How to Live Like a Princess in Paris (without actually being one)

The Euro-Dollar ratio is increasingly depressing (yes, that freshly squeezed orange juice you just ordered at the Café de Flore will indeed cost you enough to feed a family of five for six weeks in most parts of the world) and prices are rising everywhere, but why let that stop you from living la vie de luxury in one of the world’s most glamorous cities? Here’s your guide to living like a princess even without a crown.

How to live like a Princess in Paris (without royal blood)


Let’s start early. (I usually do.) Breakfast anyone?
While the idea of consuming anything other than coffee is foreign to most French people, le petit déjeuner is my favorite time of day, and a great way to take advantage of the city’s posh locations.
Head to the recently opened Hotel Fouquet’s, next to the eponymous restaurant just next door right off the Champs-Elysées. Walk to the first floor bar/lounge area – you can sit on their lovely terrace if the weather is nice, or choose an inside table where you can plug in your computer and work away for as long as you like. For the small price of a coffee – sorry, I meant for the price of a small coffee (namely, €8) (don’t even try converting that to dollars, it will make you cry), you will be treated to a tray of heavenly viennoiseries (and perhaps even another tray if you flash a few pearly whites.)

And what would a day in Paris be without a trip to the Café de Flore? (pause) No really, I’m asking. What’s it like? I’ve never tried it. Anyway, here’s a little secret – the Café de Flore gets their pastries from la Bonbonnerie de Buci bakery just a few blocks away. So enjoy your €4.50 coffee at Flore, people watch, read the International Herald Tribune, then save yourself a few (ok more like 10) euros and pick up your croissant or delectable millefeuille from la Bonbonnerie just before or after. (or if you’re really coy, put your éclair in your handbag then secretly dip it into your coffee when no one’s looking. Luckily, there’s no exact French translation for “tacky.”)



Later, in between shopping – hey, you’re poor, why are you shopping? If it’s during the sales, okay I’ll forgive you, otherwise put down that pretty dress you’re about to try on, and listen up – stop for lunch at Délicabar, on the first floor of the bon marché department store.

When it’s nice out, you can sit on the cute terrasse outside, or you can opt for an inside view of your favorite (relatively affordable) brands – Marc by Marc Jacobs, Paul & Joe Sister, Zadig & Voltaire, Maje, etc. The scene is très “ladies who lunch.” But not just any ladies – during the week, mostly well-dressed, upper crust ladies from the neighborhood who are probably married to retired French politicians or celebrities plus actual celebrities themselves; last week, I watched Meryl Streep enjoy an asparagus tartelette (also my favorite from the menu, clearly Meryl has excellent taste) and have seen Lou Doillon grab a bite there as well. You’ll feel fashionable, eat well thanks to Sebastien Gaudard’s fashionably delectable creations and all for around €11 for a main course. The menu changes every few months - my current faves are the asparagus and parmesan "tartelette," a mini quiche served with a side salad, or the spinach, corn and cheese variety. I also recommend the predictable but light and delicious "salade verte" with a lovely pistachio dressing, the "chou," a cream puff pastry filled with eggplant, parmesan and a light cream or the "fine feuille," grilled vegetables with parmesan cream served sandwiched between two thin layers of pastry and served with a side salad. And don't forget the wonderful desserts - the lemon tart is tangy and delicious, the millefeuille a perfect balance between pastry and light cream and the fruit salad served with a tasty mint-infused sauce.




















If you’re too hungry for mini tartelettes and salads, head to Armani Caffe for a delicious bowl of pasta and orgasmic homemade gelato.

The simple spaghetti with tomato sauce is just €20 and absolutely delicious, and the hazelnut meringue cookies and unlimited biscotti you are given at the end of the meal can be a dessert unto itself. And, if you go on Saturday, you can munch on the chunks of fresh parmesan served when you arrive sandwiched between their amazing breads – delicioso! (and free!) The service is impeccable – ask for the table by the window for a great view of the heart of St-Germain-des-pres (but only if I’m not there that night of course, that’s my table!) You’ll also likely run into PPDA who eats there (almost) as much as me – probably even more now that he’s free at 8PM …


Also in le neighborhood is the Hotel Montalembert, a low-key yet classy spot on the rue du Bac, just next to the Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Have lunch next to the antique shop owners from the neighborhood, Bernard Henri Levy and Arielle Dombasle and enjoy the great food for not very ridiculous prices. Fill up on the bread basket – you can choose from – unlimited! – baguette, fig, olive or whole grain rolls perfectly complemented by the delicious butter served with them. All of the dishes are offered as both smaller “degustation” portions or larger “gourmand” portions – opt for the “degustation” for half the price. Finish the meal off with a coffee and ask for a tray of their delicious madeleines.

Then, put on your favorite new dress (which I hope you bought during les soldes, which start today and run through end of July) and head down the rue du Faubourg St. Honore. No charge for spraying a Chanel perfume (or deux) and testing out this season’s collection of Hermès scarves.

Stop in la Durée on the rue Royale for a – yes just one, at more then one euro each it’s all you can afford until you can genetically prove that you are indeed the third Hilton sister – macaron. Better yet, if you are brave enough to stand on the long line outside of Pierre Herme on the rue Bonaparte in the 6th, buy the best macaron that has ever touched your lips, then smile at the guy serving you, tell him the macaron you just ate while you were waiting to pay for it was the best thing you’ve ever had ever in life, and he will give you another one – for free! (okay, so it happened to me ONCE, but not impossible! Give it a go. I recommend the classic “infiniment vanille” (“infinitely vanilla”) or rose flavors, or be bold and try the new summer flavor “Isaphan” filled with litchi and rose-flavored cream and raspberry jelly – it’s a sugar-coated orgasm in your mouth.)





Want a scene at night? Hit up la terrasse of the Hotel Costes, bien sur.

Where else can you eat overpriced – but always acceptable – food with Roman Polanski to your right, that girl on the cover of Vogue to your left and, if you go during fashion week, surely an Olsen twin or deux strolling past ? I recommend: eat before, order the €20 penne marinara or the €24 “burrata legumes grilles” (grilled veggies with fresh bufala mozzarella), maybe splurge for a glass of wine and €30ish later, you have the Costes experience, but maybe even be able to afford a taxi to get you home (if you can find one that is.) Also new to this season's menu is a grilled tuna served over a Niçoise salad with eggs, tomatoes, lettuce cups, artichokes and anchovies (but just two dropped on top, easily removed for those of you not big fans of our hairy friends from the sea). Opt for the red fruits sorbet for just €8 served with a huge almond cookie.


Then there’s le bar at the Park Hyatt hotel, place Vendôme. Usually spotted with rich businessmen, the fashion crowd during fashion week and French celebs looking for a quiet place where they can have a drink without papa razzi or a “scene.” The cocktails are delicious, Chablis 1er cru is divine and their mini-cheeseburgers a fabulous snack. However, if you make under $1 million a year, you probably can’t afford said beverages and fingerfood, so I recommend grabbing a spot in the lobby lounge, ordering the €8 coffee (complete with a tray of rich chocolate truffles) and watching the VIPs and VRPs (very rich persons) walk to and from le famous bar. You can even read the day’s newspapers – USA Today, International Herald Tribune, Le Monde, etc – for the price of your café.




