Friday's French music break - As Animals, "Ghost gunfighters"

Friday's French music break this week is unashamedly pop (nowt wrong with that) and is the debut single from yet another group with the most extraordinary of names - As Animals.

"Ghost gunfighters" is a catchy little number described in one review as "a little melancholic" with "an emotionally charged air."

Huh?

Yes. Well. Each to their own.

Composed by the two members of the group, Zara Desbonnes and Frederic Grange, "Ghost gunfighters is sung entirely in English and, if nothing else, provides a sign of things to come: inoffensive, easy to listen to pop music.

While the lyrics perhaps try too hard to be "poetic", the melody and the refrain offer up a hook that stays with the listener (whether you want it to or not).

And frankly, Desbonnes has a cracking voice, able to produce live a quality that's even better than the studio-produced sound.

Screenshot of video of As Animals  performing "Ghost Gunfighters" at Tendance Live Show 2013 in Saint Lô.

The song has been receiving a fair bit of airplay and has already reached number one in the Spotify France charts.

Now that's not really an indicator of real sales - or virtual ones either. Rather, in these digital days, it's a music streaming service allowing record labels to share with (paying) users what they (the record labels) think the public should be listening to and sharing.

Anyway, if you like the song and want to see As Animals perform live, then they'll be appearing as the warm-up act for the British group Texas in Lyon at the end of September and have two dates booked at Le Nouveau Casino in Paris at the beginning of October.

For now though, here's the video of "Ghost gunfighters".

Gérard Depardieu, Brigitte Bardot - Daniel Cohn-Bendit's "morons"

It has been one of those stories whose legs have surely proven that it has more than runs its course.

Gérard Depardieu's decision last December to buy a house in Belgium has taken on proportions that perhaps not even the most enthusiastic of spoof writers could have imagined.

But as with much seemingly silly news - albeit with serious undertones - the media is keeping it going...and going...and going (when will it be gone?) .

And the main protagonist is of course playing his larger-than-life role like a real pro.

The latest stroke of genius from one of France's "greatest living actors" is that he's not leaving France for tax reasons.

"I have a Russian passport, but I remain French and I will probably also soon have dual Belgian nationality," Depardieu told the new French sports channel L'Equipe 21.

"If I had wanted to avoid paying taxes, as the French press keeps reporting, I would have left France a long time ago."

Meanwhile Brigitte Bardot - another great Gallic cinematogapraphic treasure - has threatened to jump upon the same Moscow express as darling Gégé unless two sick elephants  at Lyon's Tête d'Or zoo are allowed to live.

"Baby" and "Nepal" both have tuberculosis and are considered a danger by the authorities to the zoo's other animals and visitors alike.

BB - Bardot that is - wants to save them and unless she gets her way, she's warning she'll pack her bags and move to Moscow (that's paraphrasing at its most lazy).

Now, all kudos to Bardot for her animal rights campaigning (if not for her political tendencies), but it's another media yawnathan - and besides, where's the proof that she carries the same sort of heavyweight clout with Russia's democratically (cough, splutter - excuse us all) leader as dear Gégé?

Finally (except it's hard to believe it really is) Hallelujah!  Enter stage left - but not as quite far left as he used to be, Dany le rouge - aka Daniel Cohn-Bendit.

Now you might not agree with his politics, but there's no doubt that Cohn-Bendit has proven himself down the years to be a man of principle: one who speaks his mind, doesn't practise the fine political art of langue de bois and thus will probably never really make it to the highest seat of power. Not that such a position is necessarily among his ambitions.

Besides he's a committed European - which means we have to forgive him for many of his faults as it's clear it'll never make him sufficiently "popular" in any country in which the "national interest" is often played as the trump card.

Anyway, Dany  - sorry, Cohn-Bendit - has had perhaps the best summing up of anyone so far in expressing his thoughts for both Gégé and BB.

At the weekend he was interviewed on BFM TV and, as you can hear from the video,  didn't mince his words, calling them both "morons" whose careers were finished.

For Cohn-Bendit, Depardieu was a "fool" and in saying Russia was a "great democracy" showed himself to be "really sick and completely full of alcohol to say such nonsense."

As for Bardot...well, Cohn-Bendit was equally scathing. "And then the other one who wants to leave France to go to Russia: to go from Saint-Tropez to Siberia," he said.

"That would be great for her. She could spend every winter in Siberia in a concentration camp for example, or a prison."



