Horrible animal slaughter in the name of religion!  This is a brutal and inhumane custom that brings shame on all those that participate. To kill harmless animals in the name of God is an abomination. This mass slaughter runs counter to Hindu principles of reverence for life. I try to be very open minded about the beliefs of others but this just makes me sick. I can’t see any bright side to this whatsoever.

I commend the actress and animal activist Brigitte Bardot for standing up for animals.

‘WORLD’S BIGGEST ANIMAL SACRIFICE’ BEGINS
By Deepesh Shrestha
AFP
November 24, 2009

Up to a million Hindu devotees have gathered in a village in Nepal to
witness the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals in a mass
sacrifice that has drawn widespread criticism.

Worshippers travelled long distances, many coming from India, to attend the
two-day Gadhimai festival, which honours the Hindu goddess of power and
takes place once every five years in southern Nepal.

A huge cry of “Long Live Gadhimai!” went up after the village temple’s head
priest launched the event with the ritual sacrifice of two wild rats, two
pigeons, a rooster, a lamb and a pig.

The crowd then rushed to a nearby field where 250 sword-wielding butchers
were waiting to begin the mass slaughter of about 20,000 buffalo, brought by
devotees to be sacrificed near the holy temple.

“This is a very special day for Hindu devotees,” head priest Mangal
Chaudhary Tharu told AFP as the Gadhimai festival began.

“All the people who came here to worship Gadhimai have been waiting a long
time for this day. I am very proud to be part of this event,” added Tharu,
the fourth generation of his family to serve as a priest at the temple.

An AFP reporter at the scene said up to a million devotees were crammed into
the area for the festival. Many were from India, where some states have
banned animal slaughter for religious purposes.

Mahesh Yadav, a Nepalese farmer who arrived at the site with a black goat
tethered to the back of his bicycle, said he wanted to thank the goddess for
giving him a son.

“I had seven daughters in a row so I promised the goddess I would sacrifice
a goat if she gave me a son,” he told AFP.

“Eight years ago the goddess listened and my son was born.”

Nepal’s government has refused to put a stop to what it says is a
centuries-old religious tradition, despite a vocal opposition campaign from
local animal rights activists who say the slaughter is needless cruelty.

Their cause is supported by the well-known Indian animal rights activist
Maneka Gandhi and by the French film star turned campaigner Brigitte Bardot,
who this month wrote to Nepal’s president urging him to put a stop to the
festival.

Armed police have been deployed around the temple grounds and there were
fears of clashes between animal rights activists and festival-goers.

But the campaigners appeared to have stayed away after making a last-ditch
appeal to the government to stop the event over the weekend.

The buffalo slaughter took place in a huge field surrounded by three-metre
wall, and will be followed on Tuesday by the ritual sacrifice of around
300,000 goats, sheep and birds.

Many festival-goers scaled the wall to get a better view of the killings,
carried out by volunteers using specially-built bamboo cages to prevent the
animals from escaping.

Jaya Lal Thakur, a 34-year-old local barber, said he paid 210 rupees ($4.90)
for a licence to work at the festival and had already slaughtered dozens of
buffalo.

“This is the second time I’ve slaughtered buffalo at the Gadhimai festival.
I don’t get paid to do it but I believe it will bring me salvation,” he told
AFP.

“This is a rare opportunity and I’m very happy to be a part of it.”

At one point police used batons to disperse the crowds and prevent a
stampede, an AFP reporter witnessed, but there were no casualties and the
event appeared mainly peaceful.

Nepal’s government has provided 4.5 million rupees ($105,510) in funding for
the festival, a lucrative event for organisers, who sell the hides to
contractors after the slaughter.

The meat is distributed among local people, some of whom set up stalls
selling sweets and drinks.

Authorities have banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in the area, but
reports said five people including one Indian national died at the weekend
after drinking home-brewed alcohol.

————

My recommendation is to go to the Nepalese Embassy website and complain vociferously: http://www.nepalembassyusa.org/contact.php

Anil Bhanot speaks out in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/nov/25/gadhimai-animal-sacrifice-nepal

Another article from the Guardian:   http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal

Brigitte Bardod (sic), Alain Delon, Marilyn, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor et les Beatles dans le même film. Ce casting à tout casser est au générique de Kachi Kachi Yama, film d’animation joyeusement foutraque de Tadanori Yokoo sorti en 1965. Artiste avant-gardiste pop et psychédélique, graphiste, photographe, paresseusement décrit comme le « Andy Warhol japonais », Tadanori Yokoo dont le style mélange l’iconographie nipponne traditionnelle et l’imagerie occidentale, fit très tôt figure d’iconoclaste. L’artiste parle de « dépasser le moderne en utilisant l’imagination pré-moderne ».

Tellement pré-moderne que Yokoo fait monter les 4 Beatles à bord d’un sous-marin, un an avant que ces derniers n’enregistrent Yellow Submarine et trois avant que le dessin animé du même nom ne sorte dans les salles. Avec un nom pareil, rien d’étonnant me direz vous.

Au programme, 3 courts-métrages d’animation à regarder d’une traite : Kiss, Kiss, Kiss (1964), Kachi Kachi Yama (1965) et Tokuten Eizou Anthology No. 1 (1964).

La escena del baile, que tan famosa hizo a Brigitte Bardot.

