America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 499 Using Every Means to Gain Attention

Inside the Palais des Festivals, in the offices of the film festival organizing committee.

Isabelle Huppert, her face grim, stared coldly at Jacob, the chairman of the organizing committee, and asked, "I heard you proposed that Isabelle Adjani be the presenter of the Palme d'Or? The film festival is about to start, what are you planning to do, a surprise attack?"

Jacob said, "You are the greatest representatives of French cinema in terms of women..."

"You know perfectly well what happened between her and me!" Isabelle slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Unless you kill me!"

Putting aside the open and covert struggles over the years, when filming "The Brontë Sisters," Isabelle Adjani actually took things too far and stabbed Adjani in the head!

Who in the French film industry doesn't know that they are mortal enemies, each more powerful than the other?

Isabelle Huppert declared loudly, "If Isabelle Adjani is the guest of honor, I will hold a press conference right now to announce my resignation as jury president."

Jacob wanted to create a spectacle, but he didn't expect Isabelle's reaction to be so intense.

The film festival opens tomorrow, and the organizing committee is unlikely to replace the jury chairman just for the sake of an award presenter.

The Cannes Film Festival will become a laughing stock worldwide.

Jacob had no choice but to concede: "Fine, let's find someone else."

Isabelle Huppert is very tough, and went a step further: "I refused to let her present any awards."

Jacob backed down and simply replied, "This time, we won't invite Adjani."

Isabelle Huppert was satisfied. She left her office and returned to the jury president's office, where her assistant came over and said, "We've received two more invitations."

"Put her on the schedule for now," Huppert said, thinking of her arch-enemy. "Keep an eye on Adjani's activities."

The assistant wrote it down.

Isabelle Huppert's head felt like it was about to explode; she had received so many phone calls lately that she couldn't count them all.

Her old friend Steven Soderbergh also called specifically to ask her to keep an eye on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Martin's performance as the male lead.

Harvey Weinstein even tried to seduce her with an Oscar.

But Isabelle Huppert remained unmoved by the Palme d'Or; she had already seen her teacher's "The White Ribbon," which was of absolutely superior quality.

As for the other awards, we'll see how it goes and also consider the opinions of the judging panel.

…………

At the Five Oceans Hotel, Ivan, who had arrived from Los Angeles a week earlier, sat in the lobby lounge with a French translator he had hired from Los Angeles, observing the customers coming and going.

A woman with a brisk walk entered the lobby with a female assistant.

The translator announced, "Adjani is here."

Ivan had specifically looked at Adjani's posters and photos, and upon seeing the middle-aged woman with an oddly stiff face, he asked, "Are you sure she's Adjani?"

The translator, familiar with the situation in France, said: "Excessive plastic surgery has ruined their looks; it's better to age naturally."

Ivan first took out his phone and made a call, then took out his miniature camera and, with the help of the translator's cover, took several photos.

The hotel receptionist's assistant returned after asking and said, "All the rooms are booked."

Isabelle Adjani, who has a terrible temper, yelled, "Damn it, does the whole world have to be against me?"

A friend on the organizing committee suggested that she be a presenter for the Palme d'Or, so she rushed over from Paris. But as soon as she got off the plane, she was informed that the proposal could not be approved due to Isabelle Huppert's strong opposition.

Her arch-rival Isabelle Huppert didn't want her to come, but not only did she come, she wasn't planning to leave!

Adjani said, "Ask other hotels."

Knowing his employer's temperament, the assistant didn't dare to say much and quickly called the Provence Grand Hotel.

"I'm sorry, all the hotel rooms are already booked..." Before she could finish speaking, the woman on the phone changed her tune: "Hello, someone just cancelled their reservation for a suite. If you'd like to book one..."

The assistant quickly said, "I've made the reservation! The person who booked the room is Ms. Isabelle Adjani!"

After confirming with them, the assistant quickly went back to inform Adjani, and the two went to the Provence Hotel on the other side.

Ivan and the translator, like the most common reporters on this seaside promenade, followed at a leisurely pace.

There was no need to worry about being discovered and followed, because a large group of reporters were tailing Isabelle Adjani.

Adjani entered the Provence Hotel, and after her assistant completed the formalities, the two went upstairs together.

Ivan left the translator in the lobby lounge area, went upstairs alone to check, confirmed that the room he checked into was the one he had just checked out of, went downstairs, left the hotel, made a phone call, and then went to a roadside cafe.

After waiting a while, Bruce came over and sat down opposite him.

Ivan didn't mince words: "Adjani has checked into the Provence Hotel."

"They're here, and it looks like they won't be leaving anytime soon," Bruce said. "The Inglourious Basterds crew also lives in Provence, so we're bound to run into them sometime."

Ivan's two years as a paparazzi haven't been in vain, and he's learned a lot of useful things from TMZ's star reporter Jodi: "If I can't find a suitable opportunity, I have a way to make her bump into Harvey."

Bruce nodded: "Take the right photos and contact me. The production team will help get media coverage."

