"We're all white, middle-aged men anyway"

Mipim is not really my scene. But the recent article in Britain's The Lawyer still seemed vaguely familiar from having attended so many different Cannes events. On the one hand, you have the sharp players that have everything worked out and know when to schmooze in town and when to whisk the right people out of sight for a quiet "chat". On the other, the people straight off the boat that end up in the bar way too late. If you ever think of bringing a company to Cannes - whether it be for Midem or Mipcom - this gives an idea of how business is done outside the Palais (but don't forget the foot soldiers that can pick up plenty of business inside the Palais - this article doesn't even mention them). Check it out on The Lawyer.

Quote of the week: a certain Tim Jones was invited, but ended up wearing the badge of another Tim Jones. "It doesn't matter, we're all white, middle-aged men anyway." The funny thing is, if you replace the pin-stripes in the article by leather jackets, he could be describing Midem or the festival.

Iron Maiden singer to unveil film at Cannes

Looks like it's that time of the year already, when the offbeat and unusual get their headlines by virtue of turning up at Cannes. According to a report in the BBC, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will unveil a flm at this year's Cannes festival. "Chemical Wedding" stars Simon Callow as Professor Haddo, the reincarnation of British occultist Aleister Crowley, once described as Britain's most evil man. Julian Doyle, who directed the video for the band's 1988 single 'Can I Play with Madness', co-wrote the script with Dickinson and is directing. The reaction from test screenings are that it is very much in the vein of the Hammer Horror films.

5 UK property professionals to cycle to Cannes

If ever there was an initiative that itself deserves the title "Cannes or Bust", it must be this. Five property professionals from Liverpool in the UK are to cycle to Cannes for Mipim instead of flying. The goal is to raise £500,000 for charity. Covering the 1,500 kms will take them six days. The five are James Tottle (Savills), Barry Crichton (Drivers Jonas), Jon Matthews (HKR), Mark Whittaker (Peel Holdings) and Chris Brown (Igloo Regeneration).

If anyone has a link to this initiative, please post it below.

Smoking ban in Cannes?

Heaven for some, hell for others, the smoking ban in cafés, restaurants, "bar-tabacs" and casinos that was introduced in France on January 1 obviously affects Cannes as well. The big question is how vigilantly will it be applied? French cafes and restaurants globally tend to be pretty smoker-friendly. But if a country as strong-headed as Ireland has learnt to comply, I can't see why France can't. On the practical side, Cannes has many terraces that smokers can use. Some of the bars spill into the streets anyway. So smokers can rest assured that there should still be a way to catch a quick puff.

In case you get involved in a discussion with restaurant owners, here are two figures worth remembering: the fine for smoking can be up to €450; and the fine for the owner is €750. Don't expect too much indulgence from them.

Cannes amongst Forbes' "Top 10 Topless Beaches"

Forbes has just published their Top 10 choice of topless beaches, which includes Cannes. As they say themselves, "Call us old-fashioned, but we tend to favor topless beaches rather than nude ones. Nearly all European beaches are topless, and sunbathers there have a blasé attitude towards nudity, which means no gawking or cameras". The fact that they recommend staying during the film festival is not very helpful as 1) there are more cameras per square meter than at a Nikon factory and 2) it's almost impossible to book a hotel. So their suggestion of the Carlton is a bit optimistic. You might want to book now for next May.

Other beaches on the hotlist include Santorini (Greece), Bora Bora (Polypenesia) and St Martin (West Indies). Funnily enough, Cannes is amongst the cheapest of the bunch.

Prisoner breaks out using helicopter - again

A helicopter from Cannes was used in a daring breakout recently. Pascal Payet organsied for a helicopter hijacked from Cannes to land on the roof of his prison, and then fly him to Brignoles north of Toulon. This is the third helicopter escape Payet, a convicted murderer, has been involved in. The pilot was released unharmed.

