Notes from Cannes 2007
CANNES — May 22 afternoon, and then late afternoon — A classic Cannes experience. I got in a shuttle bus with just a handful of journalists and we were allowed to scuttle into the servant’s entrance at the Hotel Du Cap. Many powerful studio execs and celebrities stay along the Croisette. But the Hotel Du Cap is even more exclusive and secluded (about 20 minutes away by cab) and truly a glimpse into another wealthier world. George Clooney is walking the grounds, looking dapper. Don Cheadle is on the patio having a drink
CANNES — May 21, early evening — At 6 p.m., I saw an Ocean’s 13 screening. The cast is swooping in on the festival, with Clooney hosting a Darfur benefit Tuesday night and the official premiere Thursday, but they’re doing very little press. Hence, I was only one of three Americans at this sneak peek. (They are doing international press, mostly TV.) [TheInsider]
Cannes 2007: From Lainey Gossip
May 22, 2007 by admin
Filed under General Articles, Movies
Last night, having cocktails at Hotel du Cap on terrace, an Oceans 13 dinner was going on next door at Eden Roc without Brad and Angelina who were at The Might Heart gala. But George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon with Luciana, Andy Garcia, the super rich producers I’m too hung over to name… all of them present, and all of them spilled over back to the du Cap bar just after midnight. Things start late in Cannes.
Was headed to the loo when I spotted Daniel Craig first. Wearing a tux and shorter than I remembered. Saw him at Oscars, from that distance he had some height. But at this distance, like literally half a metre away, not so much. But still…Bond looks quivering in a tux. And very fair. Almost grey though distinguished and a lot of stubble. Girlfriend hovering, hovering all night, almost always by his side.
Just behind Daniel, Andy Garcia in another group laughing, chatting, then making his way over to chat with Bai Ling who was talking up some rich dudes I didn’t recognise and not flashing her nipple. I couldn’t believe it.
But the marquee arrival – all of a sudden George Clooney appears, holding hands with a very tan, very leggy, very tall generic blonde. He leads her to the corner of the terrace which just happens to be right next to us followed by his bodyguards and more powerful producers and proceeds to hold court there for the next hour and half. I could hear his voice in the background the entire evening.
George? SO beautiful. Like… SO beautiful. Tanned naturally, light striped with khakis and very, very thin. Dylan called it scrawny. But again…unbelievably handsome in an Old Hollywood way. Had his hair combed and parted to the side. Now that I think about it actually, he and Brad had the same ‘do last night. Little grown up boy. QUIVER!!!
The blonde was definitely an accessory. Picture him leaning against the terrace, back to the ocean, she kept one arm draped around him, once in a while he would stroke it, once in a while they’d have a private whisper, then he’d go back to his boy’s club conversation with the men and she’d stand there smiling vacantly…can you see it?
She had a friend with her. An attractive brunette who appeared to be assigned to any man not George. High end sleaze, that’s what I call it. But that’s how they roll, the rich and famous especially in Cannes. Besides, as shameful as this sounds, as degrading as this sounds, I would have traded places with her in a second. Seriously, George Clooney is so f&cking hot, he has just flown up to the top of the Freebie Five. Will update it when I can walk a straight line.
Needless to say, everyone wanted a piece of George’s fraternity. At one point, Angelina’s assistant Holly came down to shake a few hands. We thought they were en route, especially since that bodyguard – you know that dude who throttled some pappy in India? – he came down to do a sweep, to check out if the situation was safe for the Pitts.
Unfortunately, there were way too many people for his liking. Either that or they were too tired and went back to their kids. Because they didn’t show…which was kind of a relief. I don’t think I could have maintained my cool…
Besides, we had enough to keep us occupied.
Particularly Daniel Craig in jeans. He changed clothing. Tux was gone replaced by plain white tee shirt and jeans and EVERYTHING was bulging. Arms were bulging, abs were defined, quads were popping out… I was sitting next to a gay man, he could barely control himself. Nor could I.
Daniel and girl made their way over to pay respects to George. At one point, while squeezing past, he touched my back to slide my chair over.
They were drinking Grey Goose straight – Daniel pouring into glasses, passing all around. Like I said, it had a very fraternity feel to it, everyone was in great spirits, a lot of laughing. George has a great laugh. And everyone thinks what he says is funny. It’s kind of nauseating in that private member’s club kind of way, you know what I mean?
