David Hasselhoff is big over there, too. It seems more convincing since he hasn't changed his name; and the show Babewatch doesn't explain this phenomenon.
Still doesn't change the Jerry Lewis/France thing, though. What is the deal with that? Other than Jacques Chirac is an elected official, I guess...
Right, and Jack Lang, Mitterand's Culture Minister, is in the running for Chirac's office.
Lang really promoted Jerry Lewis into an icon in France.