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat sold to Russian oligarch

Over the past few years, the Russians have become a very notable presence along the Riviera and inevitably have started investing there. So the news that the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat between Nice and Monaco has been sold to Russian "oligarch" Leonard Balavatnik is not entirely surprising. Roman Abramovich had already bought Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc near Cannes last year. These magnificent hotels are favourites with the major stars that visit the Cannes festival.

Over the years, noted guests at Cap-Ferrat have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Pablo Picasso, Sir Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra. Visit their site here.

And now: TV set called 'Cannes'

It must be flattering for the town. Korean electronics maestros Samsung recently launched a new high-definition PDP TV they are calling "Cannes". It uses their "Ultra DayLight" and "Natural True Colour" technologies to reportedly provide better colours and clearer images. Prices in Korea range from €1700 to over €7200 ($9500). But don't go running to Dixon's or MediaMarket. It's not yet available in Europe.

Saddam Hussein villa near Cannes

Not many people know that Saddam Hussein and the al-Tikriti family had two villas near Cannes, which were both impounded when Iraq's assets were frozen just before the current war. It turns out that the French authorities are now examining how to unfreeze the villas, their pools and various claims. It's not known if the villas, which have been empty and unused for some time, will be put up for sale. Any readers out there living in a former dictator's holiday home?

Man wins Lion, drinks, loses Lion on beach

I'm trying not to laugh, because this is serious (snigger). Following on the previous post about bad behaviour in Cannes comes this heartfelt cry: "Imagine yourself waking up the morning after you buried your employer’s Cannes Lion on some beach in Cannes. Sounds like a lot of fun until you realize you don’t remember where it was."

Let me see... No, I can't imagine myself doing anything as stupid as that. But it seems that's what Tom Eriksen of Farfar in Sweden did. He got tired of carrying it around at the parties and buried the thing in the sand. But he never found it again. You can even check the video of him digging right here.

Tom's a sport though. He's offering $1000 to anyone that finds the thing. No questions asked. It's embarassing enough as it is.

While we're talking about Farfar, here's the campaign that got the award: Stockholm, the Musical.

Cannes: "bad behaviour deserves to be preserved"

Do we agree with this? In an article in the UK's "Media Bulletin", Francesca Newland makes a case for preserving the madness that is Cannes. Citing CEOs "passed out on the pavement in front of the Gutter Bar, Traktor party revellers being sprayed with Champagne to keep them cool, DDB's entire London creative department squashed on to an inflatable banana while racing around the Med," she maintains that this is important in some way. "For now, the rise of the corporate side of Cannes is useful. It justifies its cost, but it should never be allowed to cast a shadow over the craziness that the festival also attracts. Cannes is a place of excess. The only safe thing you should practice is sun protection."

OK, I've taken the juicier parts of the article. Newland also points out that the new realism in Cannes reflects the fact that most of advertising's other foibles such as fast cars and endless lunches have been eaten by clients' greater need for price control and accountability.

But one thing Newland misses is the town of Cannes itself. The mayor in particular is keen to downplay the reputation of Cannes as a massive stag night for professionals on a "jolly". Because with a major trade fair every six weeks, they can't afford the hangovers.

read the full article on Brand Republic's Media Bulletin.

Carlton Hotel: What would you pay?

According to a report in The Times, the Carlton Hotel is about to change hands. The grand old favourite of Cannes' wealthier visitors is currently being sold together with other properties in the InterContinental Hotels Group. Of the £400 million price tag, the Carlton is estimated to be worth £150 million. The new owner will most likely be Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund. InterContinental, however, will retain day-to-day management for some time to come (although there are rumours about a senior management figure moving to London).

The Carlton has been in the movies again with France's "Quatre Etoiles/Four Stars" being the most recent film to use it as a location. It was also completely booked out during the recent Cannes Film Festival, despite the downturn in the movie business. The Carlton is consistently one of the favourite places to hang giant billboards (significantly, one for "Casino Royale" replaced "Da Vinci Code" after the first-night reviews).