As the Cannes film festival headed toward it’s final weekend with a few films left to play on Saturday and awards to give away on Sunday, the reactions to films screening here seemed to be mixed and the star power decidedly low, which was what had been expected going into the world’s largest film gathering.

The frontrunner for the coveted Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor, appears to be French film “Un Prophete” (”A Prophet”) from director Jacques Audiard, telling of a 19-year-old man who learns how to survive in prison. Read more about it here. Because Cannes is considered a festival where cinematic art is explored, winning the Palme d’Or does not always translate into commercial success, especially in the Hollywood-dominated United States. But Sony Pictures Classics acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and they are masters at luring U.S. audiences to foreign films. Perhaps their biggest success in that arena was Oscar nominee “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

The major starpower of the festival was, as expected, the Wednesday premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” which brought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Cannes’ red carpet. You can read about that movie here. And if you want a peak inside their premiere party, just scroll down the Fan Fare blog, and we give you some video behind the velvet rope. The other major star on the carpet was Spain’s Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodovar’s “Los Abrazos Rotos,” (”Broken Embraces”). Click here for a story on that title. Both of those movies ended up with mixed buzz from their Cannes screenings.

The big bomb was “Antichrist” from Denmark’s Lars von Trier, mostly because people considered it excessively brutal to the point of being gross. Read about it here. But But von Trier is considered an artist of cinema, and the thing about art is that it is supposed to challenge people, make them think in new ways and see the world differently. Perhaps that is what “Antichrist” eventually will do. It was picked up for distribution in the U.S. by IFC Films.

And the parties? Going into Cannes, merchants, caters, restaurateurs and others were expecting business to be down about 30 - 40 percent. That has likely proven to be true, but the real result won’t be known until after all the receipts are tallied up. But it is certain, there were fewer events, fewer invitations and fewer crowds along Cannes beachside Croisette and inside its posh hotels. That tale of low lights and dim star wattage — with the exception “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson, is here. Still, if you got in, the parties were just as fun as ever. We tried to bring you the parties here on the Fan Fare blog, and you can watch some of them by scrolling down.

Business was mixed, too. If you had a good movie, business was good. If not, it was pretty rough. That tale of haves and have-nots is here. And business can’t be frowned upon even at an art-focused, cinema-loving event like Cannes because, after all, money does make the world go around. That is as true in Cannes as it is in Hollywood.

The Cannes film festival lineup just announced has a familiar ring to it, with several past winners vying for that nice gold-coloured leaf grandly called the Palme d’Or in 2009. Quentin Tarantino (who won in 1994) unveils the oddly spelled “Inglourious Basterds”, his World War Two caper starring Brad Pitt. Ken Loach (2006) and Jane Campion (1993) are also in the running in the main competition lineup as is Lars von Trier (2000).

Grabbing just as much limelight on the French Riviera, though, will be Terry Gilliam and his “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”, the late Heath Ledger’s last movie with stars Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepping in to complete his role.

Finally hoping to break his Cannes duck will be another favourite on the palm-lined Croisette waterfront, Spain’s Pedro Almodovar who once again teams up with Penelope Cruz in “Broken Embraces”. He was favourite to take the top prize in 2006 with “Volver”, and ended up calling the billing as frontrunner a “curse”. Could it be Pedro for Palme d’Or this time?

(Writing by Lisa Baertlein)

Glamour ruled on Hollywood’s biggest night, and “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto was brilliant in a blue John Galliano gown, supporting actress winner Penelope Cruz donned a 60-year-old Balmain and best actress winner Kate Winslet dazzled in a one-shoulder number from Yves Saint Laurent.

Stars like Heidi Klum and Natalie Portman added splashes of color, but many stars including Anne Hathaway, Cruz, Taraji P. Henson and Evan Rachel Wood wore white and other light colors.

Who do you think was best dressed? And worst?

Award winners Penelope Cruz in Balmain and Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent

Heidi Klum in Roland Mouret

Freida Pinto in John Galliano

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive

Viola Davis in Reem Acra and Taraji P. Henson in Roberto Cavalli

Marisa Tomei and Natalie Portman

Don’t forget to check us out on Twitter!

