Friday's French "music" break - Anggun, "Echo (You and I)"

Friday's French music break this week couldn't be anything other than...the country's entry to the annual jamboree that is the Eurovision Song Contest, "Echo (You and I)"

It'll be sung by Indonesian-born Anggun.

(screenshot from the official Eurovision preview)

The 38-year-old, who apparently has had widespread international success - according to her website, so it must be true - was chosen by the Powers that Be at France Television back in November to fly the tricolore, so-to-speak, at this year's contest.

Although most of the lyrics of "Echo (You and I)" are in French, the song also has a smattering of English.

But not too much to create a hoo-ha and there has been none of the "political furore" (heavens, it's just a cheesy "Songfest") that accompanied France's 2008 entry from Sébastien Tellier who was forced to change some of the lyrics to "Divine".

Tellier has originally planned to sing only in English, but eventually rejigged a couple of lines as a "wink to the French".

Following what last year's French representative Amaury Vassili called a "shitty 15th placed finish" when the 21-year-old bookmakers' favourite tried his best with the Corsican dialect "Sognu", what chance does Anggun have?

Well the lyrics are inane (when has that ever mattered?) and the tune dire. So it's an entry entirely in keeping with the contest's usual standard and should have the potential to do reasonably well.

Plus Anggun can "perform" as opposed to just sing - apparently. And let's face it, Eurovision is as much about being able to put on a show as it is the quality of the song.

(screenshot from the official Eurovision preview)

Judge for yourself what chances she has of bringing the competition to Paris next year by becoming the first person to win the whole shebang for France since Marie Myriam triumphed with "L'oiseau et l'enfant" back in 1977.

Here for your delectation are two videos of the song.

The first is of Anggun apparently in the studio giving her lungs an airing.

The second, the official Eurovision preview, sees her wearing the obligatory scantiest of costumes along with sometimes partially clad beefcake who like to iron in uniforms and occasionally wear gas masks..plus a cameo role for a pig.

Oh yes it's full of profound imagery.

Heaven help the organisers of the contest if all that lot show up on stage.





The final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live from Azerbaijan capital Baku on Saturday evening.

Bring back Abba!

What chance for France at Eurovision when up against Gramps and Grans?

It's admittedly a couple of months until that annual musical jamboree the Eurovision Song Contest takes place but it's already making the news as participating countries decide who they'll be sending to represent them in Baku.

Yes - as an aside - this year's "musical jamboree" will take place in the capital of Azerbaijan (break out the atlas) thanks to that country's win last year.

Anggun (screenshot from television interview with LCI)

And following hot on the heels of the United Kingdom's decision to send Engelbert Humperdinck to sing his lungs out, Russia has now decided to uphold a long Eurovision tradition by choosing a song to represent it which surely...er...is taking the Michael (that's putting it politely).

And France?

Well it just doesn't seem to be able to treat the "cultural event of the year" in quite the manner those inverted commas would deem appropriate.

Rather than relying on humour, it seems to take the whole affair far too seriously.

Granted, back in 2007 France sent Les Fatals Picards along to represent it in Helsinki with "L'amour à la française", but after only managing 22nd (out of 24 in the final) seemed to realise that perhaps the rest of Europe didn't "get" the French touch at being lighthearted.

So the Powers that Be at France television, realising that it had perhaps made an error, took the choice of who would represent the country away from viewers and reverted to the tradition of appointing an artist who would carry the colours in a manner more befitting the country's (ahem) musical heritage and cultural diversity

There followed, in order, Sébastien Tellier (2008, 19th in Serbia), Patricia Kaas (2009, eighth in Russia), Jessy Matador (2010, 12th in Norway) and Amaury Vassili (2011, 15th in Germany).

Following up on Vassili's dreadfully awful or awfully dreadful "Sognu" from last year, which bookies (at least as far as the French were reporting) ranked among the favourites but only managed in the singer's words a "shitty finish" it's the turn of Indonesian-born Anggun to try her luck.

While the United Kingdom will be sending along ageing crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, who'll be 76 by the time the contest comes around, and Russia has just chosen a bunch of grannies Buranovskiye Babushki (try saying that after a few vodkas) to, in the words of the song "Party for everybody" (see video), France is pinning its hopes on a serious singer with international success and appeal who has already "conquered France and Europe" according to her official bio and won umpteen awards.



