Th safety demo thing absolutely is true. The crew 2 operates the emergency lighting then joins the rest of the crew in cabin, usually starting to point out the exits before reaching their position. It's good as you actually get to see the lighting in action. You always know when a Ryanair plane is going through the safety demo as you can see the evac lighting flash on the outside.
British Airways used to only perform a seatbelt check and nothing else. Not sure if it's still the case.
I've always found FR crew to be professional.