A quick look at some of the Cannes happenings so far:
— Sony’s Columbia Pictures won a bidding war for We Own the Night, a cop drama with Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes. Columbia’s $11.5 million bid — a bit high for an indie film — beat out Warner Bros. and several other rivals for the North American rights.
— Jerry Seinfeld caused a buzz when he showed up wearing a bumblebee suit. “You know, one thing I hate is any kind of movie promotion that smacks of desperation in any way,” he joked before flying through the air in costume. Seinfeld was promoting DreamWorks Animation’s Bee Movie; he produced, wrote the script and voiced the lead character.
— Michael Moore, who won the Palme d’Or three years ago for Fahrenheit 911, also got some press for Sicko, his new documentary about health care. The press screening seemed to convince foreign journalists that the film would get audiences outside of the U.S., though some reporters questioned Moore’s depictions of the Canadian health care system. Meanwhile, Moore has until May 22 to respond to the U.S. Treasury Department’s complaint about his unauthorized visit to Cuba.
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