Ah yes. But this is Eurovision, an event which has brought millions of viewers such memorable moments as Stefan Raab "ridiculing the ridiculous" as Terry Wogan put it for Germany in 2000 with "Wadde hadde dudde da" or Ireland's Dustin the turkey reminding everyone that "he comes from a nation what knows how to write a song" in 2008 with "Irelande douze pointe"
and Finland's Lordi head banging their way to victory in 2006 with "Hard Rock Hallelujah" (you can click on the links to jog your memory).

What chance does Anggun's "Echo (You and I)" stand especially when up against the gramps and grans of the UK and Russia?

Friday's French music break - Eddy Mitchell "Avoir 16 ans aujourd’hui"

Friday's French music break this week is something of a surprise - and a welcome one at that given the failure, once again, of the country's entry at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

It's proof that French music isn't so bad after all and comes from one of the country's ageing rockers in the proverbial twilight of his career.

Eddy Mitchell's "Avoir 16 ans aujourd’hui" is a delicious touch of nostalgia.

Eddy Mitchell (screenshot from YouTube video of duet "On veut des légendes" with Johnny Hallyday)

Eddy Mitchell (it isn't his real name of course but perhaps Claude Moine didn't have the same potential ring of fame to it) has been around the block - and then some for more decades than he probably cares to count.

Singer, songwriter and actor, his music - and there's been a lot of it since the 1960s with over 30 studio albums - is a combination of rock 'n' roll, country, country rock, variété française (French popular music) and ballads.

So something for everyone, although not always particularly appealing.

Indeed one track on 2009 album Grand Écran was a particular awful rendition of "Over the rainbow" with Melody Gardot (only click on the link with your hands clapped firmly over your lugholes).

But the 68-year-old more than makes up for that "earache" with "Avoir 16 ans aujourd’hui", a track from his confusingly-titled 2010 album "Come back".

Confusing, because as Radio France Internationale points out in its biography of Mitchell (long but well worth the read if you have a few moments) the "Brillcreamed Hair Rock'n'Roller" announced his tour, which began in October last year and wound up in April, would be his farewell one.

Hmm. How often have we heard that from someone in showbiz?

Anyway, treat yourself to a little nostalgia and take a listen to "Avoir 16 ans aujourd’hui".

This version is just an extract from the song.



Not bad - huh?

If that's left you wanting to hear more, then just click here.

"A shitty finish" - France flops again at Eurovision

Now there's a headline to knock the stuffing out of a country's national pride.

France had gone into Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest in the German city of Düsseldorf with high hopes that its singing "hairdon't" Amaury Vassili would seduce television viewers and professional judges across the continent in the annual musical jamboree that brings pleasure to millions.

Amaury Vassili (screenshot from France 3 television)

Indeed bookmakers had for some reason made the 21-year-old the favourite and somehow the French media wanted to believe it so much that it was carrying reports on how other contestants were telling Vassili, "See you in Paris next year."

"Amaury Vassili represents France's best shot at topping Eurovision since Marie Myriam won back in 1977," said the national daily Aujourd'hui en France - Le Parisien before the competition,

Instead as we all know by now the couple Ell and Nikki from Azerbaijan - and don't ask Azerbai-where - won, and Vassili finished a lowly 15 with a mighty 82 points.

Only two countries gave the Gallic warbler that much prized "douze points"; neighbours Belgium and (presumably equally tone deaf) Greece (well Cyprus hadn't made it through to the finals so they had to hunt around for another country to whom they could give their votes).

All the pre-competition hype had come to nothing and the less-than exquisite "Songu", sung in a Corsican dialect that not even the French could understand, finished with the same number of points as France's 2010 entry from Jessy Matador (who?) bopping along to "Allez Ola Olé", although three places lower.

Now there's a compliment.

Was it perhaps a case of the French believing in their own publicity? After all what were the chances of a pseudo-operatic voice having widespread appeal when up against the tra-la-la-ing expertise of Nordic, Baltic, Balkan and Eastern European blocs?

Vassili had urged caution in the run-up to the contest and was disappointed not to have done better.

