Cannes chaos: Shots fired during Christoph Waltz interview

By Chelsea J. Carter and Pierre Meilhan, CNNMay 18, 2013 -- Updated 1318 GMT (2118 HKT)/*var clickExpire="-1";var playerOverRide={headline:"Gunfire erupts on live TV show",images:[{image:{height:"360",width:"640",text:"http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130518090934-vostills-france-cannes-suspect-00001227-story-top.jpg"}}]};*/window.jQuery(document).ready(function() {window.CNNVIDEOS = window.CNNVIDEOS || {};CNNVIDEOS[ 'T1' ] = CNNVIDEO( 'cnnCVP1', {video: 'world/2013/05/18/vostills-france-cannes-suspect.getty-images',thumb: 'http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130518090934-vostills-france-cannes-suspect-00001227-story-top.jpg',preset: 'storypage',diagnostics: {section: 'articlepage',placement: 'page-top'},network: 'cnn',adsection: cnnCVPAdSectionT1 || '',headline: 'Gunfire erupts on live TV show',videoSource: 'Getty Images',videoSourceUrl: 'http://www.gettyimages.com/?esource=google+US_Brand_Getty_Images_Exact_EN_SL&kw=US+getty+images+Exact&lid=ssinQZ0ST&pcrid=19444078362&property=GI&kwd=getty+images&mt=e',url: ''});// pause other videos playing on pagewindow.jQuery( '#cnnCVP1' ).on( 'onContentBegin', function( e, obj ) {for ( var instance in window.CNNVIDEOS ) {if ( instance !== 'T1' && window.CNNVIDEOS.hasOwnProperty( instance ) ) {try { window.CNNVIDEOS[ instance ].pause(); } catch(e){}}}});});/*var cnnWindowParams=window.location.toString().toQueryParams();if(typeof cnnWindowParams.video!="undefined"){if(cnnWindowParams.video){cnnLoadStoryPlayer('world/2013/05/18/vostills-france-cannes-suspect.getty-images','cnnCVP1', '640x384_start_art' ,playerOverRide,T1);}} else {$('cnnCVP2').onclick=function(){if ($$('.box-opened').length){$$('.box-opened').each(function(val){Element.fireEvent(val,'click');});}cnnLoadStoryPlayer('world/2013/05/18/vostills-france-cannes-suspect.getty-images','cnnCVP1','640x384_start_art',playerOverRide,T1);};$('cnnCVP2').onmouseover=function(){$('cnnCVP2').className='cnn_mtt1plybttn cnn_mtt1plybttnon';};$('cnnCVP2').onmouseout=function(){$('cnnCVP2').className='cnn_mtt1plybttn';};}*/A man fired two rounds from a starter pistol on a Canal+ set in Cannes, police sayChristoph Waltz and Daniel Auteuil were doing a live interview at the timeCanal+ anchor tells viewers: "The shots fired were blanks and the grenade was fake"

(CNN) -- A man was arrested Friday at the Cannes Film Festival after firing a gun loaded with blanks during a live television interview, sending an Oscar-winning actor running for cover.

Canal+ was interviewing Christoph Waltz, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actor in "Django Unchained," and actor Daniel Auteuil when a man fired two shots from a starter pistol, according to authorities and the French television station.

The man allegedly had a dummy grenade in one hand, and footage and photographs of the incident show Waltz and Auteuil being taken offstage and attendees scrambling for cover.

The incident, which occurred on the Canal+ set along the popular Promenade de la Croisette -- the main boulevard in Cannes -- briefly interrupted the show.

Canal+ anchor Michel Denisot came back on the air a short time later and told viewers: "The shots fired were blanks and the grenade was fake. That's what we know."

No injuries were reported; French authorities have not identified the man.

Pictures of the arrest obtained by The Hollywood Reporter show police wrestling the man to the ground.

The man said to a woman next to him, 'If I were you, I wouldn't stick around here'," Denisot later told France 24.

It was far from the typical scripted fare of the Cannes Film Festival, where chaos plays out on screen and not among the audience.

The annual festival brings together the rich and famous from around the world for movie screenings and glittering parties.

The incident followed news the same day that more than $1 million in jewels belonging to the Swiss firm Chopard were stolen from a hotel room in Cannes.

