Latest news with #HotelduCap-Eden-Roc
Tatler Asia
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
9 most stunning tennis courts around the world
2. Enchantment Resort, Arizona, USA Set within the red rock formations of Boynton Canyon, the tennis courts at Enchantment Resort bring a surreal sense of scale. Morning matches come with crisp desert air and a cinematic glow as sunlight hits the sandstone. The resort offers lessons with USPTA-certified pros, though it's just as tempting to simply rally and soak in the silence. 3. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France A favourite of film stars and fashion editors during Cannes season, this Riviera icon also houses immaculately maintained clay courts shaded by Aleppo pines. The atmosphere is decidedly old-world, with white-uniformed staff and the gentle clink of glasses from nearby terraces. It's the kind of place where a quick set easily turns into an afternoon affair. 4. Singita Sabora Tented Camp, Tanzania Tennis in the Serengeti may sound improbable, but Singita Sabora delivers. Its single court sits amid 350,000 acres of protected wilderness. Expect occasional giraffe sightings mid-game and no audience save for the rustle of the savannah. The surface is synthetic grass, ideal for barefoot play. This is not the place to perfect your topspin—more likely, you'll rethink your entire relationship with the sport. 5. Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE Perhaps the most photographed tennis court on this list, the helipad at the Burj Al Arab was temporarily converted for a rooftop exhibition match between Federer and Agassi in 2005. While not open to the public, it remains a symbol of Dubai's audacity. The hotel's standard courts are less vertiginous but still offer serious skyline views and the kind of service that borders on theatre. 6. Stanglwirt, Going am Wilden Kaiser, Austria In the Austrian Alps, this luxury eco-resort combines spa culture with high-performance tennis. The indoor courts feature floor-to-ceiling windows facing the mountains, while the outdoor clay courts feel lifted from a 1970s Bond film. Former professionals regularly host training camps here, making it a pilgrimage site for serious players who want altitude with their cross-court drills. 7. Four Seasons Resort, Nevis The Caribbean isn't short on picturesque courts, but Nevis stands out for its blend of scenery and serenity. Eleven courts are spread across lush gardens, many with views of the sea or Nevis Peak. The resort has a robust tennis programme with regular tournaments, clinics and guest pros. Between matches, the plunge pool beckons—refreshment is never far. 8. Soneva Fushi, Maldives Tucked deep in the jungle on a private island in the Baa Atoll, Soneva Fushi's tennis courts are a masterclass in barefoot luxury. There's a choice between open-air or covered Olympic-sized courts, both surrounded by tropical greenery and cooled by ocean breezes. Guests can book sessions with resident pros or visiting stars through the resort's 'Soneva Stars' programme. It's tennis reimagined. 9. Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Bermuda Set above the pastel shores of Sinky Bay, the Hamilton Princess features three tennis courts in an unexpected hue—pink. Framed by palms and just steps from the private beach club, these hard courts are fully functional yet distinctly photogenic. Lessons with on-site pros are available, and equipment is complimentary for guests. It's a place where the sport feels playful, a little surreal and utterly of its surroundings. These tennis courts aren't just backdrops—they're destinations in themselves. Whether you play like a pro or barely hold a racquet, visiting one of these sites offers a reminder that the beauty of sport lies as much in its setting as its technique.
