I survived my first Cannes 08 hangover, and now have about 10 seconds to try and keep up with this daily blogging ambition I misguidedly started. Its rainy here, and today was a blur of headaches, the Palais basement and holding newspapers over my head as I ran from place to place. Most notable is last night, though, where I went to the Cannes Market opening party, a lavish event on the beach with crepe stations and lobster, and some very elaborate fireworks:

The event was sponsored by the Chinese Film board, complete with montages of Chinese films playing on big screens and a party soundtrack of Chinese film scores. The weirdest thing, though were these:

At every bar and food station. It was the only mention of the tragedy.. there were no suggestions of giving money, and it just seemed like a ridiculously shallow gesture amid fireworks that must have cost thousands of dollars and free champagne by the hundreds of glass on tables all over.

I'm beginning to rethink this numbered day format. I'm not sure how much time, or material, I'll have on a daily basis. Today, for example, was spent interviewing a bunch of Canadians (one for a piece on the Canadian Pavilion, another on Canadian distributor Seville), and the rest of it in the basement of the Palais, giving whatever Cannesian energy I might have toward Cannes Market Daily or indieWIRE focused work. But I guess I saw a few sights in between that mildly warrant blogging. Par example:

A promotional item for I Love You Phillip Morris, the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor "love story" directed by the writers of Bad Santa. I am extremely curious how this is going to go down, and this poster seems to indicate its full speed ahead on the gay factor.

Other random Cannes sights? Some cheerful locals on the beach:

And what I first mistook for a taping of a Christmas episode of Entourage, was actually just four random dudes dressed up like Santa Claus:

But the biggest deal, of course, was the Kung Fu Panda premiere, and the lady it brought with it: Angelina Jolie, and the twins she brought with her: both her fetuses and breastuses.

This press release was in the same building as my office, and French paparazzi were outside as far as the eye could see.

There were pandas on the beach this morning in Cannes, as Dreamworks continued its tradition of extravagant promotions (Shrek 2, Dreamgirls, Bee Movie...) with its out of competition film Kung Fu Panda.

The scene was pretty hysterical, and not really because of Jack Black, who emerged from a sea of pandas to give his usual funny-face/loud-mouth act. It was the pandas - actually people in 150 pound suits - that got to me. In the vein of today's opening film Blindess, the pandas apparently couldn't see anything, and had to be assisted off the pier and basically needed some to hold their panda paws and lead them back into the beach house:

Anyway... compared to last year's Jerry Seinfeld-flying-down-the-Croisette-in-a-bee-suit stunt, this was a bit disappointing. Speculation amongst peers yesterday ran from there being actual pandas (which would have been slightly cruel), to Angelina Jolie in a tiger outfit (she plays one in the film).. but alas, it was just Black and a bunch of panda suits. There were great photo opps though, and I managed a few shakily shot videos. Enjoy:

The festival doesn't start until tomorrow, but the Croisette already looks festival styles, with promotional posters and displays all over, and locals stalking celebritorial prey. I've spent most of today in the basement of the Palais helping churn out the first edition of the Cannes Market News, which indieWIRE is writing a daily section of, but got out enough to see this:

Unfortunately, when I went online to look up what the hell this was (Was the film actually called JCVD, as in Jean-Claude Van-Damme? Or does it have some unshown name and just simply stars J.C.V.D.? Or did it stand for something else somehow... um,"Jesus Christ, Venereal Disease" and just happen to star a "star" of the same initials?), and its already been blogged all over, Croisette poster photo and all. But I'm joining in anyway, because, seriously: JCVD is a biopic about Jean-Claude, with Jean-Claude playing himself. Its selling in the Cannes Market, and thank god, it has a teaser trailer:

Oh, JCVD... your career isn't over yet. And trailer makers, way to misspell "lose": "I didn't loose yet!"

Its 8:30pm Cannes time and I'm barely hanging on to consciousness after being awake for about 30 hours straight. It's cold and rainy here, and the festival doesn't start for two days, so there isn't much of note Cannes-wise. I'm just glad to have successfully made the journey.

The plane ride, on Air Transat, which wasn't a dream come true, (but not as bad as these made me fear), but mostly due to my complete inability to sleep anywhere but lying in a bed, even after 3 Advil PMs, an overpriced travel pillow, and a glass of wine. Instead, it was a total reprise of my flight to Cannes last year, where I got stoned and drowsy but not unconscious and was forced to watch a bad movie. Last year, that movie was Freedom Writers, starring my least favourite actress, Hilary Swank. This year, because the gods of the airline film distribution industry hate me, it was P.S. I Love You. Now, I'll admit - and maybe it was the pills - I didn't hate Freedom Writers. Despite being another entry into teacher teaches inner city kids about music/poetry/algebra/salsa dancing genre, I enjoyed it more than I expected (which isn't saying much). P.S., even on the not-quite-verge of being knocked out, was horrendous. More so because this couple beside me in the 3 seat row.. who spent the first hour of the flight fighting about personal issues I wasn't ready to hear about, laughed at the most ridiculously lame jokes and then cuddled at the end of the film, holding hands for 20 minutes after the credits were over and the second feature, the mildly more watchable Mad Money, had started.

Anyway.. So as a result I spent my first day in Cannes in a total daze, drinking espresso after espresso and trying my best to hide a bad case of homeless face, so that I could make it awake to my goal, 11:00pm, so as to try and make the jet lag a one day deal.

I'm readying myself 15 hours of taxis, buses, customs, security, sitting in airport lounges, fearing for my life as I ascend over the Atlantic Ocean, and the effects of 2-4 Advil PMs.

Expect Cannesian posts for the next 2 weeks.

Or "Women Who Raised Me Day," as I like to consider it. To my aunt and mother, pictured, and my oma and other aunt, not picture. Thanks for posting bail all those times, and for paying for all that methadone. I love you!