Red Carpet Reveries

The Cannes Film Festival is just the latest in a long line of dress-up nights for the stars. Some of them talked to AP Entertainment about how they get ready to face the firing squad of media professionals armed with cameras and pens.

For seasoned model and actress Andie MacDowell, the novelty of the Cannes fashion frenzy has not worn off.

2"You know, it is always fun. I don't walk around wearing glamorous dresses and having people do my hair and make-up and getting all this attention, you know? It is a little bit comical, I think, and fun, and I love being able to take a picture of the paparazzi to take it home and look at it: my moment."

For others, it's a whole new experience. Singer Norah Jones makes her acting debut alongside Jude Law in "My Blueberry Nights," and Cannes marked her red carpet debut.

3"I have never walked red carpet before - the Grammys, nothing. I have never done it because I have always been afraid I would trip! But I knew I would have to do it here, and I ended up wearing a vintage Moschino dress, and I chose it because it is the color of blueberries. I know that is dorky, but I just thought it was really sweet...My criteria was something that I could wear all night and be pretty comfortable in, and it was actually very comfortable."

Super model Claudia Schiffer, on the other hand, is a true pro at the fashion game, and she's swamped with offers of the latest designer outfits.

"Yes, I am very lucky. Because I am a model and I have worked in the fashion industry for a really long time, I know all of the designers and it is really easy for me just to call them up and say, 'can you please send over what you have got?' And the thing is, they know my sizes, they know exactly what looks good on me, what doesn't, and what I like. So, that is fairly easy, and then I just have to get the accessories together, whether it is handbags or jewelry or things like this. But basically, everyone sends everything to you, and all you need to do is just try it on and figure out what you like."

Schiffer went on to explain the appeal of a red carpet outfit: "Red carpet is obviously the one moment when you can go overboard with a fairytale dress, where you have a train, for example. It is the only time. So if you know you have only got one red carpet, well great, you just need one of those dresses, and then if there are other events...If there's a party, for example, then you would wear a cocktail, and if it is a really late party, it would be more casual and not too elegant. So it just depends, and I generally know pretty much what I am doing, but I am always having back-ups with me just in case suddenly there's a party that you did not know about that you ought to go to. So, it's a matter of organization really."

Jessica Simpson told AP Entertainment she has "a glam squad" consisting of her mom and her best friend, who does her hair.

Pamela Anderson lines up help, too: "We all try and look good, no matter if you're going out and being photographed, or you're going out with your boyfriend. I think it's the same thing. We're just lucky that we have hair and make-up artists because, believe me, I cannot do my own make-up…"

Anderson added her thoughts on the down side of dressing up: "You just do the best you can, because you are going to get ripped apart...I could come here straight out of the shower and they are going to find something wrong with [me]. That is part of it too, you know? "

Kelly Brook saw another drawback, for those who are eligible to borrow those beautiful gowns. "It is horrible, because you have to give them back at the end of the evening when you borrow them," she said.