Restaurant du jour: LES COCOTTES

Unfortunately, my new “find” is actually not much of a find, but more of a “someone else found it and I’m joining the parade.” Les Cocottes is a charming spot located on “Christian Constant Street” aka la rue Saint Dominique in the 7th arrondissement. Famous for their eponymous “cocottes,” namely fish or meat cooked in ceramic pots, les Cocottes also offers delicious salads (including a mean Caesar) and a delectable dish of slices of steak “à la plancha” with, as our waitress rightfully described them “to die for” potatoes and a small green salad. All the seating is on tall stools, most of which are at a long countertop, but the lighting and modern décor make the experience quite comfortable. Don’t be coquette, head to Les Cocottes for a delicious – and deliciously affordable! – meal.

Pastry du jour: White chocolate brioche from Eric Kayser


Honey, I shrunk the Viennoiserie! While Eric Kayser’s white chocolate brioche has been one of my favorite items at my favorite boulangerie for some time now, the Odeon location has not only revamped its interior décor (yes, they CLOSED for over one month for said renovations – it was the longest month of my life), but they’ve also made some welcome changes to their baked goods, most importantly the addition of mini white chocolate brioche. Ok, so they’re not quite mini, but they’re single-serving sized – just enough to give you the satisfaction that comes from the mélange of light brioche pastry with sprinklings of white chocolate chips. The large size is enough to feed eight people in the morning, but the new smaller version is the perfect snack, breakfast on the go or addition to a complete breakfast – I recommend spreading apricot or strawberry jelly on top, it’s amazing. Vive le Kayser!



French idiom du jour: Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.
“Don’t sell the bear skin before you’ve killed the bear.” In English, we say “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” It means don’t get your hopes up only to be disappointed in the end.



Quote du jour:

“Just as Carla charmed the Queen of England and Princes Charles and Philip with her demure French schoolgirl look, she charmed George and Laura Bush on their visit, inviting Laura 30 minutes early for a girls’ tête-à-tête, and then sitting next to the American president and keeping him entertained with a spirited conversation in English, one of her three languages and sort of his one language.” –Maureen Dowd on Carla Bruni



Mean French person moment du jour: Circa midnight, Saturday, la fête de la musique. A friend and I leave dinner and see a taxi with it’s light on pass by. We simply attempt to hail said taxi and, instead of stopping to pick us up and take us to our next destination, said taxi chose to drive by and give us the finger (the middle one, that is.)

Festival du Jour: I recently returned from The Land Where Time Stopped, aka Monte-Carlo.


This year’s 48th annual Monte-Carlo TV Fest brought US TV stars, European journalists and Kim Kardashian’s large derriere to the seaside Monaco town for a five-day of small screen schmoozefest. I roughed it at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo – I woke up every morning to a fabulous breakfast buffet on the 7th floor terrace, with a breathtaking view of the ocean – then interviewed a hodgepodge of interesting characters including “Desperate Housewives” leading lady Katherine Mayfair (aka real-life actress Dana Delaney), “Cashmere Mafia” starlette Miranda Otto, “October Road”s Bryan Greenberg (otherwise known as that nice jewish boy from Nebraska who won over Uma Thurman’s heart in “Prime”), Tate Donovan from “Damages” (and for those of you who remember, Rachel’s Joshua – pronounced Joshuuuuaaaa – from “Friends”) and “Law & Order” mastermind Dick Wolf.
A few morsels from Monaco: Tate Donovan is a Jersey boy! Yes, in addition to famous faces Bruce Springsteen, Tom Cruise, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst and Rebecca Leffler (just making sure you’re awake), Tatie D also hails from the lovely Garden State. Tate and I shared some Jerseylove at TF1’s buffet dinner….


…where I learned that “CSI: Miami” actor Adam Rodriguez does NOT have a sense of humor. Rodriguez squeezed past my chair on the way back to his table carrying a tray of mussels. I said to him: “Damn, check out those mussels.” He looked at me like I was either hitting on him or insane (or perhaps insane for hitting on him) and totally missed the (brilliant) pun despite the large plate of crustaceans attached to his arm.
Kim Kardashian and her fellow tight neon-dress-wearing brood stuck out like sore thumbs. Every cosmetics store in Monaco was probably sold out by the time KK and co. left town – all of the makeup in the constitutional monarchy appeared to have been deposited on the Kardashian family. As most of the stars hung out casually at the Grimaldi forum, enjoying the buffet lunch and doing TV and radio interviews, Kardashian and co traveled in a pack and sported tights, florescent orange and yellow dresses and high heels. Kardashian’s buttox battled the sun for title of brightest, most blinding object on the pier.


Prince Albert is the coolest. Big Al hosted the lavish closing night dinner at the Sporting Club d’Ete and greeted his guests with friendly handshakes, telling them “You can call me Al” – no, I kid, but he really was quite friendly and approachable for a Prince. We all waited patiently – read: I was about to eat my arm – for His Royal Highness to arrive, pick up his fork and declare the meal ready to be eaten. Then, after the meal, singing and dancing performers took to the stage to sing Broadway showtunes for what seemed like hours. The Al-ster was dancing up a storm, clapping his hands and shakin’ what his momma (Grace, of course) gave him.


Jonathan Rhys Meyers, in town to accept his prize for Best Actor in a Drama Series for "The Tudors,” opened the door to the main hall just as I was entering, as if fate had brought us together at that very moment. (Turns out, he was just looking for the bathroom and opened the wrong door, but I felt we totally connected in those .004 seconds of looking into each other’s eyes.)
Eric Close is literally “Without a Trace…” … of imperfection. The CBS drama’s leading man is – how can I say this in a classy enough way to fit in with Monagesque elegance? – HOT. I was at the swanky Hotel de Paris for a cocktail when Close walked in, all dapper in a beige suit and blue shirt. He was totally “FBI-ing” me as he walked by the old men smoking cigars and women decked to the nines standing in the lobby. He is truly the “missing person” in my life…

Suburban housewives, a former US President and missing children were honored Thursday night when the Festival wrapped at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum.
ABC/Disney's "Desperate Housewives" won the prize for top drama series. The popular show amassed the highest ratings worldwide for a drama series with more than 61.5 million viewers in 2007, beating runners up "Monk" and "Ugly Betty." "Housewives'" Dana Delaney accepted the award at the lavish ceremony, telling the crowd: "All the other housewives wanted to be here tonight, but as the newest bitch on the block, I told them it was next week."

PANIC IN PARIS: Can Cannes?

