CANNES, France, May 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MSN is giving film enthusiasts a VIP insider's view of the Cannes Film Festival this year by taking viewers beyond the red carpet with access to the festival's hottest happenings, including extensive coverage of the events surrounding the soon-to-be summer blockbuster films "The Da Vinci Code" and "X-Men 3," at http://msnvideo.com/cannes.

Taylor Johnson, the MSN Dish Diva, won the distinction of serving as the sole moderator for the "X-Men 3" junket. Because MSN is the only online media portal to have access to all the Cannes press events and premieres, Johnson will publish a daily diary highlighting the most memorable moments from Cannes and featuring a new interview each day with one of the most sought-after stars in attendance.

"MSN(R) Video is a ticket to the hottest events at Cannes and provides global access to the biggest stars," said Rob Bennett, general manager of entertainment and video services for MSN. "MSN Video is dedicated to delivering compelling, always-accessible content and a variety of exclusive video footage from entertainment's hottest events, parties, concerts, films and television series."

A tradition in Cannes since 1946, the renowned film festival took root there when the exclusive Riviera resort town opened its doors at the former Casino de Cannes. At first the festival was more of a social event, but it has evolved into a media extravaganza, with more than 4,000 journalists representing 1,600 media companies in attendance. This year's festival, which runs from May 17 through 28, will kick off with the premiere of "The Da Vinci Code." Organizers at the festival attempt to strike a balance between crowd- pleasers and critically acclaimed films, and between Hollywood blockbusters and art house flicks.

In addition to this latest endeavor with the Cannes Film Festival, MSN continues to further its promise of giving fans new ways to experience music, fashion, reality TV and other types of entertainment. Recently announced MSN Originals, a content initiative created exclusively for MSN, will showcase free, regularly refreshed, ad-supported programming that users can interact with and access any time of day.

Beginning today, May 17, MSN users can go to http://msnvideo.com/cannes to view the Cannes Film Festival-related content.

About MSN Video

MSN Video is one of the largest video-only streaming services on the Web, offering 41 channels of content that are updated throughout the day and are watched by more than 11 million unique users per month. In addition to streaming news, entertainment and sports video clips from more than 45 content partners, MSN Video presents a broad array of live events to online audiences worldwide. More than 50 top advertisers support MSN Video, which is available to consumers at no charge. MSN Video is available on the Web at http://msnvideo.com/ to consumers in the U.S. MSN Video is also live in Australia, Canada and Japan, and in Spanish in the U.S.; the service also is in beta testing in the U.K.

MSN attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

NOTE: Microsoft and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: Microsoft Corp.