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english version SIGNÉ BARRIÈRE N°11<br />
And the rest is... business. Leaving<br />
us with a rolypoly affair that simply<br />
rolls off the tongue: the puffa jacket.<br />
MIKA &<br />
SALMA HAYEK<br />
PROPHETS IN THEIR<br />
OWN RIGHT<br />
Mika and Salma Hayek star together<br />
in The Prophet, directed by Roger<br />
Allers, a lyrical and politicallycharged<br />
animated tale released<br />
in cinemas on 2 nd December. The<br />
unlikely duo have more in common<br />
than it would at first appear. It was<br />
their shared Lebanese roots that<br />
brought them together on this film<br />
produced by Hayek. She personally<br />
persuaded the singer to lend his<br />
voice to the project. Beyond film and<br />
music, and their atypical careers in<br />
their respective fields, Hayek and<br />
Mika also share a commitment<br />
to humanitarian work and social<br />
responsibility. And it's not just for<br />
show; they both have a deep-rooted<br />
desire to help others, to serve the<br />
causes that they care about. Mika is<br />
ambassador of Imagine for Margo –<br />
Children without Cancer foundation.<br />
Hayek is a long-time advocate of<br />
women's rights, speaking out against<br />
domestic violence in particular.<br />
While artists often do charity work<br />
to keep themselves in the spotlight,<br />
these two stars are committed to<br />
low-key, eager efforts to drive home<br />
difficult truths. This altruism of theirs<br />
– for once genuine, not hackneyed –<br />
more than merits a joint portrait.<br />
MIKA,<br />
THE ETERNAL CHILD<br />
A sprightly Peter Pan figure that<br />
sprung leaping and twirling out of<br />
nowhere, Mika bulldozered his way<br />
onto the global music scene in<br />
2006, when radio stations around<br />
the world began to blast out the<br />
infectious sweet pop melody of<br />
"Relax, Take It Easy". His album<br />
gripped the international charts<br />
for a long time, offering up one hit<br />
after another like sugary treats you<br />
can't help but tuck into time and<br />
again. Seeing Mika on stage is an<br />
experience like no other. His slender<br />
figure bounds about in colourful<br />
Beatles or Michael Jackson-style<br />
suits, devoting tremendous energy<br />
to his songs and his audience. Mika<br />
is as extraordinary as the life story<br />
that precedes him.<br />
Born in Beirut in 1983 to a Lebanese<br />
mother of Syrian origin and an<br />
American father, Michael Holbrook<br />
Penniman (real name) was still a<br />
baby when his family moved to<br />
Paris, where he lived for eight years.<br />
Despite a happy French childhood<br />
with his brother and two sisters, he<br />
began to shut himself off, cowed by<br />
dyslexia and judging opinions of<br />
a child who was already different.<br />
He was coming up to ten years of<br />
age when his family left, this time<br />
for London. There again, he came<br />
up against prejudice. He wanted<br />
to break into the music industry,<br />
but record companies didn't see<br />
what they could gain from his<br />
mischievous take on pop. One label<br />
wanted to model him on Craig David.<br />
"I try to be like Grace Kelly," was his<br />
response. So Mika went it alone,<br />
and spread his catchy pop across<br />
the planet with several albums and<br />
musical collaborations, which again<br />
were out of the ordinary, ranging<br />
from Fanny Ardant to Madonna.<br />
A star was born. But people had<br />
questions. Questions it would take<br />
him years to answer. Yes, Mika<br />
likes men. He briefly tried to hide it,<br />
before realising it shouldn't even be<br />
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