We all know that “craziness” and “Cannes” are synonymous, but this year the film festival folly began even before opening night after delegate director Thierry Fremaux pushed back the date for the announcement of the official lineup for the 61st Festival de Cannes. Fremaux’s decision to move the announcement back eight days sent rumors flying from Gaul to Hollywood – “There’s nothing good to choose from!” “[insert your favorite recent title here] isn’t finished yet!” “The head of TF1 International went to jail after being linked to a scandalous drug-related death!” (sorry, that one was true as it turns out.) The move has sent the entire Gallic film sector into a panic – not only do the French typically not react well to any sort of change, especially when dealing with the most traditional film festival in perhaps the universe, but such a move will affect everyone from journalists to sidebar directors to publicists to talent. Eight days of waiting meant not only a painful eight days of waiting, but also less time for pre-festival screenings and interviews and less time for journalists – especially those working for monthly publications with close dates looming – to get to publishing. Publicists and international sales agents will have to scramble to begin their international marketing campaigns and in-demand talent will have eight less days to free their busy schedules for the mid-May festivities. Could this mean less major talent on the Croisette? Not to mention that party-planners will be rushing to book venues and plan events surrounding the titles selected. And will the red carpet turn out pink due to lack of time to get things ready? Jokes aside (this is France, remember?), this year’s Cannes fever has had film execs sick with worry over what this year’s final lineup will look like. And then there are the sidebars. The Critics Week and Director’s Fortnight sidebars typically have their lineups ready days in advance, usually sending to V.I.P. (Very Important Press) outlets under embargo way before their press conferences. This year, however, both sidebars are still scuttling to finalize selected titles just a few days before their announcements later in the week (Critics Week on Thursday and Fortnight Friday.) Critics Week was ready with its lineup over one week ago and now, thanks to a cannibalism on the part of the main lineup, Critics Week has only half of its films confirmed just two days before the press conference Thursday. Rumor has it that Fremaux is apparently still receiving and screening new films just days-hours before Wednesday’s press conference. Clint Eastwood and Steven Soderbergh are allegedly pulling a Wong Kar Wai, i.e. rushing to complete their latest projects in time for the fest, which would mean Fremaux will be forced to announce titles he has yet to see and take risks with tried-and-true directors. Sources say there's nothing to show from Asia this year (yes, the entire continent) and nothing extremely exciting from the US, so it looks like we’ll be seeing a Europe-heavy line-up this year. With “Sex & The City” out of the picture, how will Fremaux and co. spice up the Croisette this year? Can a kung-fu fighting panda save the festival from itself? Will Madonna shine her “ray of light” onto the Riviera? Will Steven Spielberg announce plans for “Indiana Jones: 864”? Only time will tell. And with that, bonsoir.

ps Check out my showreel!

UNE AMERICAINE A PARIS

Keeping Warm with "Cashmere"

I never thought I’d say this but the best way to keep warm this winter is Cashmere. Sure, I blame the fact that thanks to the writer’s strikes there is absolutely NOTHING to watch on American TV this season aside from Donald Trump’s celebrified combover, Elisabeth Hasselbeck trying to sound remotely intelligent and your favorite episode of syndicated “Friends” (for the 565th time you’ve seen it.) But ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia” isn’t that bad. It’s completely implausible, utterly ridiculous and filled with so much product placement sometimes it’s hard to see the characters’ faces behind their human-sized Gucci bags, but network television’s answer to the tragic end of “Sex & the City” also has quite a few redeeming qualities.
While I am a confessed “Gossip Girl” addict (yes, I admit it’s a guilty pleasure), at least in “Cashmere,” these are adults who SHOULD be having sex, drinking alcoholic beverages and using esoteric vocabulary. When 17 year-olds are doing such things, while the entertainment factor may be high, the morality factor is at an all-time low. Plus, these women can at least fill out a b-cup and the men they sleep with actually have jobs, mortgages and don’t live with their parents.
Here we have sex, the city … and a few other things like children and careers in between. These women are intelligent, career-driven, highly motivated individuals who have better things to do than chase penises all around Manhattan. They do that too of course, but it’s not a priority.
These “working women” actually work! While Samantha may have had plenty of office sex, Charlotte rolled in and out of various gallery openings and Carrie had a love affair with her ibook typing away late at night, most fans of the show cared less about what these women did for a living then WHO they did in their free time. Lucy Liu’s character Mia’s plotline focuses mostly on her inter-office relationships and struggle to prov that “successful female” and “superbitch” are not indeed synonyms. Frances O’Connor’s Zoe works late into the night at the office, often having to miss dinner or miss her children’s activities.
And let’s face it. Most of the women watching this show can’t afford their own Gucci bags or Jimmy Choo shoes (cough cough) so where’s the harm in watching them parade around the small screen once a week? At least the clothes look better on these actresses than on lanky supermodels who haven’t eaten a carbohydrate in 13 years (or who may have only been alive for 13 years.) On this show, love means never having to wear the same thing twice.




I must say the first episode tried way too hard, but any good show takes a while to get into. Part of the reason a show is successful is because viewers relate to the characters, get to know them, want to welcome them into their homes week after week. “Brothers & Sisters” is perhaps one of the best shows on television today (or actually not on television today but hopefully SOON – WGA gett your asses in gear please!) but it took at least 4-5 episodes to understand why the hell such an all-star cast agreed to participate in the program. Give it time. TV critics see the first couple of episodes (in addition to around 100 other shows they have to review) and give their verdict. Had I given mine after the first couple episodes, it would have been the same. “Cashmere Mafia” will not go down in the history of television, but it’s entertaining and features an escape from our daily lives to a world where women rule, wear hot, expensive clothing and are surrounded by good-looking men between the age of 30 and 45 … what’s not to like?


Quote of the week: “Can’t kick away the ladder once you’ve climbed to the top.” –From “Cashmere Mafia”

Quote of the week deux (because Oscar Wilde was just too cool): “The only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, and this is a feeling that I have always cultivated.
- Oscar Wilde

Event of the week:

Les Révélations 2008 Photo Expo at Chaumet



In America, it’s all about who wins. In France, it’s “it’s not who wins, it’s how you play the game.” Or rather how you LOOK when you’re playing said game. Every year, a special committee of France’s prestigious Cesar awards Academy pre-selects 32 “young hopefuls,” new male and female talents who made their mark on the big screen in the past year. Later, five will be selected in each category, but before Feb. 22 rolls around and the official winner is announced, all 32 young stars and starlets get to enjoy the spotlight. This year, photographer Stéphane Sednaoui created a series of portraits of the young talents, on display at Paris’ luxe Chaumet boutique at the Place Vendôme. On Monday, the talents, their agents, casting directors and a select few journalists were invited to a cocktail in celebration of the photo expo followed by a lavish dinner at the Hotel Meurice. All of the young talents – well almost all, I noticed “99 Francs” star Jocelyn Quivrin was not in attendance – came out for the occasion. Actors Andy Gillet and Fu’ad Ait Aattou provided delicious eye-candy, and actress Clémence Poésy was stunning (though a bit too slim if you ask moi) in a flowy white Chanel top and black skirt. Thomas Dumerchez, whose performance in Gael Morel’s “Après Lui” kept me teary-eyed for days after the screening, was quite charming and if Nicolas Cazalé was just a wee bit taller, I’d probably be planning our Franco-American wedding right about now. “La Graine et le Mulet”’s Hafsia Herzi was darling – apparently the 450 awards both she and the film have received and will continue to receive this season haven’t gone to her head. The meal was pretty much the same menu I seem to find at every Cesar-related dinner: a foie gras appetizer followed by some sort of fish followed by a chocolate dessert. The Meurice room was beautiful, the food delicious and the service impressive (do they have special training days for the staff to teach them to never let more than .0004 seconds go by between the time a guest finishes his/her bread roll to the time the waiter appears with a new replacement roll, I wonder?)


