The Americans are out in force at the Cannes Films Festival as the paparazzi went out of their minds for Paris Hilton, with literally thousands of them fighting for position at the Carlton Pier. The French seemed to give her Jerry Lewis-level status, although she was only promoting “National Lampoon’s Pledge This!,” which might have been little more than a direct-to-video title without her.

At the other end of the filmmaking spectrum came George Lucas. This year at Cannes there have been lots of yacht parties, but only Lucas commanded the Queen Mary 2 for his soiree, perhaps the biggest ship in Cannes harbor since a terrorist scare at the fest a dozen years ago brought the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier into port.

Lucas could barely afford a dinghy when the original deal for “Star Wars” was sketched out in Cannes 34 years ago. "It's very fitting that the final episode should be here. Cannes is a very special place for me," Lucas said upon presentation of the Cannes Trophy for artistic excellence from festival organizers. Afterwards came the premiere of “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith,” the sixth, and apparently final, episode of the beloved and technically pioneering “Star Wars” series (though it is third in chronological sequence). Cannes is a key place to launch a worldwide film, even if it is out-of-competition for the Palme d’Or and Fox brought out all the stars like Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel Jackson. Lucas, a USC Film School alumni and now 61 years old will now take his stars to London’s Leicester Square, where there will be a whole day of Star Wars celebrations –- beginning with a dawn parade of the 501st UK Garrison of Storm Troopers. They will open the doors to the world’s first showing of the entire six-film Star Wars saga.

Another coup for the festival, accused last year of being too eclectic (even though Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911” won the Palme d’Or) is from another legendary U.S. director Woody Allen, who bows “Match Point” at the fest – and has even left his beloved Manhattan to do so.

U.S studio billboards and posters lined every inch of the Croisette, and American actors drew the biggest crowds. And all this in a year when domestic companies have been cautious about spending in Cannes, partially due to a box-office slump at home. It looked like the Sunset Strip or Times Square, but the U.S. understands marketing and our billboard budgets -- much less our TV ad spending -- outranks production budgets from most every country.

Other highlights thus far include Robert Downey Jr. singing in a rock band with computer billionaire Paul Allen at a party on the latter’s yacht where Hollywood bad boy Downey promoted Shane Black-penned “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” with co-star Val Kilmer. Ed Norton and co-star Evan Rachel Wood feted “Down in the Valley” with a (Southern California) Valley dance club atmosphere. The local clubs can get a bit heavy with French disco, which by consensus opinion, sucks big time.

Other stars popular in the U.S. which have been seen or are expected on the Croisette include are Bruce Willis, Kilmer, Viggo Mortensen, Kevin Bacon, William Hurt, Tim Roth, Benicio del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray and Sam Shepard. Scarlett Johansson proved a big hit with international paparazzi and Sharon Stone and Jessica Lange still know how to make a red carpet glow. Danny Glover and Dennis Hopper were seen having lunch together. Cannes vet Harvey Weinstein is clearly enjoying his role as the most-watched U.S distributor on the Croisette, even though he has sold Miramax to Disney. He bowed 20 minutes of Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm.” He is also reportedly getting into the cutthroat concert promotion business with the Rolling Stones in New York.

In addition, one of the best parties so far was not for a U.S. film, but for a Mexican one, though you wouldn’t know that from the venue at an elegant French villa and DJs flown in from London. The movie “Battle in Heaven,” from director Carlos Reygadas has been very controversial and gotten mixed reviews, mainly for inclusion of hardcore sex scene, but they know how to throw a fiesta.

Finally, Cannes has been raining chat et chien for the last two days, putting a damper on the outdoor and yacht events. And a frown on the face to those who didn’t bring the right footwear as the upscale French shops are strictly seasonal as to what they sell and only sandals and evening shoes are in the windows.