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Love Symbols With "1999," a vintage hit by "the artist formerly known as Prince" in every fin de siècleDJ's box of tricks, "love symbols" suddenly seem unmissable "in the air" as well as onthe air. ... and Songs Not to be missed on MTV Europe the music channel known for year 'round rendez-vousprograms like "Amour" and "Singled Out" a special "Love Song Weekend" airs Feb 13-14. Showcasing Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Boyzone, Savage Garden... Aerosmith and The Cardigans among other star acts aimed at love-struck viewers, this two-day St-Valentin"love-in" includes R&B "Love Jams" as well as "True Tales of Teen Romance," a series of interviews based on the reminiscences of performers as diverse as Carmen Electra, Luscious Jackson and... Jewel, the American female revelation whose "Spirit" album is number one in the heart of a nouvelle vagueof neo-bohos who agree that life's "nothing without love." Meanwhile, Chérie FM,"the radio station that offers 40 minutes of music nonstop," will treat lucky listeners to Valentine's Day outings genre"a weekend for two in a luxury hotel in Venice." (Paris frequency: 91.30). Upbeat Hearts Upbeat not just in jewelry but in every aspect of design, particularly perfume packaging, Valentine-inspired motifs are part and parcel of the craze for love symbols. While this season's hottest fragrance remains Lolita Lempicka's "Filtre d'Amour,"heart-shaped flasks are "all around, everywhere." Back in September, Cacharel produced a limited edition of "Anaïs, Anaïs" in a metallic "heart" container and Agnès b's "LE b"comes in a minimally romantic bottle "en forme de coeur." On the decor front, the Ikea chain sells a cuddly red "heart" cushion complete with outstretched arms (69F) and a curvacious "heart-backed" chair is available from Regan Weber, a hyper-creative design emporium in the third arrondissement(4, rue du Pas de la Mûle, tel: 01.42.77.00.41). When Cupid Strikes Who's to blame? Thierry Mugler for naming his perfume "Angel" or French filmmaker Erick Zonca whose first full length feature "La vie rêvée des anges"has been nominated for every award on earth? Who knows? But, mysteriously, more than any other "peace and love" symbol, angels appear throughout the media, in advertising, fashion pages and music videos. On a cloud since her "Made in Love" album struck gold... Zazie, a zippy, zany singer/songwriter whose current tour is titled "Le tour des anges,"performs at the Zenith on April 3. Urban angels even have headquarters. Zonca is said to hang out at a Bastille bistro called the Café des anges (66, rue de la Roquette, 11e, tel: 01.47.00.00.63) and near the Sacré-Coeur, a tiny shop baptized La boutique des angeshawks cherubim memorabilia (2, rue Yvonne Le Tac, 18e, tel: 01.42.57.74.38). Champagne and Toast Two Americans in Paris have published books which scrutinize "male-female games"... A très croustillantchapter of St. Martin's Press' re-edition of Harriet Welty-Rochefort's 1997 success "French Toast" is devoted to "The French and Sex, Love, and Marriage" and the legendary Paris Herald Tribune's celebrated society columnist Maggi Nolan has penned "Champagne...and Real Pain," a "Paris Memoir" which combines Ritzy-glitzy anecdotes with the author's own no less compelling "inside story." (Mosaic Press, 140F.) Eternal Love One of this spring's key cultural events is dedicated to a couple mythique.From March 23 to June 27, the national library's futuristic François Mitterrand site has scheduled a multimedia documentary exhibition in memory of French screen and theater giants Madeleine Renaud and Jean-Louis Barrault in themselves monuments to "the power of love." Like a Bimbo Secretly, everybody loves a bimbo-filled B movie... In Ariel Zeïtoun's "Bimboland," Judith ("Ridicule," "The Iron Mask") Godrèche camps an anthropology student who infiltrates a "tribe" of Côte d'Azur bimbos in order to observe their behavioral patterns. Regardless of the film's critical ratings, it has had an impact on fashion victims. Some women who are notbimbos have started to dress like bimbos. Can the "faux bimbo look" be achieved easily? "Pas de problème, Madame!"replies a stylist at Magic Circus, a tattoo and hairdo parlor which specializes in wizard make-overs, (44, rue des Lombards, 1er, tel: 01.40.26.48.38.) In the Mood for Sushi? Depending on the mood they're in, the Japanese are either kings of kitsch or masters of minimal allure. How to plug into the latter mode? Splash on a few drops of Té, a tea-scented fragrance on display at Colette (213, rue St-Honoré, 1er, tel: 01.42.86.91.03), stock up on clothing and stationery basics at Muji's Paris branch (27, rue St-Sulpice, 6e, tel: 01.46.34.01.10) then zero in on Lô sushi. This "techno pristine" resto decorated by Andrée Putman offers a new generation of stressed yet stylish workaholics a selection of "cheap but chic" Japanese dishes presented on a revolving conveyor belt, while state-of-the-art television screens relay "Lô channel,"a cocktail of ads, movie trailers and music videos. (8, rue de Berri, 8e, tel: 01.45.62.01.00). 1999 Presences The Présences '99 festival ends on February 14... making it a "must" for avant-garde Valentines keen on experimental music. Starting on January 29, the Maison de Radio France hosts an all-concerts-free fest spotlighting contemporary music and sound-makers who belong to the Paris-New York-Montreal axis as well as Pascal Dusapin, a refreshingly rough-hewn French composer who is as tall and forceful as a redwood. (For further info, tel: 01. 42.30.15.16.) |
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