And then he left. Hand in hand with the girl and a bodyguard, down the steps into what I can only describe as the palm tree garden, joking all the while with his minder and hand always tucked into hers. But my smutty sense was tingling. Just a feeling. That he’s one of those guys who prefers no hassle, no drama…like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman. She was Julia Roberts, you get where I’m going? That’s exactly what I think it was. I think.
[Source]
Cannes 2007
George Clooney motored in on an impressive boat - to the obvious delight of the crowds - to join castmates Brad Pitt, Matt Damon et al yesterday prior to the film’s premiere later this week. The hottest ticket for tonight? The party for Not on Our Watch, the charity the Ocean’s 13 boys set up to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur
More on tonight’s O13 Darfur Benefit
George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Matt Damon and Al Pacino are also expected aboard the £80 million ‘mega-yacht’ RM Elegant, moored off the Cap d’Antibes.
The charity event, aimed at helping to end genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan, has been organised by Warner Brothers at an estimated cost of £2.5 million and coincides with the premiere of the heist movie Ocean’s 13. There will be a four-course banquet, including lobster, beef with truffles and a choice of five desserts. As well as an outdoor jacuzzi filled with floating rose petals, a full casino, magicians, circus acts, a surround-sound music system and interactive games console ‘play area’, clay pigeon shooting from the upper decks is rumoured to be part of the fun.
Surprise performers, rumoured to include the American rapper Snoop Dogg, will entertain guests while Clooney, who sang in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, is tipped to take to the stage.
Five hundred bottles of Krug and Cristal champagne have been shipped in at an estimated cost of £100,000.
It will be the biggest such event since the after-party for Matrix Reloaded four years ago - another Warner Brothers production. Sadly, while the theme of the evening is undoubtedly glamour, all female guests have been warned that they will be required to remove their designer stilettos while the men will also pad around barefoot to avoid damaging the deck. [Daily Mail]
O13 Darfur Fundraiser the hottest ticket in town at $25,000 a pop!
May 16, 2007 by admin
Filed under General Articles, Movies
What’s hotter? Darfur or amFAR?
“Harvey sent me an email this morning saying he’d just arrived in Cannes and he forgot to get his Darfur tickets,” said Weintraub. “I said, “Don’t worry about it, Harvey. How many do you need?”
Tickets to the Darfur fundraiser on May 22 featuring “Ocean’s” stars and NOOW founders George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle - arguably the hottest ticket in Cannes - are a mere $25,000. Each. Gulp. No word on how many Harvey snagged. Early on, Weintraub contacted amFAR – including Weinstein – to let them know that he was not trying to steal their charitable thunder. amFAR’s Cinema Against Aids even has raised an estimated $22 million since the annual star-studded Cannes event began in 1993. Other amFAR invitees (like Sharon Stone and MAC AIDS Fund and Viva Glam spokes-pinup Dita Von Teese) will probably attend the Darfur fete, upping the already sky-high celebrity quotient of “Ocean’s” stars. And I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe, just maybe, the “Ocean” gang returns the favor and slides into amFAR’s legendary annual cocktails/auction/dinner at Moulin de Mougins the next night. Just a hunch. “We have gotten money beyond our wildest expectations in just 5 ½ weeks,” says Weintraub. “The support has been terrific. It’s become the hottest ticket in Cannes.” But only 150-200 people will be lucky enough to get inside the closed-to-press Darfur fundraiser. There may be a small press line, according to the studio PR department. And Weintraub has already sold the inside-event photo rights to a big glossy magazine. Which one? ”One of those magazines that pay a lot of money for exclusive photos,” Jerry said cagily, adding, “I’ll announce the magazine in Cannes.” People maybe? Okay? Hello? Maybe Vanity Fair? After all, VF honcho Graydon Carter is a sponsor of the evening, along with Chopard and Belstaff.
