Study in France

The French Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joined hands two years ago to create the Edufrance Agency to promote French higher education. There are now definite openings in the educational and research world, for students from Asian countries to study in France.

The Alliance Francaise de Colombo has opened an Edufrance office, 'Study in France bureau' at the Alliance Francaise de Colombo to assist candidates.

The Edufrance bureau offers a wide range of services. The student is welcomed at the airport in France by a representative who speaks English, and transferred by train to the city he will study (if it's not Paris) in Edufrance also finds accommodation to suit the student's budget and needs (on campus, on a sharing basis, lodging with a family), as well as all the necessary assistance (civil responsibility, repatriate assistance). All the student has to do is to purchase the air ticket.

When students speak French, they can enter a state university which costs only around Rs. 20,000 per annum. The government pays the real cost on the tuition fees in state universities for all French and foreign students in order to give each one the right and possibility to study. This is the reason why French universities are so inexpensive. A fairly good standard in French is necessary to pass the test at the French Embassy. But in some private institute where intensive language classes are provided, only a minimum level is expected to be able to register. This is the case in some engineering, touristic and commercial institutes. Obviously, courses by these institutes cost much more than the courses offered by the state universities. On the other hand, all French and foreign students can benefit from (accommodation assistance) from the state (maximum Rs. 10,000 per month) which is a semi-scholarship.

At the 'Higher Education in France Forum', lectures on the French system of education will be given in the morning and in the afternoon on Friday the 24th from 11a.m. to 4p.m. and Saturday the 25th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by a team of experts from France. Mrs. Inizan, a representative of Edufrance Paris will make a general presentation on the French Higher Education System. Mr. Bonneau, the director of IUP Angers University will talk about management in tourism and hotel catering while Professor Souquet from an Engineering School (the Institute National Polytechnique de Grenoble) will explain scientific studies. Other experts will lecture on other subjects. After each lecture, there will be an open debate, where students can raise any queries.

Graceland needs attention

That's the word from Memphis insiders, who say Priscilla is seeing red over Lisa Marie's refusal to give her father Elvis Presley's beloved home the attention it deserves.

The reason, say sources, is that Lisa Marie is concentrating on her budding music career and doesn't have time to bother with the responsibilities of Graceland Enterprises, the multi-million-dollar empire she inherited when she turned 30 two years ago.

"Priscilla is both angry and sad about Lisa Marie's lack of interest," says a Presley family friend.

"She's angry because Lisa Marie seems to make time for everything under the sun EXCEPT Graceland.

"She's sad because she believed that looking after her father's legacy would mean more to Lisa Marie.

"For years before her daughter took over, Priscilla made Graceland her No. I priority. As a result, the business flourished. Now Lisa Marie is content to let the place run itself because she feels she has bigger and better worlds to conquer in the music business."

At 32, Lisa Marie is in love with musician John Oszajca, 25, and working on her first album, set to be in record stores this fall. On top of that, she's a full-time mother of the two children she had with first husband Danny Keough, Danielle, 10, and Benjamin, 7.

"Lisa Marie has rarely attended meetings of the board that oversees Elvis Presley Enterprises," says another insider.

"That wasn't the way Priscilla operated. She has a very good head for business and ran the place like a Fortune 500 CEO for years. But when Lisa Marie took over, she does not have the interest to fill her mother's shoes.

"Trouble is, Lisa Marie shows no interest in taking control of Elvis Presley Enterprises, yet she doesn't want to give up control, either." 

When Elvis died in 1977, his will stipulated that Lisa Marie would inherit the 14-acre Memphis property on her 25th birthday. But when the time came, she voluntarily put off taking the inheritance until she turned 30. Lisa Marie isn't expected to involve herself in EPE's daily operations, which include maintaining Graceland as a museum dedicated to Elvis' memory and running a number of related tourist spots in the neighbourhood. But EPE execs DO rely on Lisa Marie for Graceland's vision and direction. 

It was Priscilla's savvy plans for Graceland that transformed it from its $5 million worth when Elvis died to an empire now valued at an estimated $200 million. 

