Star Academy has marked more than a generation, even twenty years later. It is impossible to forget leading candidates like Jenifer, Jean-Pascal, Georges-Alain, strong friendships like that of Gregory Lemarchal, Sofianeet Harlem, as well as the paintings choreographed by Kamel Ouali. Many young people born in the 2000s also remember certain bonuses, as if it were yesterday.
Impossible to forget the Mariah Carey show with the second promotion of Star Ac ‘, the visit of Jennifer Lopez to the castle during season 4 or even the tears of Celine Dion for her return to France after several years of absence on a season 5 bonus. Britney Spears, Rihanna, Johnny Hallyday and even Stevie Wonder… The tele-hook set was a must for the greatest artists during the promotion of their new album. And this is unfortunately not a cliché, some celebrities are more difficult to manage than others, even very demanding, according to Alexia Laroche-Joubert.
“I almost kicked him off the set”
In an interview for the website of HuffPost, the former producer and school principal admits that two artists were more complicated than others: Madonna and Puff Daddy. “Madonna was the most anxious to deal with because even her staff were afraid of her,” she recalls. A person of his entourage even came a week before his performance in 2005, during the season of Magalie Vaé, to count the number of steps which separated his box from the plateau. “And he had to be given the box closest to the plateau,” continues Alexia Laroche-Joubert.
“Puff Daddy, it was very complicated, I almost kicked him off the set”, also confides the producer. The rapper, who participated in a season 6 bonus won by Cyril Cinélu, did not want to go down on the set for rehearsals, which caused production and the other performers to take a long time to come. “I found it appalling,” she says, after referring to some quirks of Mariah Carey – who from one season to the next ate either sushi or pizza.