France inspires the world's imagination, but what inspires the French? FRANCE 24 journalist Joseph Bamat homes in on the French trends, big and small, that you should know about. From best sellers and chart toppers to opinion leaders and political contenders, the Fuss takes a wide temperature reading to find out what and who is hot in France.

Links to social media: facebook
Sat, 12/17/2011 - 16:09

What the French want for Christmas: Consumer Trends 2011

Naughty or nice, the French want beaucoup treats for Christmas. While we don’t know exactly what’s on their wish lists, here are some of the best-sold and most-watched of 2011.
Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:13

Strauss-Kahn finally spills the beans

A new book in France offers an alternative version of the licentious encounter between Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid in New York, and says his uninhibited sexcapades are a thing of the past. One claim is as unlikely as the next.
Fri, 11/11/2011 - 23:09

Green provocateur

Green party presidential hopeful Eva Joly is at it again. Is her call to dump another French tradition of military observance guided by her sincere liberal bent or a phony attention-gathering strategy ahead of elections?
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 14:14

France frets over Tintin's Hollywood Adventure

Anywhere you look in France these days, Tintin is there. With innumerable legions of intergenerational Tintinophiles in the country, Spielberg's new movie starring the Belgian comic book hero is one of the most anticipated of the year.
Mon, 10/17/2011 - 17:01

The comeback kid

After gaining the trust of millions of left-wingers in France and winning the Socialist Party presidential primaries, François Hollande is the man of the hour. But it hasn’t always been so.
Fri, 10/14/2011 - 11:09

Socialist primaries: Lessons in the art of seduction

The candidates in the Socialist Party's primaries are quarreling over whether France's left should be hard or solid. The subtle difference speaks volumes to French leftists who are trying to find their match for next year's presidential election.
Sun, 10/02/2011 - 11:59

Declaration of… Love

The French movie Declaration of War is a rare crowd pleaser. Rare because deadly brain cancer is at the center of the plot – rare because both artsy-intellectual types and thrill seekers are cheering.
Tue, 09/13/2011 - 13:08

Do or die time for one-man party man

Bad news in the Clearstream trial could be the nail in the coffin for one presidential hopeful.
Sun, 09/04/2011 - 20:02

Stealing the thunder

Back in France, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a liability to fellow Socialists Party members. But his arrival has imparted at least one favor on his political camp.
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 13:07

Sex controversy kicks off school year

Eighty conservative lawmakers have written a concerned letter to education minister Luc Chatel and sparked a lively debate about gender and sexuality in France. The 80 angry men and women want certain textbooks pulled from classrooms.
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 14:32

Rebranding destination France

France is already the first tourist destination in the world, but the ministry of tourism is launching a new aggressive campaign to rebrand the country as a more welcoming holiday destination.
Tags for all blogs :
Sun, 07/10/2011 - 16:06

Parisushi

Sushi restaurants have sliced through the wave of fear that was unleashed by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, to confirm they are now a fixture of Parisians' eating habits.
Tags for all blogs :
Wed, 06/22/2011 - 15:57

Dual citizenship in the cross-hairs?

In its drive to charm ultra-nationalist voters, members of Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party are taking shots at dual citizenship in France. But the latest debate on French hides a different and more worrying trend.
Tags for all blogs :
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 13:06

The Socialists’ two-horse race

The Socialist Party’s primaries are still months away and many candidate names have been floated. But the contest that will decide the main challenger to Nicolas Sarkozy’s re-election bid in 2012 is fast turning into a two-horse race.
Tags for all blogs :
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 14:14

Chirac attacks Sarkozy in memoirs sequel

After skirting questions from the French press for years, former president Jacques Chirac has finally broken his silence over his bitter relationship with successor Nicolas Sarkozy.
Tags for all blogs :
Tue, 05/31/2011 - 11:08

The growing menace of the center

Jean-Louis Borloo's candidature for France's 2012 presidential elections remains unofficial, but in a recent interview the centrist has left little doubt he is ready to challenge President Sarkozy re-election bid.
Tags for all blogs :
Tue, 05/31/2011 - 07:39

Road Rage

A government plan to ban road signs that warn drivers of speeding radars has run into trouble with lawmakers from President Sarkozy’s own party. Paris is putting on the breaks.
Tags for all blogs :
Mon, 05/16/2011 - 16:29

The other dark chapter of Strauss-Kahn’s life

A young French novelist has said she is considering pressing charges against Strauss-Kahn for a sexual assault that allegedly took place in 2002. The IMF chief’s dramatic arrest in New York could reopen a troubling chapter of his life.
Tags for all blogs :
Thu, 05/05/2011 - 11:23

World’s best bread finds new home

The Best Baguette in Paris (and therefore Best Bread in the World) has a new address, but it is still nestled in picturesque Montmartre.
Tags for all blogs :
Wed, 04/27/2011 - 09:49

A croissant in the oven at the Elysée?

The rumor mill in France is turning at a frantic pace with the following, and still unconfirmed, tale: First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will give us an Elysée baby in the Fall.
Tags for all blogs :