Comincia oggi in Nepal una delle piu’ importanti feste religiose durante la quale oltre 300000 animali vengono sacrificati. Il Gadhimai festival, durante il quale si venera la dea della potenza, ha visto il via stamattina alle 2.45 a Bariyapur, nella parte meridionale del Nepal, con l’inizio dell’arrivo di milioni di devoti provenienti anche dall’India. Ma anche la presenza di attivisti animalisti che protestano. Ad aprire il festival religioso, il ministro della salute nepalese Umakanta Chaudhri che ha raggiunto il tempio vecchio di 260 anni dedicato a Gadhimai, per dare inizio al festival. Non senza polemiche. A parte quelle sulla sicurezza, visto che il Nepal da settimane registra problemi a causa degli ex ribelli maoisti, a tenere banco sono le polemiche animaliste. Attivisti per i diritti degli animali di tutto il mondo, tra i quali Brigitte Bardot, hanno scritto al presidente nepalese chiedendo la fine della festa e, soprattutto, della mattanza degli animali. ”Personalmente trovo difficile da immaginare – ha scritto la Bardot al presidente nepalese Ram Baran Yadav – che il suo cuore possa approvare questa crudelta’, sapendo che lei, essendo il capo di un paese, e’ anche responsabile della cosa”. Almeno 40000 bufali, arrivati principalmente dall’India, saranno sacrificati insieme a molti altri animali nel piu’ grande sacrificio animale di tutto il mondo. Dinanzi al tempio stamattina, anche attivisti di organizzazioni animaliste nepalesi e indiane che manifestavano contro i sacrifici di massa degli animali. Il governo nepalese si e’ lavato le mani, rispondendo agli attivisti di non avere il potere di fermare la festa religiosa. Il ”piccolo Buddha”, Ram Bahadur Bomjan, il giovane che ha meditato nella foresta per settimane senza mangiare ne’ muoversi, ha meditato nei pressi del tempio di Gadhimai per chiedere la fine del massacro, cosi’ come maestri e monaci tibetani che hanno recitato mantra (preghiere buddiste) intorno al tempio. Oltre 1100 agenti di polizia sono stati dispiegati in zona per evitare scontri. La festa di Gadhimai si celebra ogni cinque anni nella citta’ di Bariyapur. Fino a 500000 animali vengono sacrificati da 250 ’sgozzatori’ autorizzati. I primi animali ad essere sacrificati son i bufali, seguiti poi da capre, pecore, polli, piccioni ed anche topi. Circa 5 milioni di fedeli sono attesi alla festa, la maggior parte dei quali provenienti dall’India. La tradizione vuole che nei due giorni della festa, vengano sacrificati animali alla dea della potenza, assetata di sangue. Su internet si trovano video, ma sono troppo cruenti per me da postare.

7ème arrondissement, 5bis rue de Verneuil.

Serge, peintre et compositeur, est fou amoureux de l’icône de la décennie, initiales B.B. Depuis 1967, ces deux-là s’aiment d’amour tout en continuant à se vouvoyer, même si Brigitte Bardot est mariée au milliardaire Gunther Sachs. Le couple illégitime se retrouve chez elle, avenue Paul Doumer. Lui veut un endroit plus discret. Il a déjà repéré la maison de la rue de Verneuil, il l’emmène la visiter, l’agent immobilier comprend qu’il est face à une situation fantastique et chasse les autres visiteurs d’un “elle est déjà vendue”.

Gainsbourg l’appelait “mon hôtel particulier”, même si derrière le mur se cachaient de vieilles écuries. L’appartement est transformé en duplex, le noir y trouve sa place avec classe et mystère. Pendant ce temps, le compositeur crée des chansons pour sa muse, jusqu’au fatal “Je t’aime moi non plus”. Décadent, sensuel, sexuel, le titre fait un scandale lors de son unique passage en radio. Gunther rappelle sa femme à l’ordre, il profite d’un tournage en Andalousie pour la rejoindre et la reconquérir, la belle Bardot demande à Serge de stopper la sortie du disque et rompt avec lui. Les bobines finissent au coffre fort, il promet de ne jamais réenregistrer le titre avec qui que ce soit. Parole qu’il ne tiendra pas : en 1969, Jane prend la place de Brigitte et la chanson renaît. B.B. est triste, mais elle sait que c’est dans l’ordre des choses. Finalement, sa version à elle sortira dans les bacs bien plus tard, en 1986.

La maison ? Lors de la rupture, Serge décide de ne pas l’habiter. Il préfère l’hôtel, une chambre envahie de la présence de Bardot : cartes, portraits… il vit dans son souvenir. Il est encore à l’hôtel lorsqu’il tourne un film avec une jeune anglaise qui ne parle pas un mot de français. Lui espérait tourner ce film, “Slogan” (de Pierre Grimblat) avec Marisa Berenson. Du coup la petite, il la fait morfler, il n’en veut pas. Le tournage tourne au désastre, jusqu’à ce que Pierre Grimblat imagine une ruse pour réconcilier ses deux acteurs. Il leur donne rendez-vous au restaurant, mais lui n’arrivera jamais. Tête à tête forcé entre les deux, Gainsbourg arrête de faire sa tête de chou, il se laisse atteindre par la belle Birkin.

Quand leur histoire devient sérieuse, c’est elle qui propose d’emménager rue de Verneuil. Ils y vivront une dizaine d’années, auront Charlotte ensemble, puis Serge ne saura pas garder sa belle. Elle fuit, il se retrouve seul dans son duplex à la décoration si soignée. Chaque bibelot a sa place, il arrange, peaufine, il aime tellement ce lieu qu’il en fera déjà un musée de son vivant. Puis il déménage définitivement en 1991 en laissant Bambou et Lulu, derniers compagnons de route.