"Elvis' long-time fans are aging, and a new fan base must be cultivated to keep things going in the future," says our insider. "So even though Graceland is currently a prosperous business, plans for the future must be on-going." 

Disagreements about Graceland are nothing new for Lisa Marie and her mom. Their feud reached the boiling point when Lisa Marie was married to pop king Michael Jackson and sources said Priscilla feared he would try to get his hands on the estate, which rakes in $17 million a year. 

Priscilla, 55, breathed a sigh of relief when Lisa Marie divorced Jackson in 1996. But insiders say they still clash over Lisa's lack of interest. 

Lisa Marie even held a giant garage sale of Elvis memorabilia when she auctioned off some of the contents of the mansion last year to raise money for a homeless shelter. 

She's even toyed with the idea of discontinuing guided tours and moving back into the mansion with John and her kids, says a source. 

But pals say there's little chance that will happen while Lisa Marie is still wrapped up in her musical pursuits. 

"The album she's making is the most important thing to her right now," says the source. 

"She's dedicated to making it as a singer. She doesn't have time to worry about Graceland, and there's nothing to worry about, anyway - all is well. 

"Besides she feels that the best tribute she can pay her father is to carry on his love for music. Graceland is just a piece of property, after all, but music filled his heart and soul." 

Did you know....

'It's stil a blast'

Schwimmer: I think combining is, so far, where I've been happiest. I find I get restless when I'm only acting, so I start turning to writing and directing. I find it, often, a lot more intellectually stimulating than acting sometimes. But on the other hand, when you direct a movie, as I've only done once, it's a full year of your life. I also did it while I was working on the TV show, which almost killed me, it was so exhausting. I know I'd be anxious to get back either on stage or on camera, acting. So I don't know, I guess I hope to do both continually. 

Question: Are you enjoying working on the show as much as you were at the beginning?

Schwimmer: Yes. It is amazingly still a blast to do this show, and I think a lot of it has to do with the chemistry, not only between the six of us, but between the writers and the cast. We just genuinely enjoy making each other laugh, and it's really ego free, and for me the best environment to work in. It's the best job.

Question: Are you surprised that the quality has remained as high as it has?

Schwimmer: I guess, yeah, I am. I'm surprised at my own enthusiasm to show up for work. When signed the contract for a five-year commitment five years ago I thought 'Oh, no, five years of my life? Are you kidding? Playing the same character with the same people?' I'm just as surprised, five years later, to be really enjoying it, and finding new areas to take the character and the directions that the show can go in. It's just amazing to me. 

Question: How do you keep Ross fresh after all of these years?

Schwimmer: Definitely going away for four months over the hiatus and playing different characters as far as from us, as I can help, so that when you come back in the fall you really are rediscovering the character they created five years ago. But also I talk a lot with the writers at the beginning of the year and throughout the year. Last year, personally I didn't like the direction Ross was going in terms of that he seemed to be really whiny and really self-pitying. And I said, 'You know, this year, let's get him out of that'. 

Question: What do you think the future holds for the cast as a group? Will you be around in this show for a while?

Schwimmer: I don't know. My hope is that we are. As long as the six of us are having as much fun as we're having right now, I think we will. But there are a lot of factors involved, and my feeling is that the show will only be around if all six of us are doing it. I'm not really interested if that's not the case.

Question: Is it hard to stay committed to the series with all the other stuff you guys are doing?

Schwimmer: Not so much. The fact is that it's also a very, very happy environment. As long as the writing stays as good as it has, and as long as the six of us are having as much fun as we are, I think there's a really good chance that we'll be around.

Question: What's going to happen with Ross and Rachel?

Schwimmer: If I knew, I probably wouldn't be allowed to tell you. But I don't know. I think after - my feeling is, and it's just my opinion, is that I think they just need to have fun together, just get back to having a blast together and get out of the muck that the recent marriage caused, and just get back to being really good friends and go from there.

Question: What's the status of the contract negotiations?

