People – France’s First Lady Finds Balance With Singing

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has shared the world stage with Britain’s queen, the pope and the Dalai Lama.

But in London this week , France’s first lady appeared on a different kind of stage, this time with rock royalty – the Kings of Leon and Metallica .

Introduced simply as Carla Bruni, she sang live on the British Broadcasting Corp. television program “Later Live … With Jools Holland” and was interviewed by the pianist.

Sitting at a grand piano, Bruni-Sarkozy was asked how she managed to balance her work as a musician with her duties as France’s first lady.

“I don’t really mix them up. I separate them. I play my music and then I go with my husband when he needs me,” the former model said. “He’s not really a critic, or a fan, but he’s involved in my music.

Bruni-Sarkozy’s new album, “Comme si de rien n’etait (As if nothing had happened),” was released in July. It went to the top of the charts in France.

Colbert to host Christmas special

O come, all ye Colbert faithful. Stephen Colbert will host his own Christmas special this year, Comedy Central announced this week .

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” will air Nov. 23 as a one-hour special.

It will be a musical special featuring John Legend , Elvis Costello , Toby Keith , Willie Nelson , Feist and “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart .

Most of the special’s songs have been written by “Daily Show” executive producer David Javerbaum and Fountains of Wayne’s bassist Adam Schlesinger .

Carrie before the Cosmopolitans

Meet Carrie Bradshaw, in her teenage years.

“Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell is writing a pair of teen novels, “The Carrie Diaries,” that “takes readers back to Carrie Bradshaw’s formative years in high school, giving an inside look at Carrie’s friendships, romances and how she realized her dream of becoming a writer,” HarperCollins announced Wednesday.

The first book will come out in 2010. Bushnell, in a statement issued by her publisher, said, “Carrie in high school did not follow the crowd – she led it. It was there that she began observing and commenting on the social scene.”

Bushnell’s adventures of Carrie and her Manhattan pals were adapted into the hit HBO series starring Sarah Jessica Parker and a feature film that came out this year. Her fifth novel, “One Fifth Avenue,” is coming out this month.

– From Our Press Services

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Today’s birthdays

Singer Jimmie Rodgers , 75; actor Robert Blake , 75; actor Fred Willard , 69; singer-actor Frankie Avalon , 68; actor James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”), 47; actress Holly Robinson Peete (“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”), 44; actress Jada Pinkett Smith , 37; actor James Marsden (“The Notebook “), 35 .

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Originally published by From Our Press Services .

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