Daily Record
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom 'split' after nearly 10 years together
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have reportedly separated. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have reportedly split after nine years of their on–off relationship. Since they first dated back in 2016, the couple have seen some ups and downs. They went Instagram official when the musician shared a photograph of herself and Orlando dressed in bathrobes on the steps of the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes, France, in May 2016. They dated for a little over a year before calling it quits in early 2017 - however, as reported by the Mirror, they soon got back together in 2018. They then announced their engagement in 2019 before moving in together that same year, her ring consisting of a ruby in the middle surrounded by eight white diamonds in a floral pattern. Katy showed off the ring in an Instagram post on Valentine's Day, revealing Orlando had proposed, according to The Daily Mail. The pair then took their relationship to the next level and welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove in August 2020. Katy and Orlando were last spotted together publicly at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March 2025. And an expert has pinpointed a telling sign that the couple weren't their usual selves even then, as unearthed snaps show a sad signal from Katy - who looks 'almost unrecognisable'. The pair posed together on the red carpet at points, while Katy also had solo time in front of the cameras. Body language expert Judi James said: "Katy's body language mood here looks serious with only a few brief outbreaks of the more familiar, fun displays as she poses alone on the red carpet. "She seems to adopt a high fashion style of posing, with the accent on elegance rather than cheerfulness. Her very unsmiling facial expression and her cropped fringe make her look almost unrecognizable and it's only when she pulls a goofy face at the end and sticks out her tongue to make the photographers laugh that we see a flash of the usual, upbeat Katy." Katy's diary has since then been jam-packed as she's been on a world tour for months. Spending so much time away from her home in Montecito, California, has reportedly caused a 'big disruption' in her home life with Orlando, with a source claiming they have been 'living separate lives'. On Sunday, June 22, Orlando was spotted in Australia with their four-year-old daughter while Katy was in the city for two tour stops at the RAC Arena on June 22 and Monday, June 23. While the couple was not photographed together, it appeared Orlando and Daisy visited Katy. Earlier this month a source told Page Six that the couple's relationship was already "over" and they are waiting till her world tour ends in December to break up. A source told PEOPLE that the pop singer's latest album 143, which released in September, "caused some tension" in the pair's relationship with Katy being "stressed" and "deeply frustrated" after the album's reception. While a source told Us Weekly, " Katy and Orlando have split but are amicable. It's not contentious at the moment. Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life.' The source described the alleged split as 'a long time coming' and claimed their relations 'have been tense for months.'
Malaysian Reserve
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
The RM1.7b revival of Hotel Provençal
French Riviera Hotel that hosted Charlie Chaplin and Ernest Hemingway reborned as luxury homes, attracting rich Americans by SARAH RAPPAPORT THE French Riviera needs little introduction. It's long been beloved as a vacation destination, with the jet-set flocking to the Cannes film festival in May, partying at the beach clubs of St Tropez and staying in storied resorts like Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. But on some parts of the coast, the glamour has faded. Take the striking white art deco Hôtel Provençal on the western end of Cap d'Antibes, built for American railway heir Frank Jay Gould, which opened its doors in 1927. It had drawn names like Charlie Chaplin, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso as guests before closing for good in 1977 and sitting vacant ever since. Billionaire British mobile phone mogul John Caudwell, a frequent visitor to the area, said he'd often pass the empty building on his cycle route and admire it. 'I had seen the Hotel Provençal be derelict for decades, and I used to think that it's a magnificent property,' said Caudwell, speaking exclusively to Bloomberg. 'It dominates the entrance to Cap D'Antibes, and I could just see that the building could be really beautiful.' A little more than a decade ago, Caudwell decided to ring a number on the board outside the hotel and make an offer. Caudwell finalised the purchase in 2014. He said he spent about £300 million (RM1.74 billion) to buy the building and renovate it. 'I didn't want to make it a hotel again. I wasn't a hotelier,' he said. 