Today in Cannes the 61. International film festival opens.
Sean Penn leads the chairmanship about the jury. Alexandra Maria Lara is also in the jury.
Out of competition Woody Allen presents his new stripe “Vicky Christina Barcelona” with Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson.

Sean Penn

Last year it has strongly been raining and only 700,000 people came. This week-end appears the sun. So tomorrow, Sunday 11.May, 1.3 million people are expected to the big move.

______________________________________
last year 2007:
Forget the carneval in Rio de Janeiro.
The best carneval of the world takes place in Berlin.
Today 700.000 people visited the carneval of cultures and celebrated the procession with 96 groups from 70 different nations.
Many groups are mixed and carry out integration.
Here are Polynesian people:

visitors:

___________________________________________________________________
According to the organizer approx. 1.4 million visitors will visit the 4-day street party all around the Blücher place from the 25th to the 28th of May and the carnival procession on Sunday.
About 4,500 actors from more than 70 nations will take part in the move.

As during the past years the carnival procession also begins this year again on the Hermann’s place. The distance leads on the 27th May about Hasenheide and Gneisenaustreet to Yorckstreet. That’s why it comes to extensive traffic interferences in this area. All around the street party on the Blücher place the traffic on Blücherstreet, the Zossener street and the Waterlooufer is limited. Already on the 26th May from 13 o’clock 30 children with her parents assemble in the area of the Mariannen place and organise a carnival procession to the Görlitzer park.

impression of last year:

starts today. *****

Today Kurt Beck ( leader of the socially democratic party and maybe the chancellor-candidate 2009 ) spoke to the press. He founded the problems in his party (SPD) with the magic word: strategical re-orientation
Maybe Beck thinks: “Dear God, help me !”

Till Sunday the fashionweek take place in Paris .
Here models wait backstage for their catwalk-action.

François Planche

Monday John Galliano ( Dior ) presented his models in fashion and style of the the 60s.
They looked like dolls.
Also Irina Lazareanu was to be seen on the catwalk.

Tilda Swinton ( 2 weeks ago in Berlin )

and Marion Cotillard ( February 2007 in Berlin )

Who would like to get an Oscar, the film-festival Berlinale should visit first.
It did Tilda Swinton and Daniel Day-Lewis two weeks ago. And Marion Cotillard celebrated the première of the film “La Vie En Rose” also in Berlin in February, 2007.
George Clooney didnt come to Berlin this year and so he didnt get an Oscar.

Peaceful demonstrators, film-fans, photographers, Hollywood-Stars like Natalie Portman, or any other are Berlin.

Yesterday Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson came from New York to Berlin. And today they presented together with the australian actor Eric Bana the film “The Other Boleyn Girl”.
Here Scarlett Johansson goes to the press conference where many autograph hunters waited.

Eric Bana enjoys the bath in the crowd of film fans.

And in the evening for the red carpet they have made themselves pretty.
Scarlett Johansson gives an interview to the german television.

With this smile I had to think of her first film, Léon the Professional together with Jean Reno.
Natalie Portman:

“Cinema for peace” invites members of the international film community and other important persons.
Aim is to promote peace and international understanding through the medium film.
Tonight the “cinema for peace”-gala took place in Berlin in the concert hall in the Gendarmenmarkt.

Nadja Auermann ( Ex-Topmodel ) waits and scrutinises the lady in Yellow.

Now Nadja presents her new evening dress which one can use even as a parachute. And the companion is astonished at her long legs.

Nadja Auermann was certainly the best dressed woman in this evening.

And today Anna Netrebko would not like to be photographed.

Tonight Julia Roberts was expected in Berlin. Many Hundred fans and I waited in vain.
But two other interesting women smiled in my camera.
Goldie Hawn ( Oscar 1970 )

and Penelope Cruz

Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz presented the american drama “Elegy”.
Family-photo with Ben Kingsley ( Oscar 1983 ), Penelope Cruz, Isabel Coixet ( director ) and Berlinale-Director Dieter Kosslick.

With this family photo (actors and director from “Fireflies in the Garden”) Julia Roberts should be present. But she did not come.
Carrie-Anne Moss,Willem Dafoe,director Dennis Lee,Hayden Panettiere,Ryan Reynolds