Ivan said, "You can trust me to do things."

Bruce didn't say anything more and got up to return to the Five Oceans Hotel.

Ivan then left and returned to the Provence Hotel to keep a close watch on things himself.

Bruce quickly returned to the hotel and gave Martin a general account of what had happened.

Martin said, "Harvey is a great teacher when it comes to winning awards in public relations, so we should learn from him."

Bruce asked, "Haupper and Adjani's conflict has become this acute?"

Martin pointed to his phone: "Melani just received news that Isabelle Huppert is strongly opposed to the organizing committee inviting Isabelle Adjani to present the Palme d'Or. She told the committee directly that unless she's dead!"

This is the benefit of big production teams and companies spending a lot of money to hire well-known local public relations professionals: they can get first-hand information and updates.

…………

The following day, the Cannes Film Festival opened.

A long red carpet was laid out in front of the Lumière Hall at the Palais des Festivals, and hundreds of journalists from all over the world crowded the media area.

There were also hundreds of guests participating in the red carpet event.

Many of them stayed on the red carpet for a long time without leaving, and the security personnel on both sides of the red carpet had to come up and urge them to leave from time to time.

The reporters in the media area showed no interest in the unfamiliar faces from all over the world; their cameras were all focused on the famous movie stars and directors.

There are too many people walking the red carpet, and most of them are not worth wasting your time on.

Tickets for the Cannes red carpet are sold to the public, and this year's price is 2 euros.

That means for 2 euros, you can walk on the red carpet at the Cannes opening ceremony.

The media is generally not interested in people who pay their own way, so they will contact photographers in advance to take pictures of them.

After the filming was completed, it was sent back to the country where it was filmed. It looked incredibly glamorous, but occasionally, in the media area exposed in the background, you could see that the cameramen's lenses were not actually on this side.

Menez himself also has commercial sponsors, and he used a commercially sponsored ticket to walk the red carpet.

He was dressed in a black suit, with a camera hanging around his neck, waiting in a corner of the grand steps of the Palais des Festivals, patiently awaiting the arrival of his artistic goddesses.

Martin and David Fincher arrived in the same car, got out, and went to the waiting area to meet up with Catherine Kennedy and Cate Blanchett.

This is also a characteristic of the film festival's opening red carpet; the main creators of the same film crew often walk the red carpet together.

Just ahead, the crew of "The Burning Plain" was there. While Kim Basinger and Katherine Kennedy were talking, Jennifer Lawrence quietly approached Martin.

"There are so many people today, people who bought tickets, people from sponsor channels, and tons of handsome men and beautiful women." She lowered her voice and earnestly asked Martin, "With so many people, how can I attract even a little media attention?"

This is a common problem for all newlyweds.

For Nicholson's sake, Martin thought for a moment and said, "You'll definitely have cameras following you when you walk next to Charlize, but if you want to get attention, you need something special, something that will make a lasting impression."

Lawrence pondered, "Special?"

Martin casually replied, "I'm a man; what's suitable for men isn't suitable for women."

Just then, gasps of astonishment erupted from the red carpet, the sound growing louder and louder.

When Lawrence turned his head, he saw Sophie Marceau walking to the front of the media area.

Sophie Marceau's dress had one strap slip off her shoulder, revealing something she often flaunts in movies.

So many people exclaimed in surprise that Sophie Marceau also covered her mouth in astonishment.

After covering her mouth, she slowly pulled up the straps of her dress.

At this moment, all the cameras, whether private or media-focused, turned to Sophie Marceau.

Without much thought, Lawrence knew that Sophie Marceau was destined for a prominent position in entertainment media around the world.

She sighed inwardly, thinking how desperate this woman was to get attention!

On the grand staircase, Menez frantically snapped photos, each shot capturing Sophie Marceau's most vulnerable moments.

Standing next to Sophie Marceau, Monica Bellucci was speechless. She herself was only daring to strip and play around during photoshoots, while this woman...

Has the industry gotten to this point?

Lawrence looked at Martin again.

Martin shook his head slightly at her.

Lawrence understood; if Sophie had just used it, it definitely wouldn't be as effective if she used it again.

She couldn't exactly lift up her skirt, take off her pants, and throw them at the fans, could she? She had to consider Nicholson's feelings to some extent.

The cast and crew of "The Burning Plain" walked the red carpet, and Dior goddess Charlize Theron was undoubtedly the most talked-about.

Martin looked at Lawrence, who was wearing a white dress, and suddenly laughed.

David Fincher happened to walk by and asked, "What are you laughing at? You look like a freak."

Martin casually pointed ahead: "Witness the transformation of an actress."

Arriving directly opposite the media area, the red carpet was somewhat uneven due to the large number of people walking across it.

Just as the media's cameras were mostly focused on Charlize, the accident happened.

Jennifer Lawrence seemed to trip over the red carpet and fell to the ground with a thud.

Charlize's first instinct was to help her up.

Lawrence briefly secured the center position.

(End of this chapter)