'But I knew I could make beautiful residences.' So he turned the 290-room hotel into a 41-unit luxury residence renamed Le Provençal, with a furnished four-bedroom apartment listed for €9.75 million (RM48.46 million) and a penthouse for sale for €40 million. Turning an art deco hotel into luxury apartments took the better part of a decade, and the building's doors will reopen in July for the first residents to move in. The common areas of the building feature an Ottoman-style domed gold-leaf ceiling, an art deco-inspired cinema for residents and a 2,155 sq ft health spa with a sauna, vitality pool and cold plunge. Outside are six acres (2.43ha) of landscaped gardens with a 98ft long showpiece swimming pool. Caudwell enlisted Richard Martinet of Parisian architecture and design studio Affine Design, known for his work on the Hôtel de Crillon, to work on the renovation. 'It's always a bit crass to say no expenses were spared, because that could indicate that you're just being blingy for the sake of it, but we have certainly not cut any costs at all,' Caudwell said. 'If something was needed for the quality of the building, we have invested in that. The goal is to make it the best on the coastline.' He said that the renovation took time because he wanted everything to be perfect, and that the project was a labour of love for him. Caudwell says the renovation took time because he wanted everything to be perfect and the project was a labour of love There will still be a hotel connection in Le Provençal's second life, however. A partnership agreement with the neighbouring Hôtel Belles Rives, will give Le Provencal residents access to its amenities, including concierge service, the private beach club and the Michelin-starred restaurant La Passagère. Caudwell said these kinds of services and perks are what the buyers of ultra-luxurious residences want now. 'It's a real chic hotel with its own beach and jetty,' he said. 'And it's just across the road, so the partnership is a perfect fit for us.' Rooms at Hôtel Belles Rives start at about €600 a night in June. Around 25% of the apartments in the building have sold so far, Caudwell said. Experts said there's not much like it in the area, which is dominated by villas and single-family homes in the luxury space. 'Demand for new build is huge, because there is hardly anything on the market,' said Savills French Riviera and French Alps ED Alex Balkin, adding that clients will certainly be drawn to a renovated historic art deco building with all new interiors. As to who is buying, Caudwell said it's been a mix of Brits and Europeans, though he's also seen strong interest coming from the US. That makes sense, according to Balkin, who said a lot of the demand at the top end on the French Riviera is coming from Americans, who've had a love affair with the region for a long time. Hôtel Provençal was originally built for an American millionaire after all. Balkin added that demand at the top end has increased significantly since US President Donald Trump returned to office. 'There's always been a real love story between Americans and the South of France,' said Balkin. 'But we've seen much more demand this year than last year or the year before. We've seen a real pickup since the election.' Other brokers have noticed the same trend. 'The Cote d'Azur is really coming back, especially in the high end, because we have seen many more American buyers flooding back into the market,' said Sotheby's International Realty France-Monaco chairman and CEO Alexander Kraft. 'There's a lot of movement, especially between US$10 and US$50 million (RM218.5 million) [properties].' Americans have really come back to the market in force, Kraft said, and not just from one end of the political spectrum. 'They have been of either political persuasion, either trying to get away from Trump or Trump supporters who are optimistic about the future and want to place their money into real estate.' 'The South of France is the number one destination worldwide for second homes,' he added, 'and seen as a safe place for wealth.' — BLOOMBERG This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Film Festival is a celebration of movies and their stars. I spent my week trying to catch them all.
I spent an unforgettable week in the south of France this May, immersed among the celebrities and movies that I'd be writing about for at least the next year as they generated buzz for their projects at the Cannes Film Festival. Between screenings and celeb-spotting excursions, I kept a diary about my first time in the glamorous alternate universe at Cannes. Let's flip through it. The hunt for influencers The author dined at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. (Kelsey Weekman/Yahoo News) My sleepless eight-hour overnight flight left me edgy yet determined, so the first thing I did when I landed in Nice was check my luggage at the hotel and speed over to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The eavesdropping was ideal