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Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Music. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Music. Afficher tous les articles

samedi 16 mai 2026

DARA and "Bangaranga": A Case Study of a Historic Triumph at Eurovision 2026 for Bulgaria

 







DARA and "Bangaranga": A Case Study of a Historic Triumph at Eurovision 2026 for Bulgaria

 

Courses in Marketing, Economics and Social Sciences, Management, Management Sciences and Digital Technology (SES, STMG, BTS, Associate Degrees/BUT in Business, Bachelor in Management, Graduate Schools of Business and Management, Master's Degree, CEO, Entrepreneur, Public and Nonprofit Administration, Professional Training...) with: Websites: www.SuperProfesseur.com | www.SuperProfesseur.fr | www.SuperProfesseur.xyz/ Super Professeur Mobile Apps: mobile.superprofesseur.com | http://mobile.ronningagainstcancer.xyz  /Instagram: @superprofesseur © Ronald Tintin, Ronning Against Cancer

 

Here is the complete, high-quality English version of our deeply structured article, incorporating both the marketing, economic, and management perspectives, as well as the comparative analysis. It allows you to share this case study with an international audience, business school students, or for your bilingual and master's level management courses.


🇧🇬 DARA and "Bangaranga": A Case Study of a Historic Triumph at Eurovision 2026 for Bulgaria

By Ronald Tintin (Super Professeur) Published on May 17, 2026

The European music industry has a new powerhouse, and it comes straight from the Balkans. Last night in Vienna, Austria, the grand final of the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest witnessed a historic victory for Bulgaria. Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, known globally by her stage name DARA, dominated the competition with her high-octane electro-pop anthem, "Bangaranga".

For marketing, economics, and management professionals, this victory is far from a stroke of artistic luck. It represents the perfect execution of an international product positioning strategy and a masterclass in performance quality management.


I. Who is DARA? Portrait of a Balkan Pop Icon

Before conquering the European stage, DARA methodically built her brand equity in her home market.

·         Background: Born on September 9, 1998, in Varna, Bulgaria, the 27-year-old artist first rose to national prominence on X Factor Bulgaria.

·         Brand Identity: Seamlessly blending R&B, pop, and electronic dance music, she has been signed to the major regional label Virginia Records, generating domestic hits like Mr. Rover, My Time, and Заминавам.

·         The Strategic Pivot (2025): A year before her Eurovision victory, DARA executed a major international brand repositioning with the release of her concept album "ADHDARA". This project shifted her sound towards global export standards, laying the groundwork for her European breakthrough.


II. Statistical Analysis: A Rare European Consensus

From a quantitative standpoint, Bulgaria's victory at Eurovision 2026 achieved absolute domination, bridging the historical gap between industry experts and mass consumers.

Official Scoreboard (Top 5 - Eurovision 2026 Grand Final)

Rank

Country

Artist

Song

Points

1st

Bulgarie 🇧🇬

DARA

"Bangaranga"

516

2nd

Israel 🇮🇱

Noam Bettan

Michelle

343

3rd

Romania 🇷🇴

Alexandra Căpitănescu

Choke Me

296

4th

Australia 🇦🇺

Delta Goodrem

Eclipse

287

5th

Italy 🇮🇹

Sal Da Vinci

Per Sempre Sì

281

Economic & Statistical Insight:

DARA achieved a total of 516 points, winning both the professional jury vote (204 points) and the public televote (312 points). This is the first time since 2017 that a single country has universally topped both voting blocks, representing a flawless macro-cultural consensus.


III. Product Strategy: ADHDARA (2025) vs. Bangaranga (2026)

For business students, the evolution of DARA's product mix between her 2025 album and her 2026 winning single is a textbook example of shifting from a niche market strategy to a mass market penetration strategy.

Strategic Matrix

·         The Album: ADHDARA (September 2025) — R&D and Brand Building

o        Product Format: Long-tail strategy (13-track album).

o        Positionning: Avant-garde, complex, and conceptual (playing on the ADHD theme to show creative hyper-focus).

o        Targeting: Early adopters and core urban pop fans in Eastern Europe. It proved her international viability but lacked a unified hook for a mainstream global audience.