Charlotte Gainsbourg a d’abord voulu ouvrir un musée dans la maison de son père. Elle a commencé par régler les problèmes de paperasses, rachetant les autres parts des ayants-droit (Gainsbourg avait, en-dehors de Charlotte et Lulu, deux autres enfants de son tout premier mariage), frappant aux portes des différents ministres de la culture, Lang, Toubon… En 2001, la mairie de Paris entame sérieusement des démarches. Mais tous les projets tombent à l’eau. Derrière les volets, les meubles, les objets, tout est resté en place, paraît-il. Aujourd’hui, le projet de musée est abandonné. “Mon père appartient déjà tellement à tout le monde”, répond Charlotte quand on lui demande pourquoi.

Alors nous, on a la façade. Elle, l’intérieur. C’est dans l’ordre des choses, après tout.

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En ce moment se tient à Boulogne une exposition exceptionnelle consacrée à la sublime Brigitte Bardot.

Pour l’occasion, la célèbre maison Fauchon a lancé un éclair aux couleurs de la belle BB. Il a été conçu par Christophe Adam, Chef Exécutif et Benoît Couvrand, Chef pâtissier. Ce très bel éclair est parfumé à l’amande et à la rose, doux et subtil à la fois. L’éclair est recouvert d’une coque de chocolat imprimée d’une photo de l’actrice prise par Sam Lanvin en 1959. La photo met en scène BB au top de sa beauté, uniquement vêtue d’un drap de bain en éponge…tout un programme

Cet éclair fait parti de la collection Hommages que la maison Fauchon va mettre en place, rend ainsi hommage à de nombreuses célébrités en les affichant sur de délicieux éclairs. Plutôt original comme concept!

Si vous voulez déguster un éclair de la belle Bardot, précipitez vous au magasin Fauchon de la place de la Madeleine, il vous en coutera 6€.

Eclair Brigitte Bardot Fauchon - Crédit Photo Fauchon

Scaduta la tregua, fra maoisti e governo il 20 novembre, continuano le discussioni. Addirittura il leader maoista Prachanda si è recato a Singapore per incontrare il Grande Vecchio del Congresso Koirala (ospedalizzato lì). Tutto si muove verso un accordo (come previsto in altri posts)  proprio nel giorno in cui si festeggia e ricorda la fine della guerra civile (1996-2006) con la firma del Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) fra i maoisti e i partiti democratici. Da allora si è mosso poco (stesura costituzione, smantellamento esercito maoista, riforma dello stato, ripresa economica). Si conta su un accordo ma l’attenzione di è già spostata sul piccolo villaggio di  Bariyarpur (Terai) dove stanno giungendo centinaia di migliaia di pellegrini per celebrare il  Gadhimai Mela, uno dei più importanti festival dell’India del nord (e Terai nepalese). che si tiene nel piccolo villaggio ogni  cinque anni. Qualcuno è già morto per aver bevuto come un matto, tradizione della festa, liquori contraffatti.

La zona è già nota per le apparizioni del Buddha Ragazzo e perché sarà il punto d’arrivo della prima strada a quattro corsie che dovrebbe congiungere la Valle di Kathmandu al Terai e India (finanziamenti permettendo). Intorno al villaggio,  piane foreste spelacchiate, qualche coltivazione di riso, mais, fiori gialli di sesamo, tanti bufali gobbuti e povertà. Non distante il confine indiano, la città ponte di Hetauda, grandi traffici e contrabbandi.  Le poche fabbriche del Nepal (chimica, juta, cotone) sono sull’orlo del fallimento o già chiuse come la Palmolive-Colgate e la Everest Polymers. Il distretto industriale ha perso il 45% della produzione (e dei posti di lavoro) a causa della crisi internazionale e dell’assenza di una politica economica del governo.  Qualche anno fa, si tenne una delle rare manifestazioni sindacali (proprio per una chiusura di una fabbrica) che finì con qualche morto fra gli operai.

Questo posto è, da qualche tempo, al centro dell’attenzione della stampa internazionale (specie indiana) per il gran festone del Gadhimai, una tradizione che va avanti da oltre 200 anni. Durante la festa (24-26 novembre) verranno sacrificati oltre 500.000 animali (fra cui 60.000 bufali), importati illegalmente dall’India senza controlli sanitari e doganali). Non è una novità nella tradizione hindu dove la venerazione alle divinità “energetiche” Shiva, Shakty, Kali, Durga, Devi è sempre accompagnata da sangue e morte. Gadhimai, dal volto nero e spettrale e dai grandi occhi bianchi, è una delle molti potenti emanazione dell’Energia Primordiale, Femminile e Generatrice. E’ la Madre Terra cui si deve (come in molte altre civiltà, compresa la nostra idealmente) manetenere viva la Forza offrendo sangue ed energia umana o animale (la Vita). In cambio, l’Umano, ha benefici generali (raccolti, protezione vita) e particolari (figli, mariti, potenza nel mondano, salute). Questo racconta la gente che ogni martedì e sabato sgozza polli e caproni fra gli alberi cupi di Dakshinkali (sui margini meridionali della Valle di Kathmandu), nelle migliaia di templi di Durga durante il Dashain, o sulle rive dei fiumi sacri, come al grande tempio di Kali a Calcutta. Da tempo immemorabile, questo raccontano i sacerdoti nei milioni di villaggi hinduisti del subcontinente e su questo vivono.

Le stesse speranze spingono centinaia di migliaia alla pagoda di Bariyarpur a fine novembre da oltre 200 anni, quando ancora qui governava la dinastia dei Kiranti (11-14 secolo) e Bara era parte del potente regno Mithila. Addirittura, si racconta, che il famoso tempio di Taleju a Kathmandu sia una replica di quello dedicato a Gadhimai e che la stesso culto della Kumari (la Dea Bambina, emanazione di Durga) venga da qui. I sovrani di Kathmandu scendevano nel Terai durante la festa e così fece anche l’ex re Gyanendra che oggi si è pentito e ha richiesto, insieme a animalisti, intellettuali, il Buddha Tamang , Brigitte Bardot, monaci buddhisti,  al governo nepalese (che se ne è impippato) l’abolizione della festa. Un corteo è sfilato nei giorni scorsi a Bara chiedendo di sostituire i sacrifici animali con offerte di frutta e vegetali (quello che fanno buddhisti e vishnuisti).

