Tina Arena's family told her to be a runaway bride on wedding day

Singer Tina Arena Source: Supplied

Cameron Adams, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Tina Arena has opened up about her divorce from former manager Ralph Carr.

In her new autobiography Now I Can Dance Arena says she felt "disconnected" from Carr on their wedding day in 1995.

Arena revealed Carr was angry when she refused to sell photographs of their wedding to a magazine.

She also wrote her parents and sisters were worried about her marrying her manager and mixing business with pleasure and told her to be a "runaway bride" on her wedding day.

"They had their reservations about the wedding," Arena told News Corp.

"And they were right. Going through those experiences are what make or break a human. There was a lot learnt from that experience. That's important to not forget. But sometimes you should listen to what the people around you are telling you."

Arena said she did not clear the tales of her marriage in her book with Carr, whose management stable now includes magician Cosentino, singer Kate Ceberano and footballers Travis Cloke and Dustin Martin.

"We don't speak," Arena says of her former husband.

"It's my book, it's not about him. My life started before him and has continued really successfully without him.

"There's stories that were not able to make the cut, that's the way it goes. It's my story but I'm dealing with elements beyond my control. There's a sense of alluding to things, letting the reader read between the lines."

While she confirms long held rumours their messy divorce in 1999 was a "sh--fight" she diplomatically shies away from going into further detail.

"I think I paint enough of a picture. It's not important. Seriously. I've never had an interesting conversation about the subject of a divorce. The only interesting thing is what you discover, the lengths people will go to prove their point. That's intriguing, nothing else is."

Arena is also quick to give Carr credit for his part in her career comeback that started with international hit Chains in 1994.

"I think I've been unbelievably elegant (about Carr). There were some wonderful things in that collaboration early on. Sometimes people can't mix things. When the lines get blurred they get blurred. But really my divorce is the least interesting aspect of my life these past few years. There's so much more tangible stuff than that. But always give credit where it's due. I believe that sincerely. I moved on pretty fast. I didn't have a choice. Off I went. And the fun started. The discovery started and it was bloody awesome."

Arena's new album Reset is released tomorrow.

The Symphony and the Siren

Garrett Bithell, SX, reports

Celebrated songstress Tina Arena makes a triumphant return to the Australian stage performing with the Sydney Symphony. She speaks to Garrett Bithell.

A woman in possession of a voice that can raise the roof, buttressed by a symphony orchestra at full throttle, is an awesome experience. Hence when one of the original darlings of the Australian music industry, Tina Arena, teams up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a run of concerts at the Opera House, the demand is overwhelming.

“It’s so lavish,” Arena tells SX. “It’s like getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari. It’s really beautiful watching those charts come alive with the orchestra playing, and you’re hearing an oboe or a French horn or the timpani drums popping out of somewhere – it’s an absolute pleasure.”

Last year saw Arena experience a major case of déjà vu when she was a judge on the second-coming of seminal television show Young Talent Time, which launched her career in the 1980s. “I experienced all sorts of emotions,” she says. “Seeing those kids on stage and understanding how they’re feeling – the flashbacks I had were pretty surreal. But the great thing was being overcome by the beauty I saw in their innocence – it’s terrific when you’re surrounded by non-calculation.”

As Arena tells, watching the fresh batch of contestants on Young Talent Time reminded her of how naive she was during her time on the show all those years ago. “If I could go back in time and give that young Tina some advice, I would say ‘be aware that not everyone sees things the way that you see them’. I was a little too idealistic. I didn’t have enough discernment to judge characters or understand who was there for the right reasons.”

After her time on Young Talent Time, Arena relocated to America, and eventually released her debut album, the disco-heavy Strong As Steel. But it wasn’t until her sophomore album Don’t Ask dropped in 1993 until she hit the big time with ‘Chains’. Since then, she has released a further 10 studio albums and sold over 4.5 million units in the process.

