French Ministry of Education cancels retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast' deemed 'inappropriate'
The French Ministry of Education has cancelled an order for a modernised illustrated version of "Beauty and the Beast" intended for 10-year-old children, after it was deemed inappropriate.
The government had commissioned the new rendition of the popular fairytale as part of its annual 'A book for the holidays' campaign, through which 800,000 pupils receive a copy of an updated literary classic to read over the summer.
This year, the task had fallen upon cartoonist Jul, famous for his animated TV series Silex and the City and for his work as the latest writer of the Lucky Luke comics.
The book was ready for its first print run and even included an enthusiastic preface from Education minister Élisabeth Borne.
'In this version, created specifically for you, you'll discover Jul's mischievous style and sharp eye, which bring a modern turn to this tale', she wrote to the students.
However, the ministry backpedalled in a letter sent to the author on Monday.
'The finished book is not suitable for independent reading, at home, with the family and without the guidance of teachers, for pupils aged 10 to 11' and 'could raise a number of questions among students that would not necessarily be answered appropriately,' the letter stated.
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The ministry specifically targeted mentions of social media and alcohol in the story. In Jul's take on the 1796 tale, the father of the princess is represented with a bottle in his hand. Visibly drunk, he sings the popular French hit by Michel Sardou, 'Les Lacs du Connemara'.
'Jul has a lot of talent. He uses irony and humour to great effect. But without guidance, I don't think it's appropriate' for 10-year-old children, Borne reacted on CNEWS.
Jul denounced a 'censorship' based on 'false pretexts.' For him, the real issue lies elsewhere. In his version, Beauty has brown skin and black curly hair. Her family has roots in Algeria, and the story addresses questions of immigration and integration.
"The only explanation seems to come from the disgust at seeing a world of princes and princesses that look a little more like the world of today's schoolchildren," the author said.
'Could the 'great replacement' of blonde princesses by young Mediterranean girls be the limit that the ministry's Versailles-based administration must not cross?', he added, referencing the far-right conspiracy theory that gained traction in France since the 2022 presidential election campaign.
This late turn of event makes it unlikely for the 800,000 pupils to receive a book this summer.
Launched in 2017, 'A book for the holidays' has previously provided students with updated versions of La Fontaine's "Fables", Homer's "The Odyssey" and Jean Giono's "The Man Who Planted Trees".
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Atlantic
41 minutes ago
- Atlantic
When Mick Jagger Met the King of Zydeco
The story I'd heard was that Mick Jagger bought his first Clifton Chenier record in the late 1960s, at a store in New York's Greenwich Village. But when we talked this spring, Jagger told me he didn't do his record shopping in the Village. It would have been Colony Records in Midtown, he said, 'the biggest record store in New York, and it had the best selection.' Jagger was in his 20s, not far removed from a suburban-London boyhood spent steeping in the American blues. I pictured him eagerly leafing through Chess Records LPs and J&M 45s until he came across a chocolate-brown 12-inch record—Chenier's 1967 album Bon Ton Roulet! On the cover, a young Chenier holds a 25-pound accordion the length of his torso, a big, mischievous smile on his face. Bon Ton Roulet! is a classic zydeco album showcasing the Creole dance music of Southwest Louisiana, which blends traditional French music, Caribbean rhythms, and American R&B. This was different from the Delta and Chicago blues that Jagger and his Rolling Stones bandmates had grown up with and emulated on their own records. Although sometimes taking the form of slower French waltzes, zydeco is more up-tempo—it's party music—and features the accordion and the rubboard, a washboard hooked over the shoulders and hung across the body like a vest. Until he discovered zydeco, Jagger recalled, 'I'd never heard the accordion in the blues before.' Chenier was born in 1925 in Opelousas, Louisiana, the son of a sharecropper and accordion player named Joseph Chenier, who taught his son the basics of the instrument. Clifton's older brother, Cleveland, played the washboard and later the rubboard. Clifton had commissioned an early prototype of the rubboard in the 1940s from a metalworker in Port Arthur, Texas, where he illustrated his vision by drawing the design in the dirt, creating one of a handful of instruments native to the United States and forever changing the percussive sound of Creole music. Within a few years, the brothers were performing at impromptu house dances in Louisiana living rooms. They'd begin playing on the porch until a crowd assembled, then go inside, pushing furniture against the walls to create a makeshift dance hall. Eventually, they worked their way through the chitlin circuit, a network of venues for Black performers and audiences. They