Celebrity look-a-likes of the week:
Clay Aiken and Kenneth the Page from “30 Rock.”




They talk the same, look the same and both share a questionable sexuality yet to be confirmed.




























Clémence Poésy and the Olsen Twins




I found the third Olsen – separated at birth, but sure to cross paths during fashion week in Paris, are Clemency Poesy and her equally blond, emaciated long-lost sisters across the Atlantic. They all cause a pitterpatter in the hearts of children across the globe and the Harry “Pot”ter/”Weeds” parallel is just too easy.

Paris is no longer burning.

Dear Paris law-makers,
THANK YOU for the new no-smoking law.
Sincerely,
My lungs



Ok, stop there. Yes, right where you are. Breathe in. Deep breath, that’s right. Notice anything special? (Other than the fact that the French guy standing next to you probably hasn’t showered since 1985?) Yes, it’s finally happened. The eem-poss-ee-bull. Paris is SMOKE-FREE! As of January 2, it is illegal to smoke in public places and, more importantly, restaurants and cafés. No longer will I be forced to involuntarily eat a “steak à la fumée” while the girl next to me in a restaurant blows smoke into my face. Gone are the days of returning home from a night out with my hair and clothes smelling like an ashtray, my voice hoarse and my eyes burning with smoke-induced pain. It’s revolutionary. Last night, I in fact had to walk INSIDE the Café de Flore to escape the smoke from my friends’ cigarettes while they were standing outside – in the rain mind you – smoking. Yes, I went INSIDE to escape the smoke from OUTSIDE – sacré bleu, it’s like the twilight zone. A Frenchman without a cigarette is like coffee without sugar – well actually, they like their coffee black in these parts so I’ll say it’s more like, say, a croissant with no butter, a baguette with no dough, foie that isn’t gras.. okay I think you get the idea. In sum, it’s WEIRD. This ostensibly inconsequential law has indeed many consequences on the entire social structure of French society. As of this month, Paris is NOT burning. And Rene Magritte would be shocked and appalled to learn that his famous “Ceci n’est pas un pipe” painting has been modernized to read “Ceci est en fait un pipe mais c’est interdit de le fumer, sorry dudes.” So what’s going down in the city of lights now that one can’t light up? Here’s a new tourist’s guide to how Paris has changed since the new non-smoking law set in.



1. Non-smokers – such as MOI, cough cough (actually I’ve been coughing much less since this new law kicked in I must say) – are forced to sit at restaurant tables all alone while their friends all go outside to smoke, thereby relegating said nonsmoker to an anti-social fate of sitting in restaurants alone and missing out on all of the jokes and goingson at the smoke-filled gala outside.

2. French men are now forced to learn new pickup lines while hitting on girls in nightclubs or bars (or restaurants…or the street…or the line at the movies or the boulangerie, yes those frogs seem to find a way to hit on female pretty much anywhere). “Avez-vous du feu?” (“Do you have a light?”) is no longer valid.
Thus, here are a few ideas to guide you in your cigarette-free quest for une femme, les mecs:
“Got a light? Wait – don’t answer that. You don’t need one, you already light up my life. Let’s go outside and smoke a cigarette?”
“Remember when we were allowed to smoke? That was cool. Hi, my name is François…”
“Hey, got a li—sorry, stick of nicorette?”
And so on and so forth…

3. I now have to walk down the street holding my breath. Apparently the no smoking INSIDE law has influenced smokers all over the city to capitalize on their walking from one location to another OUTSIDE by choosing said walk to smoke and inhale directly in front of me while I am walking on my merry way, causing me to nearly choke to death on many occasions and thus leaving me with no choice but to hold my breath until I arrive at my destination (or faint from lack of oxygen before arriving at said destination).

4. Many French people have, thus, quit smoking since it has become too difficult to nurse such a habit in the face of the new strict smoking ban. If you thought the French were rude before… Try getting a smile out of someone who just quit smoking, has gained about 10 kilos because he or she has just quit smoking (and perhaps indulged a bit too heavily in the foie gras and chocolate bounty of the holiday season) so is not only physically suffering but also losing self-confidence by the minute, not to mention hungry and ready to bite off your head. Look on the bright side, he or she is that much richer from not buying cigarettes every day and can take you out to dinner to apologize for his or her poor comportment.

5. I have nothing to complain about! “He’s blowing smoke in my face.” “My throat hurts.” “My eyes hurt.” “I kissed him and he tasted like an ashtray.” “It’s too smoky in there.” “Ew. My steak frites tastes like nicotine.” All done! What will I complain about now? Is Paris – dare I say it – PERFECT?

Star spottings of the Week:
DAVID SCHWIMMER at Café de Flore. Circa New Years Eve, sporting a scruffy non-beard, a backpack and an unidentified pretty brunette by his side.
THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA aka Ina Garten, walking out of Café de Flore (do you notice a theme here?). The former White House staffer-turned-speciality foods store owner- turned Food Network superstar was incredibly friendly and clearly has excellent taste in everything from la cuisine (her French-influenced cookbooks are wonderful) to les hommes (she married a Dartmouth alum). I admit that I watch her Food Network show regularly – Ina, je vous adore! Hope to see you on the streets of St. Germain sometime soon. You’re welcome to come and cook for me anytime you’d like of course. If you insist… =)
ANDRE DUSSOLIER, walking down the Boulevard St-Germain-des-Pres earlier today. Ok, I know he’s no Brangelina, but he’s an excellent actor!
VINCENT ELBAZ, sitting with who I think may have been his mother (awwwww) at Les Deux Magots, circa Christmas day.
FRANK DUBOSC, dining at the Hotel Costes, Christmas week. Perhaps on his way to a … “Disco”? (aka the title of his much-anticipated comedy set to hit French theaters later this year)
PPDA (Patrick Poivre d’Arvor) dining with CLAIRE CHAZAL at the Hotel Costes (yes, this was like two weeks ago but still intriguing, non?)
GILLES LELLOUCHE, inside this month’s PLAYBOY France (interviewed by yours truly of course) – GO BUY A COPY ON NEWSSTANDS NOW!

French expression of the Week: “Le mot n’est pas innocent.”
Figurative meaning: “Pun intended.”
Literal translation: “The word is not innocent.”
What can we conclude here? Yes, even in France, words – not just people – are corrupt.

