Brad Pitt for Just £100 Per Minute

Brad Pitt for Just £100 Per Minute
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Don't get your hopes up - that's the price Canadian distributors Alliance Films are charging journalists for an interview at Cannes with Brad. 20 minutes at CAD3190, or nearly £2000.

As Killing Them Softly premieres at Cannes today, journalists are tweeting their outrage at being asked to help Alliance foot the bill for stars' expenses; the story broke in Canada as journalists received the price-list and gathered pace with the arrival of Pitt and the film's publicity team. Other celebrities, including On the Road star Kristen Stewart, also come with a price tag - around £500 for a round-table interview.

Alliance's communications VP Annie Tremblay defended the company's decision, explaining that the fee was simply a means for the expenses to be shared and did not, as such, represent a fee for access. With stars travelling by private jet, and their agents, make-up artists and hairdressers in tow, someone's got to pay.

Back in the day, as the Montreal Gazette points out, it was journalists who kept the studios on their feet. With film companies feeling the pinch of global economic recession, it'll be interesting to see what other tricks they've got up their sleeves to protect profits.

Read the full story at Macleans.ca