"15th place is a shitty position but it doesn't matter," he said afterwards.

"I gave it everything I had but it wasn't convincing enough. It was a gamble choosing a song like this and in the end we just didn't pull it off."

And when it came to the winners, he had less than tender words.

"For me the Azerbaijan song was completely trite and syrupy and I didn't believe for one moment the performance the two gave as a couple or a duo," he said.

"Besides I think it shows a lack of balls to sing in English (as most of the 43 finalists did) rather than the language of your country or - as I did - a region."

So France won't be shelling out millions of euros to hold next year's contest.

Instead that honour will go to Azerbaijan when the world will discover just how European it is - or isn't - what the capital is called, and who knows, they might actually be able to locate it on a map.

Oh yes, and it'll probably be the only other time most of us will get to hear Eli and Nikki's "Running scared".

Shame!

But for all those who want a reminder of what real Eurovision was - as far as the French are concerned - here's that 1977 triumph once again from Marie Myriam.



And as a special for all you Eurovision enthusiasts - Vassili and Myriam tackled her one hit on French television just weeks before the Düsseldorf disappointment.

Perhaps France should have tried entering that.

Friday's French music break - Catherine Lara's "Avec le temps"

A new feature and an excuse to share with readers some popular French music - a mixture of proven standards that just about everyone in France knows, covers that add that little extra to what has gone before, and brand spanking new songs from "upcoming artists" as they're usually described.

After all, what better way is there to start the weekend?

Catherine Lara (screenshot from video on official website and OFF TV)

And it's proof, as if anyone really needed it, that the world of popular music has more - much more - to offer than songs sung in English.

Yes of course we all know that, but it's easy to forget when the airwaves are choc-a-bloc of songs influenced by, or sung primarily in, English.

There's nowt wrong with them - far from it. But it's almost as though for many nothing exists outside.

This won't redress the imbalance: it's not really meant to.

But it'll highlight some of what France has had, and continues, to offer.

To get things rolling - a remake. And a rather surprising one at that.

It comes from Catherine Lara, a singer-songwriter whose main success came from hits in the 1980s.

That doesn't mean she has slipped into musical oblivion since - far from it.

Lara has released over 20 studio albums, continued arranging and composing for both television and theatre and appears regularly along with a host of other French singers and performers on the annual charity show Les Restos du coeur.

With her trademark tinted glasses and shock of silver white hair, the 65-year-old has never made any secret of her sexuality and was one of the first artists in France to declare openly that she was a lesbian.

Never far from Lara's side is her violin, an instrument she took up as a child and continued studying right through to her twenties at the conservatoire national de Paris.

Her most recent album, released in March 2011, pays tribute to one of France's most respected singer-songerwriters Léo Ferré, whose songs are among the best known and most often covered in this country.

"Avec le temps" is one such song and even though countless artists have tried to recapture the magic of the original, often with mixed results, Lara adds something...different.



Lara will next be heard by millions in France when she sits alongside TV and radio presenter Laurent Boyer next weekend as a co-commentator for French viewers of that annual "musical" (use the term very lightly) fest the Eurovision Song Contest.

It should be interesting to hear what the 1986 winner of the French equivalent of a Grammy, Le Victoire de la musique, makes of Amaury Vassili - this country's entry - and the other 24 finalists.

For the moment though, sit back and listen to Lara's interpretation of Ferré's "Avec le temps" and enjoy.

Catherine Lara sings "Avec le temps"

Just for a comparison - here's the original

France nul points-bound for Eurovision?

If you thought the tale of the French entry at this year's annual "musical" (the term has to be used lightly) jamboree that is the Eurovision Song Contest was over - think again.

After deciding who would represent the country a couple of months ago, the choice of song has now been made.

Amaury Vassili (screenshot from YouTube video)

Back in February the Powers that Be at France Television decided who would sing the French entry at this year's bash.

None of that namby-pamby, letting-the-public-choose nonsense in France.

TV execs "wield the stick" and they plumped for 21-year-old Amaury Vassili, a singer with a "fine lyric tenor voice" (and lots of hair).

You know the sort of thing: not quite classical and certainly ill-suited for opera, but pleasant enough to listen to - if you're into that sort of tra-la-la-ing.