Restaurant of the Week: L'Atelier de Maitre Albert


Don’t be chicken, head over to my old favorite, L’Atelier de Maitre Albert for the best roast chicken and mashed potatoes this side of the… Seine river. One of Guy Savoy’s “affordable” bistros (sister to “Les Bouquinistes,” “Chiberta” and “La Butte Chaillot”), L’Atelier (not to be confused with the Joel Robuchon similarly-titled counter-top spot in the 7th) is located right along the Seine near Notre Dame, by the place Maubert-Mutualité in the 5th arrondissement. The staff is friendly (I hadn’t been back in over a year and was recently greeted with kisses hello by the Maitre D. and nearly entire wait staff), the food delicious and the ambiance a great balance between traditional and modern, despite the mostly older crowd and often American tourists. The restaurant is famed for its rotisserie meats, especially the roast chicken, served with the lightest yet tastiest most succulent mashed potatoes. On the rare occasion that I have ordered a fish dish, it’s usually delicious and served with a piping hot side dish. I’m usually treated with an appetizer or dessert on the house – this week, it was a cream of carrot soup with a light pesto sauce and crouton. The bread is thick, doughy and delicious and the wines are well-priced and wonderful. Their chocolate terrine is the most popular dessert staple (I of course despise all members of the chocolate family, but it usually gets rave reviews from my co-diners), the grapefruit and tea terrine is a light, tangy way to end the meal or one can order the “jar of dessert trolley” (yes, the French to English translations on the menu leave much to be desired I fear.) The bright orange menus and placemats, however, have drawings of chickens which, with a view of the chickens roasting around the rotisserie, may be quite disturbing for those animal-friendly among you, but you will lick your lips with satisfaction once you’ve eaten your ill-destined winged friend, trust me.

Website of the week:


www.canalplus.fr/c-humour/pid2171-c-johnny-saucisson.html
Here you will find the first three episodes of the best TV show ever in life “Johnny Saucisson” featuring of course “Une Americaine à Paris.” Check it out! And please tell me what you think – post away, mes amis!

More Instant Critique

Clips from my weekly segment "L'Instant Critique" on "Le Grand Journal," Canal+.

L'Instant Critique

Clip from "Le Grand Journal" on Canal+.

Christmas Sausage

On the eve of the birth of Christ, French television is giving birth to … “Johnny Saucisson” (aka “Johnny Sausage" in French). Canal+ will air the humorous glimpse of French life through the eyes of foreigners starting this Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 at 6:15 PM local time then every night in the same time slot through Dec. 28. The 26-minute series follows five Anglo-Saxon authors and journalists – including yours truly – as we experience the ups and downs of expat life in France and, in turn, highlight the foibles of the country. My segment is called “Une Américaine à Paris” (“An American in Paris”). Les Inrockuptibles magazine (see excerpt below) wrote this week: “Special mention to Rebecca Leffler, a sort of pest straight from Sex & the City…” and VSD magazine (last week’s top selling magazine thanks to their breaking story about President Nicolas Sarkozy hooking up with singer/model Carla Bruni) wrote: “A dynamic show without pretension, well served by mischievous reporters without complexes.” My fellow “mischievous reporters” include lovely ladies Sophie “I’m British, sorry!” Davidson and Susan “Paris is so sensual” Oubari and British blokes and talented authors Stephen “A Year in the Merde” Clarke and Mike “An Englishman in Paris” Sadler. The show is produced by Story Box Press and DERALF, and directed by the fabulous Fabien Constant and Loic Prigent. Please watch! Merry Christmas and Joyeux Saucisson!

Click here to see clips of the show:

www.canalplus.fr/c-humour/pid2171-c-johnny-saucisson.html

(I’m in the “une américaine à paris” and “French lover” segments)

SHEIK AND CHIC IN MARRAKECH

The King of the world met the King of Morocco as the Marrakech International film festival rolled out its red carpets in the “Red City” for the 7th annual celebration of global cinema. Under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, the fest kicked off Friday Nov. 7 with hommages to Leonardo DiCaprio and Moroccan director Mustapha Derkaoui followed by a royal screening of “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.”
Director Martin Scorcese made his way to the mean streets of Marrakech to honor his star actor during the lavish ceremony at the city’s Palais des Congres. “When I come back to Marrakech, I feel like I’m coming home,” Scorsese told the crowd. The director also gave a Masterclass the following day for public and professional cinephiles.

“Cinema for me is the great modern art form. It allows us for limited moments to escape ourselves and be transported to alternative circumstances,” DiCaprio said accepting his honor. Festgoers too were all able to escape to sunny Morocco as the laid-back atmosphere provided a welcome change from the awards season frenzy in the rest of the world.
Speaking of laid-back… Marrakech is officially the only film festival I have attended where I didn’t see one film! I had quite a wonderful weekend of sun, souks and stars.
The stars were all out under the Arabian night sky from American actor Matt Dillon to French actresses Marie-Jose Croze and Marina Hands, not to mention Milos Forman’s high profile eight-strong jury including John Hurt, Parker Posey and French director Claude Miller. Dior held a lavish dinner during opening weekend, Canal Plus Cinema held daily poolside director’s lunches, Dessange made sure everyone was well-coiffed and what glamorous film festival would be complete without a visit from Catherine Deneuve? I wined and dined my way through the city from the swank très French Café de La Poste to the more authentic Moroccan Tangia to the Costes look-a-like La Villa Rossa. Then went for some Fez-abulous dancing at Pacha and the Jad Mahal. A hammam/gommage/massage at the Hotel Sultana turned my skin to fine porcelain and my body to jello.

Yet behind all of the glitz, festival organizers made sure to shed the spotlight on its panorama of global film. Egyptian cinema blew out its 100th birthday candles and a retrospective of the Moroccan films of 2007 screened as a sidebar to the diverse competition line-up with titles from 23 countries including Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi’s “Actresses” from France and Tamara Jenkins’ “The Savages” from the US. James Mangold’s “3:10 to Yuma” and Florent Emilio Siri’s Algerian War drama “Intimate Enemies” screened out of competition.
“The festival is really growing year after year. Even the Festival de Cannes wasn’t as big as us after seven years!” the festival’s artistic director Bruno Barde told me.
Theaters were packed throughout the week and crowds swarmed to the Place Jemma El Fna for a series of open air screenings including a special visit from Scorcese and DiCaprio who came to the city’s large bustling marketplace center to present “Aviator.”
“Marrakech is a unique opportunity to meet directors and authors from the Maghreb region. It’s a bridge between Morocco and France,” Canal Plus’ Director of Acquisitions of French films Manuel Alduy said.
Barde agreed. “Marrakech isn’t a market for buyers and sellers. It’s an economic platform where people meet each other and talk about movies,” he said.
From the herds of cinephiles who descended on the city from all over Morocco to the professionals and talent from all over the world, the Marrekech International Film Festival’s 7th edition certainly gave everyone something to talk about.
Just a three hour plane ride from Paris, Marrakech is a completely different culture, filled with beautiful landscapes, friendly people and the most amazing mint green tea I’ve ever had. Not to mention that everything there is half the price it is in Paris. So shout out to King Mohammed VI and His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid for the couscous-coolest weekend ever.

Actor of the week: Gilles Lellouche

You can read my interview with him in the soon-to-be on newsstands January issue of French PLAYBOY, but if you can’t wait….voilà le scoop. Gilles Lellouche is THE it boy of the moment here in Gaul. Matt Damon may have been chosen PEOPLE magazine’s Sexiest Man of the Year but the Sexiest FRENCH Man of the Year is by far Monsieur Lellouche (no relation to Claude Lelouch, mind you – this bad boy’s got his own blood boiling.) Sorry Guillaume Canet, but your BFF has replaced you in my heart. (which is OK since I hear you and a certain rumored to be Oscar-nominated actress are seeing the world through rose-colored lenses together these days? Cough cough.) Not only is the ubiquitous actor in pretty much 99% of all movies out in Gaul currently and soon to be released, but he also directs and writes … not to mention he’s très handsome and incredibly charming. His first film as a director, “Narco,” is on tap for a remake in the US through Spyglass Entertainment so I think what he needs is a remake by an American in the way of loooove (I have someone in mind!) He’ll soon be starring in the on-screen adaptation of Frederic Beigbeder’s popular novel “Love Lasts for Three Years” but I believe that our love willl last forever. No just kidding, but I’d take 3 hours to start!

