French "news babe" gets married

One of the most popular posts on this blog featured Melissa Theuriau, the French television journalist whose good looks turned her into a global internet celebrity. So I feel it my duty to advise her fans that they may wish to adjust their fantasies. She got married yesterday.    

Theuriau, 29, who hosts a weekly news programme on the M6 channel, wed Jamel Debbouze, 33, a popular comedian-producer. in a village south of Versailles. They flew with showbusiness guests to Morocco to continue the party in Marrakesh.

Debbouze, the pint-sized French-Moroccan star of two Astérix films, Amélie and other hits, is by far the greater celebrity in France. Theuriau is barely a household name, but abroad the union will disappoint the multitude who have swooned over videos of her since she achieved cyber-fame.

"The beautiful French news anchor" as she is known to her American admirers, rocketed to celebrity after clips of her turned up on Youtube. She was not doing anything risqué, simply reading routine items on the pre-dawn news on the LCI cable channel.  Her "perfect beauty" won her the title of "TV's sexiest news anchor" in the online edition of the US Maxim magazine. The feat was impressive given that she was running against America's TV superstars and readers would have understood little that she said. Melissa-mania has led millions to click on her 150 videos on Youtube and she features on countless screensavers.

Theuriau, from Grenoble, has sought to retain an image as a serious journalist as host of "Forbidden Zone", her investigative show. She also presents "Two or three days with me", an M6 programme in which she invites a celebrity to visit a favourite city. In January, Gérard Depardieu broadcast with here from Tel Aviv.

Laments on the internet over her marriage have focused on her choice of groom. Debbouze, a subversive comedian from the ethnic estates (projects), plays the underdog. He is helped by his disadvantaged physique, which includes a paralysed arm. "With all the hot guys there are in France, she had to fall for this clown," Jorge, a reader grumbled on one celebrity site. "She wouldn't look at him if he wasn't loaded with money."

Comments

[Dominique]

For the first time ever, i watched "Forbidden Zone" some time ago. This is tipical trash, telling people what they want to ear, making everyone afraid of every one and showing the greatness of being rich and famous. Nothing to do with news.

According to what CB wrote, Melissa Teurio is obviously more famous abroad than she is in France, and i hope it'll remain that way.

Jamel! You deserve better!

[azloon]

as a friend of mine is fond of reminding his lustful brothers:

"for every gorgeous woman, there is a man somewhere who is saying about her, 'thank god, i don't have to put up with her bullshit anymore.'"

all that being said, Melissa would be nice to marry for awhile.

[Joan Arles]

I'm probably just an envious woman, but Theuriau is just too pleased with herself. Elle se la pete. Jamel is welcome to her.

[Daisy]

....and he's with her for her brain!

[lechatnoir]

lol! she is fine in my book.I had no idea she was with Jamel, maybe I didn't pay attention.

I do know that countless of people have a problem with her being married with someone of another ethnicity. This problem will never go away.

She is a very sexy woman and people need not to hold this against her.

[Daniel Strohl]

"Debbouze, the pint-sized French-Moroccan star"

As my mother used to say when she saw a somewhat odd
couple : Il (ou elle) doit avoir des charmes cachés ...

[Francois D]

I don't share preceding opinion because "zone interdite" is an interesting TV emission for Sunday evening. Moreover, it is more pleasant to look at a young, pretty and intelligent woman, than to a "rombiére" (thanks if some one translates).
But by the way: how do you say in English "Elle se la péte"?

PS:They married at the abbey of Cernay. Charles, it is nearer from Rambouillet (presidential castle) than from Versailles, marvellous place of calm having belonged to the Rotschild family, now transformed in an hotel and restaurant.

http://www.abbayedecernay.com

A few years ago to celebrate the departure in retirement of one of my former professor, we made him a surprise taking him there with hidden eyes so that he found all the students that he had formed for a good lunch ending with specific songs (chansons de salle de garde) arranged about his career.
A good place also for lovers..

[Arkarter]

I give it six mois.

[Terry]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Say it ain't so, Charles.

[Lily]

"So I feel it my duty to advise her fans that they may wish to adjust their fantasies." (CB)

Terry once said "My fantasies involve women in bikinis - not the death penalty."

