Pictures of Lohan sporting an engagement ring last week in Cannes set off speculation the 21-year-old starlet could be heading to the wedding chapel with Ronson. But beware, it’s not the first time Lohan has stoked public interest by wearing something shiny on her wedding finger. She also did it a couple years ago, back when her constant companions were mostly of the male variety. 

Amid the media firestorm — several reports had her being offered $1 million to admit she was a lesbian – Lohan’s parents have said a few things about Lohan’s close ties with Ronson. Mom Dina Lohan has said she just wants her daughter to be “happy.” For her part, Lohan isn’t talking, and her spokeswoman has pushed back at the gossip by describing speculation about Lohan’s sexual orientation as “gross.” The spokeswoman did not return Reuters call or an e-mail for comment on Tuesday.

Just this past Sunday at the MTV Movie Awards here in Los Angeles, reality show star and bisexual Tila Tequila – not one to be shy of publicity – reportedly called on Lohan to come out of the closet.

But is Lindsay, who turns 22 years-old in July, really a lesbian and does it really matter what her sexual orientation is? Does she risk the loss of an already troubled career in Hollywood if, in fact, she is? And is it anybody’s business who she is kissing? We’re curious to know what our readers think.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Unlike some of the miserable, grim and ultra-serious movies that Cannes likes to showcase, this year’s festival had a more Hollywood-style ending. After a competition of 22 films that started well, then deteriorated markedly, the 12-day festival was saved at the death by “Entre les Murs”, a stirring drama set in the classrooms of a tough Parisian high school.

It was the last competition film to screen to reporters, many of them long-faced, exhausted and slightly depressed about the string of duds they had sat through. Then, all of a sudden, as if from nowhere, they had something to get excited about. Called The Class in English, the film was remarkable for the realism that the teacher and untrained teenage actors brought to the screen as well as for its exploration of hot political issues like immigration, ethnic integration and violence.

It also underlined the power of language, pitting the street talk of the children against the classical French taught by the school and asking whether one is more valid than the other. When the teacher oversteps the mark in a heated argument and calls two of the girls a French word translated as “skanks”, it is a shocking moment of high tension.

The fact that the film went on to win the top Palme d’Or prize, a prestigious award in world cinema, made us all feel much better about life. Sean Penn and his jury made a popular choice. The only thing that baffled many critics, was why “Waltz With Bashir” won nothing. The Israeli animated documentary was hailed as a ground-breaking way of looking at one of the darkest passages of recent history in the Middle East.

After waiting an hour in a traffic jam just outside Mougins, where the giant marquee for 700 dinner guests is put up, the short walk along the packed red carpet to the entrance felt almost as long. Rows of reporters, including several colleagues, shouted out to just about everyone except me, or so it seemed. When one cameraman I know did finally acknowledge my presence, it was not to take a picture of me but to ask if I would take a picture of him. With a sigh and a smile, I did.

Treading on the back of elaborate and doubtless expensive dresses was a major concern, as was getting hold of a cocktail or two before the dinner and charity auction began. No surprises for guessing that the organisers put me in the far corner from the stage and we even had different crockery from the rest of the tables. But that’s not a complaint. Most of the guests paid for their places at the charity event to see Sharon Stone, Madonna, Dennis Hopper, Sean Combs and others on stage. The food and wine was the same, at least.

Years of planning, casting and shooting, and Clint and his team could not even agree on the title by the time the world’s press descended on Cannes to see it.

They could agree on one thing — the title in French, which is “L’Echange”. Originally the movie starring Angelina Jolie as a 1920s mother who loses her son was down as “Changeling” or “The Changeling”, depending on who you asked. OK, I can just about handle debate over a “the” or two.

But then the production notes arrive in our press boxes and the translation is “The Exchange”. The problem came up at the press conference this week, when Clint and Jolie both added to the confusion by failing to confirm it either way.

When told that “The Exchange” had been put down in writing, Clint would only reply: “It may be in writing, but is it the truth?” Watch this space.

1. Running from the Boulder (”Raiders of the Lost Ark”) — 75%.  An overwhelming three out of four surveyed chose this scene with Indiana Jones running from a boulder in a booby-trapped temple as essential Indy material.

