Alizée is so unlike so very many of her generation. It is incredible to think that she ever was compared to a personality like Britney Spears. To use a genuine Corsu (Corsican) word which English speakers will surely understand, Britney Spears is a total cuntrastu to Alizée!

Then to whom might we compare Alizée? It turns out there is a not unlikely comparison to be made with an American - but one two generations older than Alizée, named Annette Funicello. This page tries to illustrate the comparison - and yet also confesses to its imperfections.

Are the images the public is shown true? And if not, does it matter? In a media-drenched world, doesn't the supposed personality of an artist become an important part of the total artistic presentation, and is not art tautologically artificial?

Whatever the truth, it is wonderful to have something beautiful - which if only by suspension of disbelief one holds to be true - especially if that something is a person.

When one secularizes the supernatural cult of the Virgin Mary, (or for that matter, its Mediterranean precursors), it is easy to arrive at the concept of the Italian princess - in the nicest sense of the phrase! Grimaldi, the surname of the most famous real Italian princesses, is highly concentrated among ordinary people in just two large(+) areas(*) of the world: Corsica and Campania. So perhaps it is not inappropriate that Alizée is a proud daughter of Corsica, and Annette's fellow Funicellos are highly concentrated(*) in Campania. (Supposedly, Annette's own family comes from Caserta, north of Naples.)

(+) i.e. not Monaco

20th century: Mouseketeer Annette		21st century: "Mousquetaire" Alizée ( une des Soeurs Corses )
Became first-name-only teenage singing idol at 16 and departed school. A dancer who became a famous singer somewhat by accident. Started studying dance at 5. Sturdy dancer, but technique only fair. Played the drums and other percussion instruments as a child.		Became first-name-only teenage singing idol at 16 and departed school. A dancer who became a famous singer somewhat by accident. Started studying dance at 4. Sturdy dancer, and technique very good. Played the drums in JPVA video like an 8-year-old at Christmas?
160 cm (5'3") tall, dark brunette hair, porcelain complexion		160 cm (5'3") tall, dark brunette hair, porcelain complexion
Face and voice rather different from the other woman, but this page is concerned with more than the superficial.		Face and voice rather different from the other woman, but this page is concerned with more than the superficial.
Sweet girl-next-door: natural personality is shy. modest. reserved. First two name initials are A.J. (Annette Joanne) Nick-named "Dolly" by her mother (who sadly had no doll as a girl - many people were very poor a century ago). Aside: In English, both "Dolly" and "Lolita" are pet forms of Dolores.		Sweet girl-next-door: natural personality is shy. modest. reserved. First two name initials are A.J. (Alizée Jacotey) Nick-named "Lily" by all her friends.
Born in Utica, New York. Family originates in town just north of Napoli. (Naples).		Born only 300 km (200 mi) north of ancient Punic Utica. Family still lives in home town of Napoleon.
She was not named after her father's mother, so she could have a common name. She has younger brothers. Her father, named Joseph, worked servicing important personal machines ( cars ). Favorite teenage toy: her car.		She was not named after her father's mother, so she could have an uncommon name. She has a younger brother. Her father, named Joseph, worked servicing important personal machines ( computers ). Favorite teenage toy: her computer. (Alizee is "Toc de Macintosh"!)
She said: "I won't get serious [about boys] for ages and ages -- not until I'm 19 or 20!" and "Not without a ring you don't!" She marries a man with first initial J.		She married at 19, and got pregnant afterward - and all only after selling millions of CDs. (Art vs. reality: "Je pas vingt ans?") She marries a man with first initial J.
She loved long-distance phone calls as a teenager. Curiously for a girl, she loved (USA) football as well. Favorite color, violet		She loved (long-distance) Internet as a teenager. Curiously for a girl, she loved (French) football as well. Favorite color, (by this report) purple; (by most reports) pink - but her favorite movie is "The Big Blue" by Luc Besson, and pink + blue = violet.
She sang "Stuffed Animal." She sang "Tell Me, Who's The Girl?"		She sang "Parler Tout Bas." She saw the film "Who's That Girl?" (starring you-know-who).
Official mentor described so: Born in North America of a father who for a time lived in Canada, original patrilineal name French. Has six letters in both formal first and last names. ENcouraged protege to dress modestly. Linked with the other girl's mentor via YouTube videos here and here.		Official mentor described so: Born in North America of a father who for a time lived in Canada, original patrilineal name French. Has six letters in both formal first and last names. DIScouraged protege to dress modestly. Linked with the other girl's mentor via YouTube videos here and here.
Unofficial mentor: the Virgin Madonna		Unofficial mentor: Madonna, who sang "Like A Virgin"
Performance costumes have included bare navel dress.		Performance costumes have included bare navel dress.
She surely has the same type of genitals as Doreen Tracey, but to date, the public lacks the slightest photographic proof. (Note: In Tracey's day, such photos were rare, and she was paid.)		She surely has the same type of genitals as Britney Spears, but to date, the public lacks the slightest photographic proof. (Note: In Spears' day, such photos are common, so she posed free.)
Her autobiography is titled: "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"		She sang: "A Quoi Reve Une Jeune Fille" and "Coeur Deja Pris"
She was remembered by countless fans with sentimental loving fondness long decades after she sold her last hit songs.		She will be remembered by countless fans with sentimental loving fondness long decades after she sells her last hit songs.
Television spokeswoman for "Skippy" peanut-butter ...but may secretely prefer "Peter Pan" peanut-butter - Tinkerbell's favorite.		Product-placement model for "Nutella" (JAM tournage) ...but may secretely prefer "Peter Pan" peanut-butter - Fée Clochette's favorite.
Becoming a singer almost by accident		Becoming a singer almost by accident
The optimistic century: dreaming of a better world with song		The pessimistic century: praying for a better world with song
As poor country girl come to town		As poor country girl come to town
As aquatic princess on an île de beauté		As aquatic princess on the Île de Beauté
As Mexican darling		As Mexican darling
As ballerina		As "ballerina"
With friend Tinkerbell		With friend Fée Clochette (click on image above to view video)

