OHLALA Mag

OhLaLa The Epiphany Icy Celebrations In Eastern Europe

For the Epiphany in France we eat la galette des rois, but other people in Eastern Europe likes to keep things a little bit more intense than just a slice of cake. So all over eastern Europe, from Serbia to the Republic of Belarus, Russsia and Romania Orthodox are immersing themselves into icy waters on January 19.

Even my better half, Alek who grew up in Serbia did it in a lake. Poor thing, knowing how much he "likes' cold water and does not even want to get into our pool if not heated ... lol.

Above, a men in Belgrade Serbia with a wooden cross that he managed to catch after it was thrown by a priest in the waters of Nisava river.

Belarus men do not mess around! The Servicemen of the Belarussian Interior Ministry's special unit must dip their naked body into the icy waters of a lake ... this tradition must be done regardless of the weather, it's just infortunate that the epiphany is not in July or August ...
 
Check out all the photos after the jump!

The Artist Takes Back 3 Golden Globes To France

Last night here in Los Angeles it was a big night for The Artist with 3 Golden Globes [Best Comedy, Best Actor for Jean Dujardin and Best Original Score].

We have seen the movie a couple of months ago and I have to say that when we got the invitation I was not that excited and did not really want to go to the screening. But I did and I enjoyed it, I was a tiny bit afraid of the non speaking part and the constant music but it worked.

I only went to see the movie because I love Jean Dujardin so I was very happy for him and the rest of the team last night. Jean Dujardin and his wife Alexandra Lamy (whom you may have seen topless last night ;-)...

They both met while doing the famous comedy television serie "1 gars 1 fille" aka "Chouchou et Loulou" in France. Those two are hillarious and I love them so much, it was a bit unrealistic to see them sitting at the Golden Globes tables last night ... Félicitations!

Is Hollywood Opening New Studios in Toulouse France!?

Over the summer when my family from the South of France visited us in Los Angeles they were so excited to talk about the possible opening of Studios by Hollywood in our city, Toulouse. Of course you take those information with a grain of salt, knowing that someone chewing a gum walking the streets of the city wearing a "I survived King Kong - Universal Studios Hollywood" can create quite some buzz among the natives ;-)

It all started when last year a young architect from my town, Bruno Granja, contacted major studios in Hollywood with the idea to turn Francazal the newly abandoned military airbase into movie studios.

On a more personal note: ironically, I now live in Hollywood California, but I was born in Toulouse France and my family own properties in the very same town where Francazal is located and I also went to school across the street.



Quickly the negotiations between the city and Hollywood studios such as Fox, Métro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount ... became public with words that the first movies may be in action as soon as 2013 making it the largest studios in Europe.

To turn those hangars into working sound stages, 80 millions will be invested, which seems like a lot of money but in Hollywood it's the equivalent of just one movie or a nice single family home in the Hollywood Hills . Francazal has a landing strip which will be a nice amenity for A-listers and their private jets it also has a small city that was built for the army and their families which can be easily turn into VIP living for executives and crews.

One of the strongest point of Francazal is its location, right in the middle of Europe with easy access to some of the most amazing landscapes and medieval cities sprinkled all over the Midi-Pyrénées region, typical villages, mountains, and nearby beaches ... I am not saying this because it is my home but it is truly one of the most amazing places I have ever been to ... I mean look at this:

Pretty right!?

Of course the down side is that France has very strict labor codes, unlike the US or Budapest where Studios are already in action, and that may be negative point for the money making monster (the total movie industry revenue was over $80 billion in 2011). Not to mention the "almost" mandatory strikes ... this adventure should be intéressante!

A suivre ...

Watch / The Zombie Boy Covering Up His Tattoos

What a great idea ... Rick Genest aka "Zombie boy" has been signed by Dermablend as their concealer spokesperson! Do you judge a book by its cover? That's what the brand is asking with its newest online video campaign, Go Beyond The Cover.

Zombie Boy gained attention after appearing in Lady Gaga’s video for “Born This Way,” as well as walking the Thierry Mugler runway in Paris, and then shooting several editorials ...

"I think I'm going to get a job now," Genest jokes as he looks into the mirror.

During the shoot, a team of makeup artists applied Dermablend Professional Leg and Body Tattoo Primer and Leg and Body Cover to completely cover Zombie Boy’s tattoos on his head, neck, chest, stomach and arms. In the video, a completely tattoo-free Genest slowly rubs away the Dermablend Professional product to reveal the tattoos that lie beneath. The video, as well as behind-the-scenes footage revealing the makeup application and Genest’s reaction to seeing himself without tattoos.

Behind the scenes video after the jump.

Rethink Breast Cancer Presents 'Your Man Reminder' App

Rethink announced the launch of Your Man Reminder, an innovative early breast cancer detection App for iPhone. The free App features a choice of cute guys who pop up regularly with an encouraging reminder to get in touch with and know your breasts. Rethink Breast Cancer is a charity helping young people who are concerned about and affected by breast cancer through innovative breast cancer education, research and support programs.

Get your girlfriends, sisters, etc ... to download this on the App Store.

"Our experience is that many young women are not aware of their risk for breast cancer," said MJ DeCoteau, Executive Director, Rethink Breast Cancer. "The use of 'hot guys' as a reminder for women to be breast aware is actually a great way for them to learn about breast health in a non-scary way. The idea behind our education initiatives is to break through the information clutter and remind women to know their bodies and be proactive in protecting them."

This video is hot, fun, can prevent and help save lives so get it viral asap, merci! 

Ladurée / From Paris To New York

One of my favorite shop recently opened in the US, unfortunately (for me) not on the right coast ... Ladurée store is located on New York City's Upper East Side, 864 Madison Avenue and to celebrate it's first Halloween statesidethey will be making a special limited holiday flavor macaron.

"Orange passion fruit sending chills up your spince with spooky notes of wild fruits and citrus, in a noir box with gold trims making this a ghostly delight"
6 macarons for $20. Available starting October 21, 2011 exclusively at Ladurée New York.

Let's hope the next US location will be in Los Angeles.