Cannes: The Boats And The Beautiful People
I’ve been in Cannes for three days now and I’ve written about my nights with Matt Damon and Leonardo Di Caprio and before that with Dita Von Teese…and for my final day I thought I may as well party day and night. My day started on the best possible note with Robert Redford. There was a press conference for his film All Is Lost and I have to admit I was staring more at Robert than concentrating on what he was saying about the film. I mean check out his hair (which is rather an odd colour).

I’ve never met Robert before in the flesh although I did love his film The Horse Whisperer. This was about 15 years ago and when I saw him I have to admit he has aged since then. His figure is as lean as ever but what gives it away is the hands (which he does move a lot) and his voice is kind of weak compared to how he projects it on screen.
But to be honest, he’s not in Cannes for a beauty parade, he’s there to promote a film and his movie All Is Lost got a standing. The Cannes audience are notoriously difficult to impress so this is a MASSIVE achievement. The film is about a sailor who is lost at sea and what is remarkable about it is there is hardly any speech in the entire movie. Check out the trailer below and see Robert at work. He’s 76 years of age!
One thing I’m quickly learning about Cannes is that the film industry is a lot more complex than I expected. Producers, directors, script-writers, camera crews, wardrobe departments and more work together to create the blockbusters and where would we be without the movie soundtracks? British based singer Stacey Jackson writes songs for films (in between jetting round the world performing and collaborating with Snoop Dogg) and she very kindly invited me to a yacht party on lovely Sunseeker, Beau of Beaulieu. I went straight up to sunbathe on the top deck!

Stacey is fund-raising for the charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer and turning up to support were Spencer Matthews and Lucy Watson from Made in Chelsea, British actor Ray Panthaki and the stunning socialite and Italian diva Nancy Dell’Olio.
While enjoying Sodastream Dorchester Sister and Moscow Mules cocktails (AH-MAZING), we all listened to Stacey’s new album Live It Up. If you want to dance like a VIP to get you in the mood to party you must check out the track Pointing Fingers. The video stars Spencer from Made In Chelsea and you can listen to a selection of songs on her website.
Ok, so I know by now you’re wondering what’s going on with Spencer and Lucy. I got to the heart of the issue, lounging on deck with them…

I met Lucy before at an event I hosted for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Charity so I knew she was gorgeous but I hadn’t remembered quite how petite and pretty she is. I think I look like a bit of a giant next to her! I’ve been watching quite a bit of Made in Chelsea recently and when they turned up I was all prepared to dislike them…but I just couldn’t. Firstly they are so well-mannered, making time for everyone (including me) when they’d probably rather be hanging out on their own as they’ve only been together three weeks. And secondly, they seemed really happy and loved up… I was actually quite jealous of the spark they had between them.
She says: ‘I really like how he can pick me up when I’m in a bad mood and I like his energy and his ability to have fun anywhere. And he’s very generous. I’ve never been with anyone like him.’
He says: ‘I love her general attitude which is strange because most people don’t. I like her sense of humour, she’s very funny without meaning to be. She’s got a very hard exterior but deep down she’s very caring and a lovely person.’
Both are committed to filming more series of Made in Chelsea (brilliant news I think) and when that’s finished, Hollywood beckons. Lucy did acting at school, Spencer’s received professional training, they have impeccable accents and we’ve seen on the show that they look good in front of the cameras. I know I keep going on about their chemistry, but with the energy between them we’re looking at a new power couple in the style of Brad and Ange…except without the six kids (yet).
The yacht party was pretty draining so I decided to try out something different in Cannes and attend a day party. Hosted by London promoters BEAT and Gortha was a party at Palm Beach, which started at 2pm. By the time I made it there at 6, it was starting to get busy. It felt quite naughty to be sipping vodka red bull and watching top DJs in action during the day but the BEAT team made it somehow acceptable. Experiencing this day event in Cannes has made me really intrigued about what it could be like in London at night -their website is rather intriguing.
This blog post is now getting long but there’s so much going on in Cannes. Julian Lennon hosted an art exhibition on Baoli beach called Lova World, exploring a New World theme. All sales go to benefit the Lovganza foundation- aimed at helping children around the world achieve a universal quality of life. . It was attended by Princess Charlene of Monaco. Now if you wanna dress like a VIP – a royal VIP – you need a black jumpsuit.
What do you think of this one from Very.co.uk? It’s only £29!
As it was my last night in Cannes so I thought it would be rude to go without doing a bit of true partying, dancing to music like a madwoman. I did think about going back to BEAT but Aura nightclub had put up a beachfront club called Torch and I had to check it out. Since the start of the Cannes film festival it’s been visited by an array of stars from Justin Timberlake to Paris Hilton to Julien Macdonald and James Franco – talent from every discipline with film, fashion and music names. Is is a place where you can really let your hair down, so I can see why it’s popular. Aura did a great jobs. Have you been to Aura in London yet – you must!! And if you’re anywhere near the Grand Prix in Monaco, Torch are taking over Flavio Briatore’s yacht Blue Force for yet more extravagant parties!
Anyway, I hope my blog posts have given you some indication to the whirlwind of events that is Cannes. If you want to know about anything in more detail than email info@livelikeavip.com or send me a Tweet @zoegriffin and I or one of my team will get back to you.
Read more »































































