Casablanca

The Casablanca Twin Center is a complex of two skyscrapers located at Casablanca, Morocco. The two structures, the West Tower and the East Tower,... have 28 floors each. The centre houses a complex of shops, offices, and a 5 star hotel, and lies at the heart of Casablanca in the Maarif district, at the crossroads between Zerktouni Boulevard and the Boulevard Al Massira Al Khadra. The architect was the Spanish Catalan Ricardo Bofill Levi. The complex forms the main gateway to the residential districts in the west of the city, and is located on a triangular site which emphasizes the project’s asymmetry. The two connecting towers are identical, but distinct, and are joined at the lower levels by a large complex containing the bulk of the popular shopping centre. The whole structure presents a modern high-tech image, with a pared-down design and minimal relief, while local tradition is maintained in the building materials: marble, plaster, and ceramic tiles. The central square is a landscaped shopping centre on three terraces, offering a perspective on the urban scale, when seen from the exterior.
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Casablanca Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Casablanca, Morocco. It was built in 1930. It ceased to function as a church in 1956,... after the independence of Morocco, and became a cultural center and is open to visitors. The cathedral was designed by French architect Paul Tournon, using the Neo-Gothic style.
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Richard Virenque is a retired French professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the most popular French riders with fans for his boyish... personality and his long, lone attacks. He was a climber, winning the King of the Mountains competition of the Tour de France a record seven times. In 1998 he was the central figure in a widespread doping scandal. Virenque finished twice on the podium in the Tour de France and won several stages, among them Mont Ventoux in 2002. He is the 18th rider in the Tour to have won stages over 10 years apart. Virenque, his parents, his brother Lionel and sister Nathalie lived in the Iseba district of Casablanca. The family was affluent, employing both a gardener and a nurse. His mother described Richard as a gentle, kind boy, full of life, who enjoyed helping her in the garden. His idol was Michael Jackson. His father, Jacques, ran a tyre company. As a child, Virenque began cycling by riding round the garden of the family's house. "It wasn't much of a bike," he said. "It had no mudguards, no brakes, and I had to scrape my foot along the ground to stop.
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Frida Boccara was a French singer. Frida Boccara was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She submitted the song "Autrefois" to the French Eurovision Song... Contest selection panel in 1964 but she was unsuccessful. At the Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid, Spain in 1969 she represented France and performed "Un jour, un enfant" – music by Emile Stern and text by Eddy Marnay. Her song shared first place. Boccara renewed her links with Eurovision by participating in the French national finals of 1980 and 1981. However, neither song won. She died in 1996 in Paris, of a pulmonary infection.
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Alain Souchon is a French singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films. Six months after Souchon was... born his family returned to France. When he was 15 his father died in an accident. His mother sent him to a French college in England, but due to problems registering he decided to stay in London and work. Upon returning to France he took up guitar, influenced by English and American music. In 1970, he married and had his first son continuing to play in the cabarets and bars in the Rive Gauche of Paris. Souchon signed his first contract in 1971 with the Pathe-Marconi label but had no success. Bob Socquet, the artistic director of RCA encouraged him to perform his song "L'amour 1930" at the Rose D'Or of Antibes contest. Souchon then began to collaborate with composer/arranger Laurent Voulzy ; they would write together, but each released albums under his own name. Souchon's first hit was "J'ai 10 ans" , from the album of the same name. He continued releasing albums and in 1978 wrote the theme for François Truffaut's 1979 film Love on the Run .
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Sofia Essaïdi Arabic:  صوفيا السعيدي is a French-Moroccan singer.... She was born in Casablanca, from Moroccan father and a French mother. From 30 August to 13 December 2003, she participated in the show Star Academy France's third season, becoming a semi-finalist. She eventually finished second to Elodie Frégé. From 12 March to 7 August 2004, she participated in the Star Academy tour, going to Morocco, and Papeete, Tahiti, where she celebrated her 20th birthday. She released her first album called Mon cabaret. Later, she starred in the musical Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Égypte choreographed by Kamel Ouali which opened in "le Palais des Sports" in Paris on 29 January 2009. She recently starred in the French version of Dancing with the Stars. She placed as the runners up with her partner, Maxime Dereymez.
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Hakim Noury is a Moroccan television and film director.