When the choice was announced, the promise was made that the song would be especially written for him and would be sung in the Corsican dialect*, which makes a great deal of sense for someone born in the northeast of the country.

Whatever.

That commitment has been honoured and Vassili will be singing his lungs out next month with...wait for it...this.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!



Yes. France - one of the stalwarts of the competition has done itself...er...proud.

Dramatic - overly so - camp and tedious are three words that spring to mind.

And even though that might describe what Eurovision has become (and perhaps always was), with such an - ahem - "unusual" entry, does the France really stand any chance of lifting a title it hasn't won since 1977?

Maybe.

Over the years stranger songs have been entered and even won.

Who will ever forget Norway's 1995-winning ethereal nonsense "Nocturne" by Secret Garden or Finland's laughable head banging "Hard rock hallelujah" from Lordi 11 years later.

A rhetorical question.

So perhaps there's some hope for this year's Gallic entry.

Just don't put too much money on it winning.

You'll be able to find out for yourself on May 14 when the final will be broadcast live to millions from the German city of Düsseldorf.

* If English-speakers out there thought that they would have problems understanding France's entry, spare a thought for the French.

Not even the official Eurovision site has come up with a translation into French, although it has helpfully provided the original Corsican and English

So now you can sing along too!

"Sognu di ste labbre
Di sta voce chjara è pura
Mai spentu ricordu di tè
Quella notte cui cun tè

I dream of those lips
The voice, clear and pure
I still think of you
That night, there with you"

Germany in Lena fever after Eurovision win

Germany is still celebrating its win last weekend in the Eurovision Song Contest, when Lena sang her way to victory with "Satellite" and there's even talk of her representing the country again next year when it hosts the competition.

Anyone who followed the Eurovision Song Contest held in the Norwegian capital Oslo last weekend surely knows by now that the winner was the German entry "Satellite" sung by Lena.



As she gets used to the "Lena epidemic" as the early evening magazine Explosiv on RTL television describes the reaction within Germany, her mentor, television presenter Stefan Raab, is already suggesting that she should be the country's representative at next year's musical jamboree.

"There's only one possibility, morally, musically and ethically," said Raab, himself a former Eurovision contestant, at a press conference in Lena's home city of Hanover earlier this week.

"And that of course is that this year's winner defends her title in her own country next year, "he added before turning to the winner and asking what she thought of the idea.

"Absolutely," she responded.

Whatever plans Lena and Raab might have for next year, right now the 19-year-old "Arbiturientin" (or high school graduate) as she's frequently referred to in the domestic media, and daughter of a former West German ambassador to the Soviet Union daughter, Andreas Meyer-Landrut, seems to be "enjoying the moment".

If Explosiv is to be believed the "Lena epidemic" is soon likely to spread to the rest of Europe.

With the title under her belt and her single already hitting number one in several countries, there has been praise for her performance from around the continent with some saying her win brought Eurovision into the 21st century.

The national French daily Aujourd'hui en France - Le Parisien described her as "the pretty brunette with long wavy hair in a little black dress, a tattoo on the inside of her left arm and a small black cross around her neck" who "enchanted audiences and professionals around the continent."

The Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung said of the Lena "she neither performed the best song nor had the best song or perfect English, but the mix of charm, beauty and joy of singing convinced audiences and juries across Europe."

The Irish Times also commented on Lena's simple and refreshing performance.

"The presentation of her song was pared-back: she performed on a bare stage with four backing singers," wrote the paper's Karen Fricker.

"Her onstage manner was informal, at times gangly and awkward, and the lyrics of her song express a young person’s real-life experience of love rather than expected platitudes about beauty and world peace."

Even the BBC, far from sulking or smarting from the UK's plum last finish, had words of praise for the winning entry, saying that "Satellite" had "reclaimed the contest's musical credibility" and was "the first contemporary pop hit Eurovision has produced in decades."

"Lena had no complicated choreography, no inexplicable backing dancers and she wore a simple black dress - the sort of thing you could pick up tomorrow in any high street store," wrote Mark Savage, the BBC News entertainment reporter.

"Her refreshingly direct performance reflected a vivacious, playful personality."