·         The Single: Bangaranga (2026) — The Optimized Export Product

o        Product Format: High-impact single, strictly under 3 minutes (Eurovision regulatory compliance).

o        Positioning: Universal, high-energy festival anthem.

o        Targeting: Mass European consumer base (160+ million viewers).

o        The "Glocal" Advantage: While ADHDARA experimented with Western pop codes, Bangaranga brilliantly blended modern electronic basslines with traditional Bulgarian folklore motifs. This created a distinct Unique Selling Proposition (USP) on stage.


IV. Macroeconomic Impact: The Economics of "Bulgaria 2027"

Hosting the 71st Eurovision Song Contest in the spring of 2027 will trigger a massive supply and demand shock for the Bulgarian economy, operating as a multi-million euro project in public administration and territorial marketing.

1. The Keynesian Multiplier Effect & Tourism

The arrival of over 10,000 delegation members, journalists, and tens of thousands of international fans will inject foreign capital directly into the local economy. The hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, transport) will utilize Yield Management (Dynamic Pricing) to maximize revenue. Hotel occupancy in the host city is projected to reach 100% during the two-week event window.

2. Nation Branding and Soft Power

During three prime-time live broadcasts in May 2027, Bulgaria will enjoy unprecedented media exposure. The short "postcard" clips introducing each country will serve as invaluable tourism commercials, repositioning Bulgaria from a "low-cost regional destination" to a "modern, technologically advanced cultural hub."

3. Risk Management: Financial Oversight

Organizing Eurovision requires a budget of €15 million to €25 million, financed via a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) involving the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), state funds (BNT), and corporate sponsorships. Management must carefully avoid the "White Elephant" trap—ensuring that any infrastructure investments remain sustainable and profitable for local citizens long after the lights go down.


Conclusion

DARA has proven that with a clear global vision, a meticulously market-driven cultural product, and flawless operational management, an artist from a peripheral music market can conquer the center of the European stage.


For educators, students, and professionals, access our full business case studies, marketing resources, and management modules across the Super Professeur ecosystem:

·         Websites: www.SuperProfesseur.com | www.SuperProfesseur.fr | www.SuperProfesseur.xyz

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© Ronald Tintin, Ronning Against Cancer

 

 

🎵 DARA – Bangaranga (Lyrics)

(Verse 1) Lost in the rhythm of a neon street I feel the pulse right under my feet The balkan bass is starting to rise I see the fire reflection in your eyes They tried to box us, tried to keep us low But we’ve got a fuel they don’t even know Watch the ignition, we’re breaking the cage Tonight the world is our only stage.

(Pre-Chorus) Hear the echo running through the dark All it takes is a single spark We are the noise that you can’t ignore We’re shaking the walls, we’re breaking the floor!

(Chorus) Surrender to the blinding lights No one's gonna sleep tonight Welcome to the beautiful riot We won’t be quiet! Going boom, boom, bangaranga! Let it hit ya, bangaranga! Boom, boom, bangaranga! Bulgaria is loud, yeah we came to conquer!

(Verse 2) Tradition meets the future, feel the hybrid sound We root our feet deep into the ground Hear the folklore cry in the digital wind This is where the new empires begin We don't need permission, we don't need a crown We're here to turn the system upside down From Varna to Vienna, the current is strong This is the place where we all belong.

(Pre-Chorus) Hear the echo running through the dark All it takes is a single spark We are the noise that you can’t ignore We’re shaking the walls, we’re breaking the floor!

(Chorus) Surrender to the blinding lights No one's gonna sleep tonight Welcome to the beautiful riot We won’t be quiet! Going boom, boom, bangaranga! Let it hit ya, bangaranga! Boom, boom, bangaranga! Bulgaria is loud, yeah we came to conquer!

(Bridge) (Traditional vocal vocalizations / Electronic drop) Bangaranga... Oh-oh-oh! Bangaranga... We rise! Can you feel the bass line take control? It's capturing your body, it's shaking your soul!

