Cannes 2008: First person account on Day five(?) er…no, six(?)…no five

Yes, I had to stop and think about which day of the week it is today as I sit in front of my laptop in my hotel room, ready to file stories. Not a good sign. Something to do with a three hour sleep routine for the last four days perhaps? Each day, I am learning new tricks. Like how to stay awake when I have to work. I’ve tried chewing gum (works well) and today I am armed with a can of Red Bull. I have never had it before (yes, that’s right) but a producer friend of mine swears by it when she is shooting non-stop and needs to be awake.  I stare suspiciously at the can sitting on my desk. Just something about the name reminds me of battery liquid, not feeling particularly inclined towards it right now.
So here goes. Today’s session had two big names, that were widely awaited. TBWA Worldwide chairman Jean Marie Dru and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch in separate sessions and both lived up to the expectation.  
Publicis had their party at the beach on Thursday night, great music and a lot of Indian adfolks turned up, besides Publicis people. Nakul Chopra was seen talking to everyone and moving around. Aniruddha Banerjee, Ashish Khazanchi , Prasanna Sankhe, Hemant Misra and Ambar Chakravarty kept the India count going. Publicis’ executive chairman Olivier Fleurot was also there. As was Calvin Soh, from their Singapore office. Non Publicis folks seen letting their hair down included Prasoon Joshi, Shashi Sinha, Agnello Dias, Bobby Pawar, Kamal Basu.
 There was a Y&R party next door which seemed to be rocking as well though I didn’t step in. I wonder how many people actually manage to attend all the parties that are taking place, during these seven days. It would require a crate full of Red Bull and a stretcher on the way out. But don’t listen to me, I am just getting old, go ahead and attend all the parties you can because when it’s over, it’s over and then it’s another 365 days to go.