A few Lellouchalicious quotes from the interview:

“I’m capable of foolish acts if I love a woman. That’s what romantic comedies are all about. It’s all about the acts. In the movies, we see people who do things out of the norm, out of the box all for love. I think that love merits nothing less than that, to be outside of the box.”

“I’m profoundly in love with Paris… It’s truly a city that I love and that’s in my blood. I stop when I’m on my scooter when the sun goes down over the Seine. I’m still blown away by the city.”

JURY DUTY

I was called upon for “jury duty” last week. This position entailed hours upon hours of time spent examining the subjects, long and sometimes heated deliberations and a verdict capable of changing someone’s life.
This year’s case featured handicapped Norwegians, a lost girl in Afghanistan, a poor Russian family, an unusual interpretation of Moby Dick, a lost horse in Mexico, internet romance in Canada, a wandering man on the streets of Paris and even Arab-Israeli relations.
These ostensibly mutually exclusive themes were all part of the 13th edition of the Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma à Paris, an eight-day event devoted to global independent cinema organized by the city’s film center and archive the Forum des Images. I was on the jury for the Press Award, a prize given to the best first or second film in competition.
This year’s contestants included: Bard Breien's "The Art of Negative Thinking" (Norway), Hana Makhmalbaf's "Le Cahier" (Iran-France), Philippe Ramos' "Capitaine Achab" (France-Sweden), Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas' "Cochochi" (Mexico), Antoine Cattin and Pavel Kostomarov's "La Mere" (Switzerland-France-Russia), Aurelia Georges' "L'Homme qui Marche" (France), Denis Cote's "Nos Vies Privees" (Canada) and Eran Kolirin's "La Visite de la Fanfare" (Israel-France).
All of the directors were in Paris to present their films, with the exception of Denis Cote who was stuck in Canada due to inclimate weather.
We saw Bard Breien’s self-described “feel-bad comedy,” “The Art of Negative Thinking,” first. The Norwegian dramedy about handicapped people who join a “positive thinking” focus group is both depressing and uplifting at the same time. The dark humor had the audience both laughing and crying – often both at the same time. “I wanted to show that human misery can be funny,” director Breien told us. He added: “We really don’t need to smile that much.”
Next, we traveled across the globe to Afghanistan, backdrop to 18 year old Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf’s second feature film “Le Cahier.” The film, featuring non-professional actors from the small village in Afghanistan where the action was shot, follows a young girl who becomes entangled in children’s war games as she searches desperately for a notebook in order to go to school. The drama, which has already made its way along the film festival circuit from Toronto to Rome to San Sebastian, was a moving postcard from Afghanistan through the eyes of the next generation. Not to mention an impressive coup for such a young director. “I went into cinema because I saw the love my father had for cinema,” Makhmalbaf said of her movie-making father, head of the prolific Makhmalbaf Film House.
Next up was Swiss-French-Russian co-production “La Mere,” a close-up on the life of a poor Russian farming family. While the innocence of the children – these “Russian dolls” forced to grow up in poverty yet who always find a way to laugh – is moving, the story itself was somewhat underdeveloped and, oftentimes, quite boring. The next few titles were equally disappointing - Philippe Ramos' "Capitaine Achab" was an interesting idea – namely, a look at the background of Captain Achab from “Moby Dick” told through the eyes of five different characters – but failed to deliver an interesting film. Aurelia Georges' "L'Homme qui Marche" captured the loneliness of a Parisian expat with beautiful shots of the streets of Paris’ Saint-Germain-des-Pres district, but left a hole where the plot should have been. The synopsis: an emaciated man walks along the streets of Paris (yes, that’s it.) Denis Cote's "Nos Vies Privees" was a disturbing portrait of a Bulgarian couple vacationing in Canada after meeting on the internet. Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas' "Cochochi" followed young Mexican boys looking for a lost horse (again, yes, that’s it.)

Eran Kolirin’s “The Band’s Visit,” however, was definitely the best “witness” in this case for me. The Israeli comedy despite itself is the story of a brass band featuring members of the Egyptian police force who find themselves lost in Israel on their way to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab cultural center in that city. “I started with just an image of a man in an Arabic uniform, very serious and very closed-in, but underneath you can feel a heart beating,” director Kolirin explained of his film, fresh off a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award. The mélange of humor and fable is a light, enjoyable romp through Arab-Israeli relations that explores more profound themes beneath the surface.
“People think that because it’s a big screen, you need to fill it with big things. But movies are a way to make small things big,” Kolirin said.

From big films to small films, this week’s Rencontres Cinematographiques took all of us on the Press Jury on a long voyage through different cultures. We met on the last day of the fest to discuss the films in detail and determine which candidate most deserved such an honor, not to mention help with the film’s distribution in France. We finally chose “The Art of Negative Thinking” for its audacious premise, its biting script and incredible performances by its cast. The “feel bad” comedy finds the humor in even the most dire of circumstances. We presented the award at the closing ceremonies as the fest wrapped Tuesday evening. “The Band’s Visit” won both the Public Prize and a prize given by French film students. Case closed.

Restaurant of the Week: Livingstone

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” For those of you looking to explore Thai cuisine, definitely pay a visit to my not-so-recent-but-still-kicking discovery, Livingstone. I’d eaten there many times last year, but had almost forgotten about it until last week. After waiting at a nearby restaurant (to remain nameless to protect the innocent) for almost an hour, a friend and I decided to venture into unchartered territory (namely, the right bank) in search of food. Friday night. Paris. Circa 11 pm. Thus, “sorry, we’re full” was the response we got from pretty much every place we stopped in. And then I remembered – “Eureka!” I screamed (no, just kidding, nobody has used that expression since the 1700s I believe) – a small Thai place right on the rue St. Honoré. The décor is très chic and very Dr. Livingstonesque, with animal print lining the walls. The silverware and tables are modern, as is the light yet delicious Thai cuisine. Their pad Thai is delicious – the sauce not too creamy, and topped with fried tofu and shrimp. Start with the chicken satay with peanut sauce, the steamed shrimp dumplings or the shrimp and mushroom spring rolls, continue on with the shrimp and scallops in a coconut milk broth or the fish cooked in banana leaves, then finish with fresh mango or sweet rice with mango. The highlight of the evening may have been the automatic electric, light-up saltshaker (yes, you read correctly) – it’s so fun to use, I guarantee sodium-filled fun all night. And ask for the sesame nougat to accompany your coffee or dessert. Not to mention that, in a city where Thai food is typically ridiculously expensive or ridiculously disgusting, the prices are reasonable for the high quality of the cuisine and experience. Definitely an expedition worth embarking on.