played Louisiana dance halls where the ceilings hung so low that Cleveland could push his left hand flat to the ceiling to stretch his back out without ever breaking the rhythm of what he was playing with his right. Influenced by rock-and-roll pioneers such as Fats Domino, Chenier incorporated new elements into his music. As he told one interviewer, 'I put a little rock into this French music.' With the help of Lightnin' Hopkins, a cousin by marriage, Chenier signed a deal with Arhoolie Records. By the late '60s, he and his band were regularly playing tours that stretched across the country, despite the insistence from segregationist promoters that zydeco was a Black sound for Black audiences. He started playing churches and festivals on the East and West Coasts, where people who'd never heard the word zydeco were awestruck by Chenier: He'd often arrive onstage in a cape and a velvet crown with bulky costume jewels set in its arches. Chenier came to be known as the King of Zydeco. He toured Europe; won a Grammy for his 1982 album, I'm Here! ; performed at Carnegie Hall and in Ronald Reagan's White House; won a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He died in 1987, at age 62. This fall, the Smithsonian's preservation-focused Folkways Recordings will release the definitive collection of Chenier's work: a sprawling box set, 67 tracks in all. And in June, to mark the centennial of Chenier's birth, the Louisiana-based Valcour Records released a compilation on which musicians who were inspired by Chenier contributed covers of his songs. These include the blues artist Taj Mahal, the singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, the folk troubadour Steve Earle, and the rock band the Rolling Stones. In 1978, Jagger met Chenier, thanks to a musician and visual artist named Richard Landry. Landry grew up on a pecan farm in Cecilia, Louisiana, not far from Opelousas. In 1969, he moved to New York and met Philip Glass, becoming a founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble, in which he played saxophone. To pay the bills between performances, the two men also started a plumbing business. Eventually, the ensemble was booking enough gigs that they gave up plumbing. Landry also embarked on a successful visual-art career, photographing contemporaries such as Richard Serra and William S. Burroughs and premiering his work at the Leo Castelli Gallery. He still got back to Louisiana, though, and he'd occasionally sit in with Chenier and his band. (After Landry proved his chops the first time they played together, Chenier affectionately described him as 'that white boy from Cecilia who can play the zydeco.') Landry became a kind of cultural conduit—a link between the avant-garde scene of the North and the Cajun and Creole cultures of the South. From the July 1987 issue: Cajun and Creole bands are conserving native music Landry is an old friend; we met more than a decade ago in New Orleans. Sitting in his apartment in Lafayette recently, he told me the story of the night he introduced Jagger to Chenier. As Landry remembers it, he first met Jagger at a Los Angeles house party following a Philip Glass Ensemble performance at the Whisky a Go Go. The next night, as luck would have it, he saw Jagger again, this time out at a restaurant, and they got to talking. At some point in the conversation, 'Jagger goes, 'Your accent. Where are you from?' I said, 'I'm from South Louisiana.' He blurts out, 'Clifton Chenier, the best band I ever heard, and I'd like to hear him again.' ' 'Dude, you're in luck,' he told Jagger. Chenier was playing a show at a high school in Watts the following night. Landry called Chenier: 'Cliff, I'm bringing Mick Jagger tomorrow night.' Chenier responded, 'Who's that?' 'He's with the Rolling Stones,' Landry tried to explain. 'Oh yeah. That magazine. They did an article on me.' It seems the Rolling Stones had yet to make an impression on Chenier, but his music had clearly influenced the band, and not just Jagger. The previous year, Rolling Stone had published a feature on the Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood. In one scene, Wood and Keith Richards convene a 3 a.m. jam session at the New York studios of Atlantic Records. On equipment borrowed from Bruce Springsteen, they play 'Don't You Lie to Me'—first the Chuck Berry version, then 'Clifton Chenier's Zydeco interpretation,' as the article described it. Chenier was in Los Angeles playing what had become an annual show for the Creole community living in the city. The stage was set at the Verbum Dei Jesuit High School gymnasium, by the edge of the basketball court. Jagger was struck by the audience. 'They weren't dressing as other people of their age group,' he told me. 'The fashion was completely different. And of course, the dancing was different than you'd normally see in a big city.' The band was already performing by the time he and Landry arrived. When they walked in, one woman squinted in Jagger's direction, pausing in a moment of possible recognition, before changing her mind and turning away. Chenier was at center stage, thick gold rings lining his fingers as they moved across the black and white keys of his accordion, his name embossed in bold block type on its side. Cleveland stood beside him on the rubboard. Robert St. Julien was set up in the back behind a three-piece drum kit—just a bass drum, a snare, and a single cymbal, cracked from the hole in the center out to the very edge. Jagger took it all in, watching the crowd dance a two-step and thinking, ' Oh God, I'm going to have to dance. How am I going to do this dance that they're all doing? ' he recalled. 