Rachael Taylor

Would you pay $1.5 million to go to a few Oscar parties? Or $1.8 million to fly to the moon on Virgin Galactic with Leonardo DiCaprio?  Someone did — and more. That’s what made Harvey Weinstein smile when we spoke after amFAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Film Festival gala got a very special 20th anniversary present Thursday night. Co-hosts Weinstein and Kenneth Cole announced to a roomful of very high rollers that the event, held of the Hotel Du Cap, had raised $25 million, smashing last year’s record total of over $10 million. Before the ultra-high style  party that has been a staple of the Cannes festival for the past two decades, Weinstein had told me if they just made a dollar more than the previous year they would be happy. But these multimillionaires and billionaires obviously came to play this year and really stepped up to the auction that featured numerous stars including jury members Nicole Kidman and Christoph Waltz, along with Jessica Chastain, Jeremy Renner, Rosario Dawson, Heidi Klum, Goldie Hawn, Janet Jackson, Adrien Brody and major fundraiser and auctioneer Sharon Stone. Weinstein said the event — which he, Elizabeth Taylor and Dr. Mathilda Krim started in 1993 — changed up the rules this year and decided to focus primarily on just 10 major items rather than 20, and the crowd responded. The things being auctioned off included original art by the likes ... Read More »

Listen to (and share) episode 27, a special Cannes Film Festival edition of our audio podcast Deadline Awards Watch With Pete Hammond. Deadline’s awards columnist talks with host David Bloom about the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis and other notable films screened in competition so far at Cannes; the legacy of Liz Taylor and a restored Cleopatra; and whether Oscar season should just officially start with the festival, given its recent success in spotlighting awards-worthy films. Deadline Awards Watch, Episode 27 (MP3 format) Deadline Awards Watch, Episode 27 (MP4a format) The M4A version of this podcast is designed to run on any device using Apple’s iTunes software, and includes enhanced graphics and links to stories and other resources. The MP3 version of this podcast is designed to play on virtually any device capable of playing digital audio. Those with “podcatcher” software may subscribe to AwardsWatch and have it automatically downloaded to them by using this URL: http://www.deadline.com/awards-watch-podcast/ To hear past episodes of Deadline Awards Watch, go here: http://www.deadline.com/tag/deadline-awards-watch/