among uber-wealthy lunchgoers, but there weren't any social media stars, despite it being the go-to spot for celebrities to take photos channeling '80s Harrison Ford. Advertisement I accidentally blew my per diem on a buffet with €15 water. I spent the rest of the week hanging out in hotel lobbies and finally infiltrated a TikTok creator lounge, where I learned that even if you have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, you can still be starstruck by movie stars. Find out more about what I saw and what I heard here. A middle school reunion The author ran into her middle school best friend, who is now a TikToker, at the Cannes Film Festival. (Kelsey Weekman/Yahoo News) I wasn't expecting to run into anyone I knew in Cannes this week, so imagine my surprise when I saw my best friend from middle school for the first time in 17 years. Jocelyn Yates wasn't just at the festival — she was one of the creators TikTok brought to the red carpet, and she got to meet Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise! I ran into her at the platform's creator lounge after sprinting nearly a mile to get from the press room to an interview, and I had to dart away immediately afterward to get to a premiere. Luckily, it was enough time to snag a selfie and her new phone number, so we'll be able to truly reconnect under less sweaty circumstances for me. The go-to small talk topic Vie Privée cast members on the red carpet. (Antonin Thuillier/AFP via Getty Images) Anyone who spoke to me before I left for Cannes got an earful about how I had to use two different clothing rental companies to find the six evening gowns I packed for the festival, which has a strict and fancy dress code for premieres. I ended up needing only two, but I didn't mind looking fabulous every day I was there. I'm ready to declare the heeled Crocs I wore here and to interview people outside the Met Gala as the best shoes for reporting. Not sponsored, just praising a comfy shoe! During the festival, attendees couldn't stop gossiping about newly added dress code rules that banned nudity and lengthy dress trains. People around me couldn't stop asking, 'Had you seen anyone get turned away?' 'Who had to scramble to get a new outfit?' 'Were the new 'decency' standards antiquated?' Read more about the dress code fallout. A fan experience without the whimsy Benicio del Toro, Austin Butler, Angela Bassett and Angelina Jolie interact with fans at Cannes Film Festival. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos clockwise from top left: Sameer al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images (2), Valerie Hache/AFP via Getty Images, Sameer al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images.) Advertisement One of my favorite things to do at events is stand outside and talk to fans about the passion that brought them there, so I was shocked when the people who lined up for celebrity spotting at Cannes were largely grumpy and unwilling to chat. My 38-day French Duolingo streak didn't prepare me for that kind of conversational maneuvering. Their fascination with movie stars was captivating, though, so I spent a very memorable evening in line with celebrity spotters, including a dog who has encountered more stars than this entertainment reporter and two cruise ship passengers who wanted to know what all the fuss was about. The four-legged red carpet star The most memorable person I met while mingling with fans near the red carpet was Cannes resident Cécile Forest, and her 4-year-old Chihuahua, Savanna. The tiny dog is always dressed in pink, and sometimes those outfits are customized for the movie premiere of the night. I've seen her in several memes and viral photos. Forest told me on Instagram after I left the festival that Savanna is an ambassador for Culture de Wouf, which advocates for dogs to be allowed into more spaces. Advertisement 'We believe that we must make life easier for owners, to reduce the number of abandonments. We must let dogs into stores so that there are fewer dog thefts on the sidewalks and fewer dogs dying locked in cars,' Forest told me. My festival foe I thought I'd be spending my downtime at the beach or sipping a cappuccino and people watching at a cafe, but because the Cannes Film Festival ticketing process is so intense, I spent every idle moment refreshing the ticketing page. I don't regret my intensity at all — I got to see everything I wanted! — though sometimes it was mere minutes before a screening. Iana Murray, a longtime X mutual whom I met for the first time in person over matcha near the Palais, attended Cannes for the seventh time this year. She told me the ticketing process is much better than it used to be. People had to stand in lines for hours to get into screenings. Next year, I'll try to spend more time refreshing those pages in more scenic locations. A bucket list achievement Tom Cruise sends love to his fans at the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. (Yahoo News; photo: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images) As