Paris

Nmon FordWhen one thinks of the operatic version of Macbeth, one immediately thinks of Giuseppe Verdi. However, the Swiss-American composer Ernest Bloch wrote a highly dramatic version in 1906, which has only been performed once in the U.S., at the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1973.The opera is about to double the number of U.S. performances it has received, with performances at the Long Beach Opera from June 15-23, 2013 and again at the Chicago Opera Theater from September 13-21, 2014. The Long Beach performances will feature Panamanian-American barihunk Nmon Ford in the title role and Suzan Hanson as his scheming wife Lady Macbeth. Adding to the dramatic effect will be the location of the performance, which will be in a vast industrial space at the Port of Los Angeles. The Chicago Opera Theater has not confirmed casting. The great Inge Borkh sings Bloch's Macbeth: Bloch’s opera reveals the influence of Wagner's music dramas and Claude Debussy's symbolist opera "Pelleas et Melisande." Bloch's probing and dramatic score powerfully illuminates the central couple, and deeply examines the temptation of promised power and its influence over our actions. but it did not receive its first performance until November 30, 1910 by the Opéra-Comique Paris. After the premiere production, the opera was staged in 1938 in Naples, but was then banned on orders of the Fascist government. Subsequently, the opera was produced in Rome in 1953, and in Trieste.

Still struggling to keep its head above water, French automaker Peugeot has announced plans to shut down and sell its Meudon plant near Paris. All production will be shifted to other nearby facilities, which means that the factory’s 660 employees won’t be dismissed. Meudon will be the second plant Peugeot decided to close, after the Aulnay facility, also located near Paris, whose fate was established last year as part ... (continue reading >>)

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With top-10 men's tennis stars like Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro set to sit out the 2013 French Open, the path to an eighth career Grand Slam title at Roland Garros is opening up for reigning champion Rafael Nadal.Boasting a ridiculous 52-1 overall singles record on the Paris clay, Nadal has been as close to unbeatable as a player can be at one venue. His seven titles in eight years are simply jaw-dropping, and based on what we've seen from him thus far in 2013, he won't be content until he wins an eighth.With Nadal set to take the court as an overwhelming favorite this May, here we'll break down the biggest challengers to his throne. Novak DjokovicWorld No. 1 Novak Djokovic has to be considered the biggest threat to Rafael Nadal in Paris this summer. The top-ranked Serb reached the final at Roland Garros a year ago, falling to Rafa in four sets, but is looking capable of springing an upset at times.Even more telling, Djokovic is 3-3 against Nadal in their last six clay-court meetings, which includes a straight-sets win in the Monte Carlo Masters final last month.Much like Roger Federer during his prime, Djokovic is an all-court superstar whose game translates to each and every surface. Add in the 26-year-old's relentless style and you have Nadal's greatest threat in Paris this summer.While it remains to be seen how deep he will go, one thing is for certain: Djokovic's brilliant backhand and exceptional movement will make him Rafa's biggest concern at the 2013 French Open. Jo-Wilfried TsongaTop-ranked Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is 0-2 all-time against Nadal on clay, but he has won two of their past three meetings on other surfaces dating back to 2011.In Tsonga's most recent encounter with the King of Clay in Monte Carlo, he showed a ton of improvement, giving Nadal all he could handle in the second set of a straight-sets loss in the semifinals. Tsonga pushed Rafa to a second-set tiebreaker, ultimately losing 3-7.At age 28, Tsonga is in the midst of his prime. Time is running out for the 2008 Australian Open finalist to add a Grand Slam title to his resume, and considering he reached the quarterfinal of the French Open a year ago and will have the crowd behind him again this summer, it's seemingly now or never. David FerrerA fellow Spaniard and clay-court specialist, David Ferrer always seems to play Nadal tough.Although the 31-year-old Ferrer has dropped all three of his meetings with Nadal in 2013, he's pushed Rafa to the limit in their two most recent matchups on clay. In the quarterfinals of Madrid, Ferrer won the opening set 6-4 and pushed Nadal to a tiebreaker in the second set. Ferrer would lose the tiebreaker 3-7 before going on to drop the final set 0-6.In the quarterfinals of Rome, Ferrer dropped the opening set to Rafa 4-6 before battling back to even the match, winning the second set 6-4. He would lose the match after losing the final set 2-6, but the outcome was certainly in doubt at times. Ferrer's persistence and agility make him a tough out on the red stuff for anyone, even for an all-time great like Nadal. Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

After making a cameo in "The Bling Ring," Paris Hilton is getting even more blingy. The socialite's reportedly signed with hip- hop label Cash Money for her upcoming second album, which will feature Lil Wayne, who's a Cash Money artist along with Drake and Nicki Minaj. (No word if Hilton's getting the requisite Young Money tatts favored by Wayne and fans including Knick J.R. Smith.) A rep for Hilton said, "They have been in talks, but nothing was confirmed. She was speaking to a few labels."