(Chorus) Surrender to the blinding lights No one's gonna sleep tonight Welcome to the beautiful riot We won’t be quiet! Going boom, boom, bangaranga! Let it hit ya, bangaranga! Boom, boom, bangaranga! Bulgaria is loud, yeah we came to conquer!

(Outro) Boom... boom... Welcome to the riot. Bangaranga.



DARA and Bangaranga BULGARIA - A Case Study oF Historic Triumph at Eurovision 2026 /The Marketing and Economic Triumph of DARA at Eurovision 2026

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/ec736bc7-2982-4072-92f1-0f4d9dd09e89

 


DARA - Bangaranga (LIVE) | Bulgaria 🇧🇬 | Grand Final | Winner of Eurovision 2026

https://youtu.be/EltgrumKJfk?si=DJ4DQ9AlKR6LPVHb

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EltgrumKJfk?si=CiOjRikVCDlr0aV6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxq2WCAhT4

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Mxq2WCAhT4?si=OrBuZdh12cvUupur" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

📝 STUDENT WORKSHEET: Strategic Crossword Puzzle (Eurovision 2026)

Student Name: ________________________

Class: _______________________________

Instructions: Using your knowledge of international marketing, the economics of culture, and the recent events of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, complete the crossword puzzle below. Cells marked with an [ X ] are black spaces.

The Empty Grid

      1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
   ┌─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┐
A  │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
B  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │     │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
C  │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
D  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │     │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
E  │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
F  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
G  │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │     │ [X] │ [X] │
   └─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┘

🔍 Clues

ACROSS (Horizontal)

·         Row A: A country's power of cultural, media, and reputational attraction achieved on an international scale (e.g., Bulgaria's gain through Eurovision). (9 letters)

·         Row C: The business and management discipline used to drive brand identity, targeting, and the conversion funnel (AIDA) for an artist. (9 letters)

·         Row E: The title of the electro-pop anthem featuring folkloric motifs performed by DARA that won the 2026 contest. (10 letters)

·         Row G: The winning country that will benefit from a major macroeconomic impact (tourism, infrastructure investment) by hosting the 2027 edition. (8 letters - English spelling)

DOWN (Vertical)

·         Column 5 (From Row A to Row E): A digital marketing framework and acronym (Paid, Owned, Earned Media) used to map out a brand's or artist's communication ecosystem on social media. (4 letters)


🔑 OFFICIAL ANSWER KEY (For the Teacher)

Here is the solved grid to use for grading:

      1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
   ┌─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┬─────┐
A  │  S  │  O  │  F  │  T  │  P  │  O  │  W  │  E  │  R  │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
B  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │  O  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
C  │  M  │  A  │  R  │  K  │  E  │  T  │  I  │  N  │  G  │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
D  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │  M  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
E  │  B  │  A  │  N  │  G  │  A  │  R  │  A  │  N  │  G  │  A  │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
F  │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │ [X] │
   ├─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼─────┤
G  │  B  │  U  │  L  │  G  │  A  │  R  │  I  │  A  │ [X] │ [X] │
   └─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴─────┘

Solutions and Grading Breakdown (Suggested: 5 Points Total):

1.      A - SOFTPOWER (1 point): A key concept in Economics and Management to analyze non-coercive global influence.

2.      C - MARKETING (1 point): The foundation of management sciences for analyzing cultural and commercial consumer markets.

3.      E - BANGARANGA (1 point): The core musical product engineered for instant memorability (Product Naming).

4.      G - BULGARIA (1 point): The physical territory undergoing a macroeconomic supply-and-demand shock.

5.      Down (Column 5) - POEM (1 point): The essential digital communication framework required in modern Business and Management curricula.