Si è mossa anche Maneka Gandhi (da sempre ambientalista) vedova del discusso Sanjay Gandhi e pecora nera della potente famiglia con un bello ma fragile articolo. Fragile perché le sue argomentazioni non toccano  i contadini, operai, disoccupati (il proletariato del subcontinente), che non potendo comprare i biglietti della lotteria si affida alla tradizione per continuare a sperare di migliorare le proprie condizioni o di re-incarnarsi in un ricco possidente. Scrive giustamente Maneka del business che sta dietro a tutto questo , (come ad ogni espressione rituale delle religioni), dei venditori di alcol (che s’arricchiscono durante le feste), degli onnipresenti prestasoldi che anticipano le spese dei sacrifici, dell’import ed export di animali, pellami, carne (ciò che resta dei sacrifici), e di sacerdoti che s’ingrassano a Bara come nei villaggi. Addirittua c’è un sito (non funzionante) sulla festa. Questa è ancora l’India, del resto cosa dovrebbero dire i milioni di tacchini uccisi (più o meno nella stessa data) al Thanksgiving nella civilizzata America.

Gli appelli degli intellettuali indiani per sospendere la festa non hanno avuto successo sul governo nepalese allo sbando. Il Buddha ragazzo, Ram Bahadur Bamjan, ha promesso di essere lì durante la festa per impedire le uccisioni. Il gran sacerdote del tempio di Gadhimai, il brahmino Mangal Chaudhari ha assicurato che, progressivamente, il numero di animali sacrificati diminuirà, la polizia ha aumentato il numero di uomini impegnati per evitare che, alle tradizionali botte fra i festeggianti, qualcuno non se la prenda con i contestatori.

Lettera aperta al Presidente della Commissione Europea José Manuel Barroso.

Sig. José Manuel Barroso
Presidente della Commissione Europea
Rue de la Loi 200
B – 1049 Bruxelles

Presidente della Fondation Brigitte Bardot
28 rue Vineuse
75116 Parigi
Francia

I’m currently obsessed with this song and video:

I’m coming out of my fashion drought. I’m ditching the sweatpants, baggy t shirt, Nike Air Force 1 look for something a little more feminine and classic. My main beauty and fashion inspiration right now is the lovely French actress, Brigitte Bardot:

She was a famous sex symbol during the 50’s and 60’s

I have not yet attempted this hairstyle but it’s one of my favorites of hers. Fortunately, I have almost identical hair color and my hair is also very long, thick, and wavy like hers which makes style imitation easier.

This style I have tried. Basically it’s teasing the crown into a “bump” and then taking some hair from the front and wrapping it to the back and then clip in place or use bobby pins to secure, while letting bangs and rest of the hair hang freely. It only takes about 15-20 minutes but I’m sure it won’t take as long after practice.

Brigitte also had beautiful signature makeup, which from what I can tell, consisted of a cat eyeliner, some mascara, smokey shadow, and pink, coral, or nude lips.

Her style was also gorgeous and glamorous. She wore alot of black, white, stripes, pinks, dresses, skirts, and chest baring shirts.

She epitomized the 60’s mod look

“If only every man who sees my films did not get the impression he can make love to me, I would be a lot happier. ” -Brigitte Bardot

I am currently mastering the “cateye” eyeliner technique and I have to say THE best eyeliner for this is Maybelline liquid eyeliner with the soft tip, it’s very precise but isn’t wet, you have alot of control over it.  As far as hair goes, I think practice makes perfect pretty good. I’m very lucky to have extremely similar hair to Bardot but the fact remains thick, long hair takes longer to style than thinner, shorter hair and thus more paitence.

Yes, A is for Angelique, the series of novels by Sergeanne Golon (actually a husband-and-wife team: Serge did the research, Anne the writing) set in seventeenth-century France and, later on, the New World, following Angelique de Sance de Monteloup from rags to riches to rags to riches to rags…and so on.  No man, no king and no sultan can resist the green-eyed, tawny-haired Angelique and she goes through men and marriages like a hot knife through butter.  Some feminism is thrown into the mix: when times are tough, Angelique starts her own business, at one point owning a chain of chocolate shops.  She can be predatory, manipulative, ruthless, but she is also a loving mother and an exceptionally devoted wife.  As my 1961 paperback of the first book, The Marquise of the Angels, put it, Angelique was ‘half angel, half devil, wholly woman!’

When it came time to turn these books into movies, who could be found to portray this icon? First to be approached was Brigitte Bardot, then at the height of her fame and beauty, but she turned the role down.  According to her autobiography, Initiales BB, when on location in Mexico, she came to regret it:

I have always loved to read, I can’t live without books, they’re an alter ego, a means of escape into dreams, illusions.  Amongst all the rubbish I had packed was the Angelique series.  Without even glancing at it, I had refused to film the adaptation.  I could have kicked myself!  That will teach me to make hasty final decisions.  It’s a fault I have had all my life, and this combination of laziness, indifference and insouciance has played me more than one trick…I threw myself body and soul into the thriling adventures of the amazing Angelique, who was duly played in a masterful fashion by Michele Mercier.

Brigitte Bardot, Initiales BB: memoires, Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, 1996.

Michele Mercier played Angelique in five films and became as famous as Bardot as a result of the Angelique films, but she was more completely identified with that one role.  Her latest volume of autobiography is entitled Je Ne Suis Pas Angelique [I am not Angelique].

