AFP Video - Entertainment

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Mexican guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela used to play heavy metal, but one day chucked the electric sound for nylon-strung guitars, settled in Europe and have never looked back. The duo's acoustic cover versions of Led Zeppelin or Metallica hits, played with Latin bravado, have earned them a worldwide following. Duration: 02:21

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Rome is known for its ancient monuments and classical paintings, but so far Italy's capital has been off the map of contemporary art fans. However with MAXXI, the new National Museum of 21st Century Arts, the city is trying to change that. We get a tour of the stunning structure, the brainchild of none other than celebrity architect, Zaha Hadid. Duration: 01:28.

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A nude photograph of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy taken by Michel Comte during her modelling days goes under the hammer on Friday at a Paris auction house. A similar nude shot of the wife of the French president went for 91,000 dollars -- three times more than its estimated bidding price -- in a New York sale last year. Still images.

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A handful of the thousands of terra cotta warriors sculpted to protect the tomb of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, touched down in Washington at the National Geographic Society after a tour of three other US cities. Duration: 01:06.

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If you think anyone can pick up an accordion and flute and busk in the metro, then think again. The RATP, the organisation behind the Parisian underground, has set up a proper audition system since 1997, giving a green light to a lucky few to perform in its corridors. When one artist auditioned for a new metro musicians' try-out, AFPTV went along for a listen.

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If you're anywhere near a teenage girl, you can't fail to be aware of the Twilight film sequel which gets its European premiere tonight, ahead of the US opening on Friday. The film continues the story of Bella Swan and her relationship with a 105-year-old vampire, played by teen idol Robert Pattinson. Duration: 01:08

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Vladimir Nabokov wanted it burned on his death, but "The Original of Laura" survived and now, 32 years later, the unfinished novel is published for the first time. Despite Nabokov's dying wish, publication of the manuscript will provide what many hope will be an unexpected glimpse of his genius. Duration: 01:13

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More items belonging to the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge go under the hammer on Tuesday. The auction, being held in a Paris theatre, runs through Friday.

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Over 50 artworks from the collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York are being shown off in Abu Dhabi ahead of the opening of the emirate's own Guggenheim museum in 2013. Duration: 01:18

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With the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall earlier this month, all eyes have been turned on Germany. But in Czechoslovakia too, the non-violent "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 was another major turning point in history, bringing down the Communist regime in a matter of months. Duration: 01:55

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For generations, Yemeni men have carried elaborate knives known as jambiyas, the Arabic word for dagger. Distinctively shaped and carefully crafted, the knives can often be closely linked to a person's identity. But the tradition is in danger of dying out. Duration: 01:46

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Surrealist artist Joan Miro got inspired by French writer Alfred Jarry¿s absurdist play "Ubu Roi". The Catalan painter and sculptor saw in the lead character, King Ubu, an image of the Spanish dictator Franco. Now a new exhibition in northern France has gathered more than a hundred of his works inspired from Ubu. Duration: 01:35

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It was two years in the making, two years when designers were forbidden from showing their work even to their colleagues. Now, Avatar, the videogame based on James Cameron's new 3D animation film, is about to hit the streets. Ubisoft releases its new game on December 1. 

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The world's first memorial outside the United States to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks has been inaugurated Thursday near Jerusalem. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert led the opening ceremony.

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Special artists are giving the Hong Kong art world a run for its money with an original range of clay dolls. Some sell for three times the asking price at auctions.

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Obamao, a caricature superimposing US president Barack Obama into red-star revolutionary clothes made famous by Chairman Mao, is a hit in Beijing with the image printed on bags and T-shirts.

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Successful author Marguerite Abouet returns to her hometown Abidjan to open a library. The Paris-based writer of the "Aya de Yopougon" comic books hopes to boost literacy in the Ivory Coast.

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Recession? What recession? A big-money art auction in New York Wednesday saw collectors shelling out a total of more than 130 million dollars for the chance to own works including a previously unshown Andy Warhol self-portrait. The same artist's "200 One Dollar Bills" was sold for 43.8 million dollars, suggesting that serious money is starting to return to the international art market.

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Mimi Chakarova, an American photojournalist, spent the night at a women's shelter for rape victims in Baghdad to try and show a different angle on Iraq. Her work is part of 'Iraqi Voices,' an exhibition at Washington's FotoWeek festival, which runs until Saturday.

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Sesame Street's iconic characters have set up stage on the US military base at Vicenza in northern Italy, as part of a pan-European tour. For the cast and crew, it's an occasion to bring comfort to the children who grow up far from home. Duration: 01:33

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The world-famous muppets of "Sesame Street," America's longest running children's TV show, celebrated their 40th anniversary Wednesday with a special guest: Michelle Obama. 

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Art works of Iranian filmmaker and photographer Abbas Kiarostami as well as by sculptor Parviz Tanavoli have gone on display at a joint exhibition in Dubai.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev Monday on the bridge where many East Germans had their first taste of freedom, as tens of thousands toasted the Berlin Wall's fall 20 years ago.

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World leaders past and present on Monday gathered for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, with 100,000 people expected at celebrations to toast a free and united Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French and Russian presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev and representatives from across the European Union as well as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German unity. Duration: 01:07

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As the world marks the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday, sections of that infamous barrier are on display in Bordeaux, in the south of France. Shortly after the wall was first breached in November 1989, artists on the eastern side wanted to take up their paint brushes and unleash their pent up emotions on the wall. And they did so with the help of a French businessman. Duration: 01:39

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They're a throwback to a bygone era, but the Soviet statues in Lithuania's Gruto Park still draw a crowd. While for the younger generation, the huge busts of Lenin and Stalin are something of a novelty, for the older park visitors, they're a reminder of 45 years of Soviet occupation. Originally filed on 020709.

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During the momentous events in Berlin in 1989, they worked as news reporters for Russian media. Twenty years on AFPTV talks to two journalists who witnessed first-hand the fall of the Wall and the crumbling of the Soviet Union.