'But I managed somehow to fake it.' At intermission, a cluster of fans, speaking in excited bursts of Creole French, started moving toward the stage, holding out papers to be autographed. Landry and Jagger were standing nearby. Jagger braced himself, assuming that some of the fans might descend on him. But the crowd moved quickly past them, pressing toward Clifton and Cleveland Chenier. Before the night was over, Jagger himself had the chance to meet Clifton, but only said a quick hello. 'I just didn't want to hassle him or anything,' he told me. 'And I was just enjoying myself being one of the audience.' The next time Mick Jagger and Richard Landry crossed paths was May 3, 2024: the day after the Rolling Stones performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. During their set, the Stones had asked the accordion player Dwayne Dopsie, a son of another zydeco artist, Rockin' Dopsie, to accompany the band on 'Let It Bleed.' A meal was set up at Antoine's, in the French Quarter, by a mutual friend, the musician and producer C. C. Adcock. Adcock had been working on plans for the Clifton Chenier centennial record for months and was well aware of Jagger's affection for zydeco. He waited until the meal was over, when everyone was saying their goodbyes, to mention the project to Jagger. 'And without hesitation,' Landry recalled, 'Mick said, 'I want to sing something.' ' As the final addition to the album lineup, the Stones were the last to choose which of Chenier's songs to record. Looking at the track listing, Jagger noticed that 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salé' hadn't been taken. 'Isn't that, like, the one?' Adcock recalls him saying. 'The one the whole genre is named after? If the Stones are gonna do one, shouldn't we do the one ?' The word zydeco is widely believed to have originated in the French phrase les haricots sont pas salés, which translates to 'The snap beans aren't salty.' Zydeco, according to this theory, is a Creole French pronunciation of les haricots. (The lyrical fragment likely comes from juré, the call-and-response music of Louisiana that predates zydeco; it shows up as early as 1934, on a recording of the singer Wilbur Shaw made in New Iberia, Louisiana.) Many interpretations of the phrase have been offered over the years. The most straightforward is that it's a metaphorical way of saying 'Times are tough.' When money ran short, people couldn't afford the salt meat that was traditionally cooked with snap beans to season them. The Stones' version of 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salé' opens with St. Julien, Chenier's longtime drummer, playing a backbeat with brushes. He's 77 now, no longer the young man Jagger saw in Watts in 1978. 'I quit playing music about 10 years ago, to tell the truth,' he said when we spoke this spring, but you wouldn't know it by how he sounds on the track. Keith Richards's guitar part, guttural and revving, meets St. Julien in the intro and builds steadily. The melody is introduced by the accordionist Steve Riley, of the Mamou Playboys, who told me he'd tried to 'play it like Clifton—you know, free-form, just from feel.' It's strange that it doesn't feel stranger when Jagger breaks into his vocal, sung in Creole French. His imitation of Chenier is at once spot-on yet unmistakably Jagger. From the May 1971 issue: Mick Jagger shoots birds I asked him how he'd honed his French pronunciation. 'I've actually tried to write songs in Cajun French before,' he said. 'But I've never really gotten anywhere.' To get 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salé' right, he became a student of the song. 'You just listen to what's been done before you,' he told me. 'See how they pronounce it, you know? I mean, yeah, of course it's different. And West Indian English is different from what they speak in London. I tried to do a job and I tried to do it in the way it was traditionally done—it would sound a bit silly in perfect French.' Zydeco united musical traditions from around the globe to become a defining sound for one of the most distinct cultures in America. Chenier, the accordionist in the velvet crown, then introduced zydeco to the world, influencing artists across genres. When I asked Jagger why, at age 81, he had decided to make this recording, he said, 'I think the music deserves to be known and the music deserves to be heard.' If the song helps new listeners discover Chenier—to have something like the experience Jagger had when he first dropped the needle on Bon Ton Roulet! —that would be a welcome result. But Jagger stressed that this wasn't the primary reason he'd covered 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salé.' Singing to St. Julien's beat, Jagger the rock star once again becomes Jagger the Clifton Chenier fan. 'My main thing is just that I personally like it. You know what I mean? That's my attraction,' he said. 'I think that I just did this for the love of it, really.'