I thought it might be fun to compare and contrast the looks and acting styles of BB and MM.  BB first: here’s a link to her 1957 film Une Parisienne.  BB plays Brigitte Laurier, a politician’s spoilt daughter who falls in love with one of his assistants, Michel.  In this part of the film, everyone is spending the weekend at Brigitte’s father’s country chateau.  That night Brigitte decides to sneak into Michel’s bedroom, but she’s not the only one on the prowl, and hilarity ensues. (Warning: the sound is a bit squeaky so you might want to turn the volume down).

I can look sulkier than you can

And now MM.  After a good bit of searching I finally managed to find an Angelique montage that didn’t have a Celine Dion or Mariah Carey song dubbed over the top:

No, I can look sulkier than you

I noticed from the comments that some other Youtube users didn’t appreciate the soundtrack, but personally I think it’s fabulous.

It’s hard to say which of BB or MM would have made the better Angelique – they are both extremely beautiful, feminine and charismatic.  But it’s interesting that BB’s most famous film, And God Created Woman (1956), starred her in an ingenue role, whereas MM made her name in the role of the more mature Angelique.

Review of Angelique, Marquise des Anges [Angelique, Marquise of the Angels] (1964 film)

Stills from Angelique, Marquise des Anges [Angelique, Marquise of the Angels] (1964 film)

Review of Merveilleuse Angelique [Wonderful Angelique] (1965 film)

Review of Angelique et le Roy [Angelique and the King] (1966 film) – plus a Youtube clip which, if you haven’t read the book, requires some explanation despite the subtitles.  What has happened is that Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV’s powerful mistress, fearing that he is falling in love with Angelique, has got her maid, Mlle Desoeillets, to get Angelique’s maid to put out a nightie for her which is impregnated with poison and will kill on contact.  The leaves the maid is holding are meant to protect her from contact with the nightie. But Angelique has survived a lot by this point and she is more than equal to the occasion. Incidentally, her costume is completely wrong – this is supposed to be the 1670s, but those sleeves are 18th century and in fact the whole dress is very 18th century in cut.

Stills from Angelique et le Roy [Angelique and the King] (1966 film)

Review of Indomptable Angelique [Untameable Angelique] (1967 film)

Review of Angelique et le Sultan [Angelique and the Sultan] (1968)

Stills from Angelique et le Sultan [Angelique and the Sultan] (1968 film)

The Angelique books, still in print in many countries, have now helped three generations of girls to grow up.  Is she a positive role model?  I’d say overwhelmingly yes.  No matter what life threw at her – and she had to deal with everything from rape to a trial to bereavement to bankruptcy – she picked herself up, dusted herself down and set off to climb her next mountain.  She was superb at getting whatever it was she wanted.  The rollicking plot may not be realistic, but Angelique’s determination and courage always are.

Unfortunately the official Angelique site seems to have gone offline, but there is a tribute site, Brigitte Collet’s Monteloup, which has a wonderful collection of book covers.

This post was brought to you by Historical Tapestry’s Alphabet in Historical Fiction Challenge.  Read HT’s review of Angelique here.

Wat ik altijd een aardig liedje heb gevonden, zij het een aardig onzinliedje, is ‘Margootje’, gezongen door Wim Sonneveld.

Dat Margootje uit het lied is een erg klein vrouwtje, uit Madorudam, vandaar, dat onverwacht bij Wim op bezoek komt, in haar Peugeootje. (Waar ze uitstapt in bikini: nou ja, zeg.) Wim vindt haar in eerste instantie wel leuk, maar wanneer Margootje erg ondeugend wordt – ze wil in zijn bad en in zijn bed – is voor hem de maat vol. Want Wim hield niet echt van kleine vrouwtjes. Margootje vertrekt boos en beledigd, en eindigt in het Begijnenhof van Madurodam.

Het lied komt uit 1964, en de tekstschrijver, niemand minder dan Annie M.G., heeft er twee personen uit de actualiteit van de jaren ’60 in verwerkt: Brigitte Bardot en Christine Keeler.

De referentie aan Bardot is zonder meer geslaagd, al is het alleen maar om het rijm Margootje – Bardootje. (Dat kon Annie natuurlijk niet laten lopen.) En zelfs vandaag nog, ruim veertig jaar later, heeft iedereen een duidelijk beeld bij Bardootje.

Dat ligt anders met Christine Keeler: wie weet nog wie dat was? OK, vooruit, ík, nog net: zij was een mooie doch vrij onnozele meid die het deed met zowel een Engelse minister (John Profumo) als een Russische diplomaat, hetgeen vooral voor die minister vervelend was want hij moest aftreden. In tegenstelling tot Margootje was Christine overigens niet blond, herinner ik mij. ‘Jij, Christine Keeler in pocketformaat!’ (Wim schreeuwde het kwaad) vind ik echter wel een erg leuke vondst. Jammer, voor het lied, dat haar faam van korte duur was.

Kunnen we misschien een leuke update bedenken? Een ondeugend, sexy vrouwtje, zo mogelijk blond, beetje opdringerig, schandaaltjes geen bezwaar? Daarbij moet haar naam naadloos in het liedje passen, qua lettergrepen en klemtoon. A la: ‘Lúl de Behánger’.

Suggesties, anyone?

Some more Chanel…and Brigitte Bardot today. To celebrate the magnificent #V62 covershoot of Natalie Portman wearing Chanel, V magazine asked filmmaker Stephen Smith to create a stop-motion footage that illustrates the eternal chic of Chanel.

It ends with the Chanel set that Natalie wore on the cover. The song that supports the video is interpreted by bombshell Brigitte Bardot. Superb!