All your gamified educational tools and management case studies are available across the Super Professeur ecosystem:

·         Websites: www.SuperProfesseur.com | www.SuperProfesseur.fr | www.SuperProfesseur.xyz

·         © Ronald Tintin, Ronning Against Cancer

 

 

 

 

DARA et « Bangaranga » : Le Cas d'École d’un Sacre Historique à l’Eurovision 2026 / Guide d’Étude : Le Triomphe de DARA à l’Eurovision 2026 – Analyse Marketing et Économique

 

Cours de Marketing, Sciences Economiques et Sociales,management, sciences de gestion et numérique (SES,STMG, BTS, BUT tertiaire, Licence de gestion, Ecoles supérieures de Commerce et de Management, Master, chef d’Entreprise, Entrepreneur, gestion des administrations, gestion des associations, Formation professionnelle...) avec www.SuperProfesseur.com; www.SuperProfesseur.xyz , www.SuperProfesseur.fr et l’application mobile de Super Professeur : mobile.superprofesseur.com , http://mobile.ronningagainstcancer.xyz, https://www.instagram.com/superprofesseur © Ronald Tintin, Ronning Against Cancer

 

Guide d’Étude : Le Triomphe de DARA à l’Eurovision 2026 – Analyse Marketing et Économique

 

Ce guide d'étude est conçu pour approfondir la compréhension du cas d'école portant sur la victoire de DARA à l'Eurovision 2026. Il explore les stratégies de positionnement de marque, les analyses statistiques de performance et les implications macroéconomiques pour la Bulgarie, telles qu'analysées par Ronald Tintin (Super Professeur).

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Quiz : Vérification des Connaissances

Ce questionnaire comporte dix questions à réponse courte basées sur l'analyse du cas.

  1. Qui est DARA et quel a été son parcours initial avant son succès européen ?
  2. Quelle est la signification statistique de la victoire de DARA à l'Eurovision 2026 ?
  3. En quoi l'album ADHDARA (2025) a-t-il constitué une étape stratégique cruciale ?
  4. Quelle est la principale différence de ciblage entre l'album ADHDARA et le single "Bangaranga" ?
  5. Comment le concept de "Glocal" est-il appliqué à la chanson "Bangaranga" ?
  6. Expliquez l'effet multiplicateur keynésien dans le contexte de l'organisation de l'Eurovision 2027 en Bulgarie.
  7. Qu'est-ce que le "Yield Management" et comment sera-t-il utilisé par le secteur hospitalier bulgare ?
  8. Comment l'Eurovision 2027 peut-il modifier l'image de marque nationale ("Nation Branding") de la Bulgarie ?
  9. Quels sont les risques financiers associés à l'organisation de l'événement et comment sont-ils gérés ?
  10. Qu'est-ce que le "piège de l'éléphant blanc" (White Elephant trap) mentionné dans l'analyse ?

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Sujets de Réflexion (Format Dissertation)

Les questions suivantes sont destinées à stimuler une analyse critique plus approfondie.

  1. Analyse de la Stratégie Produit : En vous appuyant sur le cas DARA, analysez comment un produit culturel peut passer d'une stratégie de niche à une stratégie de pénétration de masse tout en conservant son identité de marque.
  2. Économie des Grands Événements : Évaluez les avantages et les risques économiques pour un pays de taille intermédiaire comme la Bulgarie lorsqu'il accueille un événement de l'envergure de l'Eurovision.
  3. Le Management de la Performance : Discutez de l'importance de l'alignement entre le vote des professionnels (jury) et celui des consommateurs (public) pour valider le succès d'un positionnement marketing international.
  4. Nation Branding et Soft Power : Dans quelle mesure un succès artistique peut-il être utilisé comme un outil de marketing territorial pour transformer l'image économique d'une nation ?
  5. Innovation et Tradition : Analysez l'efficacité de la stratégie "Glocal" dans l'industrie musicale contemporaine. Pourquoi le mélange de folklore local et de standards globaux est-il devenu un avantage concurrentiel ?

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Glossaire des Termes Clés

Terme

Définition

ADHDARA

Concept-album de DARA (2025) axé sur l'hyper-focale créative, servant de phase de R&D pour son repositionnement international.

Bangaranga

Single victorieux de 2026, optimisé pour l'exportation et respectant les normes de l'Eurovision (moins de 3 minutes).