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
What it's like to cruise Disney with your whole family: The highs and lows
What it's like to cruise Disney with your whole family: The highs and lows Show Caption Hide Caption Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom tour on the new Disney Treasure USA TODAY took a ride on the brand new Disney Treasure cruise ship. Here's what to know about the Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom. Disney Treasure offered good food and exceptional service, especially at Palo restaurant. Broadway-caliber shows like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Moana" were highlights, though showtimes conflicted with other activities. The cruise was expensive, with extra charges for many amenities and activities, especially those geared towards adults. 'Family Travel' is a six-part series showcasing the best experiences and destinations for young families looking for an escape. If you'd like to contribute to our future reporting and share your experience as a source, you can click here to fill out this quick form. I just got back from a weeklong sailing on the Disney Treasure with a group of ten people – ranging from toddlers to septuagenarians – and I've got thoughts on the magic at sea. If you're considering a Disney Cruise Line trip for your next big family vacation, here's what to expect, what surprised me, and what I wish we knew before we booked. A floating Disney bubble: What families can expect on Disney cruises #1 thing I liked: The food was surprisingly solid Having been on multiple cruises on the major cruise lines serving American passengers, I would say Disney's Treasure had a strong food offering. No, the dishes weren't always piping hot, and the cocktails leaned a little too sweet for my taste, but the flavors were consistently strong. Each of the ship's three main restaurants rotates menus nightly, which helps when you're assigned to each twice or thrice. Across our group of ten, there wasn't a dish we didn't finish – and that's saying something with a couple of picky eaters. 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Both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Disney the Tale of Moana" were full-blown stage musicals with incredible production value. The set design, sound engineering and cast were all Broadway-caliber. My mom even leaned over mid-show to ask if they were lip-syncing – because the vocals were that pristine. Yes, the storytelling felt a little rushed if you know the movies by heart. But quick pacing is probably wise when your audience includes lots of5-year-olds. Our only complaint was that the shows in the Walt Disney Theatre were shown on one day of each voyage – which is their typical scheduling. However, due to an unexpected medical evacuation that delayed our stop at Castaway Cay, we had to choose between staying on the island or catching "Moana." We picked the show, but I'm still salty about missing Disney's private beach. #1 thing I didn't like: Nickel-and-diming, and not enough for adults Let's talk about what Disney Cruise Line doesn't include. For a seven-day Caribbean sailing in a stateroom with a porthole view, we paid about $5,000. That's in the range between premium and luxury pricing, but the perks didn't always match the cost. There's no drink package. Specialty coffees and alcoholic drinks are à la carte. Adult trivia? That was free, but get there early before the room fills up. Wine tasting? Extra cost. Beer tasting? Extra cost. Workout classes? Extra cost. Spa access? Extra cost. Technically, you could attend a presentation about diamonds or luxury watches, but we all know how those end. The truth is, most of the free activities were geared toward kids. Adults in our group had a harder time finding things to do besides eat, drink and hang by the crowded pools. I tried to be productive and hit the gym, but the fitness center was small and often full. Granted, every cruise line attracts a different type of gym goer. I was working out by myself in Aurora Expeditions while timing when to avoid rush hour on Virgin Voyages. DCL was surprisingly busy every day of the sailing for the size of the facilities. Typically, not a huge deal, but as mentioned above, when there's not much for adults to do other than eat and drink, it did stick out. (Grateful for those Peloton bikes, though.) The bottom line: Great for families with small kids Our party of 10 included six who were on their third DCL sailing and four newbies (myself included). It was great to watch the kids light up exploring the ship, attend character meet-and-greets, and retell their adventures each night at dinner. Disney does an excellent job catering to families with small children. The activities, the entertainment, the energy – it's built for young families. For adults without kids, grandparents or those hoping for more balance between grown-up fun and family time, you might find yourself wishing for more options – or at least fewer upcharges. Would I go again? Maybe with a smaller group, and with clearer expectations. Because when Disney says it's for families, they really mean families with little ones front and center.
CNBC
a day ago
- CNBC
Miley Cyrus shares the first big purchase she ever made: 'I still have it to this day'
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