Now, who else could apply for Russian citizenship?

In fact could we all join in and nominate people to dispatch to Moscow along the lines of a French version of the UK radio television programme "Room 101"?

Incomplete animal faction - French cows want "Mariage pour tous"

It might seem that the French president, François Hollande, is blowing hot and cold in his support for same-sex marriage, but the country's cows are clear where they stand.

The official organisation representing both France's dairy and beef herds has issued a statement demanding that the draft legislation dubbed "Mariage pour tous" or "Marriage for everyone" be taken literally and be extended to allow cows to tie the knot.

La Normande (from Wikipedia)

Speaking from her pasture in northwestern France, the president of "Oh la vache!", Marguerite la Normande, told reporters that the current proposals were clearly discriminatory.

"At the last count there were more than 3.5 million dairy cows in France alone and everyone knows that we constitute a vital part of the rural economy," she said.

"It's just not fair that the debate so far has centred on marriage between two men or two women. What about us? We also have feelings," she continued.

"And we have the means to protest and get our point across," she added.

"Just imagine the effect it would have, for example, on cheese production, if we up-uddered tomorrow and refused to be milked."

La Normande's "Oh la vache!" has already had what she describes as "moo-ving support" from several government ministers, but there has not yet been any official response from the Elysée palace.

That might be down to the fact that Hollande is still busy trying to work out what he meant when he told the national mayors’ conference earlier this week that the country's locally-elected mayors would have "freedom of conscience" to decide whether to perform marriage ceremonies and then appeared to do a U-turn the following day,

But if the French president has been slow to react, the same cannot be said for groups opposed to "Mariage pour tous".

"It's this sort of threat that the Archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, warned against last month," said a spokesman for the movement Civitas, well-known for its objective and humanistic opinions on all social matters.

"The very basis upon which French society is built is in danger if the proposals for same-sex marriage become law," he continued.

"Cardinal Barbarin said it was one step on the road to legalising incest and polygamy - in fact the very destruction of all our principles and morals. And here's the proof now, with cows also wanting to marry. Never!"

La Normande, who has personal reasons for feeling so strongly about the issue, hopes that her organisation will be able to persuade the French president to introduce a new clause into the draft proposals, although she admits she doesn't have a great deal of faith in Hollande sticking to his initial election promise, let alone meeting her demands.

"He's a man who seems to enjoy chewing the cud almost as much as I do, and never actually making up his mind," she said.

"Still I remain hopeful he'll take on board how important this issue is to the French bovine population and take into account our own person feelings," she continued.

"I've been engaged to a bull at a neighbouring farm for over a year. He already has the ring in his nose and I'm just waiting for him to be able to put it on my hoof."

Moo!

Lady Gaga postpones Paris concerts

Bad news for anyone who had been hoping to catch Lady Gaga's Monster Ball concert in Paris this week.

Lady Gaga (image from Wikipedia, Author: The_Monster_Ball_-_Poker_Face_revamped2.jpg: John Robert Charlton aka Bobby Charlton of Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England: derivative work: Nymf talk)

The 24-year-old has postponed the two dates scheduled at Bercy on Friday and Saturday.

Lady Gaga fans living in the French capital will have to wait a couple of months before being able to see her Monster Ball concert.

In a statement posted on her website, fans discovered that they'll have to wait until the end of the year before being able to see her.

The reason of course - the strikes and protests which have caused fuel and transportation problems throughout the country and which, Live Nation, the singer's backer, said presented "logistical difficulties" for the scheduled performances.

"Unfortunately, as there is no certainty that the trucks can make it to the Bercy for this weekend's shows, the Lady Gaga performances are now postponed," the statement read.

"The December 19th concert will replace the 22-October show and December 20th concert will replace the 23-October performance."

Anyone currently holding a ticket for the two postponed concerts has until November 14 to claim a refund, or they can exchange them for the new dates.

Alternatively perhaps, they could try getting tickets for concerts in other countries on the European leg of her tour or take a trip to Lyon on December 2, for her concert at the Halle Tony Garnier.

Heatwave alert in France

Ice cream to beat the heat, screenshot BFMTV report

It's hot in France at the moment - very hot.

and the country's meteorological service, Météo France, has put several regions on heatwave alert for the next couple of days. Daytime highs are forecast to peak at 37 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country and not dip below 20 degrees at night.

