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Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue

Date: Jan 19 2009

Themes: Fashion

Grammar: Contractions and Abbreviations

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

If you get to be 40 years old and people are still willing to watch you dance around in nothing but a leotard and a bunch of feathers, you must be doing something right. And if they’ll actually pay you for it? That’s pretty special. For the singer Kylie Minogue, though, it’s just life.

Kylie has been recording fun, catchy dance music since the 1980s, and she’s still producing hit singles and putting on flamboyant stage shows today. Like Madonna and other singers who have had long careers, her on-stage persona has changed several times over the years. Listen to Marni and Amanda discuss Kylie’s multiple personalities.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Amanda

Amanda

Marni:  “Everybody’s doin’ a brand new dance now…”

Amanda:  No! Oh, hello, good morning, Kylie. How’re you?

Marni:  I’ve got that stuck in my head!

Amanda:  I can’t believe that Kylie Minogue is actually in my apartment right now.

Marni:  Well, OK, so she redid that song, and it was very popular. And she…I don’t know…There’s something really charming about her. She’s got that girl-next-door thing.

Amanda:  I agree. And she keeps reinventing herself. She’s kinda like a Madonna, right? I mean, not that big…

Marni:  Sort of a Madonna junior.

Amanda:  Exactly. Thank you. I completely agree. She’s not that big, but she’s been performing for decades. I’ve gotta give it to her.

Marni:  She’s much bigger in Europe. She’s not striking it big here.

Amanda:  What’s kinda cool is she actually didn’t start out in music. She was an actress, or aspiring actress.

Marni:  She was in a soap opera.

Amanda:  She has some dancing background. And back in the day, was she a showgirl? Or why am I thinking showgirl and Kylie?

Marni:  Well, because that’s actually part of her…She wasn’t actually a showgirl, but that’s part of her schtick now or her performances is these big elaborate stage shows. But her new album, X, have you heard it? I mean, it’s her newest…

Amanda:  No, I haven’t. But is it as flamboyant and fun and girlie as her others?

Marni:  I would suspect.

Amanda:  I wonder who her target demographic is.

Marni:  I’m thinking…mostly…homosexuals.

Amanda:  I’m sorry, what?

Marni:  Homosexuals.

Amanda:  Oh yeah. I can see that.

 

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Discussion

Marni has one of Kylie Minogue’s songs, “The Loco-Motion,” stuck in her head, so she and Amanda start talking about her. When Kylie sang “Loco-Motion,” she had a girl-next-door image. Since then, she has reinvented herself several times, just like Madonna. Although she isn’t as popular as Madonna, she’s very well-known, especially in Europe.

Before she became a singer, Kylie was an actress on a soap opera in Australia. Now she puts on elaborate concerts with lots of crazy props and special effects. She dresses in flamboyant costumes like a Las Vegas showgirl. Her flamboyant costumes and sets, as well as her fun dance music, appeal to the homosexual community.

Have you heard Kylie’s most recent album, X? Do you change your image a lot like Kylie and Madonna, or do you always stay the same?

 

Comments

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ttsuka

ttsuka

Japan

I just heard on the news that Face Book now allows users to elect their gender as any of LGBT. Clearly, things are changing quickly since the time this dialogue was recorded, when the word homosexuals needed to be whispered as Marni did here. 

04:58 AM Feb 14 2014 |

bellota20

Peru

I think she´s a girl-next-door, i like her music specially when she sings the song Kids with Robie Williams

05:32 AM Jun 26 2010 |

bellota20

Peru

I think she´s a girl-next-door, i like her music specially when she sing the song Kids with Robie Williams

05:31 AM Jun 26 2010 |

myrashik

myrashik

Ukraine

Homosexuals??? )))))))))))))

Does anybody here think so?

11:49 AM Mar 24 2010 |

mickee85

mickee85

Philippines

I don't know her well, I'm not her fan either but her songs are amazing. She's a girl-next-door.

09:04 AM Oct 01 2009 |

ozbloke

Australia

she is great singer for the world

02:26 AM Jan 23 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

I changed my “visual” sometimes,for example,I already wore my hair like “punks”(mohican here in Brazil),but today I use it scraped; black clothes of rock band…It was when I was teen hehe :D

07:53 PM Jan 22 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

I don't know this singerFrown

07:39 PM Jan 22 2009 |

samad51

Bangladesh

yeah..

She is really looks gorgeous.

Now a days she is also very wanted lady of the world.

most of the women of the become very obsolete but she is unique to people. 

08:30 PM Jan 21 2009 |

Mark.shi

Mark.shi

China

i don′t know  who  is she! 

05:36 AM Jan 21 2009 |

Mark.shi

Mark.shi

China

i don′t know  who  is she! 

05:36 AM Jan 21 2009 |

Mark.shi

Mark.shi

China

i don′t know  who  is she! 

05:36 AM Jan 21 2009 |

Sawdestination

Mexico

She´s a good example of a great pop singer. I admire how she has survived through the 80´s, 90´s and this 2000´s. Only the greatest can do it!!!

10:25 PM Jan 20 2009 |

Sawdestination

Mexico

Maybe Kylie deserves to be a higher level than the one she has today.

In Mexico we heard about her since her single "Can´t get you out of my head" (I can still hear the "La la la" in my head, hahaha!). But we didn´t know that she had (and has) a huge career in Europe and Australasia!!!!

I admire her because she has done what she wants in music (even when it takes her career to less comercial success) and the strength to beat cancer. You can see her after her sickness and WOWWWW!! She´s still hot!!!

By the way I love the "X" album, and even when it´s not as sticky as "Fever", it has really good tracks inside like "2 hearts", "In my arms", "The one" and "Wow". If you look for and 80´s  sound with a touch of electronic music, this is one of the best examples.

10:24 PM Jan 20 2009 |

amany7

amany7

Saudi Arabia

oh horrible …Undecided

05:37 PM Jan 20 2009 |

shad84

shad84

United States

love her

05:16 AM Jan 20 2009 |

N1col@y

N1col@y

Russian Federation

She is very  sexygirl))) and her song are positive!!!
And i agree that her music appeal to the homosexual community)))

08:24 PM Jan 19 2009 |

miffoo

miffoo

Slovakia

yes, it's amazing when someone is have been that long popular  like Kylie. I respect her success but she not my favorites.

05:04 PM Jan 19 2009 |

hooshmand

hooshmand

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I don't know that singer and I don't hear any kylie's albums .

04:08 PM Jan 19 2009 |

plasma

plasma

Ukraine

She is pretty good for her age,
I would like to look like she …in my 40Laughing

03:10 PM Jan 19 2009 |

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