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Rock gods have fallen at her feet. But now that she is married to Nicolas Sarkozy, is politics threatening to cramp Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s style? In her frankest interview yet, she sings her heart out Carla Bruni-Sarkozy strides out into the afternoon sunshine on her terrace and throws up her hands in welcome, shouting “John!” and kissing me on both cheeks. I’m taken aback: I’ve interviewed her twice in two years, but that was before she become France’s première dame. She is dressed in tight blue jeans and plain white T-shirt, her wedding ring the only jewellery. The Parisian home of...

France's first lady Carla Bruni said Friday she was "hurt" by frosty reactions to her new album from critics of her husband President Nicolas Sarkozy, as the much-hyped record went on sale across Europe. Half a million people logged on to the web to listen to the third album by the supermodel-turned-chanteuse, "Comme Si De Rien N'Etait" (Simply), ahead of its official release, according to figures from her record label Naive. But the 60s-flavoured album has sparked some mocking reviews and an outpouring of vitriol on the Internet by French voters hostile to the right-wing leader. "Of course it hurts...

A photograph of a nude Carla Bruni, the ex-model now married to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was sold Thursday to a Chinese collector for 91,000 dollars at Christie's -- more than 20 times its predicted price. The gelatin silver print, taken by photographer Michel Comte in 1993, depicts a young Bruni in a standing pose, apparently in reference to the paintings of French neo-impressionist artist Georges Seurat depicting models. It was standing room only in the auction hall as more than 200 photographs were put up for sale, including one of screen siren Brigitte Bardot by legendary American photographer Richard...

What controversy has French President Nicolas Sarkozy drummed up now? The unpopular European leader is catching flack for many, many things, not the least of which is his recent marriage to supermodel and singer Carla Bruni. And now a full-frontal nude (read, "not work safe") photo of his new model/wife will be auctioned off April 10 in New York. Actively making the rounds in the British tabloids, the release of the photo appears to be timed with an official visit by Sarkozy and Bruni to Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. Way to impress your new friends! Word is...

France's Nicolas Sarkozy marries Carla Bruni By Peter Allen in Paris Last Updated: 3:04pm GMT 02/02/2008 French president Nicolas Sarkozy has married ex-supermodel Carla Bruni in a "secret" ceremony at the Elysée Palace in Paris. The world watched the couple on holiday in Egypt The wedding took place just two and a half months after they met, and three and a half months after he divorced his second wife. They were married at 11am with François Lebel, mayor of Paris's fashionable 8th arrondissement - in which the palace is situated - officiating. Mr Sarkozy, 53, and Miss Bruni, 40, exchanged...

via translation - Carla Bruni pregnant! Things are going very quickly for Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy. Indeed, the former top Italian is pregnant! Only three weeks after formalizing their relationship and barely a month after they met. At his press conference Tuesday, the head of state was assured that his relationship with the singer, "it was a serious matter," and was confirmed at half-words her future marriage. And now a baby Sarko? The new presidential couple is obviously at the centre of rumours. It must be said that everything is going very quickly between Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni....

NEW DELHI: India, it seems, feels it's for the French to decide what status should be accorded to supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni if she indeed comes visiting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy later this month. Amid reports that Sarkozy (52) may tie the knot with Bruni (39) early next month, after some weeks of a highly-publicised courtship, with business often being mixed with pleasure during his foreign visits, an external affairs ministry official on Monday said, ''There will no protocol problems from our side if she comes.'' ''It is for the French to decide whether she should be treated as the...

Saudi official calls on French president to visit kingdom without girlfriend Monday, January 7, 2008 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: A senior Saudi official called on French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday to respect Saudi Arabia's conservative Islamic culture by visiting the country later this month without his former supermodel girlfriend. Sarkozy, who divorced his wife Cecilia in October, has flaunted his relationship with Carla Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan, drawing criticism that he is being too loose with the presidential image. The Saudi diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sarkozy...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to marry his new girlfriend, the former model turned singer Carla Bruni, a French newspaper reported Sunday, claiming a wedding was "imminent". Citing several anonymous sources, the Journal du Dimanche said the couple, currently on a private visit to Jordan at the invitation of King Abdullah II, are believed to have set a wedding date for either February 8 or 9. Presidential spokesman David Martinon declined to comment on the front-page story. Sarkozy, 52, and Bruni, 39, were photographed on Saturday touring the rose-red city of Petra in southern Jordan, the president carrying Bruni's young...

Nicolas Sarkozy 'to wed Carla Bruni next month' Charles Bremner, of The Times, Paris President Sarkozy is planning to marry Carla Bruni, his singer girlfriend, in early February, just over two months after meeting her and three since his wife divorced him, according to French and Italian reports today. As the Elysee Palace made no attempt to deny an imminent wedding, pollsters said that the President's exhibition of the former Italian supermodel and his haste in replacing Cecilia, his wife, explained part of a seven-point slump in his approval rating over the past month. "Speedy Sarko", 52, today gave the...

Webb County Sheriff's deputies made a grisly discovery Thursday morning at the Webb County line. Deputies recovered the decomposed body of a Honduran man about 45 miles east of Laredo, in Bruni. The man, identified as 31-year-old Rafael Cruz Alvarado, was reportedly discovered by a passerby at about 8:30 a.m. in the town with a population of about 500 people. Authorities determined the undocumented immigrant had been dead for at least two weeks. His decomposing body was found behind Bruni's Badger Stadium. He was slumped over on one side underneath a Mesquite tree in a grassy area, Webb County Sheriff's...

MIRANDO CITY Undocumented immigrants crossing the Rio Grande are not an uncommon site in the rural areas of Webb County, but many local law enforcement agencies say their numbers are increasing. Constable Annette Muñoz attributes a lot of the movement to business, as did Sheriff Rick Flores. "I think its organized human smuggling because they have certain houses that they use and they wait until the evening to be picked up," Flores said. Muñoz said human smuggling is a lucrative business. "Its easy money," she said. "There is a high demand on cheap labor whether it be in places like...