Midnight in Paris by Van Cleef & Arpels

Pick the stars from the sky and wear the universe at your wrist. Oh isn’t that romantic? Reading time with the stars under the Paris constellation can now be done through the Midnight in Paris timepiece. It represents the map of stars under the Parisian sky. The mechanical movement is unique, its extreme complexity linking the concept of time to that of the Cosmos as a dazzling homage to that other mysterious and fascinating world.

The Midnight in Paris timepiece recreates the map of the celestial dome. This is done by a rotating disk made of aventurine glass. The mechanism of this jewel-like timepiece is visible thanks to a sapphire glass case back that is protected by a pink gold moveable flap. On the back of the timepiece, the disk surrounding the calendar is set with real meteorite stone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Case
Dimensions: Ø 42 mm. Rose gold. Scratch-proof sapphire crystal. Water resistant 3 ATM (20m)

Dial
Rotating blue aventurine glass disc. Polished and brushed hands. Signature Van Cleef & Arpels.

Strap and buckle
Alligator. Rose gold folding clasp with integrated security system mechanism

Movement
Swiss mechanical movement exclusively developed for Van Cleef & Arpels on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Basis. 28,800 alternations / hour. Autonomy 40 hours. 24 jewels

Price
48,000 euros

The Year of Come Backs: Lara Fabian

There must be something in the stars with the year 2008. Not just Cyndi Lauper, Paula Abdul and SMiLe.dk, but Lara Fabian has decided it’s time to sing again. New classical-inspired pop album is to be released by the end of the year. The album is recorded entirely in Qubec and as for song choice, quoting Fabian; “ I’ve never sung these kinds of songs, certainly not in an entire album and not in this kind of arrangement…” I pray that it won’t be one of those techno-disco albums… We already have Madonna, Kylie and Britney.

A fan meet & greet is set to be held in Belgium in October and then Paris.

Below is a clip of Fabian performing Je Suis Malade live

Viva La Embassy

Embassy is one of the most interesting of new galleries to open in Hong Kong. It is a incubator for new and emerging artists. Meet the founder, Gary Kramer and take a close look at this fascinating new creative space.

“The Embassy is a fully operating art/design house which will open it’s doors to the public for specific events in order to share various types of art in it’s exhibition space. The exhibition space includes a 2,000 sq. ft. balcony which provides unique and exciting possibilities for a variety of events.”

Recent exhibitions include “Inside Whisper” by SAUQUET.

Listen to Jamie Liddell ‘Jim’

British crooner Jamie Lidell rings in the weekend by posting his brand-new tracks from his new album “Jim” on MySpace. The song is called “Little Bit Feel Good” and if this sun-splashed soul-pop stomper is a good indication of the rest of this new Lidell LP then we’re in for a treat.

Recorded in Berlin, Los Angeles and Paris, Lidell once again hooks up with producers Mocky and Gonzales to polish his raw ideas and turn them into a collection of catchy, hit-worthy songs. A press release describes “Jim” as an album that “will switch you on in the morning, move you on the dance-floor and take you down in the small hours. It’s a bold, promiscuously diverse album, mixing up gospel grooves, sweetly sung and fiercely passionate soul, delicately moving ballads, thumping early R & B, synthed-up disco, and even a touch of “hillbilly funk.'” Sounds like a winner to me.

Lidell adds in the statement, “The most important thing was the vocal, to capture the balance of me delivering the songs with full gusto, and at the same time retaining the grain and the grit.”

You can listen to some of his songs here

Movie Chic，Movie Style: Put his movie into a bookshelf

We all know Oscar winning director Anthony Minghella has just passed away recently. Surprisingly two weeks before his surgery, he left a testament wishing Shekhar Kapur who’s also his good friend to direct a short film that he’s already written.

Who can forget his “The English Patient” which won 9 Oscars back in 1997 (which is still a record to date). The way he portrayed the beauty of women is just ravishing (remember how he used the part between a woman’s throat and collar bone to represent a map of men’s desire?) It was poetry.

Also, his first movie Truly Madly Deeply back in 1990 was on both the charts of most popular and least popular in the UK. As he said, the best movies are between the best and the worst

Shekhar Kapur is now taking over Minghella’s New York I Love You which stars Scarlet Johansson, Natalie Portman, Woody Allen, Kevin Bacon, and more. While some of the segments have begun filming, Minghella had not gotten a chance to cast or shoot the segment he had written. The New York piece is by the producers of Paris Je t’aime, this time having each person to direct a 5 minute film to portray their love towards New York.

Take Maggie Grace, then Liam Neeson will find and kill you

After getting “Lost”, Maggie Grace ( The Fog) gets taken in Paris and sold into slave trade. Directed by Pierre Morel (Banlieue 13), Taken stars Liam Neeson as the father of estranged Grace and also a former spy. The plot sounds kinda “uh-uh” to me but with a cast like this, it makes me wonder if good acting and directing can make up for the plot.

Taken is written and produced by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and shot in Paris. Expected to be released in France on February 27.

P.S. Am I the only one who miss Grace’s blond hair?