Coordinates	43°08′″N129°11′″N
name	Deal
director	Gil Cates Jr
producer	Michael Arata Steve Austin Albert J. Salzer
writer	Gil Cates Jr Mark Weinstock
starring	Bret HarrisonBurt ReynoldsCharles DurningVincent Van PattenMichael Sextonwith Jennifer Tillyand Shannon Elizabeth
music	Peter Rafelson
cinematography	Tom Harting
editing	Jonathan Cates
distributor	MGM Pictures (USA) Seven Arts Pictures (non-USA)
released	2008
runtime	85 min
country	United States
language	English
followed by	}}

''Deal'' is a 2008 drama film starring film actor Burt Reynolds, with Bret Harrison, and Shannon Elizabeth. It tells the story of a former poker player (Reynolds) who tutors a younger player (Harrison). The film's climax is a fictional World Poker Tour championship.

World Poker Tour commentators Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten and Courtney Friel play themselves. A number of other professional poker players and poker-playing celebrities, including Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker and Isabelle Mercier are in the cast.

Cast

Bret Harrison as Alex Stillman

Burt Reynolds as Tommy Vinson

Shannon Elizabeth as Michelle

Charles Durning as Charlie Adler

Jennifer Tilly as Karen 'Razor' Jones

Maria Mason as Helen Vinson

Gary Grubbs as Mr. Stillman

Caroline McKinley as Mrs. Stillman

Brandon Olive as Ben Thomas

Jon Eyez as Mike 'Double Diamond' Jackson

J.D. Evermore as Tex Button

Courtney Friel as Herself

Phil Laak as Himself

Antonio Esfandiari as Himself

Vincent Van Patten as Himself

Scott Lazar as Himself

Chris Moneymaker as Himself

Greg Raymer as Himself

Isabelle Mercier as Herself

Mike Sexton as Himself

Production

The World Poker Tour set was shipped to New Orleans for filming.

During the production, Charles Durning treated the cast and crew to a tour of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and recounted his own World War II experience at Normandy during the D-Day invasion and in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded and taken prisoner.

Reception

The film received extremely negative reviews by getting 3% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews. Metacritic rated it 35% based on 9 reviews.

Box office performance

With a 5 million dollar budget, the movie opened taking $35,281 from 50 theaters ($705 average). As of May 11, it has grossed $61,626 domestically.

References

External links

Official site

Category:2008 films Category:Gambling films Category:American films Category:Films shot in New Orleans, Louisiana Category:English-language films

de:All in – Alles oder nichts nl:Deal (2008) pl:Rozdanie sv:Deal (film)

Coordinates	43°08′″N129°11′″N
name	Leonard Cohen
background	solo_singer
birth name	Leonard Norman Cohen
born	September 21, 1934Montreal, Quebec, Canada
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer
genre	Folk, folk rock, rock, spoken word
occupation	Musician, songwriter, poet, novelist
years active	1956 - present
label	Columbia
associated acts	}}

Leonard Norman Cohen, (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Famously reclusive, having once spent several years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, and possessing a persona frequently associated with mystique, he is extremely well regarded by critics for his literary accomplishments, for the richness of his lyrics, and for producing an output of work of high artistic quality over a five-decade career.

Musically, Cohen's earliest songs (many of which appeared on the 1967 album, ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'') were rooted in European folk music. In the 1970s, his material encompassed pop, cabaret and world music. Since the 1980s, his high baritone voice has dipped into lower registers (bass baritone and bass), with accompaniment from a wide variety of instruments and female backup singers.

Over 2,000 renditions of Cohen's songs have been recorded. Cohen has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. While giving the speech at Cohen's induction into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008, Lou Reed described Cohen as belonging to the "highest and most influential echelon of songwriters."

From May 2008 to December 2010, Cohen was on the major comeback world tour, the biggest in his musical career, giving 246 shows in Europe, Australia, Canada, Israel and United States. The highly successful tour was followed with two live albums, ''Live in London'' and ''Songs from the Road'' in both audio and DVD versions, and with many reissues, unauthorised releases of album compilations, DVDs, biographies and books reprints, and as well many international translations of his books and international awards and nominations (such as Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Meteor Music Awards in Ireland, Porin Award in Croatia, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Polaris Music Prize, and Mojo Honours Lists). In 2011 he received the Glenn Gould Prize and Spain's Prince of Asturias award. Currently he is working on a new album which will possibly be released in late 2011.

Early life

Cohen was born on 21 September 1934 in Westmount, Montreal, Quebec, into a middle-class Jewish family. His mother, of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, emigrated from Lithuania while his great-grandfather emigrated from Poland. He grew up in Westmount on the Island of Montreal. His grandfather was Lyon Cohen, founding president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His father, Nathan Cohen, who owned a substantial Montreal clothing store, died when Cohen was nine years old. On the topic of being a Kohen, Cohen has said that, "I had a very Messianic childhood." He told Richard Goldstein in 1967. "I was told I was a descendant of Aaron, the high priest." Cohen attended Herzliah High School, where he studied with poet Irving Layton. As a teenager, he learned to play the guitar, and formed a country-folk group called the Buckskin Boys. His father's will provided him with a modest trust income, sufficient to allow him to pursue his literary ambitions, without having to worry about where his rent would come from.

Poetry and novels

In 1951, Cohen enrolled at McGill University, where he became president of the McGill Debating Union. His literary influences during this time included Yeats, Irving Layton, Whitman, Federico Garcia Lorca and Henry Miller. His first published book of poetry, ''Let Us Compare Mythologies'' (1956), was published under Louis Dudek as the first book in the McGill Poetry Series while Cohen was still an undergraduate student. Cohen's book, ''The Spice-Box of Earth'' (1961) made him well known in poetry circles, especially in his native Canada. After completing an undergraduate degree, Cohen spent a term in McGill's law school and then a year (1956-7) at Columbia University.

Cohen wrote poetry and fiction throughout much of the 1960s. He preferred to live in quasi-reclusive circumstances, at the time. After moving to Hydra, a Greek island, Cohen published the poetry collection ''Flowers for Hitler'' (1964), and the novels ''The Favourite Game'' (1963) and ''Beautiful Losers'' (1966). His novel ''The Favourite Game'' is an autobiographical ''bildungsroman'' about a young man who discovers his identity through writing.

Subsequently, Cohen published less, with major gaps, concentrating more on recording the songs. In 1978 he published his major book of poetry and prose ''Death of a Lady's Man'', and in 1984 ''Book of Mercy'', which won him Canadian Author's Association Literary Award for Poetry. The book contains 50 pieces of poetic prose, influenced by the Bible, Torah, and Zen-Buddhist writings. Although cited as "contemporary psalms", Cohen himself referred to the pieces as "prayers".

In 1993, Cohen published ''Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs'', and in 2006, after 10 years of delays, additions and rewritings, ''Book of Longing''. During late 1990s and 2000s, many of his poems were first published on his fan website The Leonard Cohen Files

Cohen's writing process, as he told an interviewer in 1998, is "...like a bear stumbling into a beehive or a honey cache: I'm stumbling right into it and getting stuck, and it's delicious and it's horrible and I'm in it and it's not very graceful and it's very awkward and it's very painful and yet there's something inevitable about it."

In 2011 Cohen was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for literature.

Recording career

1960s and 1970s

In 1967, Cohen moved to the United States to pursue a career as a folk music singer-songwriter. During the 1960s, he was a fringe figure in Andy Warhol's "Factory" crowd. Warhol speculated that Cohen had spent time listening to Nico in clubs and that this had influenced his musical style. His song "Suzanne" became a hit for Judy Collins and was for many years his most covered song. After performing at a few folk festivals, he came to the attention of Columbia Records representative John H. Hammond. At this time, Cohen recorded at least one demo acetate (for Asylum Records or some subsidiary of Polygram), supported by his close companion at the time, Joni Mitchell.

Cohen's first album was ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' (1967). He became a cult name in the U.S., as well as in the UK, where the album spent over a year on the album charts. Several of the songs on that first album were covered by other popular folk artists, including James Taylor, and Judy Collins. Cohen followed up that first album with ''Songs from a Room'' (1969) (featuring the often-recorded "Bird on the Wire") and ''Songs of Love and Hate'' (1970). John Simon produced Cohen's first album, ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'', but his second and third albums were produced in Nashville by famed producer Bob Johnston, who played a major role in achieving Cohen's spare early sound and also joined Cohen on two subsequent live tours (playing organ and piano).

In 1970, Cohen toured for the first time, with dates in the United States, Canada and Europe, and appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival. He toured again in Europe and Israel in 1972 with some of the same bandmates, including Charlie Daniels and his producer Bob Johnston. Both tours were represented on the ''Live Songs'' LP, while ''Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970'' was released in 2009. The 1972 tour was also filmed by Tony Palmer; the film ''Bird on a Wire'' (with which Cohen was unhappy) was shown re-cut under Cohen's guidance in 1974, but released only in 2010, reconstructed according to Palmer's original version.

In 1971, Cohen's music was used in the soundtrack to Robert Altman's film ''McCabe & Mrs. Miller''. When Cohen was on a stay in Nashville, Altman phoned to ask permission to use some tracks off ''Songs of Leonard Cohen''. Coincidentally, earlier that same day, Cohen had seen Altman's then-current film ''Brewster McCloud'' in a local theater. He hadn't paid attention to the credits so when Altman asked permission to use Cohen's songs in his new film, Cohen had to ask him who he was. Altman mentioned his hit film ''MASH'', but Cohen had never heard of it. When Altman mentioned his lesser-known ''Brewster McCloud'', Cohen replied, "Listen, I just came out of the theater. I saw it twice. You can have anything of mine you want!"

Beginning around 1974, Cohen's collaboration with pianist and arranger John Lissauer created a live sound praised by the critics. They toured together in 1974 in Europe, and in US and Canada in late 1974 and early 1975, in support of their record ''New Skin for the Old Ceremony''. In late 1975 Cohen performed a short series of show in the U.S. and Canada with new band, in support of his ''Best Of'' release, and also tried out the new songs from his and Lissauer's follow-up to ''New Skin for the Old Ceremony'', an abandoned album entitled "Songs for Rebecca". Songs from that project were later reworked for ''Death of a Ladies' Man'' and ''Recent Songs'' albums. None of the recordings from the three live tours with John Lissauer were ever officially released.

In 1976 Cohen, now without Lissauer, embarked on a new major European tour, with a new band and major changes in his sound and arrangements, again, in support of his ''The Best of Leonard Cohen'' release (in Europe retitled as ''Greatest Hits''). One of the band members was Laura Branigan, and the setlist included unreleased songs "Everybody's Child" (a.k.a. "Blessed Is the Memory") and "Storeroom" (both released as bonus tracks to 2007 reissue of ''Songs of Leonard Cohen''), and the new song "Do I Have to Dance All Night?", which remains unreleased. From April to July, Cohen gave 55 shows, including his first appearance at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival.

