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The Sarkos are overdoing it in a BIG way.
After having been accused of being the Bling-Bling President, Nick is now turning his wife into a Bag-Bag First Lady. Only four days ago he was handed a bag in a Louis Vuitton workshop and said: “You can guess who I am going to give it […]

In Los Angeles: somebody named Olivier can’t hide his admiration for Oscar winner Marion Cotillard. Or is this a we-just-want-to-make-it-look-spontaneous part of the advertising hype surrounding the Academy Awards? After all, La Vie en Rose was directed by Olivier Dahan.
Photo: G. MARCOCCHI / SIPA

In Charles Bremner’s blog: Banned in France: The 20 oddest laws
Among the things you’re not allowed to do:
– Evict a tenant in cold weather, defined as between November 1 and March 15
– Broadcast music on the radio that is less than 60 percent French. Half of that must come from “new talent or new […]

Nick Sarkozy is hardly the tallest man on earth, but look what happens if you ask photoshoppers to picture him without a neck.
Via FreakingNews | See also: Little Big Man

One more before I die…
Paul-Marie Verlaine (March 30, 1844–January 8, 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry. Verlaine’s last years witnessed a descent into drug addiction, alcoholism, and poverty. He lived in slums and […]

In France you can drink as many cups of coffee as you like, but you can’t drink Red Bull — because it contains too much caffeine.
Health concerns over the Red Bull energy drink were fueled again after Europe’s highest court upheld a French ban on the product.
The fizzy drink has been linked to several […]

I’ve always understood that “car tuning” has something to do with making a vehicle faster or sportier.
In France “tuning” seems to cover everything that makes a car different than when it came out of the showroom.
According to this picture from the Paris Tuning and Racing Show that includes converting a car into something […]

What did he whisper in her ear that made her suddenly disappear? Click to see full size version.
Today’s Bouguereau rip-off comes from Worth1000. This photoshopped version is based on William Bouguereau’s original 1892 work L’Eveil du Coeur (The Heart’s Awakening, view original). It was one of the entries in the Now you see ‘em.. contest, […]

Web Urbanist features a post about 7 Abandoned Wonders of the European Union: From Deserted Castles to Retrofuturistic Factories.
The French “abandoned wonders” are deserted Metro stations:

Paris, France is notorious of late-running Metro trains due to frequent worker strikes - but perhaps less well known for its numerous abandoned Metro stations. Urban explorers manage to find […]

That was in 1917. I hope she knew what she was doing with that hammer.
Via VintagePhoto

There’s more happening in France than I can blog about. So click away and find out for yourself!
French chocolate mousse murderer gets 20-year jail term
Postponed Summit Exposes Franco-German Rift
‘French Spiderman’ nabbed trying to climb Brazilian tower
The well-dressed girl gangs of Paris ready to stab rivals in disputes over boys
Expats hope to rule their little Britain […]

Exciting showbiz news: Jolie to raise her baby in France
ANGELINA JOLIE and BRAD PITT will have their next child in France to honour the actress’s late French-Canadian mother. Angelina’s mum, actress MARCHELINE BERTRAND, died last year and the star wants to embrace her French heritage by bringing up her new tot over there.
After months of […]

Click image to see larger size.
Crafty ad for Peugeot’s first SUV, selling the illusion that the 207SW Outdoor can handle the meanest roads. In reality this car will probably never leave the tarmac.
Via Ads of the World

It’s Hat Week in Paris, and all Mad Hatters are present with their creations. Especially dead animals and rubbish bags are trendy next winter.
More Mad Hats

BBC reporters give a snapshot of the extent of surveillance across Europe: the most spied upon people in Europe.
Here is Emma Jane Kirby’s view from France:
When you remember that the word “Liberty” is one of just three words enshrined in the French Republic’s motto, you can guess that on the whole, the French are […]