MY fantasies don't even involve women in bikinis, or beautiful French news anchors for that matter. :)

(I had wanted to send this yesterday, forgot about it - and now there he is, Terry, in misery! Poor Terry! You may refer to Arkarter and cheer up.)

[rocket]

Yeh ...so.. and!

[Anna]

I get the distinct impression that our own CB might be her biggest fan and suffering the most chagrin as a result of this marriage judging from the awestruck superlative-ridden language in this blog ;-) Only teasing.
Francois D: Elle se la pete = she's got tickets on herself.

[dot king]

I agree with Rocket, yeh, so what, another non-event news-wise (except for the couple that is).

François D "elle se la pète" she's doing what she wants for the hell of it, she's having a ball, a great time. She's on a roll, everything's working out for her.
No true direct transation exists or it would be "she farts it to herself" - which just about sums up the newsworthiness of it IMO : }

[Roger Goodacre]

"Elle se la péte" = 'she really fancies herself' or 'she's full of herself'.

"Rombière" = 'hag/old bag/old bat/shrew' etc (plenty to choose from on the BBC and in the UK government, trying to run our lives for us).

[john o'doe]

Charles,
We're all in shock over this loss and will have to go back to ogling that other gorgeous newsreader Anne-Sophie Lapix. Oh but hang on, I hear she's got her own Jamel.

That's enough gossip. How about telling the world about how Sarko is blaming everybody including the French press for his low ratings.

[christopher muir]

Coming fresh from reading reports in The Times about the obdurate Burmese junta and the dreadful Herr Fritzl in Austria, it's easy to understand the interest in "celebrity" marriages. Any chink of light is welcomed.

[Blendi Progri]

No one looks particularly happy in the photo.

A man that leans that much towards his wife, says something. Not very strong personality, needy and he loves her more than she loves him.

( he, could be a standup guy tho...when Mel aint around)

I can see the angle of the photo, but it is the woman that - normally- leans on her man and smiles, and da man stays straight and proud and beaming (Jam, looks he's under duress, LOL)and confident.

However, G.luck to Mel and Jamel, one thing concerning me is:
If the guy is described as a 'pint-sized'...from the looks of it, what should we call Melissa, a half-pinted?

[Robert Marchenoir]

TV star Mélissa Theuriau may marry whomever she wishes as far as I am concerned, but I am quite concerned about another side of the episode.

She was married at the Abbaye de Cernay. Contrary to what the name implies, this is not a consecrated place, and has not been for a very long time. It has been a luxury hotel for decades now.

According to reports I have read, the mayor of the place came over to the hotel for the civil ceremony, and a catholic priest came over as well for the religious one.

It seems that celebrities cannot be bothered anymore to move their asses to the city hall in order to get married, or to the church if they want a catholic wedding.

It's the state and the church which have to bow to them, and pander to their whims. These people really behave like royalty, and get away with it.

Wait. There is more. The catholic priest, the left-wing activist Guy Gilbert who wears his trademark leather jacket on TV talk-shows, is said to have quoted both from the Bible and the Koran during the ceremony, which has been qualified as "oecumenical" (the groom is a Muslim; if not by religion, at least by culture).

And here is the last straw: I've read that the Marrakesh fiesta, following the French one, was to include a muslim marriage celebrated by an imam.

So here we are. This is a complete travesty, pumped up and supported by the media. The authority of the state is being ridiculed. The seriousness of the wedding bond, as a pledge to society, is being reduced to a mere publicity event.

Even the Church allows its dignity to be trampled on, its creed to be debased and subverted by one of its own priests. A Catholic celebrating a Muslim wedding.

Ordinary mortals, if they want a catholic wedding, have to submit to several months of preparation, during which they are supposed to meet a priest repeatedly, convince him of their faith -- their Catholic faith, obviously --, and of the seriousness of their engagement.

Not celebrities wed by trendy leftist priests, apparently.

In the old days, French nobility had the privilege of riding their horses right into churches. It seems that in the Socialist-Islamic Republic of France, they don't even need to come to church any more: it's the church that comes to them.