After the European tour of 1976, Cohen again attempted a new change in his style and arrangements - his new 1977 record, ''Death of a Ladies' Man'' (one year later, in 1978, Cohen also released a volume of poetry with the coyly revised title, ''Death of a Lady's Man''), was co-written and produced by Phil Spector, known as the inventor of the "wall of sound" technique, which backs up pop music with many layers of instrumentation, an approach very different from Cohen's usually minimalist instrumentation. The recording of the album was fraught with difficulty—Spector reportedly mixed the album in secret studio sessions, and Cohen said Spector once threatened him with a crossbow. Cohen thought the end result "grotesque," but also "semi-virtuous." The record was released by Spector's label, Warner, and was returned to Columbia's Cohen catalogue in late 1980s. Cohen did not take part in the album's promotion, but in his tours of 1979, 1980 and 1985, he performed two songs from the album, "Memories" and "Iodine". However, Cohen chose not to include any of the album's songs on his later compilations ''More Best of Leonard Cohen'' and ''The Essential Leonard Cohen''.

In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional ''Recent Songs'', which blended his acoustic style with jazz and Oriental and Mediterranean influences. Beginning with this record, praised in 2001 by Cohen as his favourite, Cohen began to co-produce his albums. Produced by Cohen and Henry Lewy (Joni Mitchell's sound engineer), ''Recent Songs'' included performances by Austin-based jazz-fusion band Passenger whom were introduced to Cohen by Mitchell. The band helped Cohen create a new sound by featuring instruments like the oud, the Gypsy violin and the mandolin. The album was supported by Cohen's major tour with the new band, and Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson on the backing vocals, in Europe in late 1979, and again in Australia, Israel and Europe in 1980. The tour was filmed by Harry Rasky as ''The Song of Leonard Cohen'', and the film was broadcast on television in 1980. Cohen also gave couple of major TV appearances in 1979, including German's ZDF television. In 2000 Columbia released an album of live recordings of songs from the 1979 tour, entitled ''Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979''; the album (with different track list) was originally rejected by the label in 1980.

During 1970s, Cohen toured twice with Jennifer Warnes as a back-up singer (in 1972 and 1979). Warnes would become a fixture on Cohen's future albums, receiving full co-vocals credit on Cohen's 1985 album ''Various Positions'' (although the record was released under Cohen's name, the inside credits say "Vocals by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes"). In 1987, she recorded an album of Cohen songs, ''Famous Blue Raincoat''.

1980s

In early 1980s, Cohen co-wrote the rock musical film ''Night Magic'' with Lewis Furey, starring Carole Laure and Nick Mancuso (voice-over by Furey); the LP was released in 1985. At that time, Cohen also worked on an unfinished album of his poetry recitations with producer Henry Lewy, before turning back to John Lissauer. Lissauer produced Cohen's next record ''Various Positions,'' which was released in late 1984. The LP included "Dance Me to the End of Love", which was promoted by Cohen's first video clip, directed by French photographer Dominique Issermann, and the frequently covered "Hallelujah". Columbia declined to release the album in the United States. Cohen supported the release of the album with his biggest tour to date, in Europe and Australia, and with his first tour in Canada and United States since 1975. Anjani Thomas, who would become Cohen's partner, and a regular member of Cohen's recording team, joined his touring band. The band performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Roskilde Festival. They also gave a series of highly emotional and politically controversial concerts in Poland, which was under the martial law and Cohen's song "The Partisan" regarded as the hymn of Solidarity movement and Lech Wałęsa's favourite Cohen song. During the 80s, almost all Cohen's songs were performed in Polish language by Maciej Zembaty.

In 1986, Cohen appeared in the episode "French Twist" of the TV series ''Miami Vice.'' In 1987, Jennifer Warnes's tribute album ''Famous Blue Raincoat'' helped restore Cohen's career in the U.S. The following year he released ''I'm Your Man,'' which marked a drastic change in his music. Synthesizers ruled the album and Cohen's lyrics included more social commentary and dark humor. The album, self-produced by Cohen, remains one of Cohen's most acclaimed albums, and was promoted by iconic black and white video shot by Dominique Issermann at the beach of Normandy. Cohen supported the record with series of television interviews, and an extensive tour of Europe, Canada and US. Many shows were broadcast on European and US television and radio stations, while Cohen performed for the first time in his career on PBS's Austin City Limits show; he also performed at the Roskilde Festival again, among other dates. The tour gave the basic structure to typical Cohen's concert which he used in his tours in 1993, 2008–09 and 2010. The selection of performances from the late 1980s was released in 1994 on ''Cohen Live''. None of the concerts was released in its entirety, although some were bootlegged. Parts of one of three Royal Albert Hall concerts were used in BBC documentary ''The Songs from the Life of Leonard Cohen'', which was released on laser disc and video tape.

1990s

The use of the album track "Everybody Knows" (co-written by Sharon Robinson) in the 1990 film ''Pump Up the Volume'' helped expose Cohen's music to a younger audience. The song also featured prominently in fellow Canadian Atom Egoyan's 1994 film, ''Exotica''. In 1992, Cohen released ''The Future'', which urges (often in terms of biblical prophecy) perseverance, reformation, and hope in the face of grim prospects. Three tracks from the album - "Waiting for the Miracle", "The Future" and "Anthem" - were featured in the movie ''Natural Born Killers'', which helped Cohen to reach new US audience.

As with ''I'm Your Man'', the lyrics on the ''The Future'' were dark, and made references to political and social unrest. The title track is reportedly a response to the L.A. unrest of 1992. Cohen promoted the album with two music videos, for "Closing Time" and "The Future", and supported the release with the major tour through Europe, United States and Canada, with the same band as in his 1988 tour, including a second appearance at the PBS's Austin City Limits. Some of the Scandinavian shows were broadcast live on the radio. The selection of performances, mostly recorded on the Canadian leg of the tour, was released on 1994 ''Cohen Live'' album, but none of the new songs from the album itself were included in the live album.

In 1993 Cohen also published his book of selected poems and songs, ''Stranger Music'', on which he had worked since 1989. It includes a number of new poems from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1997, Cohen oversaw the selection and release of ''More Best of Leonard Cohen'' album, which included a previously unreleased track, "Never Any Good", and an experimental piece "The Great Event". The first was left over from Cohen's unfinished mid-1990s album, which was announced to include songs like "In My Secret Life" (already recited as song-in-progress in 1988) and "A Thousand Kisses Deep", both later re-worked with Sharon Robinson for 2001 album ''Ten New Songs''.

In 1994, Cohen retreated to the Mt. Baldy Zen Center near Los Angeles, beginning what became five years of seclusion at the center. In 1996, Cohen was ordained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and took the Dharma name ''Jikan'', meaning "silence". He served as personal assistant to Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi. Japanese songwriter and poet Masato Tomobe stated he admires Cohen and this made him better recognized in Japan around this time.

Although around 2000 there was a public impression that Cohen would not resume recording or publishing, he returned to Los Angeles in May 1999. He began to contribute regularly to The Leonard Cohen Files fan website, emailing new poems and drawings from ''Book of Longing'' and early versions of new songs, like "A Thousand Kisses Deep" in September 1998 and Anjani Thomas's story sent on May 6, 1999, the day they were recording "Villanelle for our Time" (released on 2004 ''Dear Heather'' album). The section of The Leonard Cohen Files with Cohen's online writings has been titled "The Blackening Pages".

Cohen is mentioned in the Nirvana song "Pennyroyal Tea" from the band's 1993 release, ''In Utero''. Kurt Cobain wrote, "Give me Leonard Cohen afterworld/ So I can sigh eternally." Cohen, after Cobain's suicide, was quoted as saying "I'm sorry I couldn't have spoken to the young man. I see a lot of people at the Zen Centre, who have gone through drugs and found a way out that is not just Sunday school. There are always alternatives, and I might have been able to lay something on him."

2000s

Post-monastery records: ''Ten New Songs'', ''Dear Heather'' and Anjani's ''Blue Alert''

After two years of production, Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of ''Ten New Songs'', featuring a heavy influence from producer and co-composer Sharon Robinson. The album, recorded at Cohen's and Robinson's home studios, includes the song "Alexandra Leaving", a transformation of the poem "The God Abandons Antony", by the Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy. The album was a major hit for Cohen in Canada and Europe, and he supported it with the hit single "In My Secret Life" and accompanying video shot by Floria Sigismondi.

In October 2004, Cohen released ''Dear Heather'', largely a musical collaboration with jazz chanteuse (and current romantic partner) Anjani Thomas, although Sharon Robinson returned to collaborate on three tracks (including a duet). As light as the previous album was dark, ''Dear Heather'' reflects Cohen's own change of mood - he has said in a number of interviews that his depression has lifted in recent years, which he attributed to Zen Buddhism. In an interview following his induction into the Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame, Cohen explained that the album was intended to be a kind of notebook or scrapbook of themes, and that a more formal record had been planned for release shortly afterwards, but that this was put on ice by his legal battles with his ex-manager. He decided not to promote the album at all, but in 2005 he released a home video accompanying the song "Because Of", shot by his daughter Lorca Cohen, while there were no official album singles.

''Blue Alert'', an album of songs co-written by Anjani and Cohen, was released on 23 May 2006 to positive reviews. Sung by Anjani, who according to one reviewer "...sounds like Cohen reincarnated as woman...though Cohen doesn't sing a note on the album, his voice permeates it like smoke." The album includes a recent musical setting of Cohen's "As the mist leaves no scar", a poem originally published in ''The Spice-Box of Earth'' in 1961 and adapted by Phil Spector as "True Love Leaves No Traces" on ''Death of a Ladies' Man'' album. ''Blue Alert'' also included Anjani's own version of "Nightingale", performed by her and Cohen on his ''Dear Heather'', as well the country song "Never Got to Love You", apparently made after an early demo version of Cohen's own 1992 song "Closing Time". In his 2010 shows, Cohen closed the performances with performances of "Closing Time" which included the recitation of verses from "Never Got to Love You". The title song, "Blue Alert", and "Half the Perfect World" were covered by Madeleine Peyroux on her 2006 album ''Half the Perfect World'', while the third covered song, "Crazy To Love You", was included in the albums Japanese edition.

Before embarking on his 2008-2010 world tour, and without finishing the new album which has been in work since 2006 (new song, "The Street", was recited by Cohen in 2006 on KCRW radio, and he also played two new songs from demo tape, "Book of Longing" and "Puppets"), Cohen contributed few tracks to other artists' albums - new version of his own "Tower of Song" was performed by him, Anjani Thomas and U2 in 2006 tribute film ''Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man'' (the video and track were included on the film's soundtrack and released as B-side of U2's single "Window in the Skies", reaching No 1 in Canadian Singles Chart), in 2007 he recited "The Sound of Silence" on album ''Tribute to Paul Simon: Take Me to the Mardi Gras'' and "The Jungle Line" by Joni Mitchell, accompanied by Herbie Hancock on piano, on Hancock's Grammy-winning album ''River: The Joni Letters'', while in 2008 he recited the poem "Since You've Asked" on album ''Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins''.

