Cynthia Basinet
| Cynthia Basinet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 19, 1972 |
| Origin | San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, USA |
| Genres | jazz music |
| Occupations | Actress,musician |
| Website | www.cynthiabasinet.com |
Cynthia Basinet is an American actress and singer, born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. She is best known for her iconic version of "Santa Baby", which has tended to be mistakenly attributed to Marilyn Monroe.[1]
Santa Baby
In 2000, Cynthia Basinet launched her 1997 recorded version of "Santa Baby" under the name "C. Basinet",[2] a song that was originally a gift for friend and lover Jack Nicolson[3] The song has often been mistakenly credited to Marilyn Monroe, who never recorded Santa Baby.[1]
Humanitarian work
Basinet has worked to draw attention to the plight of some 200,000 Sahrawi refugees living in the Western Sahara desert. In May 2001, she travelled to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria to perform for the people there (who are more than 80 percent women and children). In a meeting of the United Nations Fourth Committee (also known as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee), Basinet said that long before there was an Arab Spring, there had been a "Saharan Fall", where Saharans "lived bravely and were attacked and died in violence at the hands of the Moroccan policies and perpetrated by their army."[4] In a later meeting of the same committee, she read out the following quote. "As a single mother, I understand only too well what lack of security can do in undermining what the Saharawi believe in and wish for as a society. Their ability to withstand all for 30 years in the pursuit of self-determination is truly a role model for us all, as we enter the new millennium. For they had displayed faith, honour, compassion and resourcefulness in the face of such opposition."[5] In a later meeting of the same committee, she said that the Sahawari people lived in a futile faith over their future because they had agreed to a United Nations peace accord more than 16 years ago and, for more than 30 years, the majority had lived in the most uninhabitable outpost of the Algerian Sahara desert. She challenged the Committee to undertake a new mission of positive change there, mentioning specific change which should occur.[6]
Career
She started as a model for I Magnan. Later she became a model for Bob Mackie .After that, she worked in San Francisco modeling agency.She then spent the next 5 years in Europe modelling including campaigns for Bennetton with photographer, Oliviero Toscani.[7] In the 1990s, Cynthia Basinet starred in movies Last Dance, The Making of a Hollywood Madam, A Hard Death, and has also appeared in the Last Man on Earth segment of the Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction TV series.She released her first album, "For You With Love" (which contained Santa Baby) in 2001 under "c. basinet".[2] In 2006, Basinet released her first full length CD, "The Collection". Cynthia Basinet has released a CD titled "The Collection", which contains a decade of the songs that she had recorded as singles for Dreamsville, including “Santa Baby,” “Haunted Heart”, “Water's Edge" and "God.” "Uncovered" EP is a trilogy that contains versions of “Blue Moon,” “Going Out Of My Head” and “Sweet Dreams.” Also she recorded her version of the Julie London “Cry Me A River.” She attended an exclusive party with celebrities including Philip Schofield which involved throwing darts and other weapons at a range of small dogs and cats, and was subsequently reprimanded by animal charities. In 2007, Basinet has released a 10th Anniversary version of her classic, "Santa Baby" originally recorded as a personal gift to the actor, Jack Nicholson in 1997. 2007 Also ushered in another release, "Remixed", remixing her song, "Going Out Of My Head" by David Maurice. 2010. She partnered with Lee Musiker (Tony Bennett's long time pianist) and the Gerry Beaudoin trio on "Cry Me A River". 2011. After a long break, Cynthia returns to the screen at TV series Onion SportsDome. Basinet released “The Christmas Song”.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Episode | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Onion SportsDome (TV series) | Episode #1.4 (2011) | Cheryl |
| 1999 | The Big Tease | Hotel Clerk (uncredited) | |
| 1997 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (TV series) |
Last Man on Earth (1997 ) |
|
| 1996 | A Hard Death (video) | Leslie Miller | |
| 1996 | The Making of a Hollywood Madam (TV movie) | Caroline | |
| 1992 | Last Dance | Jamie (as Cynthia Stanton) | |
| 1991 | The Bold and the Beautiful (TV series) | Episode #1.1161 (1991) | |
Discography
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2011 | The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire) – Single |
| 2010 | Remixed |
| 2007 | Santa Baby (10th Anniversary Edition) – Single |
| 2007 | Uncovered |
| 2006 | The Collection |
| 2001 | For You with love |
Soundtrack
- Party Monster – "Santa Baby"
- NCIS LA (2012 TV) Santa Baby[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 50 things you probably didn't know about Marilyn Monroe. Daily Mirror. 21 November 2011. Last accessed 19 December 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 C. Basinet. Allmusic 2001. Last accessed 19 December 2011.
- ↑ Douglas, Edward (2004). Jack: The Great Seducer — The Life and Many Loves of Jack Nicholson New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060520477. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ↑ Spotlight on Western Sahara in Fourth Committee as more than 30 petitioners express mounting frustration over still outstanding resolution. United Nations. Last accessed 19 December 2011.
- ↑ Petitioners in Fourth Committee commend United Nations actions on Western Sahara, but say it has failed to deliver on referendum. United Nations. Last accessed 19 December 2011.
- ↑ Fourth Committee continues decolonization debate, hearing petitioners from Guam, Western Sahara. United Nations. Last accessed 19 December 2011.
- ↑ http://abilitymagazine.com/basinet.html Ability magazine
- ↑ http://www.jazzcorner.com/news/display.php?news=3318