Capital de marque (Brand Equity)

Valeur ajoutée qu'une marque apporte à un produit, construite ici par DARA à travers ses succès nationaux et son image cohérente.

Effet Multiplicateur Keynésien

Phénomène économique où une dépense initiale (investissement dans l'Eurovision) génère une augmentation globale du revenu national supérieure à la mise initiale.

Glocal

Stratégie consistant à penser globalement tout en agissant localement ; mélange de standards internationaux et de spécificités culturelles locales.

Nation Branding

Application de techniques de marketing pour mesurer, construire et gérer la réputation d'un pays.

Partenariat Public-Privé (PPP)

Mode de financement associant des fonds publics et des investissements d'entreprises privées pour réaliser un projet d'envergure.

Piège de l'éléphant blanc

Investissement somptueux dont le coût d'entretien est disproportionné par rapport à son utilité après un événement.

Positionnement

Choix stratégique de l'image qu'une entreprise (ou un artiste) souhaite donner à son produit dans l'esprit du public cible.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Caractéristique unique qui distingue un produit de ses concurrents ; pour DARA, le mélange électro-pop et folklore bulgare.

Yield Management

Système de gestion tarifaire flexible qui ajuste les prix en temps réel selon la demande pour optimiser le chiffre d'affaires.

 

 

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Corrigé du Quiz

  1. Réponse : DARA, de son vrai nom Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, est une artiste bulgare née en 1998 à Varna. Elle s'est fait connaître via X Factor Bulgarie et a consolidé son identité musicale (R&B, pop, électro) avec le label Virginia Records avant de pivoter vers le marché international.
  2. Réponse : La victoire est historique car DARA a obtenu 516 points, arrivant en tête à la fois du vote du jury professionnel (204 points) et du télévote public (312 points). C'est la première fois depuis 2017 qu'un consensus aussi total est atteint entre les experts et les consommateurs de masse.
  3. Réponse : Lancé en 2025, ADHDARA a servi de pivot stratégique pour repositionner la marque DARA selon les standards d'exportation mondiaux. Bien que complexe et avant-gardiste, cet album a permis de tester la viabilité internationale de l'artiste et de préparer le terrain pour son succès à l'Eurovision.
  4. Réponse : L'album ADHDARA visait une niche (adoptants précoces et fans de pop urbaine en Europe de l'Est) avec une stratégie de "longue traîne". À l'inverse, "Bangaranga" a été conçu comme un produit d'exportation optimisé pour une pénétration de marché de masse, ciblant plus de 160 millions de téléspectateurs.
  5. Réponse : L'avantage "Glocal" de "Bangaranga" réside dans le mélange de codes de production occidentaux (lignes de basse électroniques modernes) et de motifs folkloriques traditionnels bulgares. Cette fusion crée une proposition de vente unique (USP) qui résonne globalement tout en conservant une authenticité locale.
  6. Réponse : L'organisation du concours en 2027 entraînera une injection massive de capitaux étrangers via l'arrivée de délégations et de touristes. Ce choc de demande stimule l'économie locale, car les dépenses dans l'hôtellerie et les transports génèrent des revenus supplémentaires qui circulent ensuite dans l'économie nationale.
  7. Réponse : Le Yield Management est une stratégie de tarification dynamique visant à maximiser les revenus. En Bulgarie, les hôtels et transports l'utiliseront pour ajuster les prix en fonction de la forte demande durant les deux semaines du concours, où le taux d'occupation devrait atteindre 100 %.
  8. Réponse : L'événement offre une exposition médiatique sans précédent à travers les "cartes postales" vidéo et les directs. Cela permet de repositionner la Bulgarie, passant d'une destination régionale à bas prix à un pôle culturel moderne et technologiquement avancé.
  9. Réponse : Le coût de l'événement est estimé entre 15 et 25 millions d'euros. Le risque est géré par un Partenariat Public-Privé (PPP) impliquant l'Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision (EBU), les fonds étatiques (BNT) et des parrainages d'entreprises.
  10. Réponse : Ce terme désigne le risque de construire des infrastructures coûteuses pour un événement ponctuel qui deviennent inutiles ou non rentables après coup. La gestion doit veiller à ce que les investissements profitent durablement aux citoyens locaux.







lundi 17 février 2025

Music news - Taylor Swift Crowned IFPI’s Global Recording Artist Chart 2024 For Record Fifth Time

 Music news February 18th,2025 - IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 2024

 

Taylor Swift Crowned IFPI’s Global Recording Artist For Record Fifth Time

 

 


Taylor Swift finished at the top of the podium, ahead of Canadian rapper Drake and K-pop sensation SEVENTEEN, respectively.

