Daily Front Row

2009 April 13

Yes He Cannes!

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(NEW YORK) What a difference a recession makes! A year after Madonna played the role of “honored guest” at amfAR’s annual gala during the Cannes Film Festival, the AIDS charity isn’t taking any chances, enlisting Bill Clinton to do the honors. The former president is jetting to France on May 21 to join a sea of boldface cinephiles including Sharon Stone, Harvey Weinstein, Carine Roitfeld, Michelle Yeoh, Donatella Versace, Bruce Weber, Chopard's Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, and amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole. The fundraising event-cum-live auction is considered the social centerpiece of the festival, now in its 62nd year.

This time out, the evening will be co-hosted by Bold Films, the Weinstein Company, and Palisades Tartan. Madame Versace will once again be overseeing the décor, which will feature an oversized photo exhibition by Weber. In a further bid to bring out the big guns, Annie Lennox has agreed to perform. (Last year’s auction raised a record $10 million.) Star power aside, amFAR’s party planners have added yet another selling point: convenience. For the first time ever, the gala will take place at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, so A-list guests can simply strut outside their doors.
VALENTINE UHOVSKI