Europe comes alive to the sound of "music" - Eurovision style

The European parliamentary elections are just over three weeks away, but Saturday sees a much more important "political" event taking place throughout the continent, and probably one which will have a higher participation level.

Yes it's the Eurovision Song contest - the annual "musical" jamboree (heavy on the inverted commas) which many music aficionados dread but the viewing public seems to love.

This year it'll be coming from Moscow as Russia won the competition last time around and with it the honours to play host.

More than 100 million viewers across Europe are expected to tune in to watch as performers from the 25 countries that have made it through to the final, take to the stage and - ahem - "sing".

For those of you unfamiliar with Eurovision, here's a little bit of background.

It all started innocently enough way back in the 1950s - 1956 to be precise - in Switzerland, when just seven countries entered.

But since then, under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which came up with the idea of an international song contest in the first place, it has....well mushroomed would be putting it mildly.

So much so that when Dima Bilan won last year for Russia with "Believe" he had to face competition from songs representing 37 other countries in the semi-finals before making it through to the final.

That has been the pattern ever since 2004 as the number of countries clamouring to compete has grown, and the EBU has been forced to split the contest into semi-final and final stages.

Only the so-called "Big Four" - Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and France - gain automatic qualification to the final round - no matter how poorly they might have done in the previous year's competition, because they're the biggest financial contributors to the EBU and without them the production costs to mount to contest would be prohibitive.

The country with the winning song (the voting procedure is cumbersome and protracted) then goes on to host the following year's contest.

Hence when Bilan chirped his way to victory in Belgrade last year, Russia was assured of organising this year's Songfest

Few would insist that it's a platform for culture of any sort. Indeed the annual knees-up is generally considered to be a celebration of the very worst that each nation has to offer musically and it comes in for a fair amount of ridicule.

And recent trends have shown that the whole contest has turned into something of a farce with political and more importantly geographical blocs forming to ensure the “right” country wins.

Voting has always been a very longwinded and complicated process, but this year promises to be a little different as an apparently important change has been made.

The procedure has been altered so that alongside viewers each country will also have a jury made up of "professionals" whose votes will be merged with those of the general public.

Eurovision costs the proverbial arm and a leg to organise, hence the Big Four are so important to its continued success, and for once a couple of them at least, seem to be serious about trying to win.

France and the United Kingdom have both had pretty dismal records in recent years.

The heydays of the 1960s and 70s when the UK regularly finished in the top five, are long gone.

Its last winner was back in 1997 (Katrina and The Waves with "Love Shine A Light") and in the past six years has done no better than 16th place - actually finishing last or last but one on two occasions.

France hasn't fared much better and has placed only as high as 15th in the same six years, twice finishing in 22nd spot and once in 23rd.

In fact you have to go all the way back to 1977 for the last French winner (Marie Myriam with "L'oiseau Et L'enfant").

But for Moscow, both countries are sending in the big guns.

The French entry, "Et s'il fallait le faire" will be sung by Patricia Kaas. It's a track lifted from her latest album "Kabaret".

And it's a clever choice because Kaas has not only been a star in France and throughout much of Europe since the 1980s. She has also had a number of hits in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and has great name recognition.

The United Kingdom has also pulled up its socks in an effort to win, by having its song penned specifically for Eurovision by none other than the internationally renowned composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber and American Grammy Award-winning lyricist Diane Warren.

Will the tactics of either country pay off tomorrow evening?

Well you'll just have to tune in to find out.

But for the record here's a list of the countries that have made it through to the final and the order in which they'll be appearing.

And for those of you unlucky enough not to be able to see the whole thing live, simply click on the country of your choice to hear the entry.

Enjoy!

1. Lithuania
2. Israel
3. France
4. Sweden
5. Croatia
6. Portugal
7. Iceland
8. Greece
9. Armenia
10. Russia
11. Azerbaijan
12. Bosnia and Herzegovina
13. Moldova
14. Malta
15. Estonia
16. Denmark
17. Germany
18. Turkey
19. Albania
20. Norway
21. Ukraine
22. Romania
23. United Kingdom
24. Finland
25. Spain

Will it be "France nul points" at Eurovision?

All right, so it might only be February but that hasn't stopped all Eurovision Song Contest eyes and ears from pointing towards the warblings promised in May in Moscow.

