Latest news with #Voltaire
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Leona Lewis announces Las Vegas residency at Voltaire following in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and Jason Derulo
Leona Lewis has announced a brand-new Las Vegas residency at Voltaire on Monday following in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and Jason Derulo. The Grammy-nominated singer, 40, will take to the stage at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas this holiday season with, A Starry Night, performing her first ever live shows in the United States. Leona will transform the glitz hotel into a winter wonderland for a set of exclusive performances running from November 1 until January 3. The X Factor winner will perform her hits Bleeding Love, Better In Time and Christmas classic One More Sleep during the Christmas spectacular at the intimate venue. The British star said it is a 'dream' come true to have her own show in Sin City, which has been 'years in the making'. She said: 'I'm elated to bring this show to Voltaire as it's been years in the making, made specially for my fans. 'Christmas has always been such a special time for me and my family and there's nothing quite like the energy of Las Vegas during the holidays. Can't wait to take the stage!' Sharing the news on Instagram, Leona added: 'A dream, years in the making. Coming to life in Vegas this November! 'I am so excited to officially announce my residency at Voltaire at @venetianvegas. Can't wait to share this new chapter with you'. A Starry Night is intended for all ages with general admission tickets starting at $75 (£56) with VIP packages also available for purchase from August 1. Over at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace this Christmas Dolly Parton will be taking to the stage for her residency with prices ranging from £1,500 to £4,000. Leona will also follow the likes of Adele, Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Cher, Janet Jackson, Bruno Mars and many more. However it was Britney Spears' Britney: Piece of Me residency in Sin City, which ran for four years from 2013 at the Axis at Planet Hollywood, that caught Leona's eye originally 11 years ago. Despite it being unknown what Leona will be paid for her 33 date residency, she admitted back in 2014 she would be very keen to have her own show due to the staggering paycheck. Over at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace this Christmas Dolly Parton will be taking to the stage for her residency with prices ranging from £1,500 to £4,000 Speaking to the Metro in 2014, she said: 'You get paid so much money to just go and do your show every single night. It would be amazing! I would love that. 'I want to go and see Britney. I am wondering how great that will be, though, as she is only performing two nights per month which I don't really understand. Two shows a month? Probably $10million per show!? 'I'm sure it will be incredible but I am intrigued to see how that would work.' Last week, Leona was made an OBE for services to music and charity in an an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. She looked incredible in a blush pink dress which she teamed with a matching hat as she was awarded the achievement by King Charles. The singer won the third series of The X Factor in 2006 and went on to achieve success in the music industry. Her debut studio album, Spirit, became one of the best-selling albums of the 2000s and the lead single, Bleeding Love, was the best-selling single of 2007. Leona was the first British female solo artist to reach the top five with eight singles, beating out Olivia Newton-John's record of seven. The British singer-songwriter from Islington, north London, has also been nominated for seven BRIT Awards and three Grammys and has performed on Broadway, TV and the silver screen. Outside her musical talents, Leona has thrown her support behind many charitable causes and activism. She has a particular passion for animal rights, publicly speaking out against animal testing and voicing her support for animal activism, sustainability and conservation. In December 2019, Leona and her husband, Dennis Jauch, opened a vegan cafe in Pasadena called Coffee and Plants, partnering with the National Forest Association to plant a tree for every cup they sell. They expanded to their second location in Studio City earlier this year and the cafe also works in partnership with Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, with proceeds of select items donated to the charity. Leona has campaigned for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Save The Children's initiative to stop child hunger at Christmas, to honour the NHS and to raise awareness of children's mental health. She has also worked alongside The Prince's Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust, WWF and American Red Cross as well as performing live during the pandemic to raise funds for COVID-19 initiatives. Leona is now a proud mum to daughter Carmel, three, who she shares with husband of six years, Dennis Jauch. Leona Lewis Las Vegas dates Saturday, Nov 1 Sunday, Nov. 2 Wednesday, Nov. 5 Friday, Nov. 7 Saturday, Nov. 8 Sunday, Nov. 9 Wednesday, Nov. 12 Friday, Nov. 14 Saturday, Nov. 15 Sunday, Nov. 16 Tuesday, Nov. 25 Thursday, Nov. 27 Friday, Nov. 28 Saturday, Nov. 29 Friday, Dec. 5 Saturday, Dec. 6 Sunday, Dec. 7 Wednesday, Dec. 10 Friday, Dec. 12 Saturday, Dec. 13 Sunday, Dec. 14 Wednesday, Dec. 17 Friday, Dec. 19 Saturday, Dec. 20 Sunday, Dec. 21 Wednesday, Dec. 24 Friday, Dec. 26 Saturday, Dec. 27 Sunday, Dec. 28 Tuesday, Dec. 30 Wednesday, Dec. 31 Friday, Jan. 2 Saturday, Jan. 3
