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Say What? First Lady Carla Bruni to Star in Woody Allen Film

TresSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:07 -0800

"He asked me to be in his next film. I don’t know for what role, but I said yes. . . . I'm not an actress at all. Maybe I'll be totally horrible but I can't in my life miss an opportunity like this."

- Carla Bruni told France's Canal Plus television in an interview Monday that she agreed to star in Woody Allen's next film, which will probably be set in France. Looks like he finally found a new, above-40 muse!

Friday Feel Good! Open Your Wine Bottle With Your Shoe!

TresSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

It's no wonder the French make the top-10 list of countries that consume the most alcohol per capita - they appear to have a special talent for opening wine bottles, without a corkscrew, even when they're totally plastered! Well at least one Frenchman can do such a thing. To get in the happy hour spirit, let the French teach you how to open a wine bottle with your shoe. Happy Friday!

Top Official: Burqa Not Part of France's "National Identity"

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Cheese. Wine. Baguettes. These are all seemingly welcomed signifiers of French identity. Burqas? Not so welcome.

France has been debating a ban on the head-to-toe garment for some time now. Most recently, the country's immigration minister Eric Besson said yesterday that burqas should not be worn on French streets because they are not part of the country's "national identity."

Besson wants the government to reaffirm national pride by having a "great debate" about what it means to be French. With more than five million Muslims living in France (the largest Muslim population in Western Europe), doesn't French identity include Muslim traditions? It sounds like Besson, who was born in Morocco, disagrees. Based on his previous statements, being French means speaking better French if you're an immigrant and having more opportunities to sing the national anthem if you're a kid in school.

Do you think the French government has a right to dictate dress codes under the guise of "maintaining tradition," or should it be more accepting of minority and immigrant group influences? Would you worry if US officials organized a meeting to decide what it means to be American?

Au Revoir! Flocke Flees For France

PetSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:00:06 -0700

With all the talk of Knut and his Italian mate, Gianna, it seems the world had nearly forgotten about that other totally adorable (maybe even more so?) polar bear. That is, until now.

Nuremberg Zoo's Flocke, who turns two this December, departs Deutschland for France come early 2010. Along with Rasputin, the young male bear pal who joined her last year, they move to a zoo in Antibes so their old space in Germany can hold future bears. Don't worry about this matchup, the two bears "get along famously" already.

See more pics of Flocke when you read more.

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Before and After: From Scary to Shabby Chic

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:00:23 -0700

Côté Maison reader Serge purchased a dilapidated retirement home in the Bordeaux region of France after leaving a duplex in Paris. The exterior had already been partially restored but the house still needed a lot of work. Two years and thousands of euros later, he and his wife had redone the roofing, floors, bathrooms, bedrooms, electricity, tiles, garden, pool, and even planted 360 saplings! They also converted an old barn into a photo studio, a small house into a guest room, and a garage and shed into spare apartments.

As you can see, the room above was a scary sight that needed a lot of work, but it did have beautiful, rustic ceiling beams. So, they transformed the space into a calm, shabby chic living room that I'd kill to own. See it when you read more.

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Hi, Kumba - This Big Hippo Babe Measures Up!

PetSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:03 -0700

Just weeks after we first met that lil pygmy pachy, a new hippo babe steals the scene! Check out Kumba, a (standard-sized) hippopotamus who entered the world on Oct. 11 at 110 pounds, and learn some neat hippo trivia along the way!

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Coveted Crib: An Art Collector's Curated Minimalism

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:00:02 -0700

When you are an art collector, you don't need an interior designer or even color on your walls to have a painfully coveted crib. In the town of Lille in northern France, a French art collector turned a former textile factory into a 557-square-foot loft with a patio. He kept the mill's original crisscross shaped trusses and painted everything white, including beautiful features like cast-iron columns. Meanwhile, the floor is simple gray cement, creating a neutral background for his collection. Paintings and sculptures dominate the loft, with the exception of one wall near the entrance which was painted a spectacular orange, cued to the color of an Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair in the room. Want to continue the tour? Then read more.

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Say What? The Brits Know the Truth About Beauty

TresSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

“The English at heart know that beauty is a cheat; it is an unfair advantage, a distraction from the real qualities that you want in a girl: the ability to fry a breakfast with a hangover, have sex in the rain without complaining, flatten an intruder with a left hook, sink a pint, tell a joke, take a joke, be a brick, be a mate, be a mum."

- Reporting from the south of France, British columnist AA Gill explains that while French women might have the chic, unattainable beauty thing down, English women know that a free spirit is a beautiful thing, too. Perhaps the male writer's extensive musings on the differences between women is just another way to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

France Develops Wine Lower in Calories, Alcohol

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:19 -0700

Call it wine lite: Vintners in the Languedoc region of France have developed a new type of wine that's low in sugar, calories, and alcohol. The vino, developed by the French Wine Research Center, only contains 60 calories a glass and is virtually free of sugar.

This is achieved by growing grapes that contain 30 percent less sugar than traditional wine grapes, and with a new distillation process that lowers the wine's alcohol content from 13 percent to nine. French authorities have given the green light for So Light, as the product is called, to be commercially produced.
"We are targeting a population that is very conscious of eating and drinking healthily. They also want to watch their weight and also don't want to lose points on their driving license if they drink," said Claude Vialade, one of the vintners behind the product.

According to So Light's creators, wine enthusiasts are unable to discern between So Light and a regular glass of wine, and they anticipate the enterprise being successful enough to sell several million bottles within the next three years. Do you think it will triumph? Would you buy So Light if it were available to you?

Home Away From Home: Hôtel Duc du St. Simon

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:13 -0700

You can stay in a modern, white-walled, Kartell'd hotel in any city in the world. But if Paris is your getaway, why not surround yourself with quintessential French style? Hôtel Duc du St. Simon, a favorite of Domino founding editor Deborah Needleman, is a quaint, sophisticated home away from home where understated elegance rules the roost. Guest rooms are bathed in romantic florals, jacquards, and toiles, and filled with fine antiques and original art. So even if a trip to Dordogne isn't on your itinerary, you can still experience the French-country style. Overall, the space is cozy and homey, almost like you're visiting a chic grand-mère of a friend a train ride away. In reality, it's located in the fashionable St. Germain-des-Prés district, just a few blocks from La Seine river and an extensive collection of Impressionist art in the Musée d'Orsay, so there's much to see and explore nearby. And after a long day of sightseeing and eating crêpes, you can kick back in the hotel's stone-walled lounge, gaze at antique artwork and mirrors in ornate gold frames, and sip on un kir. Rates start at $356 per night. See photos when you read more.

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