Quote of the Day (or, again, why I adore Gertrude Stein) :
“I do want to get rich, but I never want to do what there is to do to get rich”
Gertrude Stein quote

Haynes HIS Way: The touch, the feel, of Dylan

He’s been spinning through awards season like a rolling stone, but director Todd Haynes left the Hollywood hoopla for Paris, France to present his critically acclaimed Dylan biopic “I’m Not There.” The Dylan biopic, which recently nabbed four 2008 Independent Spirit Award nominations, will screen as part of a retrospective of Haynes’ work during independent film festival Les Rencontres Cinematographiques organized by the city’s Forum des Images. (and during which, yours truly is a member of the prestigious Jury) Haynes sat down with me to talk about the film’s success, working with an A-list cast and how to get Bob Dylan drunk enough to finally sit down and watch his movie.

“I’m never reluctant to come to Paris,” Haynes said, wearing a sweater and jeans and sipping un café in a boutique hotel in Paris’ très chic Le Marais district. He looked very relaxed for a man whose film may quite possibly be in the running for every major prize as awards season gets underway.
But let’s cut to the chase, the question we’ve all been waiting for … drum roll please… will the film’s most buzzed about star Cate Blanchett, be nominated in the “Best Actress” or “Best Supporting Actress” category should she be nominated for an Academy Award? “I really don’t know,” Haynes said. Oh, come on Todd, stop playing it “Safe” (that was a reference to the helmer’s 1995 film of course) – give us the scoop! “A campaign for Cate in the ‘Best Actress’ category would bring a lot of attention to the film as a whole,” he explained, but, based on the film’s recent success, “That’s not necessary.” “I’m proud of the performance no matter how it’s categorized,” Haynes said. While some may say that Cate has “outgrown the supporting actress category,” Haynes told me: “It’s Cate Blanchett. She’ll always be someone of note and it’s all good for the film,”
Haynes also emphasized the fact that “I’m Not There” “is really an ensemble piece” but added that he’s not surprised Blanchett’s performance has been highlighted: “Jude is the central performance in my film. It’s Dylan’s star turn, Dylan’s electric period. He’s the most famous of all the Dylans in the movie. And Cate Blanchett is extraordinary in the role.”
However, Haynes added: “I’m so proud of all the actors in the film.” Including – bien sur! – Gallic actress Charlotte Gainsbourg who plays Dylan’s wife Claire in the film. “Charlotte was the only actor I thought of while writing the script,” Haynes said of the “composite character, who is really a mix of several women.” But was the half-anglophone daughter of Jane Birkin who speaks perfect English “French” enough for the role? “I wanted her to be more French,” Dylan admitted, “I told her to put on the French accent.”
Gainsbourg is a big star in her native country, not unlike the other members of the A-list cast – Heath Ledger, Julianne Moore, Richard Gere and co. So how did these big stars feel about not being alone in the spotlight for a change? “They’re all big stars but they were all up for the challenge of such an unprecedented, experimental approach to a film. They all jumped in whole, they were all just so with me. They’re all true artists,” Haynes said. Not to mention, “These actors all worked for nothing. They basically paid me to be in the movie,” Haynes added, laughing.
While filming went smoothly, Haynes said that money to fund such an ambitious project wasn’t exactly “blowin’ in the wind. “American films over the past few years – specifically those made by the major studios – have been fairly risk-averse. It’s hard to get things like this financed,” he said. “Audiences really are more sophisticated than we give them credit for. If you give them crap, they’ll eat crap. But this film has really covered a whole range of venues and audiences.”
However, despite the wide critical acclaim and strong box office stateside, the iconic musical legend and subject of Haynes’ film has yet to see the finished work. “Hopefully he’ll see the film. But it’s hard to be Bob Dylan and sit and look at yourself everywhere. He’s always kind of on the run from himself. I hope he’ll be able to sense a lightness and sense of humor the film has, not just the over-worship he’s used to.”
Haynes laughed. “I don’t know if it’ll take an Oscar or just a couple of brandies to get him to watch it.”


Culinary genius of the day: Pierre Hermé



I always thought ambrosia – the Greek “nectar of the gods” – was a myth. How could anything possibly taste so scintillatingly delicious? It had to have been just a page from Zeus’ book of lies. And then I wandered into Pierre Herme, tasted his famous macarons and had what can only be described as a culinary orgasm. Yes, I admit. I’ve lived in Paris for over three years and just tried Pierre Herme macarons a few days ago. Why, you may ask? Because I have been loyal to La Durée and couldn’t possibly imagine anything better. They say you always remember your first time, and I certainly do. It was a cold winter night and I will never forget wrapping my lips around that hard …. cookie shell and decadently soft filling. It was a “green tea and chesnut”-flavored macaron, a brassy gold on the outside and a green circle surrounded by light brown chesnut filling around it. It was a cacophony of flavors entertaining my tongue and waking up my taste buds. I had to do it again. I tried “vanilla and olive oil” – ostensibly a horrible combo, but actually quite good – and rose-flavored, which made La Durée’s version of the flower-flavored cookie taste far less blooming. And those are just the macarons… The desserts themselves look almost too beautiful to eat. I said, ALMOST. The vanilla millefeuille is just that – “one thousand sheets” of pastry goodness filled with a light yet amazingly flavorful vanilla cream. Pierre’s (yes, Pierre – I feel we should be on a first-name basis, don’t you?) desserts are, as we used to describe my grandmother’s matzoh ball soup “so light and fluffy,” They are calorie-ridden sins disguised as light bites from heaven. Try a bite-sized or full-sized macaron, some of the pastry master’s famous chocolates, millefeuilles or perhaps even an “ispahan” – featuring rose-flavored macarons, cream of rose petals, whole raspberries and litchi – and you will not be sorry, I promise. And, if I thought my neighbor hood was “dangerous” before (see: hundreds of fabulous boutiques tempting me at every turn), with a shop on the rue Bonaparte, my life – or more specifically my health – and wallet – Herme’s treats aren’t exactly a steal – are at risk.

Quote of the Day (or “Why Gertrude Stein is my hero”):
““It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.”
-Gertrude Stein

What do Tom Cruise, George Bush and I have in common?

Not much actually (well, Tom's high school guidance counselor was my high school chemistry teacher and come on, who hasn't sung "Old Time Rock and Roll" in only a tshirt? But I think the similarities end there.) However, Tom, George and I are all featured in this video clip from TPS' "StarMag" about the recent Hollywood "franchise" of Iraq war movies:

