Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Published on Tuesday, 22 March 2011 23:00
GOOD FRENCH TV:
NO LONGER AN OXYMORON
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Tony le Dingue, played by Simon Abkarian.
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The French love American TV series, whether schlocky or great. There used to be a regular TV show devoted to American series, and the cable channel Série Club shows nothing but. For some reason, however, the French have never been able to produce a series that lives up to the standards of the American variety, and there has been much hand-wringing and publishing of analytical articles about it lately.
All that seems set to change, however. The series “Pigalle,” which runs on Canal+, has won kudos, and now the state-owned channel France 2 has produced an excellent gangster series called “Les Beaux Mecs,” written by Virginie Brac.
The name means something like “wiseguys” – a term familiar to all Scorcese fans – in the world of French gangsters, and indeed there are some similarities between Scocese’s film Goodfellas and this series: the main character, Antoine (a.k.a. Anthony or Tony le Dingue – Crazy Tony, certainly an homage to a certain New Jersey mob man we all know and love), played by Simon Abkarian, grows up on the streets running errands for the local wiseguys before graduating into their ranks as an insider/outsider. After serving 24 long years in prison and becoming an accidental escapee just before he is paroled in the brilliant opening scenes, Tony throws in his lot with a bunch of young hoods from the suburbs, which makes for many amusingly fraught confrontations between youth and experience.
The show then alternates present-day scenes with flashbacks to the past to show us from whence Tony sprung and why he is as vicious as he is. Unfortunately, Abkarian doesn't have the charisma that made James Gandolfini so lovable as Tony Soprano in spite of his sadistic, brutal side, but Les Beaux Mecs is a real winner, with its excellent production values, original concept and fine writing. Bravo to France 2, a public television station not previously known for its high-class series. Unfortunately, there are no plans to continue the story beyond the eight-part series already made, but let's hope there will be more such efforts. Les Beaux Mecs airs on Wednesdays at 8:35pm on France 2. Heidi Ellison
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