Frank Farian, the mastermind producer responsible for the groups Milli Vanilli, Boney M., La Bouche, and more, has died. He was 82 years old.
Over the course of his six-decade career, Farian saw considerable success as a songwriter and producer, but his time as the mastermind behind Milli Vanilli — and their infamous lip-syncing controversy — is likely what most remember him for. Farian first met the group’s frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, in Frankfurt, and signed a contract with them in January 1988, locking them into a deal.
Then, dissatisfied with the quality of the group’s vocal performances, Farian employed session vocalists — including Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and others — to provide the lead vocal parts for the duo’s recordings, leading to an arrangement where Pilatus and Morvan, against their desires, lip-synced the parts that they claimed to be singing themselves.
Upon the release of Milli Vanilli’s biggest hit,...
Over the course of his six-decade career, Farian saw considerable success as a songwriter and producer, but his time as the mastermind behind Milli Vanilli — and their infamous lip-syncing controversy — is likely what most remember him for. Farian first met the group’s frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, in Frankfurt, and signed a contract with them in January 1988, locking them into a deal.
Then, dissatisfied with the quality of the group’s vocal performances, Farian employed session vocalists — including Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and others — to provide the lead vocal parts for the duo’s recordings, leading to an arrangement where Pilatus and Morvan, against their desires, lip-synced the parts that they claimed to be singing themselves.
Upon the release of Milli Vanilli’s biggest hit,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Girl you know it’s – girl you know it’s – girl you know it’s –. Milli Vanilli’s lip-syncing scandal was one of the biggest pop culture controversies of the 1990s, which is really saying something. That it happened so early in the duo’s career made them both a blip and a punchline in the music world. Now, surviving member Fab Morvan is reflecting on the most trying time of his career ahead of the release of the aptly titled documentary Milli Vanilli this month.
Speaking with The Messenger, Morvan said the public perception turned incredibly fast on Milli Vanilli. “We were not what people thought we were, which is the puppet master of everybody and everything. We were the front people, but behind, there was so much more. Unfortunately, the journalists didn’t investigate properly.” As it turns out, the decision to have both Morvan and Rob Pilatus...
Speaking with The Messenger, Morvan said the public perception turned incredibly fast on Milli Vanilli. “We were not what people thought we were, which is the puppet master of everybody and everything. We were the front people, but behind, there was so much more. Unfortunately, the journalists didn’t investigate properly.” As it turns out, the decision to have both Morvan and Rob Pilatus...
- 10/19/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Some three decades after one of the biggest scandals in the history of pop music, Milli Vanilli still commands a certain fascination for those who lived through the 1980s. Their debut album went six times platinum and they won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1990, but later that year Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, the faces of the group, had to do a mea culpa because they had not actually sung on the album.
Luke Korem’s documentary, “Milli Vanilli,” which receives its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and will stream on Paramount+ in the fall, is well-researched and polished, even if it’s essentially a feature-length episode of “Behind the Music.”
The movie traces the story as far back as their humble beginnings. Pilatus, born in Germany to an American soldier and a strip dancer, lived in an orphanage until age 4. Morvan, from a broken family, moved at 18 from Paris to Munich,...
Luke Korem’s documentary, “Milli Vanilli,” which receives its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and will stream on Paramount+ in the fall, is well-researched and polished, even if it’s essentially a feature-length episode of “Behind the Music.”
The movie traces the story as far back as their humble beginnings. Pilatus, born in Germany to an American soldier and a strip dancer, lived in an orphanage until age 4. Morvan, from a broken family, moved at 18 from Paris to Munich,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
Re-create the romantic boho-Texan vibe in these photos - Love & Sex The iPhone 6 release date is finally announced - Tech 26 stages everyone goes through when apartment hunting - Home 7 types of underwear and when you should wear them - Fashion Video: Get a sexy back with this 5-minute workout - Fitness You might not want to know why Tj's Charles Shaw wine is so cheap - Food How to get mermaid-inspired seashell nails - Beauty A heartbreaking newborn photo session - Moms Summer's hottest workout tanks are under $25 - Fitness The ultimate list of Fall TV premiere dates - Entertainment Habits of highly considerate people - Smart Living Kate Middleton tears up during a royal stop - Celebrity & News Source: jFairchild Photography...
- 8/6/2014
- by Marina-Liao
- Popsugar.com
A group of lucky girls were watching ‘The Bachelor’ on Feb. 4, when Sean and host Chris Harrison arrived to join them! HollywoodLife.com has all the Exclusive details about their experience, and how Sean ‘acted like a guy in love.’ So sweet!
Imagine you were sitting on your sofa watching The Bachelor, and Sean Lowe and Chris Harrison arrived at your door? Well that’s exactly what happened to a group of friends on Feb. 4, and they exclusively told HollywoodLife.com all about the visit! Sean and Chris drank red wine with the girls, and Sean acted “like a guy in love”, while Chris was flirtatious! And Sean finally reveals his true feelings on season villain Tierra LiCausi, and how he thinks she’s “horrible!”
Sean Lowe & Chris Harrison Dish The Dirt At Viewing Party
The group of about twenty girls were having a Bachelor viewing party at their home in Los Angeles,...
Imagine you were sitting on your sofa watching The Bachelor, and Sean Lowe and Chris Harrison arrived at your door? Well that’s exactly what happened to a group of friends on Feb. 4, and they exclusively told HollywoodLife.com all about the visit! Sean and Chris drank red wine with the girls, and Sean acted “like a guy in love”, while Chris was flirtatious! And Sean finally reveals his true feelings on season villain Tierra LiCausi, and how he thinks she’s “horrible!”