Subject: [who is Annette?] (11-11-2010)

I would be surprised if Azhiri or her age-peer Jalen had heard of Annette previously, but no doubt she is familiar to their grandparents, who might get a kick out of hearing her music again via the YouTube videos embedded in the aforementioned study. (Tell them that Alizèe is basically Annette with post- Punk tattoos and piercings!) Sadly, today Annette is elderly and has been very sick a long time. But I have a confession to make. When I was a TV-watching preschooler, then teen-aged Annette was my "age-inappropriate" virtual girlfriend. Indeed, the princesse lointaine phenomenon has a very old heritage - ever older than yours truly!

Subject: Annette - and DNA replication, too (03-09-2011)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azhiri I'm with my grandma right now and suddenly I remembered this thread, and I asked her if she knew of Annette and indeed she had been one of her favorite singers! spooky.

Not really, hon - Annette was HUGE in the early 60s when your granny and I were young.

As one old guy comments at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJqIE8V8AsU

The all AMERICAN fantasy.every guy wanted her,every? girl wanted to be her.Love you Annette you always was and always will be my first real crush!!!!!!

Did you show your grandma any YouTube videos of Annette to enjoy? She might also like to check out a couple of Web sites -

the decade-old BeautifulAnnetteFunicello

and a new one, The Annette Connection

When I showed my comparative study Alizée: The return of Annette to a devoted Annette fan, she responded so:

[Alizée] is dark-eyed, princess-like, very composed like Annette, a polished performer at a very young age, and with a sweet, reserved smile...

Now I've watched a few more of her videos on YouTube, and some of them are much more mature and very sexy - today's dancing of course is much more overtly sexy than anything Annette did. Yet, to every boy of that generation, Annette was sex appeal personified - and Alizee's sexy dances have much the same effect...

I see on Wikipedia that Alizee was born in 1984 and is now 25, married, with a daughter. So she's actually been in the limelight for quite a long time... it's funny to "discover" this 15-year-old singing sensation, and then realize that was ten years ago already!

To illustrate the notions above, I submit the video below, in which Annette protests C'est pas ma faute! (so to speak) and asks us to Blame It On The Bossa Nova - a dance which she explains inspires erotic love!.

I warn sensitive readers and innocent youngsters like yourself that the lyrics get pretty hot by the end, where no doubt is left that the singer is determined to engage in numerous acts of unprotected vaginal intercourse, and then even expose the minds of children to knowledge about the effects of the aforementioned dance.

A couple snapshots accompanying the song require comment as well. In one, Annette is obviously exposing her legs all the way up to her CROTCH - unlike, e.g. Alizée in JPVA, who wore thigh-high boots, to all but completely hide hers. And in the other, Annette's NAKED flesh is PRESSED against the NAKED flesh of MULTIPLE guys at once. Frankly, she is mounted on a total of FOUR of them.

Don't say I didn't warn you!

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Previous La Fée Corse editions:

• 2009 May
• 2009 April

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