French Riviera (10)
01.09.2011
Art & Culture: 40th anniversary of their exiled summer in the Villa Nellcôte
Exactly 40 years ago, the Rolling Stones were pretty down. The legendary rock group was contending with spiralling drug addictions and financial problems and was constantly targeted by the police in the UK. So, in the summer of 1971, the British rock band went into exile in the South of France.Read more … Stones relive Riviera days
20.06.2011
Art & Culture: Looking both to its future and to its past, 2011 Nice Jazz Festival will be full of surprises
With less than one month to go before the biggest cultural event of the summer, the programme for the Nice Jazz Festival has now firmed up and music fans are starting to snap up the tickets.Read more … Going back to its grass roots
18.06.2011
Art & Culture: Château de la Moutte keeps alive spirit of former owner
The private hilltop castle Château de la Moutte will open its doors to the public on four separate occasions this summer, providing visitors with a rare opportunity to see the exotic park and château with its stunning view of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.Read more … Culture at its heart
21.05.2011
Arts & Culture: Saint-Tropez celebrates its Fête de la Bravade with parades and processions
Many people think of Saint-Tropez as little more than a catwalk for the rich and beautiful. But look behind this superficial façade and you'll find a place that is rich in tradition.Read more … Drum rolls and fanfare
16.05.2011
Art & Culture: Is it an investigative report or simply the ranting of a grieving father? After its festival premiere, critics Unlawful Killing is accused of turning the death of Princess Diana
The first weekend of the 64th Cannes Film Festival passed with a healthy dose of glamour and fanfare as the celebrities came out in force to enjoy the party atmosphere. However, the presence of stars like Leonardo Dicaprio and Kanye West wasn't the only thing making headlines and on Friday the buzz building around a controversial documentary by British actor Keith Allen about the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales finally came to a head at its premiere screening.Read more … Controversial Princess Diana documentary slammed at Cannes... for being an unlawfully bad film
13.05.2011
Art & Culture: The wait is finally over for George Michael’s fans, as he announces he will tour again... and Nice will be one of his 47 shows
With big stars including Beyonce and Shakira programmed to land in the Côte d’Azur from June, it was already looking like it was going to be a bumper summer for music fans in the region. And now, perhaps most exciting of all for many, is news that George Michael will be joining this line up of international stars in the Côte’s capital.Read more … Global superstar George Michael to the Riviera
13.03.2011
Art & Culture: Documentary makers follow in the footsteps of Laurel and Hardy
In the summer of 1950 Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy washed up on the shore of the Côte d’Azur to shoot what was to be their last film, Atoll K. A number of scenes were shot on the Riviera, on Cap Roux for example, in the port of Marseille and in the Studios de cinema de La Victorine in Nice. Now a television production company from Germany are making a documentary about two of the most celebrated film comedians of all time and are on the hunt for people who witnessed the classic film being made firsthand. Read more … Hunt on for witnesses of classic film shoot
12.01.2011
Art & Culture: The Monaco resident talks to The Riviera Times about his fight to save a famous bookshop
Eleven years ago, Christopher Foyle's aunt, Christina, called him to her bedside to tell him that she was making him a director of the family firm, the famous Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London. Six-days later she died and her nephew found himself presiding over a rapidly sinking business.Read more … Foyle on winning the war
10.12.2010
Art & Culture: A beauty of a ballet is only the tip of the iceberg on the Riviera this Xmas and New Year
Okay, it's a cliché, but there’s a good reason why Andy Williams tells us this is the most wonderful time of the year. For sure, the ‘season’ can be stressful, expensive and painful (e.g. Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You... on repeat), yet somehow the jolly spirit and good cheer still manage to shine through. The twinkle of lights, the quality time spent with family and friends, the act of giving and, let's be honest, receiving, all goes to our head and voilà, we’re suddenly compelled to pinch children’s cheeks, sing carols and ice-skate. Read more … A cultural chocolate box
26.11.2010
Art & Culture: Bands don't speak French but let the music do the talking
Earlier this year, French band Phoenix took home the coveted Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the band's fourth studio album, was already a word-of-mouth hit and its tracks had featured in numerous commercials and soundtracks; the award, however, sent the record rocketing into the mainstream. Read more … Language of rock'n'roll