a first-timer, I didn't get invited to many parties or exclusive events. I spent most of my time scrapping for tickets and conversation. The highly anticipated premiere of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning was by far the most glamorous and exclusive event I've ever been to in my entire life, probably. Read about the surreal experience here. The chaos of constant clapping I technically took part in two standing ovations, a tradition at Cannes. Movies are judged based on how long people stand and clap for them afterward. Five minutes is considered mediocre, and the longest recorded ovation was 22 minutes for Pan's Labyrinth in 2006. Advertisement But I learned from witnessing one in person that there's no true consensus on when an ovation begins and ends. Is it when the first person stands until the last person stops clapping? Or is it when the clapping begins until the final person stops standing? Is it both? Is it more of a vibes-based calculation? Critics and reporters haven't reached a consensus. A mysterious red carpet attendee Raphaël Quenard and a condor attend the Die, My Love red carpet. (Daniele Venturelli/WireImage via Getty Images) I watched the red carpet for Die, My Love from a window in the press office where photography was explicitly banned. In addition to beholding Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson with my own mortal eyes, I saw a person in what appeared to be a giant turkey costume. I assumed that the bird would be featured in the movie, but it was not. I still don't know what happened there. A great time at the movies I saw 11 movies at Cannes Film Festival. (Photo Illustration: Victoria Ellis for Yahoo News, photos: Letterboxd, Focus Features /Courtesy Everett Collection, A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection) I knew I'd be missing out on about half of the buzzy Cannes titles because I only attended the first of two weeks of the festival, but I wasn't ready to see people lauding Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value as the best of the bunch long after I'd left the Croisette. I may die of FOMO if I can't see it soon. Still, I saw nearly a dozen films that I loved — several of which I know we'll be talking about well into awards season. Read more about my favorites here. Advertisement Takes on a plane The most pressing question I wanted to ask celebrities this week is what movies they watched on the plane on the way to Cannes, though I only got to ask two. The Phoenician Scheme star Jeffrey Wright told me he doesn't watch movies on planes but he does play chess on his phone. His costar Rupert Friend said that tiny airplane screens are depressing to him, so he went to sleep. On the flight to Cannes, everyone around me was watching something from the Mission: Impossible series, including me. On the way back to New York, though, everyone was watching Friends. I watched Oceans Eleven, Janet Planet and One of Them Days. Blackout FOMO A restaurant without lights during a power outage during the Cannes Film Festival. () I unexpectedly experienced a lot of FOMO when I read that a blackout hit the south of France ahead of the Cannes awards ceremony — and again when I read that it was suspected sabotage! Not only was I missing out on the festivities that may set the stage for the upcoming awards season, but there was drama afoot as well. Survival by the numbers According to my iPhone's Health app, I walked an average of 9,900 steps per day — about 3,000 steps more than my typical count for film festivals over the last year. All the theaters were pretty close together, so I'm chalking this one up to the fact that it was just really beautiful outside and a joy to walk around. Advertisement On the other hand, I slept an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes every night in Cannes, which is about 2 hours less than the usual festival. One night, I slept only 29 minutes. My average bedtime was 2:40 a.m. I'm also blaming this on the fact that there was just so much to see. The little things Spectators prepare to watch a movie at the Cinéma de la Plage at Cannes Film Festival. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images) When I talk about Cannes, I mention seeing Tom Cruise in person, spending hours in line and rubbing shoulders with the glamorous. But when I think about the moments I enjoyed the most, it's the movie I got to watch on the beach after a long day, the chats with excited students who had long dreamed of walking the Croisette, the blurry pictures of fearless pigeons hunting for food and the last-minute trips to Steak and Shake when I was starving but unwilling to pay €35 for a salad. Some of the magic of Cannes may be inherent in its exclusivity and European pretentiousness, which makes those quirky moments of charm all the more unforgettable.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Film Festival is a celebration of movies and their stars. I spent my week trying to catch them all.
