Aguilera, Hanks, De Niro and More Light up Cannes amfAR Gala

Swiss auctioneer Simon de Pury (L) conducts an auction on May 26, 2022 next to US actor Robert de Niro (R) during the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, southern France, on the sidelines of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)
Swiss auctioneer Simon de Pury (L) conducts an auction on May 26, 2022 next to US actor Robert de Niro (R) during the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, southern France, on the sidelines of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)
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Aguilera, Hanks, De Niro and More Light up Cannes amfAR Gala

Swiss auctioneer Simon de Pury (L) conducts an auction on May 26, 2022 next to US actor Robert de Niro (R) during the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, southern France, on the sidelines of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)
Swiss auctioneer Simon de Pury (L) conducts an auction on May 26, 2022 next to US actor Robert de Niro (R) during the annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, southern France, on the sidelines of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)

Robert De Niro was the honored guest at the 28th annual amfAR Gala Cannes, where one lucky guest won an auction to have lunch with the actor and a piece of his family history.

One of the most anticipated events of the Cannes Film Festival, over 800 guests attended Thursday's exclusive dinner, auction and after party at the Hôtel du Cap, Eden Roc in Antibes where guests were entertained with performances from Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin and Charli XCX.

The night began with a glitzy red carpet. Tom Hanks who stars in the new "Elvis" movie from Baz Luhrmann attended with the director. Cara Delevingne, Casey Affleck, Cynthia Erivo, Diplo, Edgar Ramirez, Eva Longoria, Milla Jovovich, Vanessa Hudgens, Elsa Hosk, Jourdan Dunn and Winnie Harlow were also among the guests.

Ricky Martin opened the proceedings with a lively medley of his hits and as guests tucked into dinner the bidding started on a selection of once in a lifetime experiences up for auction.

De Niro kicked off the bidding on the lunch with him and by the time it was over, 500,000 euros ($537,025) had been raised to support amfAR's AIDS research efforts. The lunch will be at one of De Niro's New York restaurants and the lot includes a piece of art by a painting by his father Robert De Niro Sr., a celebrated abstract expressionist painter.

Another guest paid 1.2 million euros ($1,288,860) for an exclusive evening with tenor Andrea Bocelli and his family only to have his bid matched by another guest for another 1.2 million euros and a second evening was offered by the family. The lot was introduced with a surprise performance from Andrea’s son Matteo Bocelli. The successful bidders will host a dinner party for 12 at one of his homes in either North Miami Beach or his mansion in Forte dei Marmi on the Tuscan coast where they will get a private musical performance.

The night also included the annual designer fashion show curated by Carine Roitfeld. After the models strutted down the catwalk through the tables, the whole collection of 40 outfits was auctioned off for 800,000 euros ($859,240).

Other lots included diamond jewels, exclusive luxury holidays and original artwork including a Jeff Koons sculpture that will be permanently installed on the moon paired with a unique NFT which fetched 2.1 million euros ($2,255,518).

Aguilera was the last artist to take to the stage at the end of the dinner, blasting out her hit singles Including "Dirrty” and "Beautiful” in a black fur cape as guests danced between the tables.

The amfAR Gala Cannes has raised $245 million for amfAR’s lifesaving AIDS research programs.



‘Severance,’ ‘The Penguin’ Lead Nominations for TV’s Emmy Awards

US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
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‘Severance,’ ‘The Penguin’ Lead Nominations for TV’s Emmy Awards

US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)
US actor Adam Scott attends PaleyFest LA screening of the season finale of "Severance" at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, on March 21, 2025. (AFP)

Psychological thriller "Severance" from Apple TV+ and HBO's crime drama "The Penguin" stacked up the most nominations for Emmy Awards on Tuesday, outpacing "The Studio" and "The White Lotus" in the contest for television's highest honors.

"Severance" received a leading 27 nominations and was nominated for the top prize of best drama alongside Star Wars series "Andor,The Pitt,The White Lotus" and others.

"The Penguin," set in the DC Comics universe and starring Colin Farrell, earned 24 nominations and will compete for best limited series against Netflix hit "Adolescence," among others.

Hollywood satire "The Studio," an Apple TV+ show featuring Seth Rogen as a nervous film executive, and HBO's "The White Lotus," about murder and misdeeds at a luxury resort, received 23 each.

"What the heck?!! We never thought this would happen," Rogen said in a statement.

Comedy nominees included defending champion "Hacks," previous winner "The Bear,Nobody Wants This" and "Abbott Elementary."

The 23 nominations for "The Studio" tied the record for a comedy in a single season, set last year by Chicago restaurant tale "The Bear."

Winners of the Emmys will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony in Los Angeles, broadcast live on CBS on September 14. Comedian Nate Bargatze will host.

The television industry is undergoing a contraction as media companies curtail the sky-high spending they shelled out to compete in the shift to streaming platforms led by Netflix.

Longtime Emmy favorite HBO and the HBO Max streaming service topped all programmers with 142 nominations, a record for the network.

Walt Disney collected 137 nominations, including six for ABC's "Abbott Elementary," one of the few broadcast shows in the Emmy mix. "Andor," on Disney+, received 14.

Netflix garnered 120 nods and Apple scored 81, its highest total since launching its streaming service in 2019.

"Severance" tells the story of office workers who undergo a procedure to make them forget their home life at work, and vice versa.

"It's distinctive in every way - in terms of its storytelling, in terms of style, in terms of its directing, its tone," said Matt Cherniss, head of programming at Apple TV+.

Star Adam Scott, a best actor nominee, said the cast was unsure how viewers would respond.

"The fact that it's resonated at all has been just such an incredible feeling," Scott said. "We thought it was something that might be too weird."

WYLE, FORD IN THE RUNNING

Noah Wyle received his first Emmy nomination since 1999 for his role as an emergency room doctor on "The Pitt." Wyle was nominated five times for "ER" but never won.

"I'm humbled and grateful," Wyle said of the recognition for "The Pitt," which received 13 total nominations.

Harrison Ford, 83, earned his first Emmy nod, for playing a grumpy therapist on "Shrinking."

Ron Howard, the former "Happy Days" star turned Oscar-winning director, also landed his first acting nomination, a guest actor nod for playing himself on "The Studio." He will compete with fellow director Martin Scorsese, also a guest star on the show.

Other notable acting nominees included Farrell and Cristin Milioti for "The Penguin,The Bear" actors Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, "Hacks" stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, Kathy Bates for "Matlock" and Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey for "The Last of Us."

Eight "White Lotus" actors were recognized.

"This is a bunch of cherries on the icing on the cake that was the gift of playing such a tortured and lonely human," said Jason Isaacs, who portrayed a suicidal father facing financial ruin on the show.

Beyonce also made the Emmys list. Her halftime performance during a National Football League game on Netflix was nominated for best live variety special.

Missing from the field was Netflix's popular Korean drama "Squid Game," while the final season of previous drama winner "The Handmaid's Tale" received just one nod.

Winners will be chosen by the roughly 26,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of the Television Academy.