people discuss these thinks apart from wishing them a great time and a never ending love...

Obviously, no one discussing this stuff is motivated by the desire to cause you grief, Jenny. People are free to speak with one another, and if I am upset by what they are likely to say, I stop listening.

If you never saw Alizée's interview on La Méthode Cauet, you may not want to do so either, because the premise of every show is that they ask the guest sensitive questions designed to provoke them to react emotionally. Supposedly, live biometric measurements would be made on the guest and displayed on a screen for the audience to observe. The motivation guiding the whole show was comedy.

If Alizée did not have fun doing this, she still consented, knowing the sort of environment she would face. She decided it served her best to participate.

Among the topics explored in the show was whether she always took a sex toy with her when on tour (she remained silent about this), whether she used certain substances native to South America, and the social and physical limits her marriage imposed on intercourse with people outside of it.

Thus, to start, there was extensive teasing about whether the host could kiss Alizée on the lips under the mistletoe. (It turned out to be okay, but had to be fast.) Later, she was asked if her husband might take a meal alone with a female friend. She said that was impossible. I'm not sure if her interrogator went on to "needle" her about jealousy and fears concerning fidelity, but it should not surprise you if she did. Jérémy, his appearance and impression on her family, and her relationship with him was explored in other ways as well.

And worst of all, they made fun of her height! Again and again! At least they abstained from exploring any sexual implications... But Alizée was asked about whether she would have any more children.

(Aside: Alizée has said how very much she enjoyed the 2006 "biopic", Marie Antoinette. I recently audited a recorded lecture series by a long-time Cambridge University don on modern European history. From it, I learned that producing an heir from the union of Louis XVI and Marie was problematic, because his sexual organ was enormous, and hers was tiny, the subject of extensive official court correspondence of the time. Did Serge Gainsbourg know this history while he was alive to write songs?)

Alizée, that "first-class vixen," tormented poor Lucas during Une Heure Avec Alizée on Fun TV in 2003, by forcing exotic Japanese foods on him while he was blinded by shut eyes! On La Méthode Cauet, she proved she was a good sport and could "take it as well as she could dish it out" and maybe then some.

Mademoiselle Juliette's tormemtor "William" famously wrote:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players

That was the point the Mexican reporter at Aguascalientes intended when he asked Alizée if "she was real."

So maybe no one can say who the "real" anybody is, much less an entertainer who knows that when in public, she is always potentially "on stage." But I very much like the personality of the young woman I see in these two television shows! I hope you do, too.

[SaintÀlizee]

And worst of all, they made fun of her height! Again and again!

I don't know why they would make fun of her height. 5' 4" isn't that short for a woman. I want to see this video! :mad:

[Jenny_HRO87]

Obviously, no one discussing this stuff is motivated by the desire to cause you grief, Jenny. People are free to speak with one another, and if I am upset by what they are likely to say, I stop listening.

oh well I'm still allowed to have an opinion or not?

If you never saw Alizée's interview on La Méthode Cauet, you may not want to do so either, because the premise of every show is that they ask the guest sensitive questions designed to provoke them to react emotionally. Supposedly, live biometric measurements would be made on the guest and displayed on a screen for the audience to observe. The motivation guiding the whole show was comedy.
[...]

Among the topics explored in the show was whether she always took a sex toy with her when on tour (she remained silent about this), whether she used certain substances native to South America, and the social and physical limits her marriage imposed on intercourse with people outside of it.

and if you ever saw the interview properly you wouldn't write these kind of nonsense... that "sex toy" was a joke from that woman who was with the host when he asked Alizée if she has a kind of fetish and the woman cried from the background as a joke "a sex toy!" and the host said to her "not everyone is like you as I already told you" and said to Alizée that this woman took a substance from South America (the reason why she behaves this way) what clearly wasn't serious.

Thus, to start, there was extensive teasing about whether the host could kiss Alizée on the lips under the mistletoe. (It turned out to be okay, but had to be fast.) Later, she was asked if her husband might take a meal alone with a female friend. She said that was impossible. I'm not sure if her interrogator went on to "needle" her about jealousy and fears concerning fidelity, but it should not surprise you if she did. Jérémy, his appearance and impression on her family, and her relationship with him was explored in other ways as well.

wow I'm impressed. ofc every girl likes it to kiss a man she doesn't know (and at last she doesn't seems to be really angry about it, she took it with humour) and also every girl is really pleased if her boyfriend or husband goes out for a candle light dinner with a female friend...

And worst of all, they made fun of her height! Again and again! At least they abstained from exploring any sexual implications... But Alizée was asked about whether she would have any more children.

(Aside: Alizée has said how very much she enjoyed the 2006 "biopic", Marie Antoinette. I recently audited a recorded lecture series by a long-time Cambridge University don on modern European history. From it, I learned that producing an heir from the union of Louis XVI and Marie was problematic, because his sexual organ was enormous, and hers was tiny, the subject of extensive official court correspondence of the time. Did Serge Gainsbourg know this history while he was alive to write songs?)

so when you are small that has "sexual implications"? and because she liked Marie Antoinette you draw some conclusions about her sexuality? Jesus Christ are you serious??

I'm sorry about that - well not really - but I have to quote Ronald Weasley now (a sentence I read today and came right in my mind the moment I finished your post)

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including al the stuff Luna Lovegood comes out with."

[SaintÀlizee]

I'm sorry about that - well not really - but I have to quote Ronald Weasley now (a sentence I read today and came right in my mind the moment I finished your post)

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including al the stuff Luna Lovegood comes out with."