Sean Lowe & Chris Harrison Dish The Dirt At Viewing Party
The group of about twenty girls were having a Bachelor viewing party at their home in Los Angeles,...
- 2/6/2013
- by Eleanore Hutch
- HollywoodLife
Okay, so maybe he missed the actual holidays a bit, but that didn't stop writer/director Ryan Lightbourn from being in the giving spirit. Fans of indie shorts will no doubt remember his previous film, Roid Rage, a movie that can be accurately described as the anal version of Brain Damage. Well, ho, ho, ho…Lightbourn has a belated gift for you…Roid Rage: The Christmas Special.
Fans of the original film will no doubt dig this holiday entry, which we have below in its entirety. If you haven't seen Roid Rage don't worry, we can get you caught up pretty quickly. Sammy works in a nuclear power plant. Sammy went to drop a massive deuce one day and pushed too hard. Sammy got a hemorrhoid. The hemorrhoid came to life because of his exposure to nuclear waste. The hemorrhoid has bad intentions. And as the police slowly move...
Fans of the original film will no doubt dig this holiday entry, which we have below in its entirety. If you haven't seen Roid Rage don't worry, we can get you caught up pretty quickly. Sammy works in a nuclear power plant. Sammy went to drop a massive deuce one day and pushed too hard. Sammy got a hemorrhoid. The hemorrhoid came to life because of his exposure to nuclear waste. The hemorrhoid has bad intentions. And as the police slowly move...
- 1/11/2012
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Oakland — Just in time for the holiday season, the Gravy has arrived.
Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie opens up in various theaters across America at the start of December. Wavy Gravy is an icon with an ever changing career. He’s gone from the legendary Merry Pranksters to the head of security at the original Woodstock to running a respected charity and finally achieving international greatness as a flavor of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The many facets of his life are covered in the documentary directed by Michelle Esrick.
We had a chance to sit down for an extensive interview with Wavy Gravy and Michelle Esrick when the movie premiered at 2009’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
This first part has him discuss getting drunk with Jack Kerouac (On the Road) and dropping acid at the Electric Acid Kool-Aid Tests. Ahhh good times.
Now we get...
Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie opens up in various theaters across America at the start of December. Wavy Gravy is an icon with an ever changing career. He’s gone from the legendary Merry Pranksters to the head of security at the original Woodstock to running a respected charity and finally achieving international greatness as a flavor of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The many facets of his life are covered in the documentary directed by Michelle Esrick.
We had a chance to sit down for an extensive interview with Wavy Gravy and Michelle Esrick when the movie premiered at 2009’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
This first part has him discuss getting drunk with Jack Kerouac (On the Road) and dropping acid at the Electric Acid Kool-Aid Tests. Ahhh good times.
Now we get...
- 12/3/2010
- by UncaScroogeMcD
Greenopia released its updated list of the most sustainable U.S. wineries this week with some big changes from last year's rankings. The wineries, rated on factors including transportation, growing practices, transportation, building logistics, and packaging, performed better than ever, and for the first time, two wineries took the top rating of four leaves.
Benziger and French Rabbit share the top spot, with both wineries scoring four out of four leaves (last year, Benziger scored two leaves and French Rabbit scored three). French Rabbit is, according to Greenopia, "the one vineyard who has put together all the pieces of the green puzzle" thanks to its biodynamic farming techniques, TetraPak packaging (which we delved into recently), and thorough environmental reporting. Benziger also features a selection of biodynamic and organic wines. The winery received kudos for natural cork-bottled wines, green building practices, and stringent environmental reporting.
At the bottom of the rankings,...
Benziger and French Rabbit share the top spot, with both wineries scoring four out of four leaves (last year, Benziger scored two leaves and French Rabbit scored three). French Rabbit is, according to Greenopia, "the one vineyard who has put together all the pieces of the green puzzle" thanks to its biodynamic farming techniques, TetraPak packaging (which we delved into recently), and thorough environmental reporting. Benziger also features a selection of biodynamic and organic wines. The winery received kudos for natural cork-bottled wines, green building practices, and stringent environmental reporting.
At the bottom of the rankings,...
- 8/27/2010
- by Ariel Schwartz
- Fast Company
Now you can pull off the road, pop into 7-Eleven and grab a chardonnay with stone fruit tones or a plum-like cabernet sauvignon, both of which pair perfectly with Go-Go Taquitos or a 1/4-pound Big Bite.
7-Eleven's new brand of house wines, Yosemite Roads, is cheaper than a 6-pack, too--$3.99 a bottle. The convenience store chain best known for Big Gulps and Slim Jims is following in the footsteps of Wal-Mart, Costco, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's with their new branded wines. You can get a bottle at any 7-Eleven, as well as Denny's, Shell Garden grocery stores, and some retail outlets in Japan.
But is it any good? Tune in tomorrow for a special Fast Company taste test (drop us a line if you find the vino in your local 7-Eleven, we couldn't). Until then, we already know most people will be pretty happy about paying a few bucks...
7-Eleven's new brand of house wines, Yosemite Roads, is cheaper than a 6-pack, too--$3.99 a bottle. The convenience store chain best known for Big Gulps and Slim Jims is following in the footsteps of Wal-Mart, Costco, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's with their new branded wines. You can get a bottle at any 7-Eleven, as well as Denny's, Shell Garden grocery stores, and some retail outlets in Japan.
But is it any good? Tune in tomorrow for a special Fast Company taste test (drop us a line if you find the vino in your local 7-Eleven, we couldn't). Until then, we already know most people will be pretty happy about paying a few bucks...
- 11/5/2009
- by Diane Mehta
- Fast Company
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