Maybe it was Providence that on this lazy Saturday on the cusp of the second week of Advent, someone decided to schedule “Daddy Longlegs” (1955) on TV, a charming, romantic comedy tale starring the most American actor, Fred Astaire, and the most French actress, Leslie Caron, one could imagine.
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if you haven’t seen it, it’s “My Fair Lady” meets “The Nutcracker” (sort of), with Astaire playing the mysterious, doting benefactor, and Caron dreamily dancing her way through fantasy sequences that mirror the painterly visions of a girl growing into a woman.
Leslie Caron and Fred Astaire in Daddy Long Legs, 1955 pic.twitter.com/jOuEIh1toV
— Hollywood Actresses (@HollywoodActre2) April 2, 2023
I was just such a teen girl when I was lucky enough to visit the City of Lights (Paris) during my junior year of high school in the late ’80s. When you first step inside Notre Dame Cathedral, the solemn and serene tone is unmistakable. It’s surprisingly cold. Dazzling stained glass windows inspire awed silence, and ominous columns hem you in like the massive, ancient legs of stone giants. That’s my best attempt; it’s difficult to convey the atmosphere, unless you’ve been there yourself. Unsurprisingly, it felt like a gut punch when the cathedral was damaged by fire five years ago. It wasn’t known how soon it might be restored then.
As we wrote previously on Saturday, President-elect Trump is on a road trip to Paris, where he attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, sitting in the same row as First Lady Jill Biden, and warmly greeting the French president:
In the latest example, Acting President Trump attended the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday, and did so alongside France’s President Emmanuel Macron, where the two exchanged friendly remarks.
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Also on the trip, appearing to play tourist while capturing video of the reopened church, was X owner and future DOGE co-administrator, Elon Musk:
Magnificat Cathédrale @NotreDameParis pic.twitter.com/NIqb6yNxc5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2024
And in a somewhat meta moment, someone snapped a photo of Musk possibly making the clip:
Elon Musk at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris today.
Anyone can become a citizen journalist. You just need a mobile, internet and 𝕏 app. pic.twitter.com/5ALtEQj3Fu
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) December 7, 2024
Appropriate to the reopening ceremony, and the church’s transformation from the ashes, the audience gave a rousing round of applause to honor the first responders who helped save it:
The Notre Dame in Paris was just officially reopened.
Christianity has regained one of its most important sites.
Merci! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/MAXwWFsyaX
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 7, 2024
The cathedral’s special guests were treated to the sonorous music of the pipe organ inside the magnificent and holy place:
Notre Dame’s famous Grand Organ with its 8,000 pipes, sounds out once again throughout the cathedral. pic.twitter.com/LRTNilHq3W
— Colm Flynn (@colmflynnire) December 7, 2024
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But if that wasn’t enough of a treat for the ears and soul, opera singer Pretty Yende, who hails from South Africa, was also part of the Notre Dame program–and to call her rendition of “Amazing Grace” epic is not overstating things. Another plus to the video (below) is that viewers are treated to a visual tour of the church’s restored interior as the chills-inducing soprano’s performance with the orchestra goes on. (And a big thanks to my friend/colleague Jennifer Oliver O’Connell for the tip.)
Enjoy!
BREAKING 🚨 This young lady stunned the world and sang ‘Amazing Grace’ in France at the Notre Dame Cathedral
Jesus Christ truly is King. I am brought to tears 🙏 pic.twitter.com/BikFP3GioQ
— Marjorie Taylor Greene Press Release (Parody) (@MTGrepp) December 7, 2024
