Monte Carlo's famous casino and square was taken over yesterday morning by a film crew who are making 'Cloclo' based on the life of Claude François.
Claude François was an incredibly popular singer in the 1960s and '70s in France. His formula for success was adapting British and American rock and roll hits for the French market. If you've never heard of him, then think of the Frank Sinatra classic 'My Way' which he co-wrote with Jacques Revaux. The song was known in France as
Comme d'habitude (As Usual). Paul Anka supplied the words to My Way.
In March 1978 he's returned from a gig in Switzerland to in his Paris apartment in order to appear, the next day, on '
Les Rendez-vous du Dimanche' with TV host
Michel Drucker. While standing in a filled bath, he noticed a light bulb that wasn't straight, tried to straighten it with his wet hands and was accidentally electrocuted. His tragic death at only 39 years of age brought a wave of public sympathy for a French national treasure.
The part of Claude François is played by Jérémie Rénier (seen coming out of the casino in this photo) who bears a remarkable resembles to the late singer. However, despite is pretty boy look, Francois was a tortured soul and not always the nicest of people. Well, we'll all have to see the film, won't we?
You want an eight-foot velvet elephant or a friendly cheetah (perhaps it's a leopard?) then you've come to the right place although I can't quite work out how either would cope in the rain. Perhaps they are simply on display as part of this year's theme at Garden Dreams which is an hommage to Africa.
This weekend you'll find tents galore on the terraces of the Casino with everything you can imagine for a garden at 'Rêveries sur jardin' which means Garden Dreams.
You may well ask the reason for a photograph of a seagull's rear end. 
An spray of roses over your lunch table? This is the Pacific Restaurant in the Metropole building on Avenue des Spelugues.
It's not easy to find a private mail box in Monaco. Eventually I found these three in a small street at the back of the Hotel Hermitage. 
These actresses had to walk in front of the Casino Gardens in animated conversation. The couple in the last photo are waiting for Claude François to leave the Casino - at which point they will look across and stare at him. See yesterday's post.
And if you are still hungry as you leave the restaurant you could always grab a tomato...
Sometimes you spot little gems amongst the high rises. This was taken on Boulevard Princesse Grace.
The Grimaldi Forum taken from high up in the Formentor building. Behind the Grimaldi Forum you can see an area of trees, which is the Japanese Garden.
We're back at ArtMonaco, just for one day - in any case, it finished ages ago - but I forgot to show you the rhinoceros!