I spent an unforgettable week in the south of France this May, immersed among the celebrities and movies that I'd be writing about for at least the next year as they generated buzz for their projects at the Cannes Film Festival. Between screenings and celeb-spotting excursions, I kept a diary about my first time in the glamorous alternate universe at Cannes. Let's flip through it. The hunt for influencers The author dined at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. (Kelsey Weekman/Yahoo News) My sleepless eight-hour overnight flight left me edgy yet determined, so the first thing I did when I landed in Nice was check my luggage at the hotel and speed over to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The eavesdropping was ideal among uber-wealthy lunchgoers, but there weren't any social media stars, despite it being the go-to spot for celebrities to take photos channeling '80s Harrison Ford. Advertisement I accidentally blew my per diem on a buffet with €15 water. I spent the rest of the week hanging out in hotel lobbies and finally infiltrated a TikTok creator lounge, where I learned that even if you have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, you can still be starstruck by movie stars. Find out more about what I saw and what I heard here. A middle school reunion The author ran into her middle school best friend, who is now a TikToker, at the Cannes Film Festival. (Kelsey Weekman/Yahoo News) I wasn't expecting to run into anyone I knew in Cannes this week, so imagine my surprise when I saw my best friend from middle school for the first time in 17 years. Jocelyn Yates wasn't just at the festival — she was one of the creators TikTok brought to the red carpet, and she got to meet Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise! I ran into her at the platform's creator lounge after sprinting nearly a mile to get from the press room to an interview, and I had to dart away immediately afterward to get to a premiere. Luckily, it was enough time to snag a selfie and her new phone number, so we'll be able to truly reconnect under less sweaty circumstances for me. The go-to small talk topic Vie Privée cast members on the red carpet. (Antonin Thuillier/AFP via Getty Images) Anyone who spoke to me before I left for Cannes got an earful about how I had to use two different clothing rental companies to find the six evening gowns I packed for the festival, which has a strict and fancy dress code for premieres. I ended up needing only two, but I didn't mind looking fabulous every day I was there. I'm ready to declare the heeled Crocs I wore here and to interview people outside the Met Gala as the best shoes for reporting. Not sponsored, just praising a comfy shoe! Advertisement During the festival, attendees couldn't stop gossiping about newly added dress code rules that banned nudity and lengthy dress trains. People around me couldn't stop asking, 'Had you seen anyone get turned away?' 'Who had to scramble to get a new outfit?' 'Were the new 'decency' standards antiquated?' Read more about the dress code fallout. A fan experience without the whimsy Benicio del Toro, Austin Butler, Angela Bassett and Angelina Jolie interact with fans at Cannes Film Festival. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos clockwise from top left: Sameer al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images (2), Valerie Hache/AFP via Getty Images, Sameer al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images.) One of my favorite things to do at events is stand outside and talk to fans about the passion that brought them there, so I was shocked when the people who lined up for celebrity spotting at Cannes were largely grumpy and unwilling to chat. My 38-day French Duolingo streak didn't prepare me for that kind of conversational maneuvering. Their fascination with movie stars was captivating, though, so I spent a very memorable evening in line with celebrity spotters, including a dog who has encountered more stars than this entertainment reporter and two cruise ship passengers who wanted to know what all the fuss was about. The four-legged red carpet star The most memorable person I met while mingling with fans near the red carpet was Cannes resident Cécile Forest, and her 4-year-old Chihuahua, Savanna. The tiny dog is always dressed in pink, and sometimes those outfits are customized for the movie premiere of the night. I've seen her in several memes and viral photos. Advertisement Forest told me on Instagram after I left the festival that Savanna is an ambassador for Culture de Wouf, which advocates for dogs to be allowed into more spaces. 