The heatwave is not predicted to be nearly as long or as fatal as the one that hit much of continental Europe in 2003 and during which around 15,000 (mainly elderly) people died in France.

But the health minister, Roselyne Bachelot, is not taking any chances and has advised local authorities to "be on their guard".

"The lessons of 2003 have been learned," she said on national radio Friday morning.

"Départements are ready and health facilities have been prepared. The number of hospital beds available is higher than normal at this time of year and mayors throughout the country have maintained lists to pinpoint those most at risk."

The eastern region of Alsace is expected to be one of the hottest places with temperatures in the main city of Strasbourg rising as high as 37 degrees Celsius.

The Prefect of the region, Pierre-Etienne Bisch, has put health and emergency services on high alert.

In Paris and the surrounding départements, local authorities have introduced a "system of support and guidance" for the most vulnerable citizens.

France's second largest city, Lyon, the surrounding metropolitan area and the whole of the Rhône département is the third region of the country in which emergency services are on high alert following Météo France's heatwave warning.

The hot spell also coincides with what is the second weekend of the summer holidays and tailbacks are expected on many of the country's motorways.

While the metro in the French capital for example has become a roasting tin for commuters and tourists alike and some bosses in companies around the country have encouraged employees to stagger their working hours and come in earlier to avoid the heat, one man in the south-western town of Moissac tried another way of dealing with the hot weather.

According to the regional daily La Dépêche du Midi, the man decided to begin mowing his lawn - at 11 o'clock at night - and would have continued doing so had his neighbours not complained and called the local police.

Fighting homophobia - the French "kiss-in" goes international

After the success here in France of the previous kiss-in against homophobia in September, the idea is going international.

At four o'clock on Saturday afternoon (December 12), couples - gay and straight - in 19 cities and towns around France are invited to lock lips for five minutes, or simply hold hands if they're a little less demonstrative, in a simultaneous show of affection.

And for the first time they'll be joined by similar actions planned abroad in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and Peru.

The idea is a straightforward one, as Arthur Vauthier, one of those behind the idea which first took place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in June this year, said in a recent interview with the monthly French gay magazine, Têtu.

It's not meant to be a demonstration of gay pride with banners and flags, but a sign of tolerance and that same-sex couples don't need to feel embarrassed or ashamed when displaying affection in public.

"The starting point for the whole idea was the simple observation that there's often hesitancy among same-sex couples to show their fondness for one another in public," he said

"That's a result partially of the possible reaction from other people, but also a degree of internalised fear," he continued.

"Our idea is to trivialise the gesture by saying, 'kiss wherever you want to because it doesn't interfere with others and it also doesn't embarrass us'."

The first kiss-in, organised in Paris in June, may only have attracted a few couples, but it was quickly followed by a similar event a month later in Dijon, and in September more French towns and cities including Marseille, Lyon and Lille had joined in.

Social media sites have helped spread the word with more than 3,000 members signing up to the Facebook group "Kiss-in contre l'homophobie !" and of course there's a blog giving a list of where and when the next kiss-ins are planned.

As for the future, Vauthier hopes it'll become an annual event nationally, with various locations being chosen - at least in the capital where perhaps same-sex couples have fewer inhibitions.

"In other French towns and cities it's normal that these sorts of events will take places which are busy," he says.

"As far as Paris, we really must go where we really need to be accepted - so why not at some point the suburbs," he suggests.

If you're interested in taking part, a full list of where and when can be found here.

Why numbers matter in France

What's in a number? Well quite a lot in France it appears if the latest figures released for car registration plates here are to be believed.

In order of popularity the French have plumped for the following numbers to be included on their car licence plates: 69, 59, 13, 31 and 33

For any of this to make sense there are a couple of things that probably need explaining.

First up France is divided into 100 départements (let's stick to the French spelling with that accent and extra "e" just for the sake of it) or if you like administrative districts.

While four of them are overseas, the other 96 are in what's called here "Metropolitan France" and they're all numbered more or less alphabetically (if that makes any sense) from Ain (01) to Yonne (89).

After that it gets a little confusing because Territoire de Belfort is 90 and 91-95 were created in the 1960s when the area around Paris was rejigged.

Anyway, since 1950 car registration plates have carried the number of the département in which the owner lives.

And over time it has become something of a badge of pride for many. If you lived in Paris - then your car had 75 at the end of its licence plate. Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) - 06, Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) - 13, Lyon (Rhône) - 69 and so on and so forth. For a full list (should you be interested) click here.