The Brigitte Bardot Eclair by Fauchon

Here we go with our food-obsession again….Look what I’ve found on Vogue.fr…an éclair with a Brigitte Bardot picture glazed on it! Whaaahaaa! The pâtissiers are going crazier every day…

The éclair was made for an exhibition dedicated to Brigitte Bardot at the Espace Landowski at Boulogne Billancourt in Paris.

You can buy this sexy and very tasty piece of pastry at the Fauchon boutique, 26 Place de la Madeleine, in Paris for 6 Euros.

Looking at the current music industry, I find it interesting how a lot of the biggest stars have attached themselves to one another.  Beyoncé and Jay-Z are considered the golden couple of R&B / hip-hop, and although they are both megastars and extremely talented in their own right (and have lots of independent ventures, and carved out their own careers independently before getting together), it’s the fact that they are together which makes them seem almost invincible.  When you listen to some of Beyoncé’s love songs, you can imagine her singing about Jay-Z; when she has a song like “Diva” which exudes confidence in a hip-hop style, you assume that Jay-Z had something to do with that attitude.  Even if it’s not the case.  Likewise, on Robin Thicke’s new song “Meiplé”, Jay-Z raps about Beyoncé being the “black Brigitte Bardot”.

Running with the Beyoncé example, she teams up with artists such as Shakira and Lady Gaga (whoever’s hot, basically) to cement her status as one of music’s elite.  Just like Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, or Timbaland and Nelly Furtado.  Relationships-wise, remember the furore over Britney Spears and Justin back in the day?  Their relationship elevated them to supernova-level megastardom, and was a massive element in their fame and success.  Interestingly, when they broke up, things just weren’t the same.  I think as members of the public, we like a couple who are balanced musically and seem to fit each other personally – it seems like fairytales can happen.  And when they self-destruct and we’re forced to admit that the fairytale was something created by the public and the media that the celebrities could never live up to, it’s just not the same.  I’m sure that there are some people who would attribute Britney’s entire marriage to Kevin Federline and her subsequent meltdown to the fact that her and Justin broke up, regardless of the reasons behind that breakup or the other factors in Britney’s life that added to her downward spiral (and subsequent resurgence).  I think that the same is happening with Rihanna and Chris Brown at the moment – however good their music / dancing / fashion might be, the fact that they were part of a couple – however much they would deny it to the paparazzi – made them seem that little bit more gilded in superstardom.  Now that they’ve split up, regardless of who beat who, they’re both experiencing some backlash (despite the fact that in both cases, their new material is certainly up to par, if not better, than their previous work).  What’s up with that?

I was thinking about this not because I ruminate daily on Beyoncé and Rihanna’s love lives, but because the same kind of thing has happened at uni.  Consciously or not, several of us within our course have paired off – not in a romantic sense, but just attached ourselves to one best friend.  There’s Pete and Emma, Penny and Daisy, Julie and Clare, among others – and of course me and Mike.  Talking about Mike and me, we’re the unofficial ‘leaders’ of our group – everyone seems to look to us whenever we speak in class, whenever someone needs to volunteer to do something in the group, organising social events.  I dread to think what would have happened if one of us didn’t smoke – we wouldn’t have had the chance to gel so instantly (on the first morning, Mike came up to me and said “Do you smoke?” “Yes.” “I thought it was you outside.  THANK GOD.  I smoke too!” and that was it!).  But I still think that because of the people we are, we would have found each other before too long.  It’s interesting how we seem to attract others around us, be they members of the aforementioned pairs, or others.  At first, there was a pair of the two youngest girls, Jenny and Sian, but as time’s gone on, Jenny has started to explore life on the dark side (i.e. she’s hanging out with me, Mike and Vikki) and loosened up to have some fun.  There’s a sense of charisma and magnetism that pairs who get on well exude without even much effort.  I wonder if those in our group who don’t come out for social drinks, who turn up to uni alone and go home alone, are enjoying it quite as much?  I know that the point of the course is not to have fun and socialise, but I like to work hard and play hard, and I think it’s a good balance for getting the most from this experience.

The funny thing was one night recently when Mike couldn’t come out.  I was still the social ringleader, but I did have a couple of comments such as “So what is Mike doing tonight?”  ”How is Mike?” “You won’t smoke as much tonight since your smoking partner isn’t here.”  Me and Mike texted during the evening (he was sad he couldn’t be there, I was updating him on the scandal and gossip as the night progressed), but I thought it was interesting how people still kinda saw me as the ringleader, but thought that he and me were inseparable to the point of knowing each other’s business inside out.  I told Mike about it on Sunday when I saw him, and we laughed at the fact people seem to have the conception that we cannot exist without one another (I’ve heard one person say “Mike loves you, he follows you everywhere!” when I don’t see it as following, I just see it as a natural gravitation towards one another) – last time I checked, I managed 23.8 years of my life without Mike, and he managed even more without me.

Once you become a part of a “power couple” in whatever sense, does that make you inferior when you act on your own?  As much as I enjoy being part of the “Mike & I” leadership party, I’m still my own person.  Me and Mike have a lot in common, but we’re different in a lot of ways too, and I don’t need him to function.  And vice versa!  I think that having a companion or partner in crime makes you feel stronger, bolder and more confident, but it doesn’t mean that without the other person, you’re nothing.  I wonder what Jay-Z thinks about his position in hip-hop’s elite, and whether this position would be compromised were he to divorce Beyoncé tomorrow.  Sometimes a friendship or relationship brings along with it a certain amount of social bank or clout, but that’s not the sole reason why we should be friends with anyone – we just gel with people and connect from there.  Because at the end of the day, people may see a certain facet of us in the public eye – whether we’re celebrities or just day-to-day people – but behind closed doors or in the privacy of our own relationship, we have that connection for reasons people don’t understand unless they’re willing to plumb the depths below the surface.