But Arena’s French success is particularly unique, having sold over one million albums in France alone, including two chart-topping albums in French language. She has lived in Paris since 2008 and is one of the few Australians to be awarded the ‘Order du Merit’ for her outstanding contribution to French culture. “To say I was shocked would be an absolute understatement,” Arena laughs. “It was a special evening and the Minister for Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, is an absolute champ!”

In 2009, Arena took to the stage at the Mardi Gras Party alongside Alison Jiear. “The Mardi Gras gigs are definitely some of the highlights of my career,” she says. “The support of the gay community has been a fundamental cog in my wheel, and without that cog, the wheel would have been unbalanced. I’ve always had such a great time in that environment and always feel a great deal of love and support.”

Tina Arena performs at the Sydney Opera House 13 – 16 June, www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Cinema capers for Cate and Co

 Cate Blanchett has taken her family to see The Adventures of Tintin. Picture: Ryan Pierse Source: Getty Images

The Herald Sun reports

CATE Blanchett is clearly on a busman's holiday while she spends the festive season in Sydney with her family.

The Oscar-winning star, on a break from filming The Hobbit, was seen taking her kids to a screening of The Adventures of Tintin.

Tina Arena, Rove McManus and Tasma Walton and actor Teresa Palmer are among other stars who returned to Australia for the festive season.

Full circle for Tina Arena's Talent

Old buddies: Tina Arena and Johnny Young. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: Herald Sun

Andrew Drummond, The Herald Sun, reports

AS a judge and mentor on the reincarnated Young Talent Time, Tina Arena is expecting to cop some abuse from Australian audiences.

Aged seven when she first appeared on the hit variety show, Arena is now 44, an international and multi-platinum-selling artist and mother of one.

The songstress said she is returning to offer her experience to the next generation but is tight-lipped about her approach when it comes to offering constructive criticism to aspiring young stars.

"I have no idea what I'm going to be like in any of those forms," she said of the dual role as judge and mentor on the show, which is due to screen next year.

"I guess it's a question of tuning in and finding out, because I don't have a clue," said Arena, who found solo success in the 1990s with singles such as Chains and I Need Your Body.

"I'm a very spontaneous person in everything that I do in my life. I don't calculate anything. I work very much from my emotions, and what I get at that particular moment is what the people will then hear.

"I'm sure Australia will abuse me though, I have no doubt about that." Arena, who has lived in Paris for years, said she still considers herself Australian.

Her decision to return to Young Talent Time was inspired by a desire to share what she had learnt throughout her career.

"It's time to give back," she said from Paris.

"I've been privileged enough to amass so much information and so much experience over the last 35 years of my career. There comes a time when you've got to give that back.

"I see it as a responsibility, but a willing responsibility, on my behalf."

Arena will spend five months in Melbourne and Sydney next year recording the show, which will coincide with her own Australian performances.

"I'm very excited about it," she said.

"I'm so excited about spending time with my family ... taking my son to school there, hanging out with Mum and Dad."

Arena will be joined by a second, as yet unnamed, judge on the new Young Talent Time, which will be hosted by Rob Mills.

Tina Arena to receive top French honour

Seven News reports

Australian singer Tina Arena will on Wednesday be presented with one of France's highest honours for her contribution to culture and the arts.

The Victorian-born songstress who initially found fame as a seven-year old on the hit Australian variety show, Young Talent Time, will accept the Ordre national du Merite (National Order of Merit) during a special ceremony in Paris.

The 44-year-old mother-of-one, who topped international charts in the 1990s with her hit Chains, has released numerous albums, performed on stage, and at the 2000 Sydney Olympics sang The Flame during the Games opening ceremony.

She now lives in France, where she has released French language albums, although is planning a return to Australia to appear as a mentor and judge on a new incarnation of Young Talent Time, due to screen on television in 2012.

Arena will be presented with the Order, founded in 1963 and second only to France's prestigious Legion of Honour, by French Minister for Culture and Communication, Frederic Mitterrand.