CANNES, FRANCE – The Coen brothers' resurrection of the pre-Dylan folk scene in Greenwich Village serenaded Cannes with its period music and melancholy tale of a self-destructive, feline-toting musician. "Inside Llewyn Davis" was met rapturously at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered Sunday night. Minnesota natives Joel and Ethan Coen said their primary interest was to recreate the atmosphere of the late 1950s, very early '60s folk revival amid the coffee shops of downtown New York.
"The movie doesn't really have a plot," Joel Coen said at the festival. "It's why we threw the cat in."
The film stars the relatively unknown Oscar Isaac as a talented but adrift singer-songwriter trying to attract attention after the suicide of his singing partner as he bounces from couch to couch. In tow is a cat — a kind of symbol for Llewyn's tenuous decency — that he reluctantly shepherds after it escapes from a friend's apartment. Isaac's performance as the caustic, frustrated Llewyn drew immediate raves at Cannes and predictions of an Oscar nomination. CBS Films will release "Inside Llewyn Davis" this fall in the heart of awards season.
Taylor Swift wins big at Billboard awards
Taylor Swift won eight of 11 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, including top artist and top Billboard 200 album for "Red." She told the crowd: "You are the longest and best relationship I ever had." Justin Bieber was also a multiple winner, taking the top male artist, social artist and the fan-voted milestone awards, beating out Swift and Bruno Mars. Maroon 5 and fun. were also nominated for 11 awards and walked away with one win each in pre-telecast announcements. Gotye and Rihanna had the second-most wins with four awards each. Prince, who received the icon award, closed the show with a medley of his jams in a lime green ensemble. He sang, dance and rocked on the guitar with his band 3rdEyeGirl. Madonna won top touring artist, dance artist and dance album for "MDNA." "Thank you for supporting me for three decades," she said.
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