COCO CHANEL

Coco fue una mujer independiente con un sentido genial de estilo y elegancia, y más allá de eso, alguien muy original. Entre sus clientes habituales estaban celebridades de los 50 como Brigitte Bardot, Katherine Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly o Marilyn Monroe.

Creía firmemente en que la elegancia de la ropa significa “libertad al moverse”; por ello introdujo el pantalón en la moda femenina de la época hasta la actualidad. También son más que famosas sus aportaciones como el Chanel Suit, el suéter con cuello de tortuga, las gabardinas y las french coat (antes solo para hombres).

MANOLO BLAHNICK

Este diseñador de zapatos canario dejó los estudios para mudarse a París con la intención de estudiar arte, aunque finalmente fue en Londres donde conoció a la editora de Vogue que le animó a lanzarse como diseñador de zapatos.

En 1971 se va a New York donde presenta a la editora de Vogue un portfolio donde había dibujos y diseños de sus zapatos. Asombrada por su talento, esta mujer fue quien le convence para dedicarse al diseño de calzado.

Comienza a diseñar y hacer zapatos para Zapata y más tarde para los diseñadores Ossie Clark, Perry Ellis, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta y Galliano. Pero su gran salto se produce cuando en la serie “Sexo en Nueva York” la actriz principal se declara adicta a sus zapatos.

Hoy en día, sus zapatos tienen nombre propio, los Manolos, y son codiciados por todo tipo de mujer.

LOUIS VUITTON

Actualmente es una empresa francesa que diseña ropa y complementos de lujo, fundamentalmente de cuero ; y principal patrocinador de la Copa América. Fue fundada, como su nombre indica, por Louis Vuitton.

Dice la leyenda, que Vuitton fue aceptando todo tipo de trabajos a lo largo de su larga travesía hacia París, donde comenzó a escribir su propia historia y la de la moda, especialmente a partir de ser descubierto por Napoleón III, quien lo contrató al servicio de su esposa, Eugenia de Montijo.

Su primer diseño, fueron sus ya famosos baúles con las inciales de su nombre, LV, aún de moda en la actualidad. De ahí siguió con sus más que conocidos diseños de bolsos y por último de ropa y complementos.

my claudia schiffer tribute sketch the result of a day on the beach with marisa

Ahhh, right now I am loving Claudia Schiffer – a natural German beauty.  She has a softness and mystery to her look – It is evident by her stunning pictures that there is more to her than meets the eye.  My apologies for my new girl crush.

These Brigitte Bardot inspired advertisements for Guess ads in 1990, photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth.  Wish Guess was still cool like this – but alas any company who uses Paris Hilton as their driving force does not deserve my support…  I am going to do a Brigitte Bardot post soon.

or this one which is better but won’t embed on my site… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2IaAHstMac

^super creepy/awesome claudia schiffer tribute

BRIGITTE BARDOT AND THE ORIGINAL PAPARAZZI. AN EXHIBITION OF RARE VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS

03.09.2009 – 03.10.2009

Coinciding with the 75th Birthday of Brigitte Bardot on 28th September 2009, James Hyman Gallery presents an exhibition of 75 vintage photographs by some of the most famous paparazzi photographers of the 1960s.

see more @  Brigitte Bardot and the Original Paparazzi. An exhibition of rare vintage photographs.

Gör som Jean Paul Gaultier och hitta inspirationen hos Hollywoods dåtida filmstjärnor. På Jean Paul Gaultiers höstvisning 2009, kunde man se tydliga influenser av klassisk Hollywood glamour! Modellernas styling var inspirerade av gamla stilikoner som Marlene Dietrich och Brigitte Bardot. Stilen var följande; Sotade ögon, röda läppar, klassiska frisyrer, det dominerade catwalken! Glamour när den är som allra bäst, med andra ord!

Den looken och stilen tilltalar mej! Funderar på att göra en “extreme makeover” en dag och sedan plåta rejält! Har ju jobbat som modell och mannekäng innan, så why not? Ibland är det kul att förgylla vardagen lite och förnya sig!

Vad säger ni?? Visst var de dåtida Hollywoodstjärnorna grymt snygga????

Bilden från Jean Paul Gaultiers Höstvisning!

Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene Dietrich.

Brigitte Bardot.

Brigitte Bardot.

Rita Hayworth.

Marilyn Monroe.

Elisabeth Taylor.

Sophia Loren.

Grace Kelly.

Grace Kelly var en av världens vackraste kvinnor, anser jag.

I might as well drop the bomb now before I forget. The samples (vocal and instrumental) on “Meiplé” came from Brigitte Bardot’s “Moi Je Joue”: french for Me I Play. You see what they did there? That ain’t the worst of it. Just listen to the source material.

Not very different from the end result now is it?

On to what’s cool about MeIple hook. On it, Robin Thicke and Jay go on to say “I know you wanna…” and it sounds like Ms. Bardot drops a sultry f-bomb. In fact she’s really saying “fort” which is french for strong. It’s just that her accent and tone make it sound like something else. If you wanna get REALLY nerdy and techincal, whoever cut the sample up left out the “plus” (literally meaning “more” in english) in front of fort which means she actually said “stronger.”

Last I checked, stronger isn’t a curse in french (plus fort) or in English. Even with this in mind it must have raised a flag  since it’s censored in the radio version. Shout out to Greums over at TSS for the post idea. I might as well wrap this up with another flick of Ms. Bardot in her prime. Have a good day.

]]> http://atedebaixodagua.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/as-10-praias-brasileiras-mais-visitadas-por-gringos-famosos/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:49:24 +0000 lais20 http://atedebaixodagua.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/as-10-praias-brasileiras-mais-visitadas-por-gringos-famosos/

Tá aí sem saber o que fazer da vida? Corra pra uma dessas 10 praias e veja os famosos que passam por lá!