And France has already chosen its representative - and the song.

Patricia Kaas will be singing "Et s'il fallait le faire", a track lifted from her latest album "Kabaret" when she takes to the stage of the Olympiyski Indoor Arena in Moscow on May 16, and hopes are high - in France at least - that she will prove to be this country's not-so-secret weapon for victory.

YouTube Video

The United Kingdom might have had the temerity to choose a song penned specifically for the annual Jamboree by the internationally renowned composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber and American Grammy Award-winning lyricist Diane Warren to fly the flag in Moscow in the shape of Jade Ewen (who?) singing "It's My Time".

But France has gone one better - perhaps - in terms of cheek.

You see Kaas, who counts among her hits songs such as "Mademoiselle chante le blues" and "Mon mec à moi" has been a star since the late 1980s not just in France, but throughout Europe and most importantly - as far as the French are concerned for this year's contest - also in Eastern Europe and Russia.

And that could prove vital in a contest which has become as well-known for its apparently "politically-influenced" bloc voting over the years as much as it has for the musical "merit" of (some might say) rather cheesy songs.

A brief resumé for those of you (un)lucky enough not to know what the Eurovision Song Contest is all about.

It all started innocently enough way back in the 1950s - 1956 to be precise - in Switzerland, when just seven countries entered.

But since then, under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which came up with the idea of an international song contest in the first place, it has....well mushroomed would be putting it mildly.

So much so that when Dima Bilan won last year with "Believe" he had to face competition from songs representing 37 other countries in the semi-finals before making it through to the final.

YouTube Video

That has been the pattern ever since 2004 as the number of countries clamouring to compete has grown, and the EBU has been forced to split the contest into semi-final and final stages.

Only the so-called "Big Four" - Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and France - gain automatic qualification to the final round - no matter how poorly they might have done in the previous year's competition, because they're the biggest financial contributors to the EBU and without them the production costs to mount to contest would be prohibitive.

The country with the winning song (the voting procedure is cumbersome and protracted) then goes on to host the following year's contest.

Hence when Bilan chirped his way to victory in Belgrade last year, Russia was assured of organising this year's Songfest.

Still following?

Anyway enough of the history - there's plenty of other info out there (including more, much more on the all-important process of voting) in the Blogosphere if you're really that interested. Just follow the links.

When the curtain goes up on May 16 on an event reportedly watched by an estimated audience of 100 million people (where do they get these figures you might ask) it'll be Kaas out there representing this country.

The hopes are that after last year's poor performance for France by Sébastien Tellier, whose song "Divine" caused a storm-in-a-teacup row here because it was sung mainly in (horror upon horrors) English and notched up just 47 points to finish 19th (out of 25), Kaas will be able to fly the tricolour all the way to the top in Moscow.

Although France has never had the ignominy (or honour) of racking up the now infamous "nul points" at Eurovision, who knows, with Kaas, the country could join an illustrious list of past underachievers.

Take a listen and judge for yourself.

Roll on May! (?)

French triumph at Cannes but flop at Eurovision

For the first time in 21 years a French film has scooped top honours for best movie at the Cannes film festival.

“Entre les murs” (The Class) directed by Laurent Cantet won the coveted Palme d’Or on a unanimous decision by the jury.

It was only the fourth time a French production had triumphed since the gaggle of glitterati first started gathering for the annual film festival on the Côte d’Azur in 1946.

The film is a mix of documentary and fiction, following the lives of a class and their teacher in a tough inner city secondary school in Paris over the course of a year.

It was written by, and stars François Begaudeau – himself a teacher – with most of the other roles being filled by real students and teachers.

The president of the jury, US actor Sean Penn, was fulsome in his praise for the winner calling it an amazing film. Before the festival he had insisted that it was impossible to separate film from politics, and had promised that the winning film would be a reflection of the current climate.

Most would agree that “Entre les murs” is just that.

While the win might have come as something of a surprise given the relatively low profile of the film - mainly because it was shown on the last day of competition - there were beaming smiles all round as the French media gave itself a collective pat on the back for the win.