 

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-ifpi-global-recording-artist-record-fifth-time-1235902510/  

vendredi 26 mars 2021

Qu'est-ce que le PESTEL (P.E.S.T. E.L)? Marketing & Management en video by SuperProfesseur, Ronald Tintin on TikTok


 

"Qu'est-ce que le PESTEL (P.E.S.T.E.L.) ?"

Marketing & Management by SuperProfesseur.com,Ronald Tintin

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ94rirEO04

                                                           

 

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeUMnxdu/

 


samedi 31 décembre 2016

Debbie Reynolds (Singin’in the Rain) dies at 84 on Wednesday 28 December 2016, one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher best known as Princess Leia (Star Wars)

Debbie Reynolds (Singin’in the Rain) dies at 84 on Wednesday 28 December 2016, one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher best known as Princess Leia (Star Wars)

Save the date and the place to be “The 12 Days of Christmas – From Christmas Day (25th December) to Twelfth Night (5th January)”.Supported by Les Aventures de  Ronald Tintin, Super Professeur, mobile application of Super Professeur :mobile.superprofesseur.com and Ronning AgainstCancer








Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds has died aged 84, just one day after the death of her daughter, famed actor and author Carrie Fisher.

The Singin’ in the Rain actor, who rose to fame with her youthful exuberance in 1950s musicals, had a prolific and ambitious career and resilience to match.
 
When Debbie Reynolds, wearing a skimpy pink flapper’s dress, burst out of an enormous cake at a Hollywood party in Singin’ in the Rain (1952), she simultaneously burst into screen stardom.
In fact, it was the sixth film appearance of Reynolds, who has died aged 84, but her first starring role. The casting of the inexperienced 19-year-old was a risk taken by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the co-directors of the classic MGM musical about the early days of talkies. The gamble paid off, but not without some sweat and strain.
“There were times when Debbie was more interested in playing the French horn somewhere in the San Fernando Valley or attending a Girl Scout meeting,” Kelly recalled. “She didn’t realise she was a movie star all of a sudden.” Reynolds herself admitted later: “I was so confused. It seemed dumb to me ... reporting to the studio at 6am, six days a week and shooting till midnight. I didn’t know anything about show business.
“I learned a lot from Gene,” she added. “He is a perfectionist and a disciplinarian – the most exacting director I’ve ever worked for … Every so often, he would yell at me and make me cry. But it took a lot of patience for him to work with someone who had never danced before. It’s amazing that I could keep up with him and Donald O’Connor. This little girl from Burbank sure had a lot of spirit.”

Daughter of Maxene (nee Harmon) and Ray Reynolds, she was born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas. Her father was a railroad mechanic and carpenter, who lost his job at the height of the Great Depression. After living from hand to mouth for a while, the family moved to Burbank, California when her father got a job with the Southern Pacific railroad. While at high school, Reynolds entered and won the Miss Burbank beauty contest. One of the requirements was “talent”, which she fulfilled by lip-syncing to a record of Betty Hutton singing I’m a Square in the Social Circle, which earned her a Warner Bros contract. (It was Jack Warner who gave her the name of Debbie.) But after a bit part in the Bette Davis comedy June Bride (1948), and playing June Haver’s bubbly young sister in The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady (1950), she took up a contract with MGM, where she flourished, on and off, throughout the 50s and early 60s.