2. ”Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?” (”Raiders of the Lost Ark”) — 61%.  This is Indiana’s first on-screen encounter with the snakes he dreads as he descends into the snake-infested Well of Souls.

3.  Shooting the Swordsman (”Raiders of the Lost Ark”) — 40%.  Indy surprises a sword-wielding enemy with his gun in this comic scene.

4. Mine Cart Chase Scene (”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) — 30%.  Indy and friends speed through a mine shaft to escape the Thugee cult  members.

5.  Monkey Brains and Eye Soup (”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) — 20%.  Willie and Short Round choose from a menu of floating eyeballs,   crunchy bugs, snake surprise and monkey brains at the Pankot Palace.

Reckon these are the best? Which would you nominate?

I cannot tell you what Cannes festival programmers think, but I can tell you that in 15 years of writing about movies and 10 years of covering festivals, that type of comment generally has several answers. Festival directors often say big Hollywood movies bring big Hollywood stars, which can draw attention both to the festival and the art films that may not otherwise be seen. Moreover, what’s a festival for, if not to bring a wide variety of movies to the people who are attending.

That brings us to zombies. One of the more fun adventures every year at Cannes is to take an hour or so and stroll around the booths at the film market here, and look at the hundreds of movies that are being bought and sold daily.

Titles range from Maxim Media’s “Zombies Anonymous” and “Fist of the Vampire” to Eros International’s Bollywood title “Dhoom Dadakka.” (I have no idea what that means). Vision Films has ”Natasha,” featuring a sexy blond girl in a leather bikini with the subtitle “Revenge is Sweet” (I’m kind of afraid to think what that means)  and “Private Moments,” which promises ”the humor of ’Sex and the City’ meets the fantasy of ‘Red Shoe Diaries.’”

And there are old stars you rarely see anymore? One can check out Lee Majors, formerly “The Six Million Dollar Man,” and Philip Michael Thomas, once a major U.S. TV star in “Miami Vice,” in a psychological thriller called ”Fate.” Or, there are Bruce Dern, David Carradine, Rip Torn and Mariel Hemingway in “The Goldenboys,” which is promoted as ”Three salty dogs chase one spicy kitten” on its movie poster. Most of the movies like these will never be seen in U.S. theaters. On DVD, yes. Downloads, sure.

To be certain the Cannes film market and the Cannes film festival are two different arenas for movies. But the point is: movies come in many shapes and sizes and are made for all different reasons, worldwide regions and audiences. “Indiana Jones” may not be my favorite type of movie, but it brought me to Cannes. And if not here, I might never have been exposed to ”Waltz with Bashir,” an animated drama about young men fighting in Lebanon in the early 1980s that is truly lighting up the stage here.

It’s a reasonable representation of the “junket”, a rather unflattering but nonetheless apposite term to describe the short TV interviews studios organise to give news channels and agencies access to stars. The reason: news media need soundbites for their stories.

 Today was another “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” day on the junket front, and the blockbuster which had its world premiere in Cannes has taken over the 7th floor of the plush Carlton hotel for the last few days.

Overhearing actor Jim Broadbent asking “how many more?”, I learned that there were seven, four-to-five minute slots left with 17 already done, and that was all by lunchtime.

Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and crew all did their best to sound fresh and new at the end of a gruelling few days of media over-exposure, and bleary-eyed reporters waiting in crammed rooms and corridors shared the usual grumbles about life in Cannes.

It could have been worse. One early round of interviews here took place before the film was even shown, and despite the size of the operation on Monday morning, I was out of the hotel in under two hours, six “junkets” in hand.

There was a scramble to get into the packed press screening, with reporters waiting up to two hours to ensure a spot, and reviewers were sending out their opinions on the internet within an hour of it finishing.

OK, there was warm applause at the end of the screening, which for Cannes’ fussy reporters and critics is good going for a family blockbuster. But it also has to be said that the cheers at the start of the movie were far louder than those at the end.

This makes me think that once the euphoria and hype in Cannes settles down, and more considered opinions are printed, we are actually going to get a much more mixed reaction that at first seemed the case.

Not that this matters much to the movie’s box office prospects. Even critics who were less than impressed expect that the popularity of the original films and the anticipation that has built among movie goers will ensure a huge commercial return.