2005 bankruptcy

On 8 October 2005, Cohen alleged that his longtime former manager, Kelley Lynch, misappropriated over US $5 million from Cohen's retirement fund leaving only $150,000. Cohen was sued in turn by other former business associates. These events placed him in the public spotlight, including a cover feature on him with the headline "Devastated!" in Canada's ''Maclean's'' magazine. In March 2006, Cohen won the civil suit and was awarded US $9 million by a Los Angeles County superior court. Lynch, however, ignored the suit and did not respond to a subpoena issued for her financial records. As a result it has been widely reported that Cohen may never be able to collect the awarded amount. In 2007, U.S. District Judge Lewis T. Babcock dismissed a claim by Cohen for more than US $4.5 million against Colorado investment firm Agile Group, and in 2008 he dismissed a defamation suit that Agile Group filed against Cohen. Cohen has been under new management since April 2005.

''Book of Longing''

Cohen's book of poetry and drawings, ''Book of Longing'', was published in May 2006; in March a Toronto-based retailer offered signed copies to the first 1500 orders placed online. All 1500 sold within hours. The book quickly topped bestseller lists in Canada. Around the time of the release, RJ Smith wrote an essay about Cohen in ''Poetry'' magazine, in which he noted, "The pieces in ''Book of Longing'' are casual, but never so casual that the old horndog doesn’t have muscle or bite." On 13 May 2006, Cohen made his first public appearance in thirteen years, at an in-store event at a bookstore in Toronto. Approximately 3000 people turned up for the event, causing the streets surrounding the bookstore to be closed. He sang two of his earliest and best-known songs: "So Long, Marianne" and "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", accompanied by the Barenaked Ladies and Ron Sexsmith. Also appearing with him was Anjani, the two promoting her new CD along with his book.

In 2006, Philip Glass composed music to Cohen's 2006 book of poetry ''Book of Longing''. Following the series of live performances which included Glass on keyboards, Cohen's recorded spoken text, four voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass-baritone), and other instruments, and as well the screenings of Cohen's artworks and drawings, Glass' label Orange Mountain Music released a double CD with the recording of the work, entitled ''Book of Longing. A Song Cycle based on the Poetry and Artwork of Leonard Cohen''.

2008-2010 World Tour

2008 tour

13 January 2008, Cohen quietly announced a long-anticipated concert tour. The tour, Cohen's first in 15 years, began 11 May in Fredericton, NB to wide critical acclaim, and was extended until Winter of 2010. The schedule of the first leg in Summer of 2008 encompassed Canada and Europe, including performances at The Big Chill, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and on the Pyramid Stage at the 2008 Glastonbury Festival on 29 June 2008. His performance at Glastonbury was hailed by many as the highlight of the festival, and his performance of "Hallelujah" as the sun went down received a rapturous reception and a lengthy ovation from a packed Pyramid Stage field. He also played two shows in London's O2 Arena, and in Dublin he gave a "milestone concert", while in Dublin he was the first performer to play an open air concert at IMMA (Royal Hospital Kilmainham) ground, performing there on June 13, 14, and 15 2008. In 2009, the performances were awarded Ireland's Meteor Music Award as the best international performance of the year.

In September, October and November 2008, Cohen gave a marathon tour of Europe, including stops in Austria, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia. In London, he played two more shows at the O2 Arena and two additional shows at the Royal Albert Hall.

''Live in London''

On 21 March 2009, Cohen released ''Live in London'', recorded on 17 July 2008 at London's O2 Arena and released on DVD and as a two-CD set. The album contains 25 songs and is over two-and-a-half hours long. It was the first official DVD in Cohen's recording career. The quotation on the album referred to one hundred five-star reviews the tour gained in the international press in 2008.

2009 tour

The third leg of Cohen's World Tour 2008-2009 encompassed New Zealand and Australia from 20 January to 10 February 2009. In January 2009, The Pacific Tour first came to New Zealand. Simon Sweetman in The Dominion Post (Wellington) of 21 January wrote "It is hard work having to put this concert in to words so I'll just say something I have never said in a review before and will never say again: this was the best show I have ever seen." The Sydney Entertainment Centre show on 28 January sold out rapidly, which motivated promoters to announce a second show at the venue. The first performance was well-received, and the audience of 12,000 responded with five standing ovations. In response to hearing about the devastation to the Yarra Valley region of Victoria in Australia, Cohen donated $200,000 to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal in support of those affected by the extensive Black Saturday bushfires that razed the area just weeks after his performance at the Rochford Winery in the ''A Day on the Green'' concert. Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper reported: "Tour promoter Frontier Touring said $200,000 would be donated on behalf of Cohen, fellow performer Paul Kelly and Frontier to aid victims of the bushfires."

On 19 February 2009, Cohen played his first American concert in fifteen years at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The show, showcased as the special performance for fans, Leonard Cohen Forum members and press, was the only show in the whole three-year tour which was broadcast on the radio (NPR) and available as the free podcast.

The North American Tour of 2009 opened on 1 April and included the performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, 17 April 2009, in front of one of the largest outdoor theatre crowds in the history of the festival. His performance of ''Hallelujah'' was widely regarded as one of the highlights of the festival, thus repeating the major success of the 2008 Glastonbury appearance. The performance has been included on 2010 ''Songs from the Road'' live release. During this leg, Cohen regularly performed new song, "Lullaby".

On 1 July 2009, Cohen started his marathon European tour, his third in two years. The itinerary mostly included sport arenas and open air Summer festivals in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Ireland (the show at O2 in Dublin won him the second Meteor Music Award in a row), but also performances in Serbia in the Belgrade Arena, in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, and again in Romania. On 3 August, Cohen gave an open air show at the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

On 18 September 2009, on the stage at a concert in Valencia, Spain, Cohen suddenly fainted halfway through performing his song "Bird on the Wire", the fourth in the two-act set list; Cohen was brought down backstage by his band members and then admitted to local hospital, while the concert was suspended. It was reported that Cohen had stomach problems, and possibly food poisoning. Three days later, on September 21, on his 75th birthday, he performed in Barcelona. The show, last in Europe in 2009 and rumoured to be the last European concert ever, attracted many international fans, who lighted the green candles honouring Cohen's birthday, leading Cohen to give a special speech of thanks for the fans and Leonard Cohen Forum.

The most controversial concert during the whole tour was the last concert of this leg, held in Tel Aviv, Israel, on September 24, three days after Cohen's 75th birthday, at Ramat Gan Stadium. The event was surrounded by public discussion due to a cultural boycott of Israel proposed by a number of musicians. Nevertheless, tickets for the Tel Aviv concert, Cohen's first performance in Israel since 1980, sold out in less than 24 hours. It was announced that the proceeds from the sale of the 47,000 tickets would go into a charitable fund in partnership with Amnesty International and would be used by Israeli and Palestinian peace groups for projects providing health services to children and bringing together Israeli veterans and former Palestinian fighters and the families of those killed in the conflict. However, on 17 August 2009, Amnesty International released a statement saying they were withdrawing from any involvement with the concert and its proceeds. Amnesty International later stated that its withdrawal was not due to the boycott but "the lack of support from Israeli and Palestinian NGOs." The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) led the call for the boycott, claiming that Cohen was "intent on whitewashing Israel's colonial apartheid regime by performing in Israel." On 24 September at the Ramat Gan concert, Cohen was highly emotional about the Israeli-Palestinian NGO Bereaved Families for Peace. He mentioned the organization twice, saying "It was a while ago that I first heard of the work of the 'Bereaved Parents for Peace'. That there was this coalition of Palestinian and Israeli families who had lost so much in the conflict and whose depth of suffering had compelled them to reach across the border into the houses of the enemy. Into the houses of those, to locate them who had suffered as much as they had, and then to stand with them in aching confraternity, a witness to an understanding that is beyond peace and that is beyond confrontation. So, this is not about forgiving and forgetting, this is not about laying down one's arms in a time of war, this is not even about peace, although, God willing, it could be a beginning. This is about a response to human grief. A radical, unique and holy, holy, holy response to human suffering. Baruch Hashem, thank God, I bow my head in respect to the nobility of this enterprise." At the end of the show he blessed the crowd by the Priestly Blessing, a Jewish blessing offered by Kohanim. Cohen's surname derives from this Hebrew word for priest, thus identifying him as a Kohen.

The sixth leg of the 2008-2009 world tour went again to US, with fifteen shows in October and November, with the "final" show in San Jose. The final leg included two new songs, "Feels So Good" and "The Darkness". But at that point, Cohen's "World Tour 2010" was already announced with the European dates in March.

The 2009 world tour earned a reported $9.5 million, putting Cohen at number 39 on ''Billboard'' magazine's list of the year's top musical "money makers."

Live releases

On 14 September 2010, Sony Music released a live CD/DVD album, ''Songs from the Road'', showcasing Cohen's 2008 and 2009 live performances. The previous year, Cohen's performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Music Festival was released as a CD/DVD combo. The DVD version included interviews with Kris Kristofferson and others.

2010 tour

Cohen's 2008-2009 world tour was prolonged into 2010. Originally scheduled to start in March, the first dozen of the original European dates were postponed to September and October due to Cohen's lower-back injury. Officially billed as the "World Tour 2010", the tour started on 25 July 2010 in Arena Zagreb, Croatia, where in the week of the show 16 of Cohen's albums simultaneously entered the Croatian Top 40, while Cohen's work was presented by the translation of ''Book of Mercy'', two of Cohen's biographies, and with selection of poems in major literary magazine ''Quorum'', while there was also the translation of Linda Hutcheon's work on Cohen's literary output. In December 2010, the national daily newspaper ''Vjesnik'' ranked Cohen's show among the five most important cultural event in Croatia in 2010, in the poll among dozen of intellectuals and writers; it was the only event ranked which was not actually Croatian. The tour continued through August, with stops in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, and Ireland, where on 31 July 2010 Cohen performed at Lissadell House in County Sligo. It was Cohen’s eighth Irish concert in just two years after a hiatus of more than 20 years. On 12 August, Cohen played the 200th show of the tour in Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden, where he had already played in October 2008; the show was four hours long.

The Fall leg of the European tour started in early September with an open-air show in Florence, Italy, and continued through Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Austria, where Cohen performed at the famous open-air opera stage of Römersteinbruch bei St. Margarethen im Burgenland, and then continued with dates in France, Poland, Russia (Moscow's State Kremlin Palace), Slovenia and Slovakia. In Slovenia's brand new Arena Stožice, Cohen accepted Croatia's Porin music award for best foreign live video programme, which he won for his ''Live in London'' DVD. Cohen's last European show was held in Sibamac Arena, in Bratislava, Slovakia. The shows in late September and October were performed without Sharon Robinson, who left this tour leg due to heavy illness; the setlist omitted songs co-written by her, but old Cohen standards were added instead.