Les films Post-11 Septembre aux USA
Uploaded by Murarotto

French Literary Snobs, Princesses and Pumpkins

La Fleur à la Flore






Nov. 7, 2007. It was the epitome of the French hipster chic intellectual Parisian literary and media snob scene. Lanky girls with bangs and flowy dresses mixing funky music on stage as Gallic author/ modern-day dandy Frederic Beigbeder slammed prose by Proust and chic men and women smoking cigarettes, sipping champagne and snacking on mini croque-monsieurs shook their moves (or lack thereof) on the dance floor of the legendary hub of international intellectuals, the Café de Flore. This image is immortalized every year at the annual Prix de Flore, a French literary prize founded in 1994 which aims to reward young writers judged by a panel of prestigious writers and journalists. The nominated books must be written in French, but the author doesn’t have to be French (there’s hope for moi just yet!) The winner gets not only the respect of everyone in the room, but also a free glass of Pouilly-Fumé at the Café de Flore for all eternity (or at least until death do him or her part) and 6,100 euros. This year, Belgian author Amélie Nothomb took the coveted prize for her 16th novel in 16 years “Ni d’Eve, ni d’Adam” (in English: “Neither Eve nor Adam”) about a young woman in her early 20s who has a relationship with a young Japanese man. Justice was certainly served for the occasion – no, I haven’t actually read Nothomb’s book, but – literally – Justice was there! The Gallic electro house duo made a surprise appearance! Apparently they ARE our friends! (that was a reference to their hit club tune “We Are Your Friends” for all of you allergic to the club scene.) Journalist and writer Nicolas Rey told the crowd “I am a writer who doesn’t write, it’s better that way.” The lovely waiters of the Flore made sure that no champagne glass went unfilled the entire night (or mine at least!) and I think I may have broken the world record for most mini croque-monsieurs consumed in a 3-hour period. (Unfortunately, I get neither 6100 euros nor unlimited Pouilly-Fumé for such a feat.) But a good time was had by all (and by “all” I of course mean modern French literary talents and a few TV personalities sprinkled among the mostly Germanopratin crowd.) So “Neither Eve, nor Adam” were there, but it was definitely a sinful evening nonetheless.

Movie of the Week: ENCHANTED



An appropriate title for Disney’s latest cinematic voyage into the land of happily ever afters because I truly was “enchanted.”
The story is this: “Once Upon a Time…” (like the film’s French title “Il était une fois…) a princess who believes in true love and a perfect cookie cutter prince charming who really exists somewhere out there is banished to New York City by an evil queen and meets a real man. But can her storybox view of romance survive in the real world? I know what you’re thinking – Disney stole my life story and made a movie about it, right? Well I’m not aware of any evil queens (although a few French girls I know certainly fit that description), that’s pretty much the situation over here in a nutshell (no this is the situation over here in a nutshell – help, I’m in a nutshell. How did I get in this nutshell? What a shell for a nut! Apologies for the poor Austin Powers reference). The princess who believes in true love (me of course.) …the perfect cookie cutter prince charming (haven’t quite cast this one in the giant film of my life but I’m thinking along the lines of Louis Garrel or Andy Gillet – thoughts?)…the real man (well of course there aren’t any of THOSE in Paris, France and Dr McDreamy is already taken in the Disney version so that leave limited options here)…and the big city (Paris) filled with cynical people (Parisians) who don’t believe in the power of true love. But enough about me…”Enchanted” is enchanting. It’s all the magic of Walt Disney catapulted into modern day New York. There are singing forest creatures, wicked witches, prince charmings on horseback and poisonous apples but in this version, there are also rats and cockroaches, bitchy businesswomen, divorce lawyers and pizza. Amy Adams plays the naïve Giselle whose whiny voice finds a perfect home in Disney animation and Patrick “Dr. McDreamy” Dempsey her knight in shining…divorce lawyer armor. The story is completely implausible and ridiculous – be prepared to evoke those wild imaginations of yours – but also absolutely enjoyable and entertaining as well. It’s a film for children – Disney movies were all so scary when I was young, but this film definitely earns its PG rating – and for parents (and any childless adults lucky enough to have an excuse to go and see it such as yours truly). The humor is simple and unpretentious, yet also subtle and witty at the same time. It’s a movie for every princess who still believes her prince charming is out there somewhere- even if, as Giselle discovers, he may not necessarily be the perfect cookie cutter, sword-bearing knight on horseback she’s envisioned since childhood. After seeing so many important yet disconcerting films about the war in Iraq this season, thank you Disney for reminding me of the power of true love and happily ever afters.

While we're on the topic of princesses and pumpkins...

Meal of the week: THANKSGIVING DINNER




Roast turkey. Gravy. Stuffing. (Three different kinds of) sweet potatoes. Corn Bread. Cranberry sauce. Broccolini. Asparagus and beets. Butternut squash soup with toasted pecans and gruyere. Cranberry bread. Pumpkin seed bread. Pumpkin cake. Pumpkin pie. Pecan pie. Apple crisp. Toffee cake. Whipped cream. All topped off by my entire extended family. Vive les pilgrims!

Quote of the day:
“To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write.”
-Gertrude Stein

Hollywood Reporter: AFM France Special

StarMag

Voilà! A Clip from TPS' entertainment show StarMag featuring ... moi talking about the strike threat in Hollywood. (I realize that as of today it's no longer just a threat but it was when I filmed this segment.) Enjoy!

News : Grêve à Hollywood
Uploaded by Murarotto

"OOOH OUI!" : Mark Ronson in Paris

"OH MY G-D!" Mark Ronson in Paris for the first time -- "oooooh OUI"! (sorry his songs are just asking for pun-tification.)
The "toxic" music producer turned superstar came to the city of lights for a concert at the Elysées Montmartre on Friday night. Ronson, dressed in a dapper dark suit, played his classic tunes -- "Toxic," "Stop Me," "Valerie" etc -- and surprised concertgoers with an appearance from the very talented Sean Lennon. Ronson and Lennon played a cover of Stevie Wonder's cover of the classic Beatles' hit "We Can work it Out" - very cool. Lennon also played a song from his album "Parachute" that he recently recorded with popular French chanteur M. (Mathieu Chedid, aka Mr. Audrey Tautou) which blew me away. After the show, the Markster enjoyed perusing the new PLAYBOY France ... and hanging out with yours truly.











































Restaurant of the Day: L'Hôtel Amour

What do you get when a chic hotel meets one of the world's most loved nightcrawlers? The aptly titled "Love Hotel" of course.
Welcome to L'Hôtel Amour where the oh-so-chic Costes family meets (or rather, makes sweet love to) king of the hipster chic Parisian scene André. As its name implies, the establishment caters to French lovers in need of a quickie before or after - or during - dinner and rents rooms by the hour. You can even stay the night, the week, the month if you'd like. The popular Montmartre haunt also serves as a fun, laid-back restaurant. The food and drinks are well-priced - even poor journalists like moi can enjoy the fare worry-free - and, while the food is not earthshatteringly delicious, it's definitely, as they say here, a "bon rapport qualité prix." I recommend the Ceasar salad with grilled chicken, one of the best I've had in Paris (that's not saying much I realize, but it's good!), the mac n'cheese (well technically it's pasta with bechamel sauce and comté cheese, but what did you expect Kraft Cheddar?) and, for smaller appetites, the "assiette verte." I also recommend the "Who's Your Daddy?" wine. The Hotel Amour is unpretentious, the service is friendly and efficient, but I recommend reserving a table if you plan to eat anytime between the hours of 8 pm and 1 am since it gets packed. Usually filled with hipster chic Parisians on their way to le Baron. Bon app!

Soundtrack of the Day: "Into the Wild" from Eddie Vedder. Vedder is back (pearl) jamming his way through the heart of America with this incredible music accompaniment to an incredible film.

Lyric of the Day: "Love is like an aero plane
You jump and then you pray
The lucky ones remain
In the clouds for days
If life is just a stage
Let's put on the best show
And let everyone know"
-Sean Lennon, "Parachute"