(Photos: REUTERS)

It is a certainty that Oscar nominees like Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey, Jr., and Brad Pitt will garner the major media spotlight at the world’s top film industry awards on Feb. 22.

But on Monday, at the annual Oscar nominees luncheon, a few of the lesser known stars got the chance to share their thoughts and feelings with reporters about being nominated, and they are some of the best stories to tell.

When asked about his first nomination, Michael Shannon, who earned an Oscar nod for his turn as a voice of reason in suburban adult drama “Revolutionary Road,” related this story. He said when he first started to get steady acting jobs about 10-15 years ago, he received a letter from another actor named Michael Shannon who lived in the United Kingdom. This other actor told him they should talk because Shannon really couldn’t use his name if he planned on having a career. “I’m just so glad I’ve gotten to a point where I can write him back and say, ‘you can’t intimidate me, man.’”

Taraji P. Henson, nominated for her role as a caretaker in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” said it was only at the Oscar nominee luncheon that she finally believed she was really nominated. “Clearly, they’re not going to ask for a recount,” she said. “My insides are crazy, my heart is pounding.” She added that for her, the nomination truly was a dream come true and added, “In my opinion if you’re not dreaming, your not living because dreams can come true.”

But the newcomers weren’t the only ones who were overjoyed or, for that matter, had funny stories to tell. Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, nominated for best supporting actress playing a fiery painter in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” said that when she was nominated she received so many congratulatory calls that her cell phone simply “collapsed.” It quit because it was overloaded. ”I took it to repair and they said they couldn’t fix it because they’d never see that happen before,” she said.

The Golden Globes were back this year, and no one was more excited than the stars themselves, who celebrated by walking down the red carpet in all their finest. But whose primping and preening paid off the most? And who fell horribly flat?

US Weekly Fashion Director Sasha Charnin Morrison listed Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie as two of her favorites, saying Marisa Tomei and Renee Zellweger’s looks were “clunkers.” Meanwhile, style expert Michael O’Connor said his top choices were Eva Mendes and Drew Barrymore.

But what did you think? Check out some of the looks below and let us know.

    Angelina Jolie in Versace

 Drew Barrymore in Galliano

Marisa Tomei in Oscar de la Renta

                                                                            Eva Mendes in Dior

Anne Hathaway in Armani

 Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera

Highlights from day 3 of the Cannes film festival. 

Spoiler alert: We give away one detail of Woody Allen’s new movie, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” so if you don’t want to know, don’t read on. But it’s too irresistible to keep hidden, and soon somebody will spill it.

For months, ”Vicky Cristina Barcelona” has been shrouded in mystery. What it is about? Woody, shooting in Spain and not New York? Were co-stars Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz romantically involved during the shoot? Are they still?

We still don’t know — for certain — about Penelope and Javier, but if the beautiful Spanish actress and her Oscar-winning co-star were in fact locking lips during filming in Barcelona, then he wasn’t the only one she was kissing. Her other co-star, Scarlett Johansson, felt the touch of those pouty lips herself.

That’s right. In ”Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” which had its first press screenings on Friday night at the Cannes film festival, Cruz portrays a high-spirited painter and Bardem is her former husband, also a painter. The pair have split up when Johansson’s character, a young American tourist, enters into a relationship with Bardem. When Penelope returns, well, things happen. And in one brief scene, Cruz and Johansson engage in a sensual kiss — or two. Where it leads and what happens after that, we won’t tell. But one thing is for certain, that Javier, he’s a lucky guy.

UPDATE - At Saturday’s Cannes news conference for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” Penelope was asked if she had any qualms or enjoyed the kiss scene and she completely dodged it. “I got that question four times today already, and I didn’t give any answer because I didn’t have a good answer,” she said. “And I was thinking every time, ‘what would Woody say if he was me in that situation.’” She looked at the director, and he didn’t answer, either.

“And I’m still not inspired to give a good answer,” she said.