passionate undiscovered stories

So my mother got to Paris on May 16th.  The following almost-two-weeks were filled with every restaurant, expo, and sight I have wanted to go to but haven't been able to fit in/afford since I've been here.  Days and nights have been packed.  Hence the large gap in posts.  I will make up for it now with a couple posts-worth of samplings of all of the greatness I have been participating in.  Hooray.

Finding interestingness in unexpected places is one of my favorite things.  Paris scores an A+ in this arena.   On the 17th we went to a fabulous photo expo, right in the middle of couches and dishware on the third floor of Le Bon Marché, one of the most famous department stores of Paris nearby Sciences Po in the 6th. 

The expo presented the work of Ellen von Unwerth, a German model turned photographer and film maker who fell under the spell of hollywooders.  Her expo displays her playful and sexy photographs of some of the film industry's most heavy hitters: Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, George Clooney, Brad, Madonna, Salma Hayek, Audrey Tautou, ...  

{Hayek}

 {Eva Mendes}

{Pitt}

Her photographs are presented to you in large print, suspended in the air, complemented by twinkling lights in an entirely black room.  With an accent on fun and beauty, these shots transport you into passionate undiscovered stories.  She brilliantly creates new worlds, to the point where many of the subjects of her photos, whose faces - plastered on every screen and magazine - we know by heart, are unrecognizable.  Unwerth succeeded at making these actors stay true to their careers and put on a show in every print.

 {Unwerth}

Definitely a destination.  Open until  June 19th.  Click.

give all of my energy and love to the world

Music buzzers said he would be one of the top hip hop up-and-comers, and they were right.  B.o.B. has hit musical airwaves with a bang.  I am among the many who have fallen under the charm of his fresh perspective.  Signed to Atlantic Records while still in high school, Bobby Ray first got attention with his ganja-loving track "Cloud 9" and Atlanta anthem  "Haterz Everywhere."  His debut album B.o.b. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was released April 27th of this year, one month earlier than prévu, due mostly to the commercial success of his smoothtastic "Nothin' on You" track featuring Bruno Mars.

 My other favorites of the album are "Past My Shades" featuring Lupe Fiasco, "Airplanes, Part II" featuring Eminem (!!) and Hayley Williams of Paramore, and "The Kids" featuring Janelle Monae.  "Ghost in the Machine" and "Fame" are great too.  Oh goodness, I love em' all - "Magic" featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer (!!) really gets 'ya jammin'.  His revamp of hip hop - pulling influences from the 80s, rap, funk, rock, techno, and other greatness - has given the industry a musician sure to leave an interesting mark.

I'll leave you with some of B.o.B.'s own words:

"When I grew up it was really hard for me to figure out why I felt that way, like I really felt like I was from another planet. Now, it's the opposite. All of that time I spent developing my talent and really analyzing myself, now I feel like I can express all of that and give all of my energy and love to the world."

 I feel like nothing I could say would do this boy justice, so just click on the links provided and see for yourself.  Plaisir.

with an emphasis on the "liberal"

Sciences Po sends out newsletters once a week alerting the student populace of events and such around campus.  There are always famous people speakers or serious world issue conferences, and overwhelmed by all of these opportunities, I often never participate.  I told myself that I must take advantage of something Sciences Po puts on before I leave.  When I heard about the Festival Rideau Rouge 2010, a festival of theatre, it sounded like the perfect event.

So, last friday, I attended the 21h showing of Où le temps s'arrête et sans chaussures, a liberal adaptation of Peter Pan -- with an emphasis on the "liberal".  The play started out nice - there were some bizarrities, but following the plot line wasn't a chore and the actors were impressive.  

However, after about 45 minutes of interestingness, the piece got real out of wack.  This is when Peter brings Wendy back to her home, to find her two parents who are buggin completely.  The dad tries to kill Peter, but then becomes obsessed with flying, so tries to get him to show him how.  Wendy falls in love with Peter, and Peter's a kid so he's like naw.  And then there's Wendy's mama, by far the best actrice of the troupe, who is just kind of chilling trying to make everyone happy.  The play ends with Peter's death (i think)  and the death of the parents (i think) and a really long repetitive monolgue by Wendy.  This was right after a sort of pillow fight, which left the stage cluttered with white feathers, and dust?

I don't know, it was weird.  But I'm glad I went.

i love my jersey

Until UNC, I didn't get the whole sports fan thing.  At family superbowl gatherings, I would either be playing with the dogs or trying to motivate my cousins to turn away from the television and play Yahtzee with me.  Then, as a freshman at Carolina, I started getting the Tar Heel bug, but still mostly going along with the charade for the happiness of the spirit.  I rushed Franklin Street when we won the National Championship and watched as others jumped across fires, but mostly participated mostly as an audience member.  Ironically, now at a parisian university where sports are a side-line thing, I finally get it.

As a proud member of the Sciences Po équipe d'Ultimate Frisbee, I love sports.  I love crying out to my teammates.  I love my jersey.  I love the team spirit.  I love my golden frisbee.  It's a dynamic that had forever been completely foreign to me; I'm glad I finally got it. 

une semaine fabuleuse en images

Je reviens d'une semaine de vacances fabuleuse dans le Sud de la France.  Quelques images pour vous dessiner ce qui m'a traversé l'esprit pendant ces derniers jours:  

Petit rappel de qui est le boss.

Groupe trip-hop/hip-hop/électro marseillais qui vient de changer ma vie musicale avec leurs volumes I et II.

Rouler.

Film réalisé par Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko !) en 2006 avec The Rock, Justin Timberlake, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Wallace Shawn, et d'autres.  Une film complètement fou sur une sorte de fin du monde.

La Cale Sèche à Toulouse: bar à rhum qui ne déçoit pas.

Petit session de fraises bio des champs à coté de Nîmes.  Confiture délicieuse.

Mami à 81 ans!  Allez, repas surprise.

En haut du Pic St. Loup.  Righteous.

La prochaine fois qui je serai à Montpellier avec la famille sera dans une année.  Ciao, bises.