After Cannes, there will be “Ocean’s” Darfur benefit events in Las Vegas and Chicago. The Vegas fundraiser will open the CineVegas Film Festival on June 6 - and Weintrub will receive the fest’s Vanguard Producer Award. The second will take place in Chicago on June 7, hosted by Vanity Fair. Weintraub will also be the first producer to have his hand and footprints cemented for posterity in the famed forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, along with his “Ocean’s” stars Clooney, Pitt, and Damon, on June 5th in Hollywood. That night the film screens at Grauman’s with an afterparty at a nearby but undisclosed location. Weintraub talked from his WB offices today about the group decision to form NOOW. “We knew we had a movie that will do well. We wanted to do something that will make a difference. I get so many requests to do premieres for various causes, there are so many that it’s hard to pick one. But we all have an interest in the Sudan. What’s going on there is like Nazi Germany.” “Over the past year, George, Brad, Matt, Don have all been to Darfur individually. George brought a lot of attention to the crisis when he went there with his father and when he addressed the UN. Brad and Angie do so much for Africa. Don has a best-selling book out about Darfur. (the organization’s name is derived from the title of his book) and Matt has gotten very involved. So we put together a project that all of us can participate in.” Weintraub enlisted experts on Darfur, from the private sector, academia, the political arena. “What I found out was the most important - other than money - is to focus people’s attention on what’s happening there.” To that end, click here to visit the organization’s website This is not a one-time benefit for Darfur. NOOW will not dissolve once the conflict, death and starvation in that region does. “We want to put a spotlight on Sudan, says Weintraub. “But we want this organization to live on and fight genocide around the world. We are starting with Chad, Darfur, but we hope that when those situations are resolved, we can focus on other areas in the world whereever genocide is happening.” It won’t all be partying in Cannes. Okay, there will be some. Okay, a lot. Hey, it’s the Ocean’s gang. But the five Not On Our Watch founders have their work cut out to support the existing relief efforts and organizations protecting civilians in the Darfur region. “Starting in Cannes, we will start figuring out which organizations to funnel the money to,” says Weintraub. Among them: the International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders. [Source]
Ocean’s Thirteen Update
George Clooney’s fundraiser for Darfur at the Cannes Film Festival is turning into the main event of the fortnight. The party, I’m told, will take place on a yacht. There’s a rumor that U2 will perform. Tickets are said to be as high as $100,000. Clooney’s charity is called Not on Our Watch. “Ocean’s Thirteen” producer Jerry Weintraub is the mastermind behind all this. [Source]
Oceans Thirteen Soundtrack is online you can listen to it at Oceans Thirteen official Website
Cannes Film Festival has released the official schedule onsite and Ocean’s Thirteen is listed on May 24 with the time as 11.00-19.30 in Grand Theatre Lumiere (by invitation). There’s also a public screening the day after on May 25 at 16.15 in Salle Du 60.
From The Hollywood Reporter– Steven Soderbergh’s star-studded “Ocean’s Thirteen” opens the ninth annual CineVegas Film Festival, which returns June 6-16 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres in Las Vegas.
The online gambling site PokerStars is planning to hold two charity tournaments—one in Cannes on May 13 and the other in Los Angeles on May 27—to benefit Darfur victims. The top four finishers in each game will get tickets to the premiere of Ocean’s Thirteen either in Cannes or Hollywood. The top 18 finishers will also each receive a copy of the crime caper’s DVD autographed by all the stars; PokerStars has pledged to match the final tally in each tournament’s prize pool in the final donation. [Source] Full Details of the event can be found at Pokerstars.com
From WENN: Ellen Barkin talks about her Ocean’s Thirteen on set experienc — “What actresses say is true: Usually you’re treated differently on a movie set if you’re a girl. It’s sexism. But I wasn’t treated any differently, and I’ve never felt as appreciated as I did being with those boys.” Ellen Barkin on working with the boys in Ocean’s Thirteen.
Brad, Angie and George sign up for Cannes charity
Brad, Angie and George sign up for Cannes charity
Cannes is turning into Charity Central. Word is that George Clooney plans an “Ocean’s Thirteen” benefit for Darfur during the French film fest. And there’s also the usual star-studded AmfAR AIDS fundraiser dinner/charity auction, routinely attended by Sharon Stone, Prince Albert, Elizabeth Taylor, Iman, Harvey Weinstein, you get the picture. Weinstein Co., M.A.C. cosmetics, HP, Chopard, Warner Home Video are co-sponsoring the bash at Moulin de Mougins, just outside of Cannes. Sharon and Harvey will be back onstage for the always raunchy auctioneering.