When one is aware of the jealous theological exclusivity with which the Muslim creed considers wedding, of the way the Christian faith and culture is negated and wiped out when a Muslim man marries a Christian woman (the opposite is not tolerated), one wonders at the stupidity with which the Christian West gives itself up to its new Islamic colonisers.

I'm waiting for the time when an imam will wed a French-Moroccan couple by reading both from the Bible and the Kuran. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[Daisy]

Charles how about writing about something less controversial? Like Sarko!! :)
[coming up, Daisy, on Sarko's revision of wartime history. Been hijacked by other work CB]

[Dominique]

Robert,

Sarko made it possible by being the first to have the mayor come to the elysées palace instead of going himself to the cityhall.

regarding "Ordinary mortals having to submit to several months of preparation, during which they are supposed to meet a priest repeatedly, convince him of their faith -- their Catholic faith, obviously --, and of the seriousness of their engagement", i am afraid you did not attend a catholic ceremony for a while : please be aware that they now take anyone!They are to happy to make bigger numbers!

[Robert Marchenoir]

"Sarko made it possible by being the first to have the mayor come to the elysées palace instead of going himself to the cityhall."

Here we go again.

So I understand, Dominique, that just because Sarkozy does something, it is all right for you if everybody else does the same.

It is somewhat ironic that the very people who complain about Sarkozy being all over the place are the same who keep bringing him up when, for once, nobody is discussing him.

But if we really have to be dragged into the Sarko obsession once more, OK, let's have it.

Mélissa Theuriau is a smallish and transient TV star. Nicolas Sarkozy is the elected president of the French Republic. The latter is more entitled to some grandstanding than the former. He represents France and the French.

Theuriau represents nobody but herself, and the connected financial interests of her TV network and the celebrity media feeding off her.

One cannot, at the same time, complain that Sarkozy belittles the presidential function, and blame him for indulging in a little haughtiness. Choose your grudge.

Besides, there was a very legitimate reason for Sarkozy to marry privately, and one you should approve of, given you usual views on this blog.

His wedding with Carla Bruni came after a much publicised divorce, followed by a controversial courtship where people like you accused him of flaunting his private life.

The decision to hold a private ceremony, away from the media, was, considering the circumstances, a perfectly legitimate and wise one, meant to accomodate those critics.

But there is just no pleasing certain people.

On the other hand, the wedding of Mélissa Theuriau and Jamel Debbouze has no hint of controversy to it, just the opposite: the talented and beautiful French journalist falling in love for the ex-bad boy of Moroccan origin, small, ugly and handicapped, who fought his way from the city estates up to comedian fame -- that is the multiculti dream come true, the politically correct narrative straight out of the book.

Both of them would have faced nothing but positive, if over-enthusiastic attention from the media, had they wed at the city hall and the church.

And no doubt civil servants and church representatives alike would have taken the necessary measures to alleviate the media pressure, if requested by the couple.

As for your cocksure pretense that "I did not attend a catholic ceremony for a while", well, you're plain wrong. Should I say: once more?

[Dominique]

Robert,

Yes, back to Sarko once again! Didn't you complain about those "celebrities that cannot be bothered anymore to move their asses to the city hall in order to get married"?

You did not get me sorry; i just said that if the president himself does not go to the cityhall to get married, don't expect other citizen to do it if they can avoid it! As you said, in france, the president is an example (BTW, this is exactly why he is so criticized when bling-blinging : he heralds vulgarity as a model).

Please note that being president means acting with dignity, it does not mean "indulging in a little haughtiness" as you seem to believe.

[qwerty]

There is a form of genius in Jamel Debbouze's impros. Everyone should have a chance to see his stand-up shows.

[Terry]

Lily:

I appreciate your sympathy. Melissa might have been able to persuade me to vote socialist.

BTW: I did see her on tv when i was in paris last summer. She seemed rather full of herself. Still, other than a cheese tray, I have only one weakness as you have duly recalled. Even Superman has his kryptonite.

[Terry]

By the way way:

I forgot where i am. My "say it aint so" is a famous quote from below for those not in the US. It was a little boy's plea to a baseball player caught throwing the world series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson