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Alanis Morissette - Biography |
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Alanis Morissette wasted little time
developing her skills as a performer, taking up the piano at the age of 6
and writing her own songs by the time she was 9. Her first venture into
the spotlight, however, was as an actress on the popular Canadian
children's TV show You Can't Do That on Television at the age of 10; the
recognition (and income) earned as a result made possible her
independently-released single Fate Stay With Me shortly afterwards. A deal
with MCA Canada was secured within a couple of years, and her
dance-oriented full-length debut Alanis hit the Canadian pop music market
in 1991 like a 2-ton rhino in spandex. The 1992 follow-up release, Now is
the Time, took a somewhat more thoughtful musical approach, and
consequently had a somewhat more restrained commercial impact (although it
still managed to attain platinum status). After graduating from high
school, Morissette relocated to Toronto in a attempt to revive an
already-fading music career, but with little positive result.
By 1994 the now-19-year-old singer made a move to Los Angeles, where she
began collaborating with producer/songwriter Glen Ballard. A demo tape
concocted by the two eventually found its way into the dark recesses of
Madonna's Maverick record label, and by the following June Morissette's
first proper venture into the U.S. record industry, Jagged Little Pill,
was on the shelves. A significant departure from the pre-programmed dance
music of her first two efforts, Pill found the singer backed by a rock
band and adopting a more personal approach to her lyrics. The album would
earn her a Grammy for Album of the Year (amongst others), and become the
largest-selling album by a female artist in the world. An extended hiatus
took place after the release, during which Morissette spent time in India
to recover from the pressures of her enormous success.
Her return to activity in 1998 took place first in the form of a song
contributed to the soundtrack of City of Angels, a Hollywood remake of the
Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire (1987), followed by a turn portraying God
in the Kevin Smith project Dogma (1999). Supposed Former Infatuation
Junkie, her second release, finally surfaced at the end of 1998;
unavoidably, it failed to repeat the monumental impact of its predecessor
-- particularly since it didn't repeat that album's stylistic content. It
was well-received nonetheless, and featured several popular singles,
including Thank U and So Pure. The next year Morissette released an
Unplugged collection which reworked many of Junkie's non-single tracks, as
well as a few of the hit songs from Pill.
In 2000 Alanis Morissette extended her acting career into live theater by
tackling The Vagina Monologues, and dipped back into televison with an
appearance on the HBO series Sex and the City. Her third studio album,
Under Rug Swept, did not materialize until early 2002, followed later in
the year by the CD/DVD collection Feast on Scraps. Throughout the
intervening year she devoted her time to a number of charity events,
including a John Lennon tribute concert in New York City to raise funds
for gun control, a Music Without Borders concert in Toronto to aid Afghani
refugees, and a performance at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. In
November of 2001 she was presented with a "Global Tolerance Award" by the
Friends of the United Nations. A fourth album, So-Called Chaos, hit the
presses in 2004. |
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Alanis Morissette - Personal Quotes |
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"We're taught to be ashamed of
confusion, anger, fear and sadness, and to me they're of equal value
to happiness, excitement and inspiration."
"Peace of mind for five minutes, that's what I crave."
"The whole celebrity thing is not something I'm overly interested
in. I don't pop up at parties. It's just not my thing."
"Music will always be a part of my life. I love music and I don't
care how many units I sell."
"That what we judge in someone else, we are really judging in
ourselves."
"So many times I've been just gripping the steering wheel and
driving, and just have a piece of paper on where my horn is, and
just writing sort of looking up and down. I've done that so much!
It'll be worth the crash."
"I have not an ounce of regret. Every link is so valuable in forming
the chain that is my life. Who I am today is because of those links,
and I wouldn't change any of them." |
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Alanis Morissette -
Albums |
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Alanis (Canada-only, 1991)
Now Is the Time (Canada-only, 1992)
Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
Alanis Unplugged (1999)
Under Rug Swept (2002)
Feast on Scraps (CD/DVD, 2002)
So-Called Chaos (2004)
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (2005)
Alanis Morissette: The Collection (2005) |
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Alanis Morissette - Filmography |
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Nip/Tuck" .... Poppy (3
episodes, 2006)
- Willy Ward (2006) TV Episode .... Poppy
- Reefer (2006) TV Episode .... Poppy
- Liz Cruz (2006) TV Episode .... Poppy
"Lovespring International" .... Lucinda (1 episode, 2006)
- The Fire (2006) TV Episode .... Lucinda
"Degrassi: The Next Generation" .... Principal (1 episode, 2005)
... aka Degrassi - La nouvelle génération (Canada: French title)
- Goin' Down the Road: Part 1 (2005) TV Episode .... Principal
We're with the Band (2005) (TV) .... Alanis Morissette
"American Dreams" .... Singer in the Lair (1 episode, 2004)
... aka Our Generation (Australia) (USA: working title)
- What Dreams May Come (2004) TV Episode .... Singer in the Lair
De-Lovely (2004) .... Musical Performer - "Let's Do It, Let's Fall
In Love"
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) .... That Woman (God)
"Sex and the City" .... Don (1 episode, 2000)
- Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl... (2000) TV Episode .... Don
Dogma (1999) .... God
Anything for Love (1993) (uncredited) .... Alanis
... aka Just One of the Girls (USA: TV title) |
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Alanis Morissette - Related Links |
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Wikipedia: Alanis Morissette
YouTube: Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette at Babemania.com
Top Celebrities Sites:
The Celebrity
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