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Mon, September 8, 2008 |
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March 28th, 2008, By Scott Tavener
Carla Bruni: In Good Company
 The NewsCarla Bruni has a CV littered with disparate accomplishments and a romantic history awash in celebrity names. Now, the heiress-turned-model-turned-singer/songwriter has a new distinction: she’s France’s First Lady. Behind the NewsBorn in Italy to a pair of classical musicians (and tire company heirs), Bruni was raised mostly in France. She first came into the public limelight as a fashion model in the 80s and 90s. In 2002, she dropped her first LP, Quelqu'un m'a dit. The folk-ish record drew critical acclaim and sold well, thus reestablishing Bruni as a respectable troubadour. She followed it up with 2007’s No Promises, a concept album that took its lyrics from poems by Yeats, Auden, Dickinson, and Rosetti, amongst others.
As Bruni’s fame grew, as did her tabloid presence, with French media outlets rabidly reporting on trysts with Eric Clapton, Donald Trump, and Mick Jagger. However, none of these relationships drew as much coverage as her romance with controversial French President, Nicholas Sarkozy. A comment by Sarkozy fueled nuptial speculation and, on February 2nd, 2008, the two were married. Sarkozy is no stranger to public scrutiny. After a seemingly drunken G8 speech and a recent YouTube-famous run-in with a disgruntled pleb, he won’t be dwarfed by his wife’s stature (oh, and he is the President of France, so that helps). As the Sarkozy/Bruni marriage marks the return of the politician/celebrity power couple, we take a look back at other similar unions. When she married Prince Rainer III, sovereign of Monaco, Grace Kelly became the most famous consort of all time. Similar to Bruni, she had huge pre-wedding renown. In 1956, Kelly, an Academy Award winning American actress, forsook Hollywood gold for monarchical title when she married Rainer. Though she ostensibly gave up acting, her fame only grew. Even her tragic car-crash death in 1982 is the subject of celebrity lore. Unlike Bruni and Kelly, Jackie Kennedy became famous because of her political marriage, not before it. Married to John F. Kennedy, her style and renowned grace (see Seinfeld) made her a worldwide celebrity. After Kennedy’s assassination, the public’s fascination with her grew as she endured loss, married a shipping tycoon, and entered into a career in publishing. A latter day celebrity First Lady, Hillary Clinton’s repute exploded shortly (and uniquely) after her husband left office. The Clinton saga has become common knowledge (wasn’t there something to do with an intern?). Though a popular First Lady, she became publicly prominent in her own right when, in 2000, she became the first female Senator in New York (as well as the first former First Lady to be elected to office (that’s a lot of firsts)). I’m not really sure what she’s up to these days, though I think it has something to do with campaigning. -S.T. Comments
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