The Nutty Professor News

Jerry Lewis, so beloved in France, isn't quite overcome with emotion now that he's back at the Cannes Film Festival.

The festival, he says, is "for snobs," and when he meets a reporter from his native land, he exhales, "It's so nice to hear an American." To him, Cannes isn't an epicenter of rabid Lewis fandom, it's simply "business," he says, chomping on gum.

Jerry Lewis, so beloved in France, isn't quite overcome with emotion now that he's back at the Cannes Film Festival.

Actor Jerry Lewis speaks during 'The Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis' panel on July 28, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California.

Veteran comedian-actor Jerry Lewis plays a dramatic role in his first movie in 18 years, "Max Rose", which is premiering at the Cannes film festival, but showed on Thursday he had lost none of his talent for playing the clown.

Janet Jackson and Wissam Al Mana are seen in a portrait taken by photographer Marco Glaviano in this 2012 publicity photo provided by Guttman Associates.

Yes, it's entirely appropriate for the first Jerry Lewis star vehicle in decades to make its premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival; after all, the French have famously been among the most ardent supporters of the funnyman's films over the last half century.