Times
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Times
Barley latte? France wakes up to healthy coffee substitutes
History records that Voltaire, the 18th-century writer, was not generally irritable but he did experience mood swings, perhaps because of his habit of drinking up to 50 cups of coffee a day. Today eight out of ten French people start the day with a coffee, usually black, and many also down several espressos — and some complain that it can make them tetchy or anxious. Most French cafés also offer déca, or decaffeinated coffee, but now there is a lesser-known alternative, made by roasting cereals such as barley. The grains, which look remarkably like coffee beans, are grown in Brittany. They can be ground and used in espresso machines or French press coffee-makers. 'A lot of our customers prefer barley coffee substitute to decaffeinated coffee, which usually contains solvents or is made with huge quantities of water, which is wasteful,' said Micaela Duarte, the owner of a fashionable café on a tree-lined boulevard in Paris's 11th arrondissement. 'I drank the coffee myself when I was pregnant and couldn't handle real coffee. It satisfied my craving for a morning coffee with milk,' Duarte, 29, said. To demonstrate, she made an espresso and a latte with Orzo, a coffee substitute made with barley, without additives. You might have expected it to taste like jus de chaussette, or 'sock juice', a colourful term for acrid coffee that smells sooty and leaves an ashtray aftertaste. However, there was a pleasant surprise in the discovery of a flavour close to that of freshly ground coffee, with a softer aroma. Both the espresso and the latte were smooth-tasting, although neither provided the authentic coffee kick that Voltaire craved. Yoann Gouéry, who produces the coffee substitute in Ploeuc-L'Hermitage in Brittany, said: 'It's not a booster. It won't wake you up, but it does give you energy and you won't feel tired in the afternoon. Like any cereal, it activates the intestinal flora and aids digestion.' Graine de Breton, Gouéry's small company, has a turnover of about €400,000 a year, producing 30 tonnes of various coffee substitutes using barley, spelt and buckwheat. His products have been featured in national television news reports. A reporter on the TF1 channel swore off coffee for a month as an experiment and drank only Gouéry's cereal substitutes. At the end of the month, clearly won over, he said he felt less tired. However, Marie Lijour, a nutritionist, said it might not have been entirely because of the barley beverage. 'Psychologically, it made him feel he was looking after himself and perhaps unconsciously he was more careful about what he ate and chose healthier foods.' Gouéry said he got the idea for making coffee substitutes from an old recipe book. 'We wanted to produce an alternative to coffee that's healthy and locally sourced.' He roasts barley for about an hour in a large coffee roaster: 'I'll go up to more than 230C until I get the colour I want.' For now, he sells to a niche market. Few traditional French cafés are interested and his customers are either individuals or modern coffee bars that have sprung up in the past decade, catering mainly for young professionals and tourists who prefer to avoid the petit noir, or short black, on offer at the corner café. The French love affair with coffee began after Suleyman Aga, the Ottoman ambassador to the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, brought it to France in 1669. • Roquefort makers kick up a stink over 'unhealthy' tag in France's food labelling policy Café culture took root in Paris during the Age of Enlightenment, when Voltaire gathered with other writers and philosophers at the Café Procope on the Left Bank. Yet the coffee served in Parisian cafés today is of variable quality. Too often, an espresso, which is what most French people prefer, is a bitter shot that many locals render drinkable by dropping in a couple of sugar cubes. Milk may soften the bitterness, but cannot hide it completely. Duarte's Moon Coffee Shop, which is highly rated in the prestigious Gault & Millau guide, is part of the new wave. 'We get a lot of people coming in who want to avoid caffeine, and when we suggest the barley drink, they're often sceptical,' Duarte said. 'We tell them, just try it, and if you don't like it, you don't have to pay. So far, everyone has paid and we have some customers who always order it.' Chicory is another option but 'we didn't like the taste as much and it can't be ground and used in an espresso machine', Duarte said. Gouéry's coffee substitutes are also available in supermarkets with organic counters. At Biocoop, near Place de la République in central Paris, I found several devotees, but also a few sceptics. 'I love this stuff,' said Micheline, 32, a lawyer, who bought a packet of a multiple-grain blend of barley, malted barley and spelt also produced by Gouéry. 'I can drink as much as I like and it doesn't make me tense like coffee does, but the flavour is close.' Patrick, her partner, was less enthusiastic. 'The barley drink doesn't do it for me. If you like the taste of coffee, just drink real coffee but don't overdo it.' Perhaps Voltaire deserves the final word. It has often been said that his doctor once warned him that coffee was a poison. He supposedly replied: 'It is a remarkably slow poison. I have been drinking it every day for more than 75 years.' A word of caution, however: this same response has also been attributed to another French writer, Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Leona Lewis announces 'A Starry Night' Holiday residency in Las Vegas