1) Copacabana – RJ - claro!

Dois famosos que já passaram por lá: Hugh Jackman (o Wolverine), e a banda The Police. 

Hugh Jackman - Foto: Quem Online

2) Ipanema -RJ

Dois famosos que já passaram por lá: Calvin Klein (sim, o estilista chiquérrimo!), e Chad Kroeger  (vocalista do Nickelback).

3) Angra dos Reis – RJ

Dois famosos que já passaram por lá: O casal Tom Cruise e Kate Holmes com a filhinha Suri.

Foto: Ag.APhotos/Felipe Assumpção

4) Búzios – RJ

Dois famosos que já passaram por lá:  Brigitte Bardot, e o ator Matthew McConaughey com a mulher, a modelo brasileira Camila Alves.

5) Jurerê Internacional – SC

Dois famosos que já passaram por lá: Snoop Dogg e Ja Rule.

6) São Sebastião – SP

Famoso avistado por lá: O guitarrista da banda Radiohead, Ed O’Brien.

7) Itacaré – BA

Dois famosos avistados por lá: O casal Carla Bruni e Nicolas Sarkozy.

Foto: Dida Sampaio/AE

8 ) Trancoso – BA

Famoso avistado por lá: Adam Clayton, baixista do U2.

9) Arraial D’Ajuda – BA

Famosos que já passaram por lá: Michael Schumacker, Richard Gere, Jimmy Cliff e Robert De Niro.

10) Maxaranguape -RN

Famosos que já passaram por lá: Casal Vitoria e David Beckham.

David Beckham - Foto: Site UOL

É, agora é só torcer pra encontrar né?

Fonte: O verso do inverso.

Mangey little Bandit 10-Nov-09

Bandit wandered into the bus stop bookstore coffee shop this week.  The regular customers quickly realized that this puppy was all alone and looking for sanctuary so they called Ayuda.

With a mangey face, and perhaps his very first day away from his mother, Bandit was carried through the closest neighborhoods where residents were asked if they knew this puppy.  Although he had been seen by the neighbors, no one knew where this little chow had originated.  The popular suspicion is that he was probably dropped off from a passing bus.

The neighbors were made aware that Ayuda was taking him to Zoo Mascota for treatments, and that he would then go to a temporary foster home while he recovers.

Bandit is about 9 or 10 weeks old and we think we may have already found a nice family of humans for him.  But first he will complete his mange treatments, become sterilized, and receive our standard series of vaccinations.

Despite our daily efforts to control the dog population, we still have a continuous supply of puppy adoption opportunities.  Please Contact Us if you are interested in helping to find homes for homeless animals.  Our supplies of basic medications for Bandit and others like him continue to become painfully reduced.   In order to rebuild our inventory of supplies we desperately require cash and/or in-kind donations.  We ask for support from local residents,  visitors, and people like you who care about the plight of helpless animals.

Gillian Zinser’s new surfer chick character on 90210, Ivy, is reminding me of better more simple times, when all a girl needed to do for attention while surfing was pretend to drown like the great pre-teen temptress Gidget.

Gidget was a character so great that in the 1950s -1960s four different actresses had to play her in film, sequel, and television. I miss them all.

Sandra Dee as Gidget

Sandra Dee, the original girl + midget (a Gidget) introduced the role to teens everywhere in 1959 when she adapted the character from Fredrick Kohner’s novel Gidget into the film of the same title. Sandra Dee’s Gidget was blonde and stick thin with a high-pitched squeaky voice. Gidget was grossed out by men and unwilling to grow up. Sandra Dee was a popular actress in many more films including the melodramatic classic that is Douglas Sirk’s remake of Imitation of Life (1959) and also in the Tammy and the FILL IN THE BLANK Franchise. Dee went on to marry Bobby Darrin at age 18. And in middle-age became an anorexic alcoholic.

Deborah Walley in "Gidget Goes to Hawaii"

The next girl to fill the baggy boyish bathing suits of Gidget was Deborah Walley. Walley played Gidge as a wide-eyed red head in Gidget Goes to Hawaii (1961). Post Gidget, Walley was in 15 major motion pictures, most of them B- movie Beach Flicks for American Pictures. Walley last worked on Television in 1999 in a bit part on Baywatch. Sadly Deborah Walley died in 2001 of cancer.

The fourth lucky girl was Cindy Carol in the non-related sequel to a sequel Gidget Goes to Rome (1963). Carol had the shortest post-Gidget career, appearing in her last film in 1965 in the Brigitte Bardot movie, Dear Brigitte (1965). She was also the least popular among fans, her Gidget rarely surfed and often tested the word of Moondoggie.

Sally Field as Gidget

The last, and in my opinion the most important woman, to play Gidget was the one and the only Sally Field in the T.V. series adaptation of the film. Field’s Gidget was vivacious and conniving. This Gidge got dates, tortured her older sister, helped her community, dated her teachers and met pop stars all while being the model of the perfect daughter to Conrad Bain look-a-alike Don Porter. Sally field, known to most of my generation as the mother from Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), has had the most successful post-Gidge career. She has starred in more than 4 T.V. shows including The Flying Nun (1967-1970) and the current ABC Drama Brothers and Sisters. She has been in more than 40 films including Forrest Gump (1994), Steel Magnolias (1989), Where the Heart Is (2000), and T.V. movie gem Sybil(1976).

Gidgets, I miss your silly resistance towards being feminine, the frequent amount of times you hire boys to be your dates, and your gift for green screen surfing.

Gidgets, I miss your face-Shassie