The third leg of the 2010 tour started on 28 October in New Zealand and continued in Australia, including an open-air concert at Hanging Rock near Melbourne. It was the first show ever organised at the site. The tour finished with seven special dates added in Vancouver, Portland, Victoria and Oakland, with two final shows in Las Vegas' The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on 10 and 11 December. The very last concert on 11 December was the 246th show on the world tour which started on 11 May 2008.

The world tour 2010 was covered daily on the Flickr photo blog which was edited by Cohen's road manager, entitled Notes from the Road.

2010s

Currently Cohen is recording a new studio album with his touring band and his producer Ed Sanders. The album is expected in 2011 and is supposed to feature four songs performed during the 2009 and 2010 shows: "The Darkness", "Lullaby", "Born in Chains" , and "Feels So Good". Other songs to be included are "Amen" and "The Street". Some of these songs were co-written (and co-produced) with Sharon Robinson and Anjani Thomas. At least one more song has been tried out at the daily soundchecks ("My Oh My"). The first new songs were presented back in 2006, on KCRW radio, where Cohen played two demo tracks, "Book of Longing" and "Puppets".

''Hallelujah''

In 1991, John Cale's cover of this song first appeared on the Leonard Cohen tribute album ''I'm Your Fan''. In 1996, that version also appeared in the independent film ''Basquiat''. John Cale also performed this song in the 2001 Dreamworks movie ''Shrek''. The cover when watching the actual movie was by John Cale, but the original soundtrack for the movie had a Rufus Wainwright version. John Cale's version was also featured on the television series ''Scrubs''.

In 2004, fellow Canadian k.d. lang released the album Hymns of the 49th Parallel which featured Leonard's song Hallelujah. The critically acclaimed album rose to the number 2 position on the Canadian Albums Chart. She subsequently performed the song live, on 12 February 2010, at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Jeff Buckley recorded one of the best-known versions of "Hallelujah" for his debut album Grace in 1994, to critical acclaim. On 7 March 2008, Jeff Buckley's version of Cohen's "Hallelujah", went to number 1 on the iTunes chart after Jason Castro performed the song on the seventh season of the television series ''American Idol''. Another major boost for Cohen's song exposure came when singer-songwriter Kate Voegele released her version of "Hallelujah" from her 2007 album ''Don't Look Away'' and appeared as a regular character named Mia on season five of the teenage television show ''One Tree Hill''.

In December 2008, two versions of "Hallelujah" placed No. 1 and 2 in the UK Christmas singles chart, with ''X Factor'' winner Alexandra Burke at No. 1 and Jeff Buckley at No. 2, following a campaign by Buckley fans to get his version to no. 1 rather than the ''X Factor'' version. As a result, online downloads of Cohen's original version placed it at No. 36, 24 years after its initial release.

The song was performed on August 27, 2011, in Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, by Stephen Page, former lead of the "Barenaked Ladies", at the state funeral of Jack Layton, leader of Her Majesty's Opposition in the Parliament of Canada.

Themes

Recurring themes in Cohen's work include love, sex, religion, depression, and music itself. He has also engaged with certain political themes, though sometimes ambiguously so. "Suzanne" mixes a wistful type of love song with a religious meditation, themes that are also mixed in "Joan of Arc". "Famous Blue Raincoat" is from the point of view of a man whose marriage has been broken by his wife's infidelity with his close friend, and is written in the form of a letter to that friend. "Everybody Knows" starts off with social inequality ("the poor stay poor/ And the rich get rich"), but this is just the laying of the foundation that leads up to the real issue: Infidelity and betrayal.

"Sisters of Mercy" depicts his encounter with two women in a hotel room in Edmonton, Canada. Claims that "Chelsea Hotel #2" treats his affair with Janis Joplin without sentimentality are countered by claims that the song reveals a more complicated set of feelings than straightforward love. Cohen confirmed, with some embarrassment, that the subject is Janis. "She wouldn't mind," he declares, "but my mother would be appalled." "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-On" also deals with sexual themes.

Cohen is Jewish, and he has drawn from Jewish religious and cultural imagry throughout his career. Examples include "Story of Isaac", and "Who by Fire", the words and melody of which echo the Unetaneh Tokef, an 11th-century liturgical poem recited on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Broader Jewish themes sound throughout the album ''Various Positions''. "Hallelujah," which has music as a secondary theme, begins by evoking the biblical King David composing a song that "pleased the Lord" and continues with references to Bathsheba and Samson. The lyrics of "Whither Thou Goest", performed by him and released in his album ''Live in London'', are adapted from the Bible (Ruth 1:16-17, King James Version). "If It Be Your Will" also has a strong air of religious resignation. In his concert in Ramat Gan, Israel, on 24 September 2009, Cohen spoke Jewish prayers and blessings to the audience in Hebrew. He opened the show with the first sentence of Ma Tovu. At the middle he used Baruch Hashem, and he ended the concert reciting the blessing of Birkat Cohanim.

In his early career as a novelist, ''Beautiful Losers'' grappled with the mysticism of the Mohawk Catholic saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Cohen has also been involved with Buddhism since the 1970s and was ordained a Buddhist monk in 1996; however he is still religiously Jewish: "I'm not looking for a new religion. I'm quite happy with the old one, with Judaism."

He is described as an observant Jew in an article in ''The New York Times'':

Mr. Cohen is an observant Jew who keeps the Sabbath even while on tour and performed for Israeli troops during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. So how does he square that faith with his continued practice of Zen?

"Allen Ginsberg asked me the same question many years ago," he said. "Well, for one thing, in the tradition of Zen that I've practiced, there is no prayerful worship and there is no affirmation of a deity. So theologically there is no challenge to any Jewish belief."

Having suffered from depression during much of his life (although less so recently), Cohen has written much (especially in his early work) about depression and suicide. ''Beautiful Losers'' and "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" are about suicide; darkly comic "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" mentions suicide; "Dress Rehearsal Rag" is about a last-minute decision not to commit suicide. An atmosphere of depression pervades "Please Don't Pass Me By" and "Tonight Will Be Fine." As in the aforementioned "Hallelujah," music itself is the subject of "Tower of Song," "A Singer Must Die," and "Jazz Police."

Themes of political and social justice also recur in Cohen's work, especially in later albums. In "Democracy," he laments "the wars against disorder/ the sirens night and day/ the fires of the homeless/ the ashes of the gay." He concludes that the United States is actually not a democracy. He has made the observation in "Tower of Song" that "the rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor/ And there's a mighty judgment coming." In the title track of ''The Future'' he recasts this prophecy on a pacifist note: "I've seen the nations rise and fall/ …/ But love's the only engine of survival." In "Anthem", he promises that "the killers in high places [who] say their prayers out loud/ [are] gonna hear from me."

War is an enduring theme of Cohen's work that—in his earlier songs and early life—he approached ambivalently. Challenged in 1974 over his serious demeanor in concerts and the military salutes he ended them with, Cohen remarked, "I sing serious songs, and I'm serious onstage because I couldn't do it any other way...I don't consider myself a civilian. I consider myself a soldier, and that's the way soldiers salute." In "Field Commander Cohen" he imagines himself as a soldier of sorts, socializing with Fidel Castro in Cuba—where he had actually lived at the height of US-Cuba tensions in 1961, allegedly sporting a Che Guevara-style beard and military fatigues. This song was written immediately following Cohen's front-line stint with the Israeli air force, the "fighting in Egypt" documented in a passage of "Night Comes On." In 1973, Cohen, who had traveled to Jerusalem to sign up on the Israeli side in the Yom Kippur War, had instead been assigned to a USO-style entertainer tour of front-line tank emplacements in the Sinai Desert, coming under fire. A poetic mention of then-General Ariel Sharon, delivered in the same mode as his Fidel Castro allusions, has given birth to the story that Cohen and Sharon shared cognac together during Cohen's term in the Sinai.

Deeply moved by encounters with Israeli and Arab soldiers, he left the country to write "Lover Lover Lover." This song has been interpreted as a personal renunciation of armed conflict, and ends with the hope his song will serve a listener as "a shield against the enemy." He would later remark, "'Lover, Lover, Lover' was born over there; the whole world has its eyes riveted on this tragic and complex conflict. Then again, I am faithful to certain ideas, inevitably. I hope that those of which I am in favour will gain." Asked which side he supported in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Cohen responded, "I don't want to speak of wars or sides ... Personal process is one thing, it's blood, it's the identification one feels with their roots and their origins. The militarism I practice as a person and a writer is another thing.... I don't wish to speak about war."

His recent politics continue a lifelong predilection for the underdog, the "beautiful loser." Whether recording "The Partisan", a French Resistance song by Anna Marly and Emmanuel d'Astier, or singing his own "The Old Revolution," written from the point of view of a defeated royalist, he has throughout his career expressed in his music sympathy and support for the oppressed. Although Cohen's fascination with war is often as a metaphor for more general cultural and personal issues, as in "New Skin for the Old Ceremony," by this measure his most militant album.

Cohen blends pessimism about political/cultural issues with humour and, especially in his later work, with gentle acceptance. His wit contends with his stark analysis as his songs are often verbally playful and cheerful. In "Tower of Song" the famously raw-voiced Cohen sings ironically that he was "born with the gift of a golden voice." The generally dark "Is This What You Wanted?" contains playful lines "You were the whore and the beast of Babylon/ I was Rin Tin Tin." In concert he often plays around with his lyrics ("If you want a doctor/ I'll examine every inch of you" from "I'm Your Man" sometimes becomes "If you want a Jewish doctor..."). He may introduce one song by using a phrase from another song or poem—for example, introducing "Leaving Green Sleeves" by paraphrasing his own "Queen Victoria," "This is a song for those who are not nourished by modern love."

Cohen has also recorded such love songs as Irving Berlin's "Always" or the more obscure soul number "Be for Real" (originally sung by Marlena Shaw).

Personal life

Cohen had a relationship with the Los Angeles artist Suzanne Elrod beginning in the 1970s, with whom he has two children: a son, Adam, born in 1972, and a daughter, Lorca, named after poet Federico García Lorca, born in 1974. Adam Cohen began a career as a singer-songwriter in the mid-1990s and fronts a band called Low Millions, while Lorca took the part in her father's tour team during the 2008-2010 world tour as photographer and videographer. She also shot Cohen's video for the song "Because Of" in 2004, while her "Backstage Sketch" was included on Cohen's 2010 DVD ''Songs from the Road''. She has directed and shot video clips for The Webb Sisters and Kamila Thompson. On February 2, 2011, Lorca gave birth to a daughter, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen. The father of the child is Rufus Wainwright.