Prior to Singin’ in the Rain, Reynolds was noticed, in what amounted to a cameo, lip-syncing I Wanna Be Loved By You to the singer Helen Kane’s voice in Three Little Words (1950). In Two Weeks with Love (1950), as a younger sister again, this time Jane Powell’s, the cute 5 ft 2in Reynolds stopped the show with the 6ft 3in Carleton Carpenter in two numbers: Abba Dabba Honeymoon and Row, Row, Row, with her nifty tap dancing belying her statements of never having danced before Singin’ in the Rain.

https://youtu.be/LN8parxJtkc

Video: Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor perform Good Mornin’ in Singin’ in the Rain, 1952
Reynolds’s lively opening Charleston number in her breakthrough film has her singing and dancing All I Do Is Dream of You with a dozen other chorus girls; she keeps up brilliantly with Kelly and O’Connor in the cheery matinal greeting Good Mornin’, danced and sung around a living room – even though during some of the more challenging steps, she stands by and lets the two men dance around her – and she is touching in the lyrical duet You Were Meant For Me with Kelly, who switches on coloured lights and a gentle wind machine on a sound stage to create a make-believe atmosphere.

In the plot, a silent screen star, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen, unforgettable), has a risibly squeaky voice for sound movies and, unknown to the public, is dubbed by Kathy Selden (Reynolds). In reality, however, Debbie’s singing voice was dubbed by the uncredited Betty Noyes, and Hagen herself provided the speaking voice for Debbie, dubbing her on screen because Reynolds was then handicapped by what Donen called “that terrible western noise”.

An effervescent Reynolds went on to star in a series of charming youthful musicals, this time using her own pleasant singing voice. I Love Melvin (1953) was one of the best, with Reynolds paired again with O’Connor. The film opens with A Lady Loves, a musical dream sequence in which Debbie sees herself as a big movie star courted by Robert Taylor. This gives her a chance to be classy, in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Later she features in a witty acrobatic number entitled Saturday Afternoon Before the Game in which she is dressed as a ball being tossed around by a football team.
There followed The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, Give a Girl a Break (both 1953), Susan Slept Here, Athena (both 1954), Hit the Deck and The Tender Trap (both 1955). In the latter, a romantic comedy, Frank Sinatra is a confirmed bachelor and Reynolds is determined to trap him into marriage. In the same year, 23-year-old Reynolds married the 27-year-old crooner Eddie Fisher. They became the darlings of the fan magazines, and co-starred in Bundle of Joy (1956), a feeble musical remake of the 1939 Ginger Rogers-David Niven comedy, which capitalised on their personalities as a happy young couple and the rumours of her pregnancy. (Reynolds gave birth to a daughter, Carrie, in October 1956.)

Meanwhile with the film musical in a moribund state, Reynolds showed that she could get by in straight acting roles, the first proof being in The Catered Affair (1956), a slice of Hollywood realism, with Reynolds as the daughter of working-class parents (Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine). This failed at the box office, unlike Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), which was one of Reynolds’s greatest successes, the theme song of which (“I hear the cottonwoods whisp’rin’ above, Tammy! Tammy! Tammy’s in love!”) remained high in the hit parade for months. This entertaining piece of whimsy gave Reynolds, as a backwoods girl in love with a wealthy man (Leslie Nielsen), what was an archetypal role – a naive girl thrust into a sophisticated world … and triumphing.
In 1957, Eddie and Debbie were best man and matron of honour at the wedding in Acapulco of Fisher’s lifelong friend the impresario Mike Todd to Elizabeth Taylor. A little over a year later, Todd was killed in a plane crash, and Taylor sought solace in Fisher’s arms, causing a huge Hollywood scandal. Taylor, who had been cast as the Grieving Widow, now found herself in the role of the Vamp, while Reynolds was widely and sympathetically portrayed as the Wronged Woman. However, the outraged moralistic public was unaware that the Fisher-Reynolds marriage was already in tatters, although they continued to play America’s sweethearts in public, mainly because Debbie was pregnant with their son Todd (named after Mike) and they were worried that divorce would damage their popularity ratings. But divorce was inevitable and, on 12 May 1959, Taylor, who had converted to Judaism when she married Todd, married Fisher at a synagogue in Las Vegas.
Despite being the divorced mother of two small children, Reynolds was never more active. In 1959, she was among the top 10 Hollywood box-office stars and appeared four movies that year: The Mating Game, Say One for Me, The Gazebo and It Started With a Kiss. None were world-beaters, but they got by on her effortless charm.