'We believe that we must make life easier for owners, to reduce the number of abandonments. We must let dogs into stores so that there are fewer dog thefts on the sidewalks and fewer dogs dying locked in cars,' Forest told me. My festival foe I thought I'd be spending my downtime at the beach or sipping a cappuccino and people watching at a cafe, but because the Cannes Film Festival ticketing process is so intense, I spent every idle moment refreshing the ticketing page. I don't regret my intensity at all — I got to see everything I wanted! — though sometimes it was mere minutes before a screening. Iana Murray, a longtime X mutual whom I met for the first time in person over matcha near the Palais, attended Cannes for the seventh time this year. She told me the ticketing process is much better than it used to be. People had to stand in lines for hours to get into screenings. Next year, I'll try to spend more time refreshing those pages in more scenic locations. A bucket list achievement Tom Cruise sends love to his fans at the Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. (Yahoo News; photo: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images) As a first-timer, I didn't get invited to many parties or exclusive events. I spent most of my time scrapping for tickets and conversation. The highly anticipated premiere of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning was by far the most glamorous and exclusive event I've ever been to in my entire life, probably. Read about the surreal experience here. The chaos of constant clapping I technically took part in two standing ovations, a tradition at Cannes. Movies are judged based on how long people stand and clap for them afterward. Five minutes is considered mediocre, and the longest recorded ovation was 22 minutes for Pan's Labyrinth in 2006. Advertisement But I learned from witnessing one in person that there's no true consensus on when an ovation begins and ends. Is it when the first person stands until the last person stops clapping? Or is it when the clapping begins until the final person stops standing? Is it both? Is it more of a vibes-based calculation? Critics and reporters haven't reached a consensus. A mysterious red carpet attendee Raphaël Quenard and a condor attend the Die, My Love red carpet. (Daniele Venturelli/WireImage via Getty Images) I watched the red carpet for Die, My Love from a window in the press office where photography was explicitly banned. In addition to beholding Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson with my own mortal eyes, I saw a person in what appeared to be a giant turkey costume. I assumed that the bird would be featured in the movie, but it was not. I still don't know what happened there. A great time at the movies I saw 11 movies at Cannes Film Festival. (Photo Illustration: Victoria Ellis for Yahoo News, photos: Letterboxd, Focus Features /Courtesy Everett Collection, A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection) I knew I'd be missing out on about half of the buzzy Cannes titles because I only attended the first of two weeks of the festival, but I wasn't ready to see people lauding Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value as the best of the bunch long after I'd left the Croisette. I may die of FOMO if I can't see it soon. Still, I saw nearly a dozen films that I loved — several of which I know we'll be talking about well into awards season. Read more about my favorites here. Takes on a plane The most pressing question I wanted to ask celebrities this week is what movies they watched on the plane on the way to Cannes, though I only got to ask two. The Phoenician Scheme star Jeffrey Wright told me he doesn't watch movies on planes but he does play chess on his phone. His costar Rupert Friend said that tiny airplane screens are depressing to him, so he went to sleep. Advertisement On the flight to Cannes, everyone around me was watching something from the Mission: Impossible series, including me. On the way back to New York, though, everyone was watching Friends. I watched Oceans Eleven, Janet Planet and One of Them Days. Blackout FOMO A restaurant without lights during a power outage during the Cannes Film Festival. () I unexpectedly experienced a lot of FOMO when I read that a blackout hit the south of France ahead of the Cannes awards ceremony — and again when I read that it was suspected sabotage! Not only was I missing out on the festivities that may set the stage for the upcoming awards season, but there was drama afoot as well. Survival by the numbers According to my iPhone's Health app, I walked an average of 9,900 steps per day — about 3,000 steps more than my typical count for film festivals over the last year. All the theaters were pretty close together, so I'm chalking this one up to the fact that it was just really beautiful outside and a joy to walk around. On the other hand, I slept an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes every night in Cannes, which is about 2 hours less than the usual festival. One night, I slept only 29 minutes. My average bedtime was 2:40 a.m. I'm also blaming this on the fact that there was just so much to see. The little things Spectators prepare to watch a movie at the Cinéma de la Plage at Cannes Film Festival. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images) When I talk about Cannes, I mention seeing Tom Cruise in person, spending hours in line and rubbing shoulders with the glamorous. But when I think about the moments I enjoyed the most, it's the movie I got to watch on the beach after a long day, the chats with excited students who had long dreamed of walking the Croisette, the blurry pictures of fearless pigeons hunting for food and the last-minute trips to Steak and Shake when I was starving but unwilling to pay €35 for a salad. Some of the magic of Cannes may be inherent in its exclusivity and European pretentiousness, which makes those quirky moments of charm all the more unforgettable.