Cohen has downplayed marriage as an important relationship, and has said that "cowardice" and "fear" have prevented him from ever actually marrying Elrod. Elrod took the cover photograph on Cohen's ''Live Songs'' album and is pictured on the cover of the ''Death of a Ladies' Man'' album. She is also the "Dark Lady" of Cohen's 1978 book of poems, prose and diary entries ''Death of a Lady's Man'', the book which deals with the failed marriage (hence the cover, which shows medieval ''coniunctio spiritual'') and which was started as the novel about the spiritual and emotional failure of marriage, invariantly titled ''The Woman Being Born'', and ''My Life in Art''. Cohen and Elrod had split by 1979.

"Suzanne", one of his best-known songs, refers to Suzanne Verdal, the former wife of his friend, the Québécois sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, rather than Elrod. The 1979 song "The Gypsy Wife" is supposedly about Suzanne Elrod.

In the 1980s, Cohen was in a relationship with the French photographer Dominique Issermann, who shot his first two video clips, "Dance Me To The End Of Love" and "First We Take Manhattan." Issermann is today famous for her photo sessions with Carla Bruni and for her fashion photography for magazines like ''Elle''; in 2010 she was the official photographer of Cohen's world tour. Her photographs of Cohen are the canonical in Cohen's merchandise, and some of them were used for the covers of his 1993 book ''Stranger Music'' and his album ''More Best of Leonard Cohen'', and inside the booklet of Cohen's 1988 record ''I'm Your Man'', which is dedicated to Issermann with words: "All these songs are for you, D. I.".

In the 1990s, Cohen was romantically linked to actress Rebecca De Mornay. De Mornay co-produced Cohen's 1992 album ''The Future'', which is also supposedly dedicated to her with an inscription which quotes Rebecca's coming to the well from Book of Genesis, 24 and giving drink to Eliezer's camels, after he prayed for the help; Eliezer ("God is my help" in Hebrew) is Cohen's Hebrew name, and Cohen sometimes referred to himself as "Eliezer Cohen" or even "Jikan Eliezer."

In 2000s, Cohen has been romantically involved with Anjani Thomas. Together they wrote the album ''Blue Alert'' in 2006, produced by Cohen. Thomas co-produced and co-wrote some songs on Cohen's 2004 album ''Dear Heather'' and is currently involved in recording of Cohen's forthcoming record.

Since late 1970s, Cohen has been associated with Kyozan Joshu Sasaki, regularly visiting him at Mount Baldy Zen Center and serving him as personal assistant during Cohen's own reclusion into Mt. Baldy monastery in the 1990s. Roshi appears as regular motif or addressee in Cohen's poetry, especially in the ''Book of Longing'', and also took part in 1997 documentary about Cohen's monastery years, ''Leonard Cohen: Spring 1996''. Cohen's 2001 album ''Ten New Songs'' is dedicated to Joshu Sasaki.

Awards, titles and honours

1964 the Québec Literary Competition Prize (awarded 1923-70 by the Province of Québec) ''The Favourite Game'' (Cohen's first novel)

1968 Governor General's Award (English language poetry or drama) for ''Selected Poems 1956–1968''. (Refused)

1970 Honorary degree from Dalhousie University

1984 The Golden Rose, the main award at the international television festival Rose d'Or in Montreux, for ''I am a Hotel'', made-for-TV short musical film written by Cohen and based on his songs.

1985 Canadian Author's Association Literary Award for Poetry for ''Book of Mercy''

1986 Genie Award for Best Original Song for "Angel Eyes" from ''Night Magic'' (with Lewis Furey)

1988 Columbia Records Crystal Globe Award from CBS for ''I'm Your Man''. The award is for artists who sell more than five million copies of an album in foreign territories

1989 Nominated for Juno Awards for Canadian Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year

1991 Officer of the Order of Canada

1991 Induction into the Juno/Canadian Music Hall of Fame

1991 Nominated for a Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year.

1992 Honorary degree from McGill University, Montreal.

1993 Juno Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. The video for Closing Time, directed by Curtis Wehrfritz, won for Best Video. He was also nominated as Producer of the Year (with co-producer Leanne Ungar, for "Closing Time").

1993 Governor General's Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

1994 Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year and was nominated for the Juno Award for Album of the Year (for ''The Future''). The video for The Future, directed by Curtis Wehrfritz, was nominated for Juno Award for Best Video.

1996 Ordained a Rinzai Buddhist monk.

2001 Nagroda Muzyczna Fryderyk, the annual Polish music award, for best foreign album (''Ten New Songs'').

2002 Nominated for Juno Award as Best Songwriter Cohen (with Sharon Robinson) for "Boogie Street", "In My Secret Life", and "You Have Loved Enough").

2002 Nominated for the Juno Award for Best Video for "In My Secret Life", directed by Floria Sigismondi. ''Ten New Songs'' nominated for Best Pop Album, and he was nominated for Best Artist.

2002 SNEP Award Cohen for more than 100,000 copies sold of ''Ten New Songs'' in France.

2003 Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour.

2004 Inclusion in Canada Reads 2005 with ''Beautiful Losers''

2005 Induction into the Canadian Folk Music Walk of Fame.

2006 Induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

2007 Grammy for Album of the Year as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's ''River: The Joni Letters''. 2008 Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2008 Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec. 2009 Long Listed for the Polaris Music Prize for ''Live in London'' 2009 Nominated for Mojo Honours Lists for Best Live Act category.

2009 Meteor Music Award for Best International Live Performance for his 2008 show in Dublin's IMMA's Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

2010 A second Meteor Music Award for Best International Live Performance for his 2009 show in Dublin's O2.

2010 Porin Award in Croatia in category of foreign video programme, for his ''Live in London'' DVD.

2010 Induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

2011 Glenn Gould Prize

2011 Prince of Asturias Awards, Literature, Spain

Discography

Studio albums

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Poetry

''Six Montreal Poets''. New York: Folkways Records, 1957.

Tribute albums

!Title	!Release date

Many other cover albums have been recorded by many artists.

Publications

Collections: poems and songs

''Let Us Compare Mythologies''. Montreal: Contact Press [McGill Poetry Series], 1956. reissued 2007 ''The Spice-Box of Earth''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1961. ''Flowers for Hitler''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1964. ''Parasites of Heaven''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1966. ''Selected Poems 1956–1968''. New York, Toronto: Viking, McClelland & Stewart, 1968. ''The Energy of Slaves''. London,Toronto: Cape, McClelland and Stewart, 1972. ISBN 0771022042 ISBN 0771022034 New York: Viking, 1973. ''Selected Poetry of Leonard Cohen''. Penguin Classics, 1978. ''Death of a Lady's Man''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1978. ISBN 0771021771 London, New York: Viking, Penguin, 1979. - reissued 2010 ''Book of Mercy''.London: Cape, 1984. - reissued 2010 ''The Lyrics of Leonard Cohen''. London, Omnibus, 1998. ISBN 0711971412 2nd edition, 2009. ''God is Alive. Magic is Afoot.'' Sarah Perkins and Ian Jackson illus. Toronto: Stoddart, 2000. ISBN 0773761802 ''Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs''. London, New York, Toronto: Cape, Pantheon, McClelland & Stewart, 2003. ISBN 0771022301 ''Book of Longing''. London, New York, Toronto: Penguin, Ecco, McClelland & Stewart, 2006. (poetry, prose, drawings) ISBN 9780771022340

''Poems and Songs (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)'' 2011

Novels

''The Favorite Game''. London, New York, Toronto: Secker & Warburg, Viking P, McClelland & Stewart, 1963. Reissued as ''The Favourite Game.'' Toronto: McClelland & Stewart [New Canadian Library], 1994. ISBN 9780771099540 ''Beautiful Losers''. New York, Toronto: Viking Press, McClelland & Stewart, 1966. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart [New Canadian Library], 1991. ISBN 9780771098758 McClelland & Stewart [Emblem], 2003. ISBN 9780771022005

Film and television

Cohen was the subject of the 1965 documentary ''Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen'', directed by Donald Brittain and Don Owen and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. This film, which pre-dates Cohen's career as a songwriter, explores his career as a well-known Canadian poet. Cohen also appeared in Owen's 1967 film ''The Ernie Game'', which was entered into the 18th Berlin International Film Festival.

Cohen's music also appeared the following year in the 1966 NFB animated short ''Angel''.

In 1968 Cohen performed on the BBC, both on the Julie Felix Show and in his own special, split into two thirty minute shows. The first clip still exists, while the second is only available as a bootleg CD.

Cohen makes a cameo appearance performing "The Stranger Song" in the Canadian film ''The Ernie Game'' (1968), which is based on the stories of Bernard Cole Spencer.

Cohen's music was popular among the directors of the New German Cinema, and appeared in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's ''Beware of a Holy Whore'' (1971) and Werner Herzog's ''Stroszek'' (1977).

Cohen's 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight Festival was filmed by Murray Lerner, but remained unreleased until 2009 when it was released as ''Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970'', and included Lerner's 2009 documentary material.

Robert Altman's 1971 western ''McCabe and Mrs. Miller'' used three Cohen songs on its soundtrack, as well the instrumental parts of The Stranger Song performed by Cohen. Multiple record singles were released during the film's distribution. In 1972, Cohen's European tour was filmed by British director Tony Palmer; the re-edited material appeared in 1974 under the title ''Bird On a Wire'' and exists only as a bootleg VHS tape. Palmer's authorised and restored film was released in 2010. In October 1979, Cohen recorded a show for German TV show ''RockPop Special'', available only as a bootleg. The show is often rebroadcast by the German satellite TV channel 3Sat.

''The Song Of Leonard Cohen'', a 1980 documentary by Harry Rasky, featuring Irving Layton, includes highlights from Cohen's 1979 European tour and tracks from the LP ''Recent Songs''.

In 1983, Cohen wrote and starred in made-for-TV short musical film ''I am a Hotel'', based on his songs. It won the Golden Rose award at the Rose d'Or television festival in Montreux in 1984.

In 1985, Cohen co-wrote and co-composed ''Night Magic'' (starring Carole Laure) with fellow Quebecker, Lewis Furey.

Cohen is subject of the BBC documentary ''Songs from the Life of Leonard Cohen'', filmed during his 1988 tour.

Cohen appeared as villain Francois Zolan in the "French Twist" episode of the American television series ''Miami Vice'' (season 2, episode 17), originally broadcast on 21 February 1986.

In 1988, Spanish TV station RTE televised the full version of Cohen's show in San Sebastian, 20 May, later aired in number of European countries and still rerun on the Spanish TV. It remains the only completely televised Cohen show.

In 1989, Cohen gave his first major performance on US television on Austin City Limits (recorded in November 1988). He performed for the show again in July 1993. Both programs have been often rebroadcast by the PBS.

"Everybody Knows" and "If It Be Your Will" play prominent parts in the 1990 film Pump Up the Volume

Three of Cohen's songs from his album The Future ("Waiting for the Miracle", "Anthem", and "The Future") are used in Oliver Stone's 1994 film Natural Born Killers. Songs from this album have also appeared in the films ''Wonder Boys'' (2000), starring Michael Douglas and The Life of David Gale (2003), starring Kevin Spacey.

