Raised in the infamous 9-3 (the Seine Saint Denis region just outside Paris), Jazz at 26 had already racked up credits at Universal and Sony and founded his own communications company specializing in musical design. Billon is a case study in finding one’s talents. After a two-year DUT diploma, he entered a work-study (alternance) program in Bordeaux with the hope of founding a restaurant. An internship in marketing at Kaizen Marketing Group opened up a whole new world for him, an “American vision of entrepreneurship” with bosses barely older than himself.

One thing led to another and the two young French entrepreneurs met. In January last year Jazz and Billon created On Air Agency.

How did these two Frenchmen with no connections seduce the president of the United States?

“Talent,” says le Figaro, “Simplement du talent.”

This clip that Tony Jazz made in honor of Obama’s 2008 election caught the eye of Obama’s campaign, which led to a meeting with Charles Rifkin, the US ambassador to France.

>more

While the cemetery is commonly referred to as simply Le Cimetière des Chiens, you’ll see a few places where the longer name of Le Cimetière des Chiens et Autres Animaux Domestiques (the cemetery of dogs and other pets) is given, including an inscription in stone on a monument near the entrance. So the cemetery has welcomed non-canine animals as well for a long time, perhaps since the place first opened in 1899. There are tons of cat graves, as well as some horses, at least one monkey, a sheep, a hen, etc.

>more

Following in the footsteps of successful food trucks back in the States with a prominent social media presence, Kristin went straight to Twitter and Facebook in addition to her website to announce truck locations and scheduling changes. That’s part of what got people talking, but full credit goes to the concept and the quality.

The beef is ground fresh each morning, the buns are of the bakery variety and the options on the menu are unlike any this city has seen before. I opted for the Campagne which came topped with aged gruyère, caramelized onions and mushrooms and a side of hand cut, perfectly salted fries.

As I stood outside the truck, my hands numb from the biting cold, I savored each and every bite until hitting that ultimate sense of disappointment when I came to the last morsel. By the time I had finished my melody of ooohs and ahhhs, my fingers were warm and my smile untouchable. “It’s still fast food,” Kristin said as I sang her praises. Call it what you will, Le Camion Qui Fume’s burgers have merited their cushy new spot at the top of my ultimate burger list (and yours). Hopefully their searing success after only 2 weeks on the road is a harbinger for additional trucks and stops in the near future.

>more

The Eiffel Tower’s first-floor skating rink has just opened. Rent or bring skates and cruise on a mini-rink with a fantastic view of Paris. It’s open 10:30-10:30 daily through January 31, 2012. You can buy hot chocolate, pretzels, and—this being France—spiced wine.

Every year the Hotel de Ville rink is packed with locals, as well as tourists who want to experience this winter activity in front of the achitecturally fabulous city hall. Admission is free, and it is 5€ to rent skates. Centrally located along the river in Le Marais, this rink is open Mon-Sat from 12pm-10pm and Sun from 9am-10pm through February 17.

>click here for info on the Tour Montparnase rink

There are no apartment numbers in Paris for reasons I’ll never understand, so you must give visitors turn-by-turn directions from the front door.  Sometimes the directions are so convoluted you know you’re never going to make it so you just pick any door and make a new friend!

Anyone who has lived in Paris has been reduced to fumbling with a scrap of paper, or a cell phone, in order to get directions, and code numbers, to make the convoluted trip from the exterior of a building to someone’s flat. (Suffice it to say that the metro ride to the neighborhood was the easy part.) The whole system is so French. What’s weird is that French people don’t ever complain about. One of the greatest French rock bands, Les Rita Mitsouko, wrote the definitive piece of comedy about it. It’s called “Au Fond du Couloir” (“At the End of the Hall”) and the entire song consists of directions to someone’s abode from outside it. Check out the video here and the lyrics here.

As much as we enjoyed the movie Ratatouille, we knew a pet rat wasn’t in our future so we left the rodent and reptile party and headed to see the dogs and cats. Within a few steps of walking into the big exhibition hall, I felt like I was on the set of the film Best in Show except, instead of dogs, cats were the stars. The cat owners were clearly on break as many of them sat eating baguettes and talking shop while their felines lounged in luxurious cat carriers. I couldn’t help but imagine all of the cat intrigue going on!

>more

Animal Expo: Another exhibition, but this time a lot more kitsch! Held at the Parc Floral – always worth a visit at weekends – it is celebrating its 20th edition in the company of over 20,000 animals. So what makes it kitsch? The ‘best of breed’ cat show is a riot of carefully groomed moggies, but for the non-cat lovers you’ll also be able to see skating and singing dogs!

>more weekend fun