Even by the standards of recent years, this is turning into a depressing Tour for the home nation, and spirits will not have been raised one millimetre after the announcement yesterday by last year's French darling, Laurent Jalabert, that this is his last Tour.
Universally adored French darling Yelle is back with the first single off her upcoming yet-to-be-named third album.
In 1924, French darlings the Pelissier brothers quit the race in the Normandy town of Coutances, summoned the press to a cafe and opened their bags to show the pills the demands of the Tour forced them to swallow - strychnine, cocaine and other unidentified stimulants.
The traditional French darlings are going to fade, and designers like Helmut Lang and Shelly Steffee will step into the limelight with futuristic shapes and patterns.
There is an impressive selection of wall sconces, including a pair in gilded and oxidized bronze designed by Maxime Old, the 1940's French designer darling of the moment ($8,500).
Isabel Marant, the French designer darling of fashion shows worldwide, creates bohemian pieces to flatter the female form, all of which are interesting without being difficult to wear.
Leading the charge of those seeking to rehabilitate D.S.K. is Bernard-Henri Levy, the French intellectual and darling of the Left in France, who was eviscerated by feminists in the aftermath of the arrest for defending a man accused of being a sexual predator.
It was a public relations move supposed to capitalise on the soap-opera interest in the model-turned-singer, who had already appeared in interviews calling her French president husband "darling", introducing their dogs and revealing the contents of her handbag.
In case you want to bring a darling French oak barrel home as a souvenir, be advised--those go for 600 euro ($760) a pop!
He was, however, also famous for his circle of favorites, called Les Mignons (from mignon, French for "the darlings" or "the dainty ones").
Long a gastronomic darling of French food critics, the city of Lyon still pulses with the work of adventurous chefs.