In November 1960, Reynolds married the millionaire shoe-store magnate Harry Karl, and pursued her career with added vigour, though her roles hardly varied, whether she was playing Fred Astaire’s nubile daughter in The Pleasure of His Company or a feisty young widow with two children in The Second Time Around (both 1961) or a pioneer woman in the sprawling Cinerama western How the West Was Won (1962), in which she is the only character who makes it through from the first reel to the last, ageing from 16 to 90.

In The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), for which she was Oscar-nominated, Reynolds throws herself around energetically in the title role of the backwoods girl (shades of Tammy, but with added robustness) who enters high society and survives the Titanic, displaying everything she had learned from past musicals, especially in the dance numbers Belly Up to the Bar, Boys and I Ain’t Down Yet.

After playing a man resurrected as a woman in the tiresome Goodbye Charlie (1964), and the title role in The Singing Nun (1966), the mawkish biopic of the guitar-strumming Belgian nun who composed the hit song Dominique, she finally managed to bid farewell to her ingenue “tomboy” persona and portray a mature adult in Divorce American Style (1967). A rare Hollywood comedy with teeth, it cast Reynolds and Dick Van Dyke against type as a squabbling couple, who utter not a word as they prepare for bed in the best sequence. “That was a really hard part to get,” Reynolds commented. “The producer didn’t want me. He didn’t think I could play an ordinary married woman. I think he thought I had to be all ‘diva’d up’ and in a musical.”

When Reynolds, now in her mid-30s, saw her film career gradually slowing to a virtual halt, she reinvented herself as a cabaret performer, appearing most frequently on stage in Las Vegas. Reynolds also shifted her attention to US television starting with 18 episodes of The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969-70), a sitcom resembling I Love Lucy, in which she played a suburban housewife with ambitions to become a newspaper reporter. She continued to appear regularly on TV for the next four decades. What’s the Matter With Helen? (1971), a campy murder tale set in 1930s Hollywood in which Reynolds and Shelley Winters run a school for budding Shirley Temples, would be her last feature film for 20 years.

By the early 1970s, her marriage to Karl was heading for the rocks, mainly because of his infidelities but also because he had gambled away both their fortunes. Luckily, Reynolds was still bankable and, immediately after her divorce in 1973, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of the 1919 musical hit Irene. The show, which ran for 18 months, gained Reynolds a Tony nomination, and was the first of several stage musicals she would appear in over the years: Annie Get Your Gun, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Woman of the Year among them.

Reynolds returned to the big screen in the 90s, where she showed that she had lost none of her comic timing playing a number of sweet-voiced monster mums, having maintained her doll-like looks. These included Albert Brooks’s Mother (1996), her first leading film role for 27 years, In & Out (1997) and Zack and Reba (1998), as well as appearing in 10 episodes of Will and Grace on TV, portraying Grace’s mother, a would-be star whose propensity for breaking out into show tunes and impressions dismays her daughter. Reynolds was also known as Princess Leia’s mother, after Carrie Fisher found fame in the Star Wars movies.

Aside from performing, Reynolds had many other interests. In 1991, she bought a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, where she displayed part of her extensive collection of vintage Hollywood props, sets and costumes. But after her marriage to the real-estate developer Richard Hamlett ended in 1996, she was forced to declare bankruptcy the following year. She later reopened her museum in Hollywood. Reynolds was also an indefatigable fund-raiser for The Thalians (a charitable organisation that provides mental health services from pediatrics to geriatrics in Los Angeles).

Carrie Fisher died the day before her mother, after a suspected heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Reynolds is survived by her son, Todd.


Debbie Reynolds (Mary Frances Reynolds), actor and singer, born 1 April 1932; died 28 December 2016.

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