In 1994, Cohen narrated NFB-produced documentary ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead''.

Cohen's years at the Mt. Baldy Zen Centre were the subject of 1997 French documentary ''Leonard Cohen: Spring 96'' by Armelle Brusq, released on DVD in 2009.

In 2001, Cohen's song Hallelujah was used on the soundtrack of ''Shrek'', in a version by John Cale.

''The Favourite Game (Le Jeu de l'ange)'', based on his novel of the same title, was released in Canada in 2003.

''Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man'' was released in 2006. It features a 2005 tribute concert to Cohen, "Came So Far For Beauty", held at the Sydney Opera House and produced by Hal Willner. The film, directed by Lian Lunson, has appearances by Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Antony of Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, and a performance of "Tower of Song" by Cohen and U2. The film also features Cohen recalling significant parts of his life and career.

Cohen is the subject of a two-part documentary, ''Leonard Cohen: Under Review 1934-1977'' (2007) and ''Leonard Cohen: Under Review 1978-2006'' (2008), available separately on DVD.

See also

Music of Canada

List of Quebec musicians

Music of Quebec

Culture of Quebec

List of people with depression

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

The Leonard Cohen Files

''Bird on a Wire'' (1972) at TCM Movie Morlocks

''Canadian Poetry: Studies/Documents/Reviews'', Vol. 33 (Fall/Winter, 1993). The Proceedings of the Leonard Cohen Conference, Red Deer College, Oct. 22-24, 1993.

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Coordinates	43°08′″N129°11′″N
Name	Lara Fabian
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lara Crokaert
Birth date	January 09, 1970
Origin	Etterbeek, Belgium
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, musician, actress
Genre	Pop, French pop, pop rock, adult contemporary, acoustic, dance
Instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	1986–present
Label	Polydor Sony Music Universal Music Group
Website	}}

Lara Fabian (born Lara Crokaert, January 9, 1970) is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English. She has also sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian (e.g., "Любовь похожая на сон", or "Love Resembeling A Dream"), once in Hebrew on Israel's 60th Independence Day celebrations and in German in 1988 for a version of "Croire" (ger.: "glauben" eng.: "believe"), although she speaks neither language fluently. She also speaks a little Dutch (Flemish). She has sold over 18 million records worldwide so far. She is a lyric soprano with a vocal range that spans four octaves from E-flat 3 to G#6. She can belt up to A5.

Early life

Born to a Belgian father and a Sicilian mother in Etterbeek, Belgium, she spent her first five years in her mother's hometown of Catania in Sicily before moving back to Brussels, Belgium. She began singing, dancing and taking piano lessons at a very young age and began formal music lessons at age eight. She began writing and performing her own songs during her ten years of formal study. Fabian's songs were greatly influenced by both her classical vocal and music theory training and by contemporary artists such as Barbra Streisand and Queen.

Music career

1986-1993: Early music career

During the 1980s, Lara Fabian entered a number of European competitions and won several prizes. A consequence of winning one of these contests in 1986 was the release of her first single, "L'Aziza est en pleurs" / "Il y avait". Both were written by the Belgian composer Marc Lerchs as homage to the deceased French singer Daniel Balavoine.

In 1988, the RTL TV channel in Luxembourg invited Fabian to represent the country at the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest, held that year in Dublin, Ireland. The song presented to Fabian was a composition made by Jacques Cardona and Alain Garciac entitled "Croire" (Trust) and reached a respectable fourth place that night. The winning song that year was titled "Ne partez pas sans moi" and launched the career of its performer, Fabian's fellow francophone artist, Céline Dion, who sang on behalf of Switzerland. Fabian's "Croire" became a hit single that year in Europe selling nearly 500,000 copies.

In 1990, Fabian travelled to Canada to promote her third single ''Je Sais'' and fell in love with the province of Quebec. In 1991, with two suitcases and $1,000 in her pocket, Fabian and her friend and musical collaborator, Rick Allison, moved to Montreal, Canada to embark on a career in North America. They began their own music label and publishing company, Productions Clandestines. Rick first met Fabian in a jazz bar in Brussels some years previously and was impressed by Fabian's vocals on George Gershwin's "Summertime". The pair worked steadily on writing and recording songs.

In August 1991, Fabian's self-titled French-language debut album, ''Lara Fabian'', was released in Canada and sold over 100,000 copies. This debut album went on to be certified ''Gold'' in 1993 and then certified platinum the following year. The success of the album's upbeat Dance-pop singles such as "Le jour où tu partira", "Les murs", and "Qui pense à l'amour" gave Fabian the radio exposure she needed. She received several nominations at the 1993 ''ADISQ awards'' and a poll published around that time revealed that she was considered Quebec's most promising singer.

1994-1996: Breakthrough album: "Carpe diem"

Fabian's constant touring in Quebec helped her 1994 album ''Carpe diem'' to become her breakthrough album. The album went ''Gold'' less than three weeks after its release, and spawned three hit singles: "Tu t'en vas", "Si tu m'aimes", and "Leïla". The following year, the album went ''Triple Platinum'' and Fabian's SRO tour attracted more than 150,000 fans. The success of ''Carpe diem'' was recognized at the 1995 ADISQ gala. Fabian received two Félix awards: Best Show Of The Year and Best Female Singer Of The Year (a category that is voted upon by the public).

In January 1995, Serge Lama requested that Fabian join him on the stage of the Paris venue Palais des Congrès to perform "Je suis malade", which she had recorded on ''Carpe diem''. Impressed by the audience's response to their duet, Lama immediately asked Fabian to sing the song once more on her own, this delighted the audience.

In 1996, Walt Disney Studios immortalized Fabian's voice when they asked her to voice the character of Esmeralda in the French version of the animated feature ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. Disney also included Fabian's French version of the song "Que Dieu aide les exclus" (God Help The Outcasts) on the film's English soundtrack album beside Bette Midler's version. This was a unique move for the company.

1997-1999: Mainstream international success: "Pure" and first "Live"

After the success of ''Carpe diem'', Fabian signed a contract with the French Polydor label for several albums and ''Pure'' was released in June 1997. ''Pure'' sold over two million copies in France alone and the album went platinum in less than two weeks. The album spawned several hit singles: "Tout", "Je t'aime", "Humana" and the anti-homophobia anthem "La Différence". "Tout", "Je t'aime" and "Humana" each sold more than one million copies. Fabian was again bestowed with awards, being awarded a Félix for Popular Album Of The Year at the 1997 ADISQ gala and was also nominated for two Juno Awards in the Best Female Singer and Best Selling French Album categories.

In January 1998, Fabian sang a duet with Johnny Hallyday at a benefit concert given for the Restos du Coeur in France. The pair would later perform this duet again at the Stade de France in front of 240,000 fans as part of Hallyday's concert tour. Fabian's own tour during this time had two sold-out shows at L'Olympia (France). A month later, on that very same stage, Fabian was given the Discovery Of The Year award during the Victoires de la Musique Gala. Also in 1998, Polydor released Fabian's Canadian hit album ''Carpe diem'' in Europe and her international popularity was secured, as exemplified by the decision of the famous Grévin Wax Museum to unveil Fabian's wax effigy, as a Quebec City museum had already done. This made her the first female Canadian singer ever to be honoured by the Paris institution.

Fabian spent most of fall 1998 in France, where she embarked on an extensive tour of 24 cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Geneva and Monaco. During this sold-out concert tour, Fabian performed for audiences of more than 150,000. In November 1998, Fabian received the Félix Award for ''Artist With The Most Recognition Outside Quebec'' at the ''ADISQ Gala''. In December, Fabian was chosen Revelation Of The Year by the magazine Paris Match, which put her on its cover to mark this occasion.

In March 1999, Fabian released her first live album, simply named ''Live'', which debuted at #1 on the French charts. This helped solidify the international buzz around her and she received an international recording contract from Sony Music.

In May 1999, Fabian was honoured at the ''World Music Awards'' in Monaco, where she was given the award for ''Best Selling Record for the Year 1998'' for her album ''Pure''. In July 1999, with over 6 million records sold across Europe, Polydor released Fabian’s self-titled debut album from 1991. This European version of the album contained slight modifications, such as a new album cover and the addition of the hit single "Croire".

1999-2001: Extension of success to the US and Latin America: "Lara Fabian"

In the summer of 1999, Fabian recorded her first English-language album, ''Lara Fabian'', in New York and San Francisco for the Sony label. The songs were written and produced with the help of her partner Rick Allison as well as Dave Pickell, Walter Afanasieff, Glen Ballard and Patrick Leonard.

The Dance-pop song, "I Will Love Again", her first English single, reached #1 on the U.S.A. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play. It also peaked #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 Adult Contemporary) as well as appearing on several other international charts. A follow-up ballad, "Love By Grace", became a moderate Adult Contemporary chart hit peaking at #24. In February 2001, the title Love By Grace became the theme song of the lead couple in the Brazilian soap opera Laços de Família, broadcast by TV Globo for millions of viewers in Brazil and Portugal. For several weeks, the song was number 1 on most Brazilian and Portuguese radio stations. Love by Grace generated an incredible frenzy around the artist.

The third single, the Dance-pop song, "I Am Who I Am" remixed by Hex Hector became an underground club hit, but did not chart. Meanwhile in Europe, the single "Adagio" charted at #5 on the French singles chart and #3 on the Belgian singles chart.

The album itself debuted at #1 on the Billboard ''Heatseekers'' new album chart, reached #1 on the French album chart and #2 on the Belgian album chart. For the Asian version of the album, Fabian collaborated with American-Taiwanese pop star Leehom Wang on the song "Light of my life".

During this period, Fabian recorded songs for several Hollywood motion picture soundtracks such as "The Dream Within" for the ''Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' soundtrack and, "For Always" for the ''AI:Artificial Intelligence'' soundtrack. The "AI: Artificial Intelligence" Soundtrack has two versions of the song "For Always". One version is of Fabian solo, the other version is a duet with singer Josh Groban. Fabian has also ventured into acting, appearing in the film ''De-Lovely'', performing Cole Porter's ''So In Love'' with Mario Frangoulis. This song appears on the movie soundtrack. Also, Fabian's "Givin' Up On You" appears on the soundtrack "Songs From Dawson's Creek, Vol. 2".