Schwimmer: First of all, I have no idea what the status is, we honestly haven't talked about it in months, and we're just concentrating on our work and having a great time. As far as the six of us being together, we've always been together and we always will, so I assume that will be handled the same way.

Question: Have you discussed how long you want to go among yourselves?

Schwimmer: I think it's premature at this point. Until we're approached by Warner Bros., we will have that conversation when the time comes.

Question: Isn't that deadline coming up?

Schwimmer: I guess, by next fall we need to have it! (laughs)

Question: Does it bother you or any of the others that there is so much interest in how much you guys are making or might be making?

Schwimmer: We are, as a society, obsessed with what people make. I mean, that's just a fact in America. What's interesting is how the press decides to interpret or spin it. There was not a lot of flack given to the cast of 'Seinfeld' for making $650,000 a week, and yet for the cast of Friends, for our last raise several years ago, there was a huge amount of flack for $125,000 a week. So it's all relative, I think.

Question: Why the difference between you guys and other shows, though?

Schwimmer: I think it depends on how the press feels about who is making the money. I think there's a lot involved. Some movie stars now are making $20-25 million for two, three months' work, so it all depends on the situation and the timing. 

Question: Do you think it's related to the fact that you guys are still relatively young, too young to be deserving that kind of money?

Schwimmer: Let's make something perfectly clear - to make even what we're making now, it's a ridiculous amount of money for someone to be making for having as much fun as we're having. So when you think about it, you just have to be incredibly grateful, and we all are. So again, it's all relative. We could get into a very philosophical conversation, but I don't know if this is the time or the place. The ensemble has remained just that, which is rare in TV annals.

Friends feeling fabulous

A whopping 20 million viewers watch "Friends" each week - and NBC will reward each cast member with a fat $750,000 per show paycheck for the next two seasons. 

Here's a look at how the three girl "Friends" spend their dough. "Courteney is a tightwad," insists one source close to Courteney Cox Arquette. Yet the 36-year-old star - who plays Monica - spent over $1 million on her 1999 wedding to actor David Arquette. 

Her Valentino gown cost $20,000, the bridesmaids wore $5,000 Dolce and Gabbana designs, the wedding photographer pocketed $25,000 and the 250 guests downed $310,000 worth of Dom Perignon champagne. 

Still, penny-pinching Courteney cuts back when it comes to her wheels. Of her pricey ride, she says: "Considering it's a Jaguar, it was inexpensive. I wrote a check for $56,000. Not bad." 

Lisa "Phoebe" Kudrow loves to throw cash around, especially when it comes to her 2-year-old son Julian! 

"She's having a lot of fun buying stuff for the baby", says a pal about the 37-year-old blonde, who's been known to spend $5,000 a pop for baby clothes at Bloomingdale's. 

"Lisa said Julian has so many duds he won't be wearing the same outfits twice." 

When Lisa gave birth, paying for the $1,100-a-day birthing suite wasn't an issue. 

Nor was the cost of the private maternity ward bash - with filet mignon, lobster and two armed guards - that Lisa hosted for family and friends. 

Like her TV character Rachel, Jennifer Aniston love clothes and splurging on life's luxuries! The 31-year-old actress dons designs by Prada, Gucci and Vivienne Tam - and toy shops at the swanky London department store Harrods. 

Only nine months into her romance with Brad Pitt, the couple chartered a private jet and flew to Acapulco with pals to celebrate Valentine's Day in a 49-room mansion! 

Their recent 200-guest wedding - complete with four bands, a gospel choir, fireworks, caviar and 50,000 flowers - cost a sky- high $1 million! 

Considering that hubby Brad pulled in $40 million last year, there's no telling what trendsetting Jennifer will sink her money into next! 

Run like the devil: When "Friends" stars Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc found out cast mate David Schwimmer had never seen "The Exorcist", they dragged him off to see the re-release of the legendary horror epic - even though he hates scary movies. David braved about half the flick before bolting from the theatre in panic. Matthew and Matt caught up and tried to coax him back. Said David: The hell with that!
 

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