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When in Cannes

Day Five: Sunday 14 May

Destined for the Red Carpet

The Red Carpet favorite has arrived at Cannes and others will be hard pressed to dethrone him-George Clooney, who is here to promote his role in O Brother, Where Art Thou? from Writer/Director Joel Coen and his Writer/Producer brother Ethan Coen.

Clooney, who was in his usual top-notch jokester form with press, arrived straight from his surprise season-ending appearance on the American hit TV show, "ER," which was filmed under extraordinarily tight security in Seattle just days before screening last Thursday in the States. Clooney may be the silver screen draw for the Coen film, but most agree it is film and theater writer/director/actor Tim Blake Nelson who steals the scenes from his famous co-star. Nelson isn't a household name just yet, although he's been directing Broadway Theatre and American Indie films for years.

The Eurythmics' David A. Stewart got high marks for his new film, Honest, which screens out of competition tomorrow. The buzz began today when he dropped by POP.com at the American Pavilion and pitched a few ideas for some short films on the site.

Stewart has a good in-he's friends with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who happens to be one of the major investors in POP.com. Allen also owns Clear Blue Sky Productions with his sister Jody Allen, who brought The Luzhin Defense by Director Marleen Gorris to the Cannes Market. The film, starring Emily Watson and John Tuturro as chess-genius Alexander Luzhin, screened today and not a dry eye was left in the house…even the company publicists (who have seen the film a dozen times) still get moved.

Rumors are flying and all that can be confirmed is that someone is indeed flying in former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell for one of the hot Cannes parties coming up over the next few days…

Arriving this morning, Cannes favorite nice guy Willem Dafoe is here to promote several films including one with co-star Haley Joel Osment who charmed the press corps at an early conference. Armed with an easy and infectious laugh, the quick witted Osment spoke of his new film, Edges of the Lord, and his co-stars. "All actors are different," he said, "you can't compare."

Working the Machinery…

Everyone is trying his/her hardest to take full advantage of the Cannes Market machinery as producers hawk their projects. Probably the most inevitable is the Menahem Golan film, Elian: The Gonzales-Boy Story, now "shooting in a secret location" according to the one sheets being handed out by scantily dressed volunteers.

Other deals so far include: Rapper Vitamin C signed up to play a woman seduced by the vampire in Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000; Baldwin Brother Billy signed up to star in the cop thriller Double Bang for Tomorrow Film Corp; Former Beatle George Hamilton will act in the upcoming Lola Films English comedy about three tenors- Harrison will play a tenor who takes his personal image to bizarre extremes; UGC, the French cinema chain, has picked up rights to Investigating Sex from Director Alan Rudolph, starring Nick Nolte and Neve Campbell; Madonna is in line to co-star as femme fatale Trixie in the new project The Tulse Luper Trilogy from Peter Greenaway.

In competition today: Estorvo from Ruy Guerra; Trolosa from Liv Ullman; The Golden Bowl from James Ivory.

In Directors' Fortnight: Lumumba from Raoul Peck; Die Unberuhrbare from Director Oskar Roehler; Zamani Baraye Masti Asbha from Bahman Ghobadi.

Critics' Week screen Hidden Whisper from Vivian Chang today.

Certain Regard: La Saison des Hommes from Moufida Tatli, and Lista De Espera from Juan Carlos Tabio.

Kathleen McInnis & Kerry Shaw