Shelby's Social Diary
Swimming with major celebs at Cannes: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray & Sean Penn inthe scene with Houston duo
- Diane Lokey Farb, escorted by Mark Sullivan, made all the party rounds at theCannes Film Festival.Photo by V&D Pictures
- Diane Lokey Farb stepped out in stunning Chanel gown and beaded Valentino shawl.
- Sean Penn, center, speaks to the audience at the Haiti Benefit Dinner at theCannes Film Festival. Also on hand were screenwriter Paul Haggis, right, andmodel Petra Nemcova, second from left.Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/WireImage for Electrolux
- The paparazzi were all over the scene at the Cannes Film Festival where DianeLokey Farb and Mark Sullivan were in the limelight.
Pinch me, please. How else could Diane Lokey Farb, escorted by PR whiz Mark Sullivan, react to the sea of megastars in which she found herself swimming during the Cannes Film Festival?
Just back from their days hobnobbing with Hollywood elite, thanks to their host European jewelry house Chopard, Lokey Farb and Sullivan continue to have stars in their eyes. From the opening night film premiere of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kindgom to the charity dinner chaired by Sean Penn, theirs was a stargazer's paradise.
"It's quite a surreal experience really. I was just on my way home with photos in hand and stopped in the corner store, turned around and Alec Baldwin was standing behind me waiting in line."
For Anderson's screening, the Houston duo sat right behind festival judges Ewan McGregor, Tim Roth and Jean-Paul Gaultier and were seated in the middle of the action at the dinner that followed in a party tent erected next to the theater. Of course, all the film's star were in the mix — Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Jason Schwartzman and Tilda Swinton.
The following night, Lokey Farb and Sullivan were front and center at the Chopard Trophy Awards ceremony with Penn presenting honors to up-and-coming film stars.
Sullivan e-mailed from Cannes, "We later went to Chopard's open-air rooftop party at Hotel Martinez where we were treated to a private concert by it-girl Lana del Rey . . . Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard made quite a splash, and we ended up sitting with Harvey Weinstein, model Eva Herzigova and 'Diddy,' who joined in an impromptu sing along led by the adorable mop-head Beatles-esque group The Gypsy Queens. Sooooo much fun! "
The following night, Lokey Farb and Sullivan attended Sean Penn's charity dinner, benefiting Haitian relief efforts. The ton of A-listers chipping in close to $2 million for the cause included Diane Kruger,Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, Ewan McGregor, Giorgio Armani and Petra Nemcova. Performing for the chic crowd was Lyle Lovett, happy to see friendly faces from Texas. Lovett was accompanied by his wife, April.
The film festival days were filled with close encounters with various stars as Sullivan reported from the scene. "It's quite a surreal experience really. I was just on my way home with photos in hand and stopped in the corner store, turned around and Alec Baldwin was standing behind me waiting in line."
"It's those kinds of things that make it feel like you're walking on some kind of alternative planet!"