British pop sensation Leona Lewis is bringing her powerhouse vocals to Las Vegas this holiday season with a new residency titled A Starry Night. The Grammy-nominated artist will headline an exclusive run of shows at Voltaire, the intimate live venue inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, from November 1, 2025, through January 3, 2026. According to an official announcement, A Starry Night promises to transform Voltaire into a festive winter wonderland, offering a holiday experience for audiences of all ages. The residency will feature a mix of Lewis's best-known hits such as 'Bleeding Love' and 'Better In Time,' alongside her modern holiday favorite 'One More Sleep.' 'I'm elated to bring this show to Voltaire as it's been years in the making, made specially for my fans,' Lewis shared in a statement. 'Christmas has always been such a special time for me and my family and there's nothing quite like the energy of Las Vegas during the holidays. Can't wait to take the stage!' The show will feature a set list spanning Lewis's career and will be performed in an intimate, cabaret-style setting, emphasizing both her vocal range and the festive spirit of the season. The residency kicks off on Saturday, November 1, and includes more than 30 performances through early January. Dates include weekends and select midweek nights, culminating in shows on New Year's Eve and just after the New Year.
Economic Times
13-07-2025
- General
- Economic Times
Tending our own garden
At the end of Voltaire's magnum opus 'Candide', the protagonist meets an old Turk in a village near Constantinople and learns the lesson - 'Il faut cultiver notre jardin', meaning, 'We must cultivate our garden.' These words, simple though they sound, carry profound meaning. It is a rejection of abstract philosophical systems, particularly those that fail to confront the harsh realities of life. Instead, he advocates practical action, personal responsibility and a grounded approach to living meaningfully in a flawed world. Voltaire satirises the optimistic philosophy of his companion Pangloss, who represents theodicy, the view of Gottfried Leibniz, a German philosopher, who sought to rationalise suffering and evil as part of a divine design. Voltaire dismantles this view by exposing Candide and his companions to a series of disasters - earthquakes, wars, disease, slavery, betrayal and human cruelty. Candide's garden is a symbol of personal labour, responsibility and engagement with the real world. Voltaire suggests that fulfilment lies not in understanding why suffering exists, but in actively working to reduce it in whatever ways we can. In this light, the phrase is both a rejection of blind optimism and an embrace of enlightened pragmatism. Thus, 'we must cultivate our garden' is a refutation of passive optimism and a call to action. It is an invitation to engage meaningfully with life, find dignity in work, and create value in a world that may not offer any guarantees.
Qatar Tribune
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Culture minister lays foundation stone for Voltaire Library and Museum
QNA Doha Minister of Culture HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani and Chairman of the Board of the Qatari-French school Voltaire HE Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri laid the foundation stone for the Voltaire Library and Museum in Doha on Sunday. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Voltaire School's Al Waab branch, in the presence of several cultural and diplomatic figures. In a statement to Qatar News Agency, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education HE Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi affirmed the ministry's commitment to educational diversity, noting the presence of several French and other international schools in the country. He emphasised that the creation of the Voltaire Library and Museum will transform the site into a global hub for French culture in Qatar, benefiting students, researchers, and the broader public. He added that this project represents a modern and innovative model that connects culture with education across all academic levels, contributing to the intellectual development of students and preparing them to be knowledgeable future citizens. Dr Al Nuaimi also noted the ministry's support for all schools in Qatar, including Voltaire School, and the state's broader interest in launching significant cultural initiatives like this one - expressing hope that similar projects will be replicated in other schools. Spanning an area of 8,000 square metres within the school campus, the Voltaire Library and Museum is considered a pioneering cultural initiative aimed at preserving the legacy of the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire and promoting intellectual dialogue and cross-cultural exchange. The project will feature a specialised library, reading and research spaces, and a theatre equipped with state-of-the-art sound technology. The museum will also house personal belongings and letters of Voltaire, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore various facets of his life and intellectual contributions.
