PARIS – France’s first lady, a former supermodel turned singer, is making her debut as an actress, filming Wednesday in the shadow of Notre Dame cathedral for Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy jotted in a notebook while seated next to actor Owen Wilson on a park bench. Allen gave instructions, while dozens of onlookers tried to get a glimpse of the action on the cordoned-off Jean XXIII Square.
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The French president showed up on a nearby set Tuesday, in dark suit but no tie, to watch his spouse in her latest creative venture.
Allen, beloved by the French, recruited Bruni-Sarkozy last fall for a role in the romantic comedy which follows a family traveling in Paris for business. France’s first lady reportedly plays a museum director.
This week’s scenes were shot in the heart of Paris, near the Pantheon, the resting place of many of France’s luminaries, and on the Ile de la Cite, the island that hosts Notre Dame.
In November, when she announced her plans to accept Allen’s offer of a role, the 42-year-old Bruni-Sarkozy had said she was unsure of her acting skills.
“I’m not at all an actress. Maybe I’ll be absolutely terrible,” she said in an interview with Canal Plus TV station.
However, she said she couldn’t pass up the chance to play in a Woody Allen film.
“I cannot in my life miss an opportunity like this,” she said.
Stones guitarist to display his artwork
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is coming to Ohio with a different kind of solo show, spotlighting his paintings and other art.
The Butler Institute of American Art says the exhibition opening is the first for Wood at a major American museum.
The 63-year-old British musician plans to be at the museum for a reception on the show’s opening day, Sept. 21.
Butler chief curator and director Louis Zona describes Wood’s art style as lively and appealing. The museum notes that the rocker picked up a paint brush at the age of 12, before he started playing guitar.
The exhibition includes 30 of Wood’s paintings, 22 pen-and-pencil drawings and seven mixed-media works.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 21.
Supermodel is selling
SAG HARBOR, N.Y. – You, too, can live like Christie Brinkley. All you need is $15.75 million.
The supermodel has put one of her properties on New York’s Long Island up for sale. It’s a five-bedroom house on 4 1/2 acres in Sag Harbor on the island’s eastern end.
According to records, Brinkley bought the house in 2004 for $7.15 million. She also owns other properties.
Filming in South Korea, Angelina Jolie has concerns for North Koreans
SEOUL, South Korea – Angelina Jolie says she’s worried about the people of North Korea, particularly the persecution defectors face when repatriated to the reclusive state.
Jolie was in Seoul on Wednesday to promote her latest action thriller, “Salt,” which opens with a scene that takes place in a North Korean prison.
Jolie said she got a tutorial on the plight of North Korean defectors from Seoul-based officials with the U.N. refugee agency.
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