Writer Jordi Lippe-McGraw goes behind the velvet rope at the Carlton Cannes during its biggest event of the year. Getty The first annual Cannes film festival in 1946 Getty On Monday, a day before the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival was set to begin, the storm clouds finally cleared and sun hit La Croisette, the palm-studded waterfront of this southern French town. Along this boardwalk, which can, at certain times of the year feel more like a runway, a string of grande dame hotels stand at attention. I, along with the biggest names of the silver screen, had flown in for the festival, which runs for two weeks each May, and had my own type of front-row seat. Not to the screenings but to the behind-the-scenes action unfold at the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel , a Croisette standout for its sophistication, and now, a hub of activity as the town readies itself for its biggest event of the year.…