MY Blueberry Night!

Wow --- the first day of the Cannes Film Festival. It's a Mad Mad World...or rather microcosm of a world to itself these next 12 days.

We picked up our badges at about 11am --- but not before a McDonalds run by the group! Pretty nice McDonalds I must add.

Then we were let go in to the ciaos. Sadly, most of the films that ran yesterday did not allow access with our "underdog" badges. So...we wandered instead. Then by about 3pm we headed back to Juan-les-pins (where the apartments are) to change into our dresses and tuxes for the evening.

By the time we got back to Cannes in the late afternoon...barricades were going up. Photographers were everywhere. By around 5:30 --- after holding a sign up with others in high traffic areas: Ticket S.V.P. --- the limos came down the main drive. Mandy GOT A 7pm PREMIERE TICKET TO BLUEBERRY NIGHT! Literally she was standing on the corner with the limos and some back window rolled down...a man smiled...and handed her the ticket. She comes running over to me and Bill: "Holy, shit, I just got the premiere ticket. Get your ass over on that corner now!" Bill and I tried...but no luck. Geoffrey got a balcony ticket too by trying his smooth french on someone. Others scored 5 more tickets for the 11:30pm red-carpet showing.

Bill and I were crushed by 7:30...we were 2 of the only ones from our group who hadn't gotten an 11:30pm showing invitation...so we pouted by getting 2 pieces of pizza, a hot dog, and coca-cola light. Then we began again on the corners by 9:30. Bill had gotten two tickets for us by 10pm and a lady handed me an envelope with 4 balcony tickets by 10:15. Others from the UGA group came and found us. We pooled ALL of our tickets together and EVERYONE WHO CAME TO THE PALACIS WENT TO THE 11:20pm show!!!

Samantha, Lauren, Bill and I walked the red carpet at 10:30. Bill, of course, kept his shades on. He was the first to walk onto the red carpet...but hesitated and fell back. "Y'all I can't walk this first. A girl needs to go first."

"LET'S GO!" I said walking up the stairs to where the cameras were....ok think E! tv...Oscars....yea....lights flashing everywhere. I didn't know what to do...so I just grabbed Bill's arm and started smiling. Talk about feeling on top of the world! After begging for tickets for 4 hours....THAT moment was why it was worth it!!

The film, I thought, was great! It is mainly centered around dysfunctional relationships...the joy and heartbreak in the end. Rachel Weitz was excellent....Jude Law was pretty good...Natalie Portman did her best with the random roll she was given and Norah Jones matured in her acting as the film progressed. Most the students on the trip didn't like the film....yes, it is "chicky" but definitely has a middle scene that of male heartbreak that I think many guys...unfortunately (yes, bashing my own sex) can relate to when it comes to women.

Oh...and YES...I did see Jude Law and Norah Jones on the red carpet at 7pm! Elizabeth Hurley was there too looking fabulous in white! :-) Norah needs to work on her red carpet smile...she looked like a deer in headlights...and Law looked annoyed with his sunglasses on....seriously....who does that to their own world premiere?

We all finally got back home at about 1:30am...what a first day to remember...

More blogging on today's movies to come later!

Movie on the beach time now!!