2001-2003: "O Canada 2001" and return to French roots: "Nue", "Live 2002" and "En toute intimité"

''Nue'' (Naked) was Fabian's fourth French album and was released in the Fall of 2001 in both Québec and France, making her return to her French singing roots. Her experiences surrounding her first English album were intense and, although critically praised, personally exhausting. "Nue" is the documentation by Fabian and her partner and producer, Rick Allison, of her emotional ride in the preceding few years. It is an album that gave listeners a much more vulnerable and fragile perception of Fabian although presented with an exceptional vocal strength. Her first single released in the summer of 2001 was the anthem "J'y crois encore" which was a top 20 French hit and was followed by the release of the album later that month. The album reached #1 in Belgium and #2 in France but had little impact in Québec. Other singles followed, such as Fabian's personal favourite, "Immortelle", a strong song that remains constantly present in Fabian's live concerts. "Aimer Déjà" was also released as a single and in 2002 "Tu es mon autre" (a duet with fellow Belgian friend and singer Maurane), was nominated for song of the year and reached the top 5 in France. This has become another trademark song in Fabian's career and she has performed it many times with many other artists, including Rick Allison during her 2001/2002 tour. In addition, this album was also released in Portugal and reached the top 10 on the album charts during the Fall of 2001 as a consequence of the tremendous success of Fabian's previous English album.

Also in 2001, she collaborated with David Foster and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", for an English version, a French version, and a bilingual (French/English) version, for a promotion of the Government of Canada.

Also in 2002, Fabian contributed to the ''World Soccer Championship'' CD release with the song "World At Your Feet" written and produced by Gary Barlow.

Towards the end of 2002, Fabian released her second live album, ''Live 2002'', from her latest tour together with a DVD showcasing concerts recorded in December 2001 in Belgium at the Forest National and at Le Zénith in Paris.

By early 2003, Fabian was once again touring. This time the concert was presented in a more intimate and acoustic atmosphere at the Casino de Paris every Monday night. An acoustic set that became her transition towards a new Lara Fabian that the public was on verge of knowing and worshiping. During this tour, Maurane and Daniel Lavoie both appeared as guests, duetting with Fabian on "Tu es mon autre" and "Je suis mon coeur" respectively. These acoustic concerts were released as a live CD and DVD at the end of 2003, under the title ''En toute intimité''.

2004: Second English language release: "A Wonderful Life"

In 2004, Fabian released her second English album, ''A Wonderful Life''. The project was commercially unsuccessful but critically praised. The album did not come close to the success of her previous English debut effort but created a path for a sound and musical change that would trademark Fabian's future musical style. The more organic sound is due to the work of French guitarist Jean-Félix Lalanne, and also working with producers such as Desmond Child, Anders Bagge and the British team True North (composed of Take That singer Gary Barlow and Elliot John Kennedy). The centrepiece of this record, as Fabian stated on a promotional interview for this album, is "Review My Kisses". This song was written by Desmond Child and planned to be recorded initially by Fabian herself. It was recorded by LeAnn Rimes in 2002 for her album "Twisted Angel".

The first single release (though only for radio) was "The Last Goodbye" in the US and most other countries (except France). The video premiered on Portuguese talk show "Herman Sic" one day before the album was released. In the meantime, Fabian decided to release a different song in France, considering that "The Last Goodbye" was too "American" for an audience that was more used to her own songwriting. She released (with a video as well) the song "No Big Deal". Neither of the songs achieved massive or moderate, partly attributable to Fabian's personal decision to withdraw from the project and also due to conflicts with Sony Music. The album was not promoted and its release was cancelled in the United States.

At least one song from the album, "I Guess I Loved You", saw some moderate success when included on a Brazilian soap opera. Brazil is still one of the countries with a strong passion for Fabian's music, and therefore this song was chosen for the soundtrack of "Senhora do Destino" (Lady Of Destiny) almost gaining the same popularity that "Love By Grace" did when similarly chosen in 2001. The song also gained some popularity in Portugal for the same reasons, though it was never officially released or promoted.

For the rest of 2004 Fabian was in almost complete seclusion from the music scene, having left her second English record aside. Newspapers began speculating about a serious disease that had affected her. The drama became so exaggerated that Fabian herself was forced to appear on a short interview in Québec later that year explaining some of the reasons she withdrew from the public eye and also why she had returned to her native Belgium, leaving Québec (where she had lived in Westmount for nearly 15 years).

2005-2006: A new musical direction: "9" and "Un Regard 9"

In March 2005, Fabian re-appeared on the music scene in France (and also in Canada) with her fifth French album, ''9''. This title symbolically resembles ''"a change"'' and ''"a rebirth[...]the end of a period of time in one's life and simultaneously the beginning of another"''. It marked a completely different direction in Fabian's musical and personal life. The album is performed differently, with smoothness, serenity and with a lot of joy, far from the in-depth and dramatic vibes of earlier recordings.

''9'' yielded the hit single "La Lettre", a song co-written by Fabian and composed by her new partner, Jean-Félix Lalanne. He is responsible, along with Fabian herself for the composition and production of the album's 11 tracks. Other singles from ''9'' were "Ne lui parlez plus d'elle", "Un Ave Maria", "Il ne manquait que toi" (a song written by Fabian and inspired by Lalanne) and the gospel-infused "L'homme qui n'avait pas de maison".

The success of ''9'' was cemented by a huge tour titled "Un regard 9". This tour reached France, Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon, Russia, Quebec, Turkey, Luxembourg, Mauritius, French overseas territories in the Caribbean and Oceania and totalled more than 60 concerts. Fabian also performed in Portugal for the first time, showcasing songs from her two English records and a few French songs such as "La Lettre".

In October 2006, Fabian released a CD and DVD of this tour, both titled ''Un regard 9 Live''. Both the CD and DVD were recorded during Fabian's concerts on 29 March 2006 at Le Zénith in Paris. The CD presents 15 live performances plus a brand new song, "Aime", which was recorded in a studio in Montreal. This song has been recorded in both English and French, though the latter version is the only one officially released so far. "Aime" was initially performed live during a few concerts in Belgium as gift for her native Belgium fans but the enthusiastic response and feedback prompted Fabian to record the song and include it on a forthcoming release. On TV shows, where Fabian promoted the song as a single, one can see the audience putting their hands in the air in the shape of a heart, a sign Fabian made during her tour and that has now became a symbol for the song and its meaning.

2006-2007: An Italian collaboration and live concerts in Europe

According to messages left by Lara Fabian on her official site in 2006, her next studio album was to be her first Italian-language project. Few details have been released except that she has been working with Neapolitan singer and songwriter Gigi D'Alessio, who appeared once at one of her shows, and whose performance is included as a bonus on Fabian's recent live DVD, ''Un regard 9 Live''. The two artists recorded a song called "Un Cuore Malato" (Ill heart), which they performed live during the fourth night of the 2007 Sanremo festival on Rai Uno, the main Italian public channel. There is also a French/Italian version of this duet "Un Coeur Blessé" and this was released to French radio in Summer 2007.

In June 2007, Fabian worked in Rome and Los Angeles to record sessions for her Italian album. In the meantime, the single "Un Cuore Malato" (with Gigi D'Alessio) reached the top of the Italian charts and #16 in France. As part of her time in Los Angeles, Fabian worked with Dave Stewart (musician and record producer known for his work with Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (former Alanis Morissette producer and writing partner) on a "multilingual" album which is reputed to include songs in English, Spanish, French, Italian and a few other languages (resembling albums by singers such as Josh Groban, Mario Frangoulis and Russell Watson with whom Fabian has recorded before). This album is expected to be released in late 2008. Fabian revealed some time ago that she wrote a song with Dave Stewart called "Between Hatred And Love" and a few tracks with Glen Ballard for to this project. Ballard had previously composed a track for Fabian titled "Ivy" and this was released as a b-side for the single "Adagio" in 1999.

Also in 2007, Fabian was in Québec to perform a two night concert at the Olympia de Montreal (re-opening this theatre after its long renovation) presenting her Quebec fans with some of the atmosphere of her 2005-2006 European Un regard 9 tour. In addition, Fabian performed private acoustic sessions in countries such as Portugal, Turkey and Russia. On 14 October 2007, Fabian was a surprise guest at the only concert Gigi D'Alessio gave in France at the famous Olympia in Paris, just a few days before the birth of her daughter. Fabian surprised everyone by appearing and performing their successful duet "Un Cuore Malato". The concert was broadcasted through an Italian TV channel.

2009: Return to the music scene: "Toutes les femmes en moi"

Lara Fabian returned to the music scene a few months after her daughter's birth in 2007 and has been doing some concerts in Ukraine, Russia and Greece. In Greece she was a guest in a concert by Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, with whom Fabian had previously duetted on the song "So In Love" featured in the movie "De-Lovely" in 2004. Fabian has also made a few TV appearances (such as 60th Anniversary of Israel where Fabian performed a Hebrew song and duetted with Israeli singer Noa).

On an interview for Russian radio station "Silver Rain", prior to a concert in Moscow, Fabian expressed how much she loved and admired the late singer Grégory Lemarchal and claimed he was her favourite Star Academy participant from all seven editions done so far. She was also asked about what she thought of the talent shows that have brought so many people to the world of music. Fabian responded with ''"Who are we to judge? [...] These young people don't know how this machinery works, but we can't kill their dreams, can we?"''. In addition to the interview, she performed Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" specially for LeMarchal during her Moscow concert.

During 2008, Fabian was in Belgium preparing to record a brand new French album with famous pianist Mark Herskowitz, who had also composed and arranged the hidden instrumental track featured on the 2001 album "Nue". The album will be partly recorded in Montreal, Canada. No further details have been revealed regarding her anticipated Italian album. It is highly suspected, however, that the new French album may be the so-called "multilingual" project previously mentioned, considering the fact that songs in Spanish, Italian, and English are said to be included on it.

Fabian confirmed the release of this much anticipated new album, ''Toutes les femmes en moi'', on her official website on 20 October 2008. Fabian stated on her website that ''Toutes les femmes en moi'' is "daring" and that "Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Klezmer, Tango, Neo Classic, White Soul [and Gospel] come close without disturbing each other...". According to Fabian's official website the album will be released on May 26, 2009. The first single release from this album is Soleil, Soleil, a cover of the Nana Mouskouri song, which was sent to French radios on March 11, 2009. Fabian will be promoting the album during the next few months before starting a new tour later this year. The album is a "self-portrait" where Fabian reveals her strong admiration for some of the most impressive female singers in France and Québec that have inspired her as both a woman and as an artists and, as she states "have constructed [her]". The album came as a result of two situations, where at one point Fabian had had a deep reflective conversation with her best friend Natalie about how can anyone truly explain that people are what they have become (a question to which Fabian replies has being a result of all the women that are part of her both at a personal level and musically; and after that she had a discussion with Polydor France boss Pascal Negre who told her that she should be comfortable about herself as a singer not letting herself be influenced by those old criticisms and views that followed her over the years concerning her singing and personality. According to him, she should just be herself and sing exactly the way that represent who she is and who she has always been regardless those who tried to knock her down. Fabian thanks each and every one the selected singers hommaged on this album with real life letters she actually wrote to them in different periods of her life thanking them for their inspiration and perseverance that helped her in her own professional and personal life. She pays tribute to artists such has Maurane, Véronique Sanson, Dalida, Nana Mouskouri, Catharine Lara, France Gall and Céline Dion among others.

