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CANNES WATCH: Lively soars, Kidman talks lows

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

CANNES, France (AP) — The Associated Press is all over the Cannes Film Festival — from its glitzy premieres to the celeb parties and quirky moments in between. Here’s what reporters have seen and heard:

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BLAKE LIVELY FOR THE WINNING LOOK

Blake Lively stunned crowds at the Cannes opening of “Grace of Monaco” in Gucci Premiere, wearing a beautifully constructed shoulder-less, two-tone bordeaux silk chiffon bustier dress.

The daring slit down the “Gossip Girl” star’s floor-length fluttery pleated skirt exposed a toned left leg and drew attention away from the fact that the gown’s color slightly clashed with the bright red carpet. Lively is at Cannes as a L’Oreal ambassador and as the better half of actor Ryan Reynolds, whose film “Captives” is competing for the Palme d’Or.

— By Thomas Adamson — http://www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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KIDMAN’S SUCCESS HAS COME WITH PERSONAL LOWS

Nicole Kidman has never had to make the choice that Grace Kelly did, quitting acting to begin another life as Princess of Monaco. But she’s rarely found equilibrium in her career and personal life.

“When I won the Oscar, I went home and I didn’t have (love) in my life,” said Kidman, who won best actress for “The Hours” in 2003, two years after she and Tom Cruise were divorced. “That was the most intensely lonely experience in my life.”

Kidman stars as Kelly in “Grace of Monaco,” which premiered Wednesday as the opener of the Cannes Film Festival. In it, she plays Kelly following her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco (Tim Roth) as she adjusts to royal life and severs ties with Hollywood.

“Strangely for me, the greatest highs have coincided with the greatest lows,” Kidman said. “So (during) my professional highs a lot of times I’ve had personal lows and they’ve collided. That’s always aggravated me that it’s gone that way. I’m hoping one day I can have a professional high and a personal high.”

Kidman said she drew from her own life to empathize with Kelly, although their husbands are very different.

“I am married to a prince,” said Kidman, who wed Keith Urban in 2006. “A country prince.”

— By AP Film Writer Jake Coyle — http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

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AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR LAMBASTS SEXISM IN CINEMA

Jane Campion, the only female director in Cannes Film Festival history to win the Palme d’Or, threw a punch at the male-dominated film industry during Cannes’ inaugural jury press conference.

“There is inherent sexism in the industry. … It does feel very undemocratic,” said Campion, this year’s jury president, sitting alongside jury members Wednesday including director Sofia Coppola and actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Willem Dafoe.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. It’s not that I resent the male filmmakers … but there are some things that women are doing that we don’t get to know about … a more feminine vision,” she said, adding that only 7 percent of 1,800 entries submitted to the Cannes Film Festival were directed by women.

But the “Piano” director from New Zealand, who’s known for her good humor, dispelled the tensions at one point.

“My big problem is: What to wear? That’s everyone’s problem at the Cannes Film Festival. There’s a very high bar.”

Campion won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor, in 1993 for “The Piano.”

— By Thomas Adamson — http://www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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REACTION TO ‘SUGARMAN’ DIRECTOR DEATH:

“I briefly met him last year at the Oscars and it is very shocking. And I am very sad that it just happens like that.” — Gael Garcia Bernal, filmmaker and actor, on the apparent suicide of “Searching for Sugarman” director Malik Bendjelloul.

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‘GRACE’ MOVIE RENEWS INTEREST IN KELLY AS FASHION ICON:

Grace Kelly can bring to mind several things: an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress, a mother, a princess and a Nicole Kidman movie premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.

But to many, she will always be one of the world’s greatest fashion icons.

Kidman’s “Grace of Monaco” is renewing focus on Kelly’s stylish impact. The day the Hitchcock blonde married Monegasque Prince Rainier in April 1956, it forever sealed the links between Monaco, the French Riviera and glamour.

In the wedding ceremony, attended by Ava Gardner, Cary Grant and David Niven, Kelly walked the aisle in a hand-sewn ivory dress, made of 300 yards of antique Brussels rose-point lace sent by MGM Studios — shaking up the staid royal family.

The Hermes saddlebag she carried to hide her royal pregnancy bump was named after her. In 1960, Princess Grace became one of the only royals to enter the “International Best Dressed List.” Today, the “Kelly bag” still has one of the longest waiting lists in the world.

The fresh, natural glamour of the “Grace Kelly Look” — as Women’s Wear Daily branded it in the 1950s — has lived on. And the power her legacy still wields to bring glamour to the French Riviera region was revisited Wednesday as celebrities flocked to the film’s world premiere.

— By Thomas Adamson– http://www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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MONACO ROYALS LEAVE RIVIERA AS ‘GRACE’ ARRIVES:

After lambasting “Grace of Monaco” for inaccurately portraying his late mother Princess Grace, Prince Albert is putting distance between himself and the red carpet premiere of the movie at the Cannes Film Festival.

Albert and Princess Charlene are dodging the storm by leaving Monaco, just a stone’s throw from Cannes, and going on an official visit to the French Auvergne region town of Carlades, about 560 kilometers (nearly 350 miles) away. It’s an old fiefdom of the Monegasque royal family.

Earlier this month, the Prince’s Palace issued yet another communique opposing the Nicole Kidman film — saying that it “cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic.”

“The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film,” Palace officials said.

Perhaps the royal couple will lose no sleep over skipping the opening. “Grace of Monaco” was met with some of the worst reviews for a Cannes opener after screening for the press early Wednesday.

— By Thomas Adamson — http://www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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RAZING THE CANNES FESTIVAL “BUNKER”?

The eyes of Italian film icon Marcello Mastroianni stare out cooly behind sunglasses on the huge poster across the Cannes Film Festival’s sprawling 1970s-style building. But if the event’s outgoing president had his wish, it would be plastered on a different structure.

Gilles Jacob has stirred controversy by calling the red-carpeted, white retro complex — which has been hosting the festival for four dazzling decades — anything but “cool.”

Speaking to local media this week, Jacob called the 1979 behemoth “ill-adapted” and too dated for the needs of the world’s most glamorous film festival, and suggested that the “bunker” be razed.

He proposed a more modern building to secure the prestige of the festival, which has hosted more than 67 years of cinema’s most famous stars.

“We’re therefore asking for a Grand Palace to be built … that’s befitting of the world’s No. 1 cultural event,” Jacob said.

Not everyone agrees with his assessment. Cannes’ mayor, David Lisnard, has defended the festival hall, saying it’s fit for its purpose and will stay put. The city has the final say on its fate.

— By Thomas Adamson — http://www.twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

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TARANTINO WILL BID CANNES ADIEU

Quentin Tarantino will close out the Cannes Film Festival with a tribute to Sergio Leone.

Tarantino will present a restored version of Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) at the May 24 closing ceremony. It will screen as part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the Spaghetti Western, a favorite genre of Tarantino’s.

Usually, the Palme d’Or winner is screened at the Cannes closing ceremony, but this year’s schedule has been tweaked because of European elections. The Palme d’Or winner will be shown May 25 instead.

Tarantino won the Palme d’Or for “Pulp Fiction” in 1994.

— By AP Film Writer Jake Coyle — http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

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EDITOR’S NOTE — “Cannes Watch” shows you the Cannes Film Festival and the events surrounding it through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across Cannes and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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