Stupid Celeb Tricks

Today was the calm before the storm. Thanks to a 3 a.m. call about a story that prompted work until 5 a.m., I did not make the 8:30 a.m. Marie Antoinette screening – a bummer, as it’s one of the few films here I really wanted to see. But it was struggle enough to get out of bed by 10:15 in time to get over to the Palais to hear Kirsten Dunst prattle on about reading Antonia Fraser’s “novel.” Note to Kirsten: It’s called a biography.

Laugh of the day was hearing a foreign journalist (actually, I am a foreign journalist here, too, aren’t I?) ask Sofia Coppola if Marie Antoinette was like Desperate Housewives. (Answer: She has never seen Desperate Housewives.)

Then it was on to grab Chloe Sevigny – dressed head to toe in Chloe (no relation) -- for a couple of quick quotes for a fashion story I’m working on. Yes, I find it vaguely embarrassing to be asking questions totally unrelated to the reason said celeb is in the same room I am, but I have learned the hard way that it is about 900,000 times easier to do this then to fax/call/email/generally pester the PR for approximately three weeks before being told said celeb is a) not doing any press at the moment, b) filming and unreachable (as if!), c) “not going to be able to participate in this particular story” – and that’s if your call is even returned.

Second laugh of the day: Watching Jena Malone sing to herself during a photocall. And then talk – equally kookily – about how acting is like “being in the belly of an animal you adore, and trying to keep yourself whole despite the animal’s stomach secretions.” I am not making this up.