It was recently revealed by the singer during her current promotional tour in France that there is an English recorded album equivalent to TLFM called "Every Woman In Me" that showcases in an acoustic environment with piano and vocals her own interpretation of some of the most amazing classic songs from some of the most recognized women in the recording Anglo-Saxonic industry around the world with names such as Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter, Kate Bush, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and even Fabian's forever idol Barbra Streisand. The album will only be released online and during her upcoming francophone tour "Tous Le Femmes En Moi Font Son Show" that will start later in September this year. Fabian has, however showcased a few numbers from this release in her 5 day recent concert tour in Russia, a country where she has become a huge star over the last four years with both her English and French repertoire.

The second single of the album confirmed is the song "Toutes les Femmes en moi", Fabian's only original recording included and also the album's title track.

2010: "Tour Les Femmes Font Leur Show", a new musical adventure "Mademoiselle Zhivago" and her first "Best of" album

Throughout the first half of 2010, Fabian embarked on a European tour of concerts specially throughout France, Switzerland and Belgium incorporating the main repertoire of her last album "Tout Les Femmes En Moi" alongside some classic and fan favourites. She also had the change of once again performing in Eastern Europe with a more acoustic environment of piano-voice she was used to do in those territories but this time around also including some of the English recording from the English album Every Woman In Me. This marked what for a long time was referred to be the multi-lingual musical project with Russian composer Igor Krutoy entitled "Mademoisse Zhivago". It features 11 different songs which tell us a particular story but are all linked by one same character, a woman who crosses different lives over the years and centuries having a special personal bond to Fabian's origins and family. The whole project not only was musical but also cinematographic as all 11 songs were filmed into different videos that as a whole created one big film produced and directed by Ukrainian film producer Alan Badoev. The album containing a CD and a DVD was first released in Ukraine on 25 October but will also have its release in Russia on 19 November. It's planned to be also released in France later in 2011. The whole set of songs composed by Fabian with Igor Krutoy is in English, French, Italian, Spanish and also in Russian. Fabian first introduced one of these songs in 2009 during the New Wave Festival in Latvia performing "Demain N'Existe Pas" and the following she would return to that same stage performing new songs from the already finalized project. Fabian has been promoting this project in both country specially on television but also giving a series of concerts too presenting the new songs to the eastern European public. Fabian has with this been established as a huge superstar in the eastern part of Europe. Fabian was a guest performer on 30 October show of the Ukrainian X Factor singing "Mademoiselle Hyde" and "Demain N'Existe Pas" taken from the album and also her longtime classic "Adagio".

As her career follows new directions, she hasn't lost connection to her French and Canadian public and fans. In September 2010 she finally released her 2009 album "Tout Les Femmes En Moi" in Québec having enjoyed a heavy week of promotion there returning shortly to the country she claims made her who she is. There is a new version on the album for "Nuit Magique" which was recorded as a duet with Canadian singer Coral Egan.

Parallel to this whole range of musical events and adventures, Fabian will finally release her first "Best of" album in France on 15 November alongside the DVD filmed in March of one of the concerts during the "Tout Les Femmes Font Leur Show". The album will contain two new recordings: the first single "On S'aimerai Tout Bas" composed by Stanislas and Maxime Le Forestier and a virtual duet with Ray Charles called "Ensemble".

Fabian will also be featured on an upcoming release by American singer Michael Bolton on which both sang the classic The Prayer originally recorded by Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion in 1998. The track was produced by the hitmaker producer David Foster who had also composed the song. For the producer's latest show "Hitman and Friends" in Canada on October 15, Fabian was invited to perform "Caruso" and also the recently recorded duet with Michael Bolton with standing ovation from the crowd.

Discography

Writing for other artists

Fabian has written for other artists such as French female singers Chimène Badi, Nolwenn Leroy and Myriam Abel. She also composed for Daniel Lévi and is said to be currently working with a former contestant from "Nouvelle Star 3", Roland. She has often praised the voice and talent of successful female singer Amel Bent, who was also a contestant on that show.

Acting career

In 2004 the singer appeared in her musical role in the film ''De-Lovely''. In a recent press release, Fabian confirmed that she will be acting in a French play with two other famous French actors. Her role will be that of a man, whose character she has not yet revealed. She expressed excitement on this new adventure on which she is embarking, about which she states, "Acting is related to being a singer, as interpreting a song makes a singer become a small actor on a song".

Personal life

Much to the delight of the French and Canadian media, Lara Fabian and French singer Patrick Fiori began a relationship at the start of 1998. The photos of the happy couple have been splashed across the cover of French tabloids ever since!

On November 20, 2007 Belgian singer Maurane, Fabian's very close friend (both shared vocals on the single "Tu Es Mon Autre" in 2002), revealed during her concert at the Cirque Royal that "...little Lou was born this morning!" referring to Fabian's first child, a girl named Lou, who was born at the Edith Cavell Hospital in Uccle, Belgium.

http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/chanson/patrick-fiori/biography

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

===List of awards received by Lara Fabian===

References

External links

Official Web Site (available in French, English and Italian)

Biography of Lara Fabian, from Radio France Internationale

Lara Fabian News (in English, Portuguese and French)

Last.fm - Lara Fabian

Last.fm - Lara Fabian

All Lara Fabian's career

English translations of Lara Fabian's songs

Category:1970 births Category:Belgian emigrants to Canada Category:Belgian pop singers Category:Belgian female singers Category:Belgian people of Italian descent Category:Belgian people of Sicilian descent Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian people of Flemish descent Category:Canadian people of Sicilian descent Category:English-language singers Category:French-language singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Living people Category:Luxembourgian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1988 Category:People from Brussels Category:Musicians from Montreal Category:Spanish-language singers Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Singers with a four octave vocal range

ar:لارا فابيان az:Lara Fabian ca:Lara Fabian cs:Lara Fabian de:Lara Fabian es:Lara Fabian eo:Lara Fabian eu:Lara Fabian fa:لارا فابین fr:Lara Fabian hy:Լառա Ֆաբիան hr:Lara Fabian it:Lara Fabian he:לארה פביאן ka:ლარა ფაბიანი nl:Lara Fabian pl:Lara Fabian pt:Lara Fabian ro:Lara Fabian ru:Фабиан, Лара fi:Lara Fabian sv:Lara Fabian tr:Lara Fabian uk:Лара Фабіан zh:娜娜·费比安

Lennart Green (born December 25, 1941) is a world champion close-up/card magician, a title which he won in 1991 at the FISM convention in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is known for seemingly chaotic routines which are highly original and display great skill.

Green competed at the 1988 FISM convention in Den Haag, Netherlands, and was erroneously disqualified because the judges incorrectly believed he had used stooges in his act to shuffle the cards. In 1991, he performed the same act but insisted that the judges themselves shuffle the cards to prove that he used no stooges. The judges then awarded him first place.

Green has appeared on the ''World's Greatest Magic'' television special. He is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and lectures internationally.

He appeared at TED in February 2005.

Works

''Lennart Green's Classic Green'', Volumes 1-7, DVD

''Green Magic'', Volumes 1-3

''Masterfile'', Volumes 1-4

Notes

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Swedish magicians Category:Card magic Category:Sleight of hand

ja:レナート・グリーン sv:Lennart Green

Coordinates	43°08′″N129°11′″N
name	Dub FX
background	solo_singer
birth name	Benjamin Stanford
birth date	June 11, 1983
origin	St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia
genre	Drum and bass, Beatboxing, hip hop music, dubstep, pop music
instrument	Vocals, Beatbox, Loop Station, Effects Pedal
occupation	Singer-songwriter, vocalist, record producer
years active	2005 – present
label	Convoyun.ltd
website	Official site
associated acts	Flower Fairy, Mr. Woodnote, CAde, Kila mega giga tera, Sirius }}

Dub FX (real name Benjamin Stanford) is a worldwide street performer and studio recording artist from St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. After playing and singing in a band called Twitch, he struck out solo when he moved to Europe. His trademark is creating rich live music using only his own performance aided by Live looping and effect pedals combined with his voice. He creates intricate hip hop, reggae and drum and bass rhythms.

Partner

Stanford traveled and performs with his fiancée, who is known simply as Flower Fairy (real name Shoshana Sadia). Dub FX first met her in Manchester, and she joined him in his travels around the globe to busk for the public. Flower Fairy can usually be seen selling CDs during Dub FX's performances and also performs a few songs alongside Stanford. She is featured singing in the songs on ''Everythinks A Ripple'', Wandering Love, and Time Will Tell.

Two songs from ''Everythinks A Ripple'', Flow and Wandering Love, feature a street saxophonist named Mr Woodnote, who also uses similar looping techniques as Dub FX using a saxophone.

In 2010 Dub FX collaborated with Melbourne based producer Sirius and released the album titled: Dub FX and Sirius -A crossworlds. A Crossworlds could be defined as dubstep because of the heavy emphasis on sub frequencies and the tempo's used ranging from 138 - 145Bpm. Dub FX does not beatbox on this album. Any information on how Dub Fx and Sirius came to collaborate or meet is unknown.

Dub FX is also one part of the dubstep act Kila Mega Giga Tera, the other half being Glade Kettle (Distro)(aka Sirius) They have one song release to date on aquatic lab sessions volume 1. A CD and limited edition vinyl compilation released in 2009. Kila Mega Giga Tera also have a forthcoming album which is yet to surface.

Music

Dub FX claims to be completely independent using only: live performance, word of mouth, internet social networking and a number of easily accessible free samples. Dub FX is also the main founder of the label Convoyun.ltd which could be described as a co-op label for Dub FX's own work and other people's. To date artists that have released albums on Convoyunltd are: Flower Fairy, Sirius, Mr Woodnote, and Dub FX. With additional featured artists on separate songs of each album. Every album released through Convoy Un.Ltd has been produced by Dub FX with the exception for Dub FX & Sirius's release, ''A Crossworlds'', a collaboration album released in 2010 which revealed a much darker and instrumental sound.

His lyrics both address generalized world events and contemporary angst while suggesting individual based revolution through self determination and engagement.

He also addresses issues of social importance, the most notable example being the song "Society's Gates", loosely based on the life of the philosopher Socrates.

Discography

''Everythinks a Ripple'' is the first Dub FX studio album. The promotional material says "all sounds on the album were created with his voice using a Roland effects & loop pedal."

2007: ''Live in the Street'' is a collection of live street performances performed in various countries.

Featured in the song KMGT - Subsonic on Aquatic Lab Sessions Vol 1 Track 10 2010: ''A Crossworlds''' is a collaboration album featuring 17 new tracks all produced, mixed and mastered by Dub FX and Sirius.

References

External links

Official website

Dub FX at MySpace

Dub FX at Twitter

Dub FX at Facebook

Category:Beatboxers Category:Australian performance artists Category:Living people Category:1983 births

de:Dub FX fr:Dub FX lv:Dub FX nl:Dub FX pl:Dub FX ru:Dub FX