Cannes Promotional Stunts, Once a Feature of the Festival, Go Missing

Cast and crew members look on as photographers work from the ropelines, as they arrive for the screening of the film "Eddington" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2025. (AFP)
Cast and crew members look on as photographers work from the ropelines, as they arrive for the screening of the film "Eddington" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Cannes Promotional Stunts, Once a Feature of the Festival, Go Missing

Cast and crew members look on as photographers work from the ropelines, as they arrive for the screening of the film "Eddington" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2025. (AFP)
Cast and crew members look on as photographers work from the ropelines, as they arrive for the screening of the film "Eddington" at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2025. (AFP)

You can get nostalgic about almost anything at the Cannes Film Festival, even Jerry Seinfeld on a zip line in a bumblebee costume.

For many years, Cannes has played host not just to an endless stream of artistically ambitious movies, but also to some of Hollywood's most extreme promotional gambits. With so many films packed into the 12-day festival, and with much of the world watching, there are high stakes to standing out in Cannes.

But in recent years, the Cannes marketing stunt has turned into an endangered species. Hopes that Tom Cruise might revive a dormant tradition passed with the relatively sedate premiere Wednesday of “Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning.”

Would Cruise parachute into the Palais? Could he ride an airplane wing to the premiere? Nothing so elaborate came to pass. Cruise and company walked the red carpet while serenaded by an orchestra playing the “Mission: Impossible” theme.

Along the Croisette this year, there's a noticeable lack of the kind of grand advertisements Hollywood has often trotted out for the festival. Paramount Pictures has a “Mission: Impossible” installation outside the Carlton Hotel, but — as has been true for several years — Hollywood rarely still seeks to make big marketing splashes in Cannes.

Even though Universal Pictures' upcoming Formula One action drama “F1” might seem like a natural fit, with the Monaco Grand Prix just days away, “F1” — at least so far — has made no pit stop in Cannes.

Things could change. Cannes runs until May 24. Someone might yet arrive by parasail over the Mediterranean, as T.J. Miller did in 2017 for “The Emoji Movie,” or do ninja kicks with a troupe of giant pandas, as Jack Black did in 2008 for “Kung Fu Panda.”

But for years, the circus-like quality of Cannes has been in decline. That's owed partly to budgetary constraints and shifting marketing priorities for major studios. For Cruise and “Final Reckoning,” Cannes was just one stop on a worldwide tour.

Plus, some of those who were most devoted to bringing Hollywood entertainment to Cannes are no longer regulars here. While head of DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg made sure his films left a mark in Cannes, whether with models wearing “Trolls” wigs or Seinfeld's “Bee Movie” zip line.

Is the absence of such things anything to lament? Probably not, but they did add to the crazy-things-will-happen nature of Cannes, giving the festival the feel of big tent extravaganza. It could be counted as one small, superficial way that movies aren't quite the carnivalesque show they once were.

For now, though, we can say we'll always have when Sacha Baron Cohen, for “The Dictator,” rode a camel down the Croisette. Ah, the memories.



BBC Sacks a Second 'MasterChef' Host over Claim He Used Racist Language

This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP)
This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP)
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BBC Sacks a Second 'MasterChef' Host over Claim He Used Racist Language

This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP)
This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP)

The BBC said Tuesday that longtime “MasterChef” host John Torode has been sacked for allegedly using racist language on set, a day after the broadcaster confirmed it was severing ties with another of the cooking show's presenters, Gregg Wallace, over separate allegations.

The BBC said the allegation against Torode involved “an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace,” and that the claim was upheld by an independent investigation led by a law firm.

“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind,” the corporation said. “John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

Torode, 59, said he had “no recollection of the incident” and was “shocked and saddened” by the allegation.

The Australia-born presenter started hosting “MasterChef" in 2005 along with Wallace, 60, who was sacked after a report found that dozens of allegations made against him by multiple women were substantiated. It said the majority of the claims related to “inappropriate sexual language and humor."

The claims have cast a shadow over the BBC and “MasterChef," one of the broadcaster's most popular and long-running competition shows. The program has spawned numerous spinoffs and adaptations in other countries.

The latest controversy has again raised questions about the BBC’s handling of misconduct cases.

Director-general Tim Davie said the broadcaster's leadership would not tolerate behavior that is “not in line with our values” following the report on Wallace. He also said he believed “MasterChef” can survive and prosper despite the controversies.

“I think a great program that’s loved by audiences is much bigger than individuals,” he said Tuesday.