Quoting Harry Potter characters? And we're suppose to take you seriously? :D

[Jenny_HRO87]

Quoting Harry Potter characters? And we're suppose to take you seriously? :D

ha ha... http://www.alizee-forum.com/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

[SaintÀlizee]

ha ha... http://www.alizee-forum.com/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

awww, it was just a little tease :D I still have Sorcerer's Stone on VHS from my 11th birthday. I stopped caring after the 3rd film. Tell me, do you sometimes clash with Twilight fans? lol

[Jenny_HRO87]

awww, it was just a little tease :D I still have Sorcerer's Stone on VHS from my 11th birthday. I stopped caring after the 3rd film. Tell me, do you sometimes clash with Twilight fans? lol

I got your joke it just upsets me a bit that this was the only thing you seems to notice in my post above...

I have nothing against Twilight fans, I like it too (still my enthusiasm isn't the same as in the beginning, that Robert P. & Co. hype is really going on my nerves) but HP beats Twilight billion times.

[FanDeAliFee]

Beware cruise ships! Or not?

The other month I had mentioned to a friend (she is not a member of Alizée America) how fond Alizée was of the sea when she was a girl, and so, how she must miss having regular access to same as a denizen of Paris. Thus, when I recently spoke to my friend about the topic of this thread, I shouldn't have been surprised when, recalling my earlier remarks, she opined that nothing would be as lovely a celebration of Alizée's upcoming wedding anniversary as a romantic luxury ocean cruise.

As I will detail below, I had good reason for wincing when I heard this. But lest you think I am over-generalizing from my own single unfortunate experience, I will bring your attention to recent events.

It seems that the guests on the luxury cruise ship Carnival Splendor had to endure very UNsplendeous conditions at sea when an engine-room fire destroyed the basic ability of the ship to generate electricity. A backup generator prevented a worse situation, but there was great hardship aboard all the same. The ship was set adrift at sea and it took days (http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2010/11/carnival-splendor-cruise-ship-fire-spam-relief-uss-ronald-reagan/130572/1) to tow it back to shore. In the meantime, passengers lodged in windowless lower decks suffered in hot, dark quarters. Stoves, refrigerators and even toilets ceased to operate. Eventually, the ship's staff (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013411556_cruise12m.html) resorted to free liquor and irreverent comments to reduce the distress, and airborne relief by the US Navy proved necessary to obviate hunger. (Gosh, everyone was even more helpful than when Hurricane Katrina hit! :p )

Unwizened by the bitter experience of life, when I was young, I bought into the image of this industry presented through the mass media. Cardinal was the impression given by the US television show called The Love Boat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_Boat), later syndicated worldwide (e,g, known as La croisière s'amuse in France.) The video below shows the title segment of a typical episode.


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So one year, anticipating vacation time, I visited a travel agent and looked into booking a sea cruise. Frankly, I was shocked when I found out how expensive these things were! As I was excusing myself and heading toward the door, the agent, unwilling to lose my business, bade that I stay and revealed that by giving up "some" of the luxury, and booking passage on a newly refurbished "tall ship" with no track record called the Venus, I could save an enormous amount of money. I thought about it a while and finally signed up for a cruise. With a name like Venus, that of the Roman Goddess of Love, it seemed like it might well prove a genuine "Love Boat" on which one could have the romance of a lifetime!

But sadly, the whole trip turned out to be a disaster. Rather than elegant cuisine, they served up the vilest so-called "stew" along with polluted brandy, which is not that surprising when you consider the alternate uses to which they put the galley tables between meals. The pool had things swimming in it, and I don't just mean the other passengers. And forget about any sort of classy entertainment, unless you want to consider the often riotous behavior of the crew as classy. Some of them did receive harsh sanction, but the captain meeting it out was so incompetent and corrupt, it was really hard to call it justice. Surely, even the lowly Seaman "Happy" from old-time US TV's McHale's Navy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McHale%27s_Navy) would have made a better skipper! The ship's captain took many liberties with his charges, and they in turn reciprocated by disrespecting his family, who sailed with us.

I took no part in what one might in desperation have called the "romantic" experiences on board the ship. But In fairness, I have to credit the navigator, who thankfully returned us home, albeit none too soon for my taste! The Venus never sailed again.

It actually is a lot easier to avoid repeating my sad mistake than might be thought. Just tell your travel agent something like: "If I get bored during the cruise, is there shuffleboard equipment I can use?" If the answer is "No, but there's a ship's dog on board with whom you can play," please RUN - don't walk - the hell out of there and NEVER return!

In those days, we didn't have dirt-cheap electronic consumer camcorders, and shooting film was way too expensive, even for folks who could save up enough for a cruise. Thus, I am at a loss to fully communicate the disappointments of this trip. Happily however, the extraordinary experiences of this voyage gave birth to what became a famous satirical protest song (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Ship_Venus). In the video below, it is arranged as a Cajun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun) dance number and the artistry far exceeds that which typical performances manifest, making it a real credit to Franco-American folk music. (I hope I spelled that right.)


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These cautionary tales may deter Alizée from EVER boarding a luxury cruise ship. Yet if not so, not only do cruise ships proffer the promise of a romantic experience for passengers, they possibly also create the venue for live performances of song and dance by those who practice such artistic trades. To the latter end, consider the following video featuring the Spanish cousin of Alizée America's own KLo, one "April (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charo)." Cuchi-cuchi! Eat your heart out, Shakira!

<small><small>BTW, Charo, who evidently married the aging Cugat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Cugat) in Las Vegas at age 25, would frequently offer earnest, deadpan, wide-eyed claims that originally, she had planned to become a nun! Could this help explain why South Park would parody The Love Boat as The Catholic Boat (http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104222/the-catholic-boat)?</small></small>

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