AL PACINO LEADS ALL-STAR PARADE FOR 88 MINUTES MOVIE PREMIERE
Bet your money on Al Pacino’s new 88 Minutes movie to be No. 1 at the box office this weekend. Everybody at last night’s world premiere here at the Planet Hollywood Resort was in hushed suspense, right down to the disturbing ‘never to be guessed’ surprised shock ending!
I hope nobody—especially reviewers and critics—ever gives it away until you’ve seen the chilling, thrilling film. It will keep you on the edge of your seat with clenched knuckles!
Pacino, on a very rare visit to Vegas, brought the entire cast with him including on screen lovers Alicia Witt and Leelee Sobieski plus Amy Brenneman, William Forsythe, Benjamin McKenzie from The O.C., Deborah Kara Unger, Leah Cairns and Neal McDonough. They all walked the long red carpet that snaked through the entire casino with fans lined up five deep. Even British boxer Joe Calzaghe who fights Bernard Hopkins this weekend in a light heavyweight contest was at the entrance of the mezzanine theater with Planet Hollywood Resort owner, Robert Earl to meet his favorite actor, Pacino.
Joe and Al posed for our fake-punch photos and the fighter promised Al if he came to the fight with pals Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone he would win it for him. Unfortunately Al, after dinner and only drinking Diet Pepsi at the swank celebrity studded Asian Koi restaurant there, had to fly onto Los Angeles for more movie screenings there. But the normally shy and reticent Pacino confirmed in a rare chat that he’s a fan of both Vegas and boxing.
“I like Vegas even though I don’t get here that often and you’ll even find me gambling. I wish I could stay for the fight but it’s impossible when you’re launching a new movie in this competitive day and age. I’m very positive about this picture. It was a very demanding and emotionally taut film to make—it has all the tough stuff for your brain and your stomach. It turned out really great and all the gripping suspense is all there,” he said. The very first time Pacino ever granted an interview was to longtime New York Post columnist Earl Wilson- and they were both so nervous about talking Earl asked me to handle it for him.
Pacino stood facing away from me into a corner of a room of a downtown Manhattan theater for our 15 minutes. It was the strangest interview I’d ever had in my 50-year career and I swear he was “still tight as a drum” even when it was over. So it was nice to see him last night a lot more relaxed about posing for photos and talking with us on the red carpet press line. No, I didn’t remind him of our first meeting because back then we never looked each other face to face or shook hands. I simply walked into the room where he was standing with his back to me and he remained that way until I left the room!
Pacino plays the role of Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover, and a serial killer who is already on death row, before his time runs out. The one-hour, 48-minute Sony Pictures movie, which was filmed in Vancouver, Canada will be released tomorrow (FRI) and Vegas won the first-world premiere showing. Critics are already applauding its unique story and taut drama as did all the guests—film execs and stars— still partying at the Privé nightclub in Planet Hollywood Resort early this morning (THURS). The flick has “disturbing violent content, brief nudity and adult language.”
Although legendary Pacino grabbed all the spotlight attention photographers, paparazzi, press, radio and TV crews alike—stacked three-deep along the red carpet—focused on the newcomers especially Alicia Witt, Trilby Glover, Amy Brenneman and striking sexy blonde LeeLee Sobieski who is on the cover of our sister publication—this month’s VEGAS magazine.
Leelee admitted to Pacino panic prior to filming: “I was a little intimidated at first but once we started to work it was professional and the panic went out the window. He is so larger than life in everyone’s mind. It’s nice when an iconic figure becomes so human and he was übercool.”
You can read the entire Leelee interview at vegasmagazine.com and meet her in person tonight with our publisher, Michael Carr when they host a party at Tao Beach in The Venetian. In the magazine interview Leelee says she knows exactly how to deal with photographers now chasing after her wherever she goes: “There are five spots in LA where the paparazzi will always be. I go but I will call before I get there and ask if I can come in the back way. If you can’t avoid them I just make sure to behave responsibly and then they’re not interested. It’s kind of like waking up in the morning and deciding whether to dress like a nun or really slutty.”
She told me about her on-screen lip-lock with co-star Alicia as I stood between them: “That was a first. I was a little nervous and uncomfortable getting into a mindset for that. But once we got it going it was fine and Alicia treats everything with a laugh anyway.”
88 Minutes opens nationwide tomorrow (FRI) and it will be the movie people never stop talking about. Just don’t reveal the ending though to anybody who hasn’t seen it yet! Planet Hollywood Resort owner Robert Earl summed up: “Another blockbuster! Our last world premiere a month ago hit the jackpot for 21 with Kevin Spacey and we’ve got the lucky numbers. Planet Hollywood Resort is firing on all eight cylinders with our world movie premieres—more to come—our Miss USA beauty pageant with Donald Trump and this weekend’s upcoming fight. We’ve finally arrived in Vegas as the brand to now take notice of and we’ve only just begun the excitement.”