The national state television channel, France 2, was particularly pleased with itself as it was one of the main financial backers of the film and ran a live interview with Cantet, Begaudeau and some of the students at the end of its prime time news on Sunday.

The film isn’t actually due for general release until October this year, but already the culture minister, Christine Albanel, has jumped on the proverbial bandwagon and called for it to be screened in secondary schools throughout the country.

While Cannes attracts filmmakers and actors from around the globe, it’s also a special chance for some of Hollywood’s modern greats to bask in the sun and even more importantly their own glory as they give the assembled paparazzi more than their fair share of photo ops. And this year naturally was no exception.

There was the world premiere of the latest “Indiana Jones” movie with its star Harrison Ford showing up along with the director Steven Spielberg - who popped off to Paris to collect the Legion d’honneur. Of course “Brangelina” pitched up looking resplendently pregnant with twins – well at least one half of them did. Eva Longoria, Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood and many, many others also tripped their way along La Croisette.

So the red carpet has been rolled up and another fun-packed carnival has come to an end.

While France might have triumphed at Cannes, there was no weekend “cultural” double whammy. At Saturday’s annual music jamboree, considered by many to be inappropriately called the Eurovision Song contest, the French contestant, Sébastien Tellier, could only manage 19th place (out of 25).

He notched up a miserly 47 points at the knees-up held this year in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, despite resorting to English lyrics and putting in a performance of his electro-pop “Divine” that by any critical standards was both professional and entertaining.

Still Eurovision, would not be Eurovision without the usual tactical voting as countries awarded top marks to neighbours and (former) political allies. Russia might have been victorious this time around and consequently won the right to host next year’s contest, but already there are calls for the “Big Four” (financial contributors), France, Germany, Britain and Spain to withdraw from future participation.

So no “douze points” for Tellier or France in Belgrade, but top marks at Cannes.

France nul points

It’s fast approaching that time of year again, which many music aficionados dread. The Eurovision Song contest takes place on May 24 and already some French are getting their knickers in a twist over their entry.

For the first time since the competition started in 1956 the song representing this fiercely proud country will be sung in – horror of horrors - English.

France 3, one of the country’s national public television channels, chose the 33-year-old electro-pop singer, Sébastien Tellier, to defend the nation’s colours in this year’s annual jamboree to be held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. The song, “Divine,” is entirely in English apart from the chorus

And already, even before the competition has started, there’s been an outcry from some quarters over his decision to abandon the time-honoured tradition of warbling his way through the entry in French.

François-Michel Gonnot, a member of parliament from the ruling centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) party even went as far as writing to the minister of culture, Christine Albanel, asking her to comment on the choice.

A clearly outraged Gonnot said the it sent out the wrong signal to the whole of the worldwide francophone community and went against the grain of all official statements of the importance of protecting and promoting the French language.

Albanel admitted that she thought it was shame the song wasn’t in French, but said the whole country would still be behind Tellier when he took to the stage.

Gonnot was joined by another equally indignant UMP parliamentarian, Jacques Myard, who has urged France 3 to reconsider the decision to allow Tellier to sing in English.

Perhaps though the two men are a little befuddled over the importance of the choice of language and the impact it will have on France’s international reputation.

Few would insist that the Eurovision Song contest is a platform for culture of any sort. Indeed the yearly knees-up is generally considered to be a celebration of the very worst that each nation has to offer musically and it comes in for a fair amount of ridicule.

It’s a competition in which television audiences are subjected to one another’s singing non-entities for more than three hours before each country takes its turn to vote. And recent trends have shown that the whole contest has turned into something of a farce with political and more importantly geographical blocs forming to ensure the “right” country wins.

Under the rules of the competition, countries are free to choose in which language their entry will be sung and almost half of this year’s 46 entries have chosen that of Shakespeare – or at least something approaching it. So France will not be alone.

While giving the song a trial run in the studio, Tellier tried it out some French lyrics, but apparently they didn’t work too well so he abandoned the attempt in favour of English, which will help him, in his words, achieve his artistic goals!

And just for the record, those fabulous goals include the following lines:

I’m
Looking for a band today
I see the Chivers anyway
Through my eyes

OH oh oh I'm
I’m alone in life to say
I love the Chivers anyway
Cause Chivers look divine

Sounds like a winner.