Fred Astaire, Smooth Criminal

Fred Astaire - Smooth Criminal by djsammyjunior

Back in February, I was intrigued by a book Leslie was reading. Lunch in Paris: a love story with recipes, written by Elizabeth Bard, is a classic fish-out-of-water tale -- an American who finds herself living in Paris. The library had quite a long waiting list but my turn finally arrived earlier this month. I finished reading it last week and definitely recommend it. It's a charming tale with passages that made me laugh out loud as well as ones that brought tears to my eyes. Bard makes a life-altering choice to leave behind her familiar North American lifestyle and move to Europe, where life is indeed quite different in so many ways. I particularly appreciated her honesty about this transition.

I'm sure you'll love the story as well and will, of course, be tempted by all the recipes included. Trust me, you'll be hungry. In the book, I found a link to the author's blog, Lunch in Paris, a delightful offering where Bard essentially continues chronicling her adventures in France. The blog is a must for fans of the book. While reading the blog's older posts, I came across a fascinating snippet of information that has nothing to do with food whatsoever. Instead, it's about one of my favourite entertainers, Fred Astaire.

Bard writes:
Instead of doing our budget last night, G. and I spent the evening comparing Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal to “The Bandwagon” with Fred Astaire, the 1950s musical comedy that inspired MJ's choreography. Leave it to my French, tap dancing, cinema buff of a husband to know such a thing.

Bard's husband found this video online and she shares the link in her post; I just had to share it as well. MJ and Astaire? You bet. Amazing. It's a long clip, but do watch all the way to the very end. It just gets better and better and better.

And do try to get your hands on a copy of Lunch in Paris. I had to return the book before I got a chance to copy out the recipes I want to try, so I think a trip to the bookstore is in my immediate future; this book is a keeper.