The theft of the jewels occurred Thursday night, on the second day of the festival, which opened Wednesday and runs through May 26.

Commandant Bernard Mascarelli, of the Nice police, said the jewelry was stolen from a safe in the Suite Novotel hotel on Boulevard Carnot in Cannes.

A Chopard employee was staying in the room but left it to go to dinner from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. local time, he said. She returned to discover the safe containing the jewels was missing.

The whole safe had been unscrewed from the inside of the hotel room and carried out, Mascarelli said.

No detailed description has yet been given of the stolen jewels.

Chopard, which is an official sponsor of the festival, has provided the Palme d'Or trophy awarded to the director of the best feature film for the past 15 years. The trophy features a 24-carat gold palm attached to a piece of cut crystal.

The firm is promoting its Red Carpet Collection 2013 at this year's festival, with a number of actresses sporting its gems.

CNN's Saskya Vandoorne and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/17/showbiz/france-cannes-chaos/index.html","title" : "Cannes Chaos: Man fires blanks, sends actors, onlookers running for cover"});

Handbags reviews and advice for best reference here

The U.S. Debt Default Chaos Makes Banks Look Vulnerable (The Motley Fool)

Just when the sluggish economy had started to show some encouraging signs, the news of the U.S. hitting the debt ceiling of $14.29 trillion reared its head. There have been several debates on whether to raise the ceiling. But now the only way out seems to be a hike in the debt limit, or else what would follow would be "catastrophic economic consequences," as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned.

The debt crisis has almost gobbled up economies such as Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. At the moment, it's staring us right in the face. And in case you think this debt demon would shy away from pouncing on the world's biggest economy -- you are being a bit too complacent. The U.S. budget deficit last year stood at 8.9% of gross domestic product. Standard & Poor's has already lowered its outlook for the U.S.' long-term credit rating to negative from stable, and the looming debt default poses a serious threat to its coveted AAA credit rating. While this is a huge concern, there are other problems gnawing at the edges.

The colossal debt burden is already projecting a negative image for the U.S., and this is prompting major foreign securities holders to trim their treasury holdings. China, the biggest foreign owner of U.S. debt, reduced its holdings by $9 billion in March, as compared to the previous month. This was a fifth consecutive monthly reduction.

Banks on the brink
Needless to say, almost all the industries would take a hit. One wrong move, and it could spell disaster. But at this point in time, the banking industry looks more vulnerable than others. The beleaguered American banks had somehow managed to keep themselves from collapsing during the ugly financial crisis. And now, when they are rebounding from the crisis, the possibility of the country defaulting on its debt raises an unavoidable question -- would the magnitude of the effects be a repeat of Lehman Brothers? Or something even worse?

U.S banks have been coming back strong after going through one of the worst phases in history. They are now focusing on declining provisions for loan losses. In fact, this has been a wide-ranging trend across the industry and has enabled both big banks such as Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News) and Citigroup (NYSE: C - News) and regional banks such as BankAtlantic Bancorp (NYSE: BBX - News) and Hudson City Bancorp (Nasdaq: HCBK - News) to witness a significant improvement in their credit quality. Interest rates are at an all-time low at the moment and banks are reluctant to lend now.

If the U.S. defaults on its debts, interest rates will soar drastically and will hamper all commercial activities. Costs of credit ranging from business and consumer loans to home mortgages, auto financing, and credit cards would go through the roof. More importantly, a default would inevitably call for measures like cutting down on federal spending. Banks that buy bonds directly from the Federal Reserve, either to hold or resell to consumers, would take a severe hit, and this will subsequently cripple the whole economy.

The Foolish bottom line
But even if the U.S. manages to escape a default, which is more than likely to happen, the key question remains unanswered. How many times is the U.S. going to raise its ceiling? The massive public debt going out of control definitely remains a huge concern. In fact, as pointed out by JPMorgan, any delay in hiking the debt ceiling may have an adverse effect on the markets. Watch out, Fools.

Fool contributor Zeeshan Siddique does not own any of the stocks mentioned in the article.The Fool owns shares of Bank of America and also holds a short position in the stock in a different portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Browse your computer here