 From The Vancouver Sun, October 27th 2002:
VANCOUVER - The strange, unlikely story of Michael Buble's place at the threshold of stardom goes something like this: Get a gig as a wedding singer, befriend a former prime minister with Hollywood connections, impress a millionaire producer with a knack for mainstream mega-hits, and get taken under the wing of a former teen idol turned Vegas mogul.
The tony wedding was Caroline Mulroney's. The former prime minister is, of course, dad Brian. The record producer is Victoria-bred L.A. transplant David Foster, a guest at the wedding and the mastermind behind best-selling records for Whitney Houston, Madonna, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. And the former teen idol is Mr. Foster's best friend and Ottawa native Paul Anka, creator of such '50s hit songs as Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Diana and You Are My Destiny.
It is the story of three powerful men and a baby. Mr. Buble wants to be the star -- and his new friends are doing everything they can to turn him into one.
"If Michael Buble listens, and trusts the people he got into bed with, and keeps his head together, he can be a star," promises Mr. Anka, who is executive producer of Mr. Buble's debut album with Warner Bros., set for release on Valentine's Day next year.
"He could have a 30-year career," says Mr. Foster. "I don't know if you could say that about every rock act that's out there right now."
Mr. Foster produced the as-yet-untitled album over a five-month period in Los Angeles. It features cover songs that span the '50s to the '70s, and among its many surprises includes harmony by the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb on a cover of the group's early hit, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. It also contains Mr. Buble's interpretation of Mr. Anka's Put Your Head On My Shoulder.
In his mid-20s, Mr. Buble is a baby crooner who spent the last seven years clicking his fingers and tapping his feet -- shoes shined, hair slicked, tie in place -- as he belted out All of Me, Summerwind and Mack the Knife on stage at Vancouver's Babalu and Toronto's Reservoir clubs. If you're even slightly into the classic American songbook, you'll have heard of Mr. Buble (pronounced boob-lay).
Mr. Mulroney, Mr. Foster and Mr. Anka believe deeply that if you haven't, you will. Mr. Mulroney, who works these days as chairman of several international corporations, doesn't do interviews -- as he himself points out. But for Mr. Buble, he's willing to take a half-hour out of a weekend in New York City to speak about his role in helping the young Burnaby, B.C.-bred crooner open the door to the Hollywood system.
It all started when Mr. Mulroney's assistant, former Ottawa councillor Michael McSweeney, spotted Mr. Buble at a swing music show in Toronto, forwarded his independent CD to the Mulroneys with a suggestion they consider booking him for their daughter's wedding. He knew it would appeal to Mr. Mulroney in particular.
When Mr. Buble heard he'd be performing for a crowd that would include Mr. Foster, he was so grateful he waived his fee.
At the wedding, Mr. Mulroney cajoled Mr. Foster to pay attention to his discovery. Initially reluctant to scout a wedding singer, Mr. Foster came around once he heard his voice and saw the reaction Mr. Buble got from an audience.
"Brian told me, 'You're not going to believe this kid,' " says Mr. Foster. "And I'm thinking, 'this is the last thing I want to do at a wedding, is see some singer -- a wedding singer.' But we were kind of transfixed."
Mr. Mulroney was so inspired that later he got up on stage with Mr. Buble and socialite Jackie Desmarais and sang Paper Doll.
"I'm what you call a frustrated saloon singer," explains the folksy Mr. Mulroney, his voice now an even deeper baritone. "And I love music, and I love to sing -- privately," he adds, laughing. "When I heard him, the first thing I said to Mila was, 'This guy is a perfect cross between Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin.' I was very high on him. And, of course, when I met him, he's such a polite, thoughtful and engaging young man."
That attractive manner landed him at the Mulroneys' Montreal home for dinner with the family, and at their home in Palm Beach for parties. It also swept him into the inner, cross-border sanctum of socialites and celebrities in which Mr. Mulroney moves. Mr. Mulroney even took the chief executive officer of AOL Time Warner out to lunch and told him Mr. Buble was one of the greatest singers he'd ever heard.
Mr. Mulroney didn't stop there.
"We were down in the valley having lunch with Merv (Griffin) one day, so we got him interested. He thought he was fantastic, and was going to have him play his hotels and night spots, so forth.
"Alan Thicke called me the other day on a completely unrelated matter. And I said, 'How's Michael doing?' He said, 'Your guy is doing great down here, PM. He's taking this place by storm.'
"So everybody knows down there that Mila and I are trying to be helpful," he says, chuckling.
If you've never given much credence to the power of networking, pay attention. In the entertainment industry, it is lifeblood. Mr. Mulroney understands this. Mr. Foster and Mr. Anka do too. They like this Mr. Buble, recognize his talents, and the two of them see a little profit potential. When Mr. Foster and Mr. Anka speak about him, it's with either proud-papa fondness or as venture capital, or a bit of both. Either way, he's in their charge.
But Mr. Buble's brand of smooth American pop standards isn't going to land him on mainstream radio or MTV any time soon. They speak of potential album sales in the three million to four million range -- a significant number in the currently weak market, but spare change for Mr. Foster, who saw Ms. Whitney sell more than 30 million copies of the Bodyguard soundtrack. For his part, Mr. Anka has sold more than 100 million of his own records. In this case, money takes a backseat to ego.
"The important thing for David and I is to get this kid off, and to lean back and go, 'Look how we've helped this guy. Look what we've done with it.' That comes first," Mr. Anka says. "The money stuff at our level comes anyway. We're expected to make money because of who we are."
These days, Mr. Buble spends a lot of his time hanging out at Mr. Foster's house, with Mr. Foster's wife, Linda Thompson, and a disparate array of yesteryear celebrities like Ed McMahon, Dick Van Dyke and Olivia Newton John.
If Mr. Buble sometimes sounds overwhelmed, it's small wonder. His life is under major renovation. He's been told to shed a few pounds, change the hair, ditch the clich? tuxedoes, and work on the act. "I would like to see Michael end up with an image like Brad Pitt's -- that would be far from bad," Mr. Foster says. "Brad always looks cool no matter what he's in. Cool is the way to go, if we can."
His Italian name has caused some concern: "Everybody says 'bubble,' " says Mr. Foster. But in the end, he's decided if Christina Aguilera can make it without a name change, so can Mr. Buble.
Under Mr. Foster's guidance, Mr. Buble's voice can be heard singing the the theme song for NBC's sitcom The Inlaws. Mr. Foster is exploring potential placement for Mr. Buble on Sex and the City and The Sopranos. He has successfully campaigned Sandra Bullock to include Mr. Buble's voice on the soundtrack of her upcoming movie, Come Fly With Me.
Mr. Buble has acting experience, having made a brief appearance in the Gwyneth Paltrow movie Duets, and starred in a not-yet-released cheesy flick called Totally Blonde, playing opposite one of the Baywatch babes. "All the little pieces of the puzzle are coming together," is an expression Mr. Foster and Mr. Buble like to use.
"I live a comfortable life. But I love to win, and so selfishly, I mean, I'm helping him. But I am going to win. And I think he's going to be a big star," Mr. Foster says.
(2002-10-30) |