Gad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut . He has starred in several feature films,... including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris. Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He is Jewish and Arab, he was brought up in a mixed cultural background, speaking Moroccan Arabic and French. He earned his Baccalaureate in Morocco at Lycee Lyautey in Casablanca before he studied political science in Montreal for four years, then moved to Paris to study drama. His first one-man show Décalages, performed at the "Palais des glaces" in 1997, was autobiographical. Elmaleh's first contact with cinema was the full-length film, Salut cousin ! by Merzak Allouache. He later appeared in L'homme est une femme comme les autres and Train de Vie. His fame further increased with the success of his second one-man show, La Vie Normale, and the film La Vérité si je mens ! 2 in which he played the role of "Dov", the seducer.
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Richard Virenque is a retired French professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the most popular French riders with fans for his boyish... personality and his long, lone attacks. He was a climber, winning the King of the Mountains competition of the Tour de France a record seven times. In 1998 he was the central figure in a widespread doping scandal. Virenque finished twice on the podium in the Tour de France and won several stages, among them Mont Ventoux in 2002. He is the 18th rider in the Tour to have won stages over 10 years apart. Virenque, his parents, his brother Lionel and sister Nathalie lived in the Iseba district of Casablanca. The family was affluent, employing both a gardener and a nurse. His mother described Richard as a gentle, kind boy, full of life, who enjoyed helping her in the garden. His idol was Michael Jackson. His father, Jacques, ran a tyre company. As a child, Virenque began cycling by riding round the garden of the family's house. "It wasn't much of a bike," he said. "It had no mudguards, no brakes, and I had to scrape my foot along the ground to stop.
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Frida Boccara was a French singer. Frida Boccara was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She submitted the song "Autrefois" to the French Eurovision Song... Contest selection panel in 1964 but she was unsuccessful. At the Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid, Spain in 1969 she represented France and performed "Un jour, un enfant" – music by Emile Stern and text by Eddy Marnay. Her song shared first place. Boccara renewed her links with Eurovision by participating in the French national finals of 1980 and 1981. However, neither song won. She died in 1996 in Paris, of a pulmonary infection.
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Stephanie Beacham is a British television, film and theatre actress. Making her film debut in 1971's The Nightcomers opposite Marlon Brando and... becoming more well-known on British television in the BBC series Tenko and the ITV series Connie , her worldwide breakthrough came as a result of playing the very bitchy and very rich Sable Colby in the ABC series The Colbys and in the final season of Dynasty . Beacham, one of four children, was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, the daughter of Joan, a housewife, and a father who was an insurance executive and the managing director of the Grosvenor estate. Shortly after birth, she was diagnosed as being completely deaf in her right ear, as her mother had contracted chickenpox during her pregnancy. She has about 75% of normal hearing capacity in her left ear. She attended a Catholic girls' school and later travelled to Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris, France to study mime with Étienne Decroux, before attending Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
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Alain Souchon is a French singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films. Six months after Souchon was... born his family returned to France. When he was 15 his father died in an accident. His mother sent him to a French college in England, but due to problems registering he decided to stay in London and work. Upon returning to France he took up guitar, influenced by English and American music. In 1970, he married and had his first son continuing to play in the cabarets and bars in the Rive Gauche of Paris. Souchon signed his first contract in 1971 with the Pathe-Marconi label but had no success. Bob Socquet, the artistic director of RCA encouraged him to perform his song "L'amour 1930" at the Rose D'Or of Antibes contest. Souchon then began to collaborate with composer/arranger Laurent Voulzy ; they would write together, but each released albums under his own name. Souchon's first hit was "J'ai 10 ans" , from the album of the same name. He continued releasing albums and in 1978 wrote the theme for François Truffaut's 1979 film Love on the Run .
more

Sofia Essaïdi Arabic:  صوفيا السعيدي is a French-Moroccan singer.... She was born in Casablanca, from Moroccan father and a French mother. From 30 August to 13 December 2003, she participated in the show Star Academy France's third season, becoming a semi-finalist. She eventually finished second to Elodie Frégé. From 12 March to 7 August 2004, she participated in the Star Academy tour, going to Morocco, and Papeete, Tahiti, where she celebrated her 20th birthday. She released her first album called Mon cabaret. Later, she starred in the musical Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Égypte choreographed by Kamel Ouali which opened in "le Palais des Sports" in Paris on 29 January 2009. She recently starred in the French version of Dancing with the Stars. She placed as the runners up with her partner, Maxime Dereymez.
more

Gad Elmaleh is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut . He has starred in several feature films,... including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris. Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He is Jewish and Arab, he was brought up in a mixed cultural background, speaking Moroccan Arabic and French. He earned his Baccalaureate in Morocco at Lycee Lyautey in Casablanca before he studied political science in Montreal for four years, then moved to Paris to study drama. His first one-man show Décalages, performed at the "Palais des glaces" in 1997, was autobiographical. Elmaleh's first contact with cinema was the full-length film, Salut cousin ! by Merzak Allouache. He later appeared in L'homme est une femme comme les autres and Train de Vie. His fame further increased with the success of his second one-man show, La Vie Normale, and the film La Vérité si je mens ! 2 in which he played the role of "Dov", the seducer.
more