But that system changed this year - the fear being that there simply wouldn't be enough numbers to go around.

New cars now carry a registration composed of two letters - three numbers - two letters, something along the lines of AA-123-AA.

A space is also made available for a département number to be displayed. It isn't actually part of the car's registration, instead it's left up to the owner to choose which number appears.

But the choice has to be a judicious one as it's for life (of the owner). In other words drivers keep the licence plate even if they change vehicles or move départements.

Initially introduced just for new cars, the system is now being extended to second-hand cars as of October 15.

So back to those figures and the apparent popularity of certain départements over others.

Well since April 15 there have been two million new vehicles registered and at the moment according to government statistics the number of choice for those not actually living in the département which under the old system would have appeared on the plate is 69 or Rhône, of which the major city is Lyon.

That's followed by 59 (Nord, major city Lille), 13 (Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille), 31 (Haute-Garonne, Toulouse) and 33 (Gironde, Bordeaux).

Meanwhile heading the list in which purchasers of new cars have so far preferred to opt for numbers outside of the département in which they live are 92, Hauts-de-Seine and 75, Paris.

Of course that could all change once second-hand cars start carrying the new plates.

But for the moment the figures seem to suggest that the affinity the French have with a region perhaps from which they originate is still pretty strong and the simple pleasure and apparent symbolism of being identified (or wishing to be so) with a part of the country other than the one in which they might live, still matters.

A French Kiss-In to fight homophobia

You might have missed reports on it, as it wasn't exactly the doom and gloom sort of story that fills column inches and makes the headlines of news bulletins.

So just in case you did, here's a reminder of a demonstration that took place at the end of last month in towns and cities throughout the whole of France and is due to be repeated in December.

A Kiss-In to fight homophobia.

The idea is simple, not to feel ashamed or embarrassed at showing affection to a same-sex partner and to show tolerance.

"Why is the only time we can see gay men and lesbians kiss each other in the street other than in the Marais (a neighbourhood in Paris with many gay cafés, clubs and shops) is during Gay Pride?" the organisers of the Kiss-In ask on their blog.

"How come heterosexuals can kiss in public without it really disturbing anyone?"

The first Kiss-In, organised at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on June 7 may only have attracted 20 or so people, but that didn't put the organisers off and a second one took place in Dijon just over a month later.

But those behind the idea took it one step further and decided to go nationwide.

Of course social media sites and blogs have helped spread the word.

The "Kiss-in contre l'homophobie !" Facebook group already has almost 2,000 fans (and growing).

And that, as you can see from the video, undoubtedly helped rally support in the French capital as couples (homo- and heterosexual) gathered at the underground modern shopping precinct of Forum les Halles to - well, kiss.



It wasn't just in Paris though. there were similar Kiss-Ins organised at the same time in towns and cities around the country such as Lille; Dijon, Lyon and Marseille.

Baisers : opération "kiss-in" (Lyon)
par telelyonmetropole

The hope of the organisers is that when the next nationwide Kiss-In takes place on December 12, even more couples - and not just same sex ones -will turn up.

And perhaps the idea will be picked up by groups abroad so that the event becomes an international Kiss-In to fight homophobia.

Shooting outside nursery school in Lyon UPDATE

Update.

According to Le Figaro, police have taken a 17-year-old in for questioning.

He was discovered in a building near to the school and had apparently been "trying out his new air rifle with a group of his friends," regional security official, Xavier de Fürst told AFP.

(Previous story)

Police are still hunting for a man in the French city of Lyon, who shot and wounded several people outside a a primary school in the centre of the city on Friday morning.
The shooting occurred around 11.15am local time as parents were gathering outside the the Harmonie-Rebatelle nursery school on la place du Docteur-Rebat in the third arrondissement.

Up to 11 people were treated for minor wounds and according to AP (French) three of them were taken to hospital but quickly released.

The gunman, whose identity is unknown, used an air rifle, according to the local police who found a lead pellet at the scene, which has been cordonned off.

He then fled and a special elite police unit has been dispatched to try to find him.

A spokeswoman for the local education authority in Lyon, Anne Le Scanff, told AP that the shots had not been aimed directly at the school but at passers-by in the vicinity.

"At no time were the children in any danger," she said. "They were all inside the school at the time of the shooting and had no idea what had happened."

LCI - a 24 hour French television news channel reports that a psychological unit was set up at the school following the shooting and traffic has been blocked from entering the area.