The 2013 French Open won't begin until Sunday, but already there are a handful of notable names on upset alert.While Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams enter the season's second Grand Slam tournament looking invincible, others like 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych have looked vulnerable on the red stuff.Below we'll highlight a trio of players set for early exits in Paris this summer. Tomas BerdychDespite recording three consecutive quarterfinal berths at the Australian Open, world No. 6 Tomas Berdych has yet to find consistent success at the French Open.The 27-year-old Czech star made an impressive run all the way to the semifinals at Roland Garros back in 2010, but has been mediocre on the red clay in Paris ever since, falling in the first round in 2011 and the fourth round a year ago.Berdych's career record at the French Open is his worst at any major tournament. At 13-9 overall, he's won just 59 percent of his matches at the only clay-court Slam.While he's been solid at times during this clay-court season, boasting an 8-4 singles record dating back to the start of the Monte Carlo Masters, he's looked incredibly vulnerable in upset losses to Fabio Fognini and Tommy Robredo.With both Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro out of this year's tournament, the door is open for Berdych to make a deep run. But will he? Agnieszka RadwanskaWomen's world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska has done little as of late to convince tennis fans that she will be a contender in Paris this summer.Following early-round upsets in Madrid and Rome, the 24-year-old Polish star will head into Roland Garros with almost zero momentum, which is bad news considering she's never been further than the fourth round at the French Open.Radwanska bowed out in the third round a year ago, falling to 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.Plus, since reaching the semifinals at the Miami Masters in March, Radwanska is just 1-2 overall, her only clay-court season win coming against Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round of the Madrid Open. Pironkova is currently ranked outside the WTA Top 50. Milos RaonicCanadian Milos Raonic is still developing as a player, but don't expect him to make many strides in Roland Garros this summer.The 22-year-old Canadian has struggled a bit to this point in the clay-court season. Since reaching the semifinals at the Barcelona Open last month (where he lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal) Raonic is just 1-2 on clay, losing in the second round at Madrid to Fernando Verdasco and bowing out of the first round in Rome, falling to Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets.It's really no wonder why Raonic has struggled on clay early in his young career, though. The slower-playing surface neutralizes his monster serve and forces him to become a better mover, which is tougher for him at 6'5". Raonic will make his third career appearance at the French Open in 2013 after reaching the third round last year. Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

The hotel heiress signs with Cash Money Records to release her new record, which is being produced by Afrojack.

GRAPHISME - La vie de l'artiste australien Workbynight a été marquée par la transition technologique, comme il l'explique sur son site internet. Marqué par cette expérience, il réalise désormais des tableaux composés de touches de claviers d'ordinateur.Mises en ligne par le site Behance en mars, les oeuvres de Workbynight sont devenues en quelques jours parmi les plus populaires de ce site dénicheur de nouveaux talents artistiques. L'auteur de ce concept, qui a commencé ce travail il y a un peu moins de deux ans, a déjà accumulé des centaines de portraits.More...

Real Madrid are interested in signing Málaga attacking midfielder Isco, according to the club's director Francisco Aguilar.The 21-year-old Spain international has scored eight goals in 35 Primera Division appearances so far this season, and is also generating interest from Manchester City and Paris St Germain.More...

Filed under: Student Loans, Education, Interest Rates, EconomyThinkstock/Jupiterimages By PHILIP ELLIOTT WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers are ready to pass legislation that links student loan rates to the financial markets in spite of a veto threat from President Barack Obama. Supported by Republicans, the bill would avoid a rate increase for students with new subsidized Stafford loans if lawmakers pass it, as expected, on Thursday. Democrats generally opposed the measure, which would provide some students a deal in the first years of the new system before ratcheting up interest rates later. "As the economy continues to recover and at a time when market interest rates are at historic lows, more than 7 million students who rely on these loans to finance postsecondary education should not be burdened with additional college debt as they seek to graduate, launch a career or a business, start a family or buy a house," the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a memo announcing its opposition. The top Republican on the Education Committee, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, said Obama was standing against many of the ideas he included in his own budget. "The legislation is based on the president's own proposal and provides a solid basis for negotiation through the legislative process," Kline said. Sponsored Links Interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans are set to double, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, for new loans on July 1. Lawmakers said they wanted to avoid that but were divided on how, exactly, to accomplish that. With most lawmakers set to leave Washington for the Memorial Day holiday, time is running short. "They'll be out all next week," said Terry Hartle, a top official with the higher education lobbying group the American Council on Education. "They'll have four weeks to figure it out." Senate Democrats are weighing a number of options for avoiding the rate increase. Lobbying from consumer groups and student organizations is adding pressure and is set to escalate as students leave campus for the summer. "The House is poised to throw college students under the bus by approving a student loan plan that drives up their costs," said Christine Lindstrom, higher education director for the consumer advocacy group U.S. PIRG. "Students are better off letting the subsidized Stafford loan rate double to 6.8 percent on July 1" than agreeing to the House Republicans' plan, she added. Some Democrats are seeking an extension of the current rates until Congress takes up a higher education bill later. Republicans have rejected that as costly and irresponsible. "I would love to have the rates at 2 percent. It's just not realistic," Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., said during hearings on the bill. A two-year extension of the 3.4 percent rate for subsidized Stafford loans would cost taxpayers about $9 billion. Last week, the GOP-led House Education and the Workforce Committee approved its bill, which would offer some students a better deal at first. Democratic critics warned that graduates would face steadily climbing rates and costs over the long haul if the markets change. "I'm not really thrilled with the Republican plan, which would make student loan interest rates a variable interest rate and could rise above 6.8 percent, which is what the interest rate would rise to if Congress did nothing," said Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat who taught in public high schools before his 2012 election to Congress. "The Republican plan is unacceptable and worse than if we do nothing." Under the GOP proposal, student loans would be reset every year and based on 10-year Treasury notes, with added percentage points. For instance, students who receive subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford student loans would pay the Treasury rate, plus 2.5 percentage points. Current subsidized Stafford loans are offered at a fixed 3.4 percent rate and unsubsidized Stafford loans are offered at 6.8 percent. The interest rate on loans to par