Grapevine: Sarkozy fleeing French tax hike?

Former president reportedly leaving country

And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Caught Up

Some stars got caught up in the moment at the inauguration and related festivities and made some political statements.

Stevie Wonder was riffing during a rendition of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."

Delivering this line -- quote -- "President Obama said to you...I'm gonna make it better for the middle class. Cause I'm gonna make those who got a little money, share that money, by making it possible to help everybody. And every single one of you who wants to love whoever they want to love -- give them the opportunity to do that. He says, 'yeah you can go to war, but how about going to peace?' Yeah, he says he gonna bring the troops home. Yes, yes, he did."

It sounded a lot better than that but...

Meanwhile, James Taylor spoke out on gun control.

Quote -- "I think the majority of us feel strongly, even the majority of gun owners feel strongly, that we need to make some sacrifices to our freedoms, if that's the way to put it...in order to safeguard our children."

Classy Move

Ousted French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his former supermodel wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy may be preparing to move to London to escape a potential top tax rate of 75 percent in his home country.

The Daily Mail reports that if the move goes ahead he will be the latest famous Frenchman to flee the tax increase.

But a Sarkozy adviser tells a French newspaper he does not think the move will happen.

The former leader is under investigation for corruption -- and if he does leave, there will be outrage.

Mo Money, Mo Problems

Finally, Canada has more money woes. Literally.

As we've reported, its new $20 bills melt in high heat and they don't work in vending machines.

Now the Globe and Mail reports botanists say one of the maple leaves on the note is actually a Norway maple which is not native to Canada.

The Bank of Canada insists the bill does not show a Norway maple leaf but rather a "stylized" design.

A University of Ottawa professor has chronicled a series of official botany errors including on the penny, logos for the former Canadian television fund, and the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup of Soccer.