But here comes a newcomer: “Stars For A Cause,” sponsored by Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. International artist Nicolosi (www.popartgalleries.com) has created portraits of stars that will be on display at the Century Canne on Vegaluna Beach. Entertainment Tonight will film major celebs popping in to sign their portraits at the party spot, conveniently located in front of the Carlton Hotel. Expected are some real A-listers like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Mark Wahlberg. Other portrait subjects include Kiefer Sutherland, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Beyonce, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Ed Norton, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, etc, etc.
Following the Cannes Film Festival, the portraits head to London for a worldwide auction in June. Auction proceeds will benefit amfAR, Prince’s Trust (U.K.) and The Hollywood Museum. “Stars for a Cause” was also on the scene at the 64th Annual Golden Globes and the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Why is ET onboard? “We are always eager to support the charitable as well as professional endeavors of celebrities, so we readily embraced the opportunity to get involved with ‘Stars For A Cause,’” said Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider.” “Nicolosi is one of America’s most acclaimed pop artists and he’s the ideal choice to create paintings benefiting charities endorsed by the entertainment industry.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. The most important thing is that the Century Cannes is going be packed with major stars. You want Clooney, Pitt or Damon? How about Angelina? This is your best bet. But stake out your sandy spot early! Trust me, those French film fans are very territorial. [Source]
Wills to party with Pitt and Clooney in Cannes
IT’S PRINCE THRILLS
Wills to party with Pitt and Clooney in Cannes
PRINCE William raved the night away in Ibiza last year… but this year his chosen venue will be the playboy resort of Cannes. With younger brother Harry forced to curb his partying now he’s heading off to Iraq, William has been making the most of the spare invites.
Now, hip London nightclub Boujis has asked the 24-year-old prince to be guest of honour at the May 18 opening of their temporary club for the film festival over in France. He will be rubbing shoulders in Cannes with the Hollywood A-list, including Jude Law, who will be promoting My Blueberry Nights, and Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who will be doing a similar thing for Ocean’s Thirteen.
Of course, Wills has recently turned rock promoter, personally phoning up pop stars and film stars to sign them up for the memorial concert for his mother Diana on July 1. So the party at Chateau de la Napoule in Cannes could give him a much-needed contacts-building boost.
Although Take That have already signed on the dotted line for the royal concert, and Kylie Minogue will make an appearance, The Spice Girls are still procrastinating over their decision. However, Wills will have to work the party pretty hard, as his Army commitments mean he will only be able to have one night with the world’s film stars. He is due to fly straight from training in Bovington for the party. And the following day is the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley, which he will attend as president of the Football Association.
“William can’t wait - if anyone can make the most of one night in Cannes, it’s William,” said a close pal.
A spokesman for Clarence House refused to comment on the prince’s private plans.
[Source]
Cannes FF: Not on Our Watch
Clooney to Hold Darfur Fundraiser at Cannes
George Clooney is putting his resources to work at the Cannes Film Festival next month. He’s lining up a screening of his movie, “Ocean’s Thirteen,” to raise money for the besieged Darfur region of Sudan. The film’s producer, Jerry Weintraub, is helping put this together. The fundraiser, sources say, is set for May 22, two days before the Steven Soderbergh thriller has its official Cannes premiere at the Palais de la Croisette. That means “O13″ will get two big parties. It must be a blockbuster. This also means good things for the people of Darfur and the people of Cannes. For the latter, it’s expected then that the all-star cast of “Ocean’s Thirteen” — including Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, Ellen Barkin, etc. — will be in town for most of the week, including Wednesday night’s amfAR dinner. For the people of Darfur, it means worldwide media exposure for a horrific situation. Clooney has been steadily working for Darfur for some time. Most recently, he flew over the Christmas holiday to China and to Egypt, looking to find allies in his quest to assist the Sudanese people. He’s also appeared in front of the United Nations pleading a case that shouldn’t be so hard to accept. Clooney, by the way, has set up a new charitable foundation to disburse all the money he collects for Darfur. He’s joined by his “Ocean’s Thirteen” producer Weintraub, Cheadle, Damon and Pitt. It’s called Not on Our Watch, and Weintraub tells me it’s already registered and ready to go. (Fox News)
/thumb_00c7gfar.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Burn After Reading
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Men Who Stare at Goats
Up in The Air
