SECRETS FROM THE STARS IN OUR CINEVEGAS WRAPUP
For ten days stars have mingled with movie-fans at the 10th annual CineVegas Film Festival and this year the turnout for the premieres, the parties, the screenings and interview sessions were the biggest and most enthusiastic of the decade! It all culminated at the weekend with the awards presentations at the 6th floor pool-deck of the Planet Hollywood Resort.
“We had a record number of attendees this year,” said artistic director Trevor Groth.
“From our groundbreaking films to our extravagant parties this has by far been our most well-attended Festival to date. Our festival was highlighted by the world and US premieres of more than a dozen highly anticipated films, special screenings and the awards to entertainment icons Anjelica Huston, Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson, Viggo Mortensen and James Caan.
What better way to celebrate a decade of recognizing talent than to honor these stars whose brazen careers mirror the innovative and uninhibited films our Festival shows.”
Festival chairman Dennis Hopper agreed, “Without a doubt this has been the best todate. Hollywood is taking a bigger interest in this Vegas festival every year and now we look forward to going into our second decade with even greater strengths. We had a really interesting mix of stars and movies from blockbusters to quirky independents.”
Legendary veteran Robert Duvall presented the Vegas Icon Award and introduced his friend Caan, “I have always loved working with him as it has always been a terrific experience. I put him ahead of Brando.” The new award will be presented annually to an actor who embodies the spirit of Vegas and who has delivered memorable performances in films and shows set in the city!
Said Caan who mugged for the cameras with tissues to blot off the sweat from the 100-plus degree late night temperature, “Vegas has been great for me, I’ve done so many good movies and TV shows from here. My friends Robert Earl, the Greenspuns, the Maloofs are here.
For nine years I was a professional rodeo rider here and Steve Wynn once surprised me by dressing up as Roy Rogers and introducing me as the best Jewish cowboy on earth! Now I’m coming to town to give them competition. I’m working with Don Sofer at the new Fontainebleau and will have a piece of it so I’m going to try my best to grab some of their action. They are hereby forewarned!”
Caan who has been making movies for 45 years also revealed that he is working with Duvall for the two screen legends to do a movie together.
Don Cheadle who won a half-life award revealed he will be starring in and directing a new movie about legendary jazz great Miles Davis. Anjelica Huston was given the Marquee Award and other half-life awards were presented to Viggo Mortensen, Sam Rockwell and the gracious Rosario Dawson who has been in the movie business 13 years since her debut in Kids. Anjelica joked that she had been mother, lover, and girlfriend to all of them! Viggo actually hand-carried from Hollywood, and delivered the print of his Alatriste movie the Festival screened in connection with his award.
The festival had kicked off with the premiere of The Rocker with Rainn Wilson and ended with the debut of The Great Buck Howard with Colin Hanks playing an assistant to a magician in a career slump.
In fact magic infiltrated the CineVegas festival, and my favorite movie was Women in Boxes, all about the unsung heroines who assist the magic stars. Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) and Teller (Penn & Teller) attended the screening along with three of Lance Burton’s “babes” and a host of other magician’s legendary ladies.
Directors Harry Pallenberg and Phil Noyes told me, “These amazing women had never really been given a voice. They were the unsung heroes of the magic world. Off and on it took us three years and we don’t even know what it wound up costing. Everything is out of our own pocket, we had no additional funding. We begged, borrowed, stole and took favors wherever we could. It is showing women in a powerful role, it has a lot of control. They are not getting the credit they deserve, but they are doing a lion’s share of the work. You need an assistant to do an illusion. Any good illusionist cannot work with out a really good assistant. They are all sworn to secrecy. The worst thing about making this movie was learning about how these tricks were done. I am ruined. I can’t go to a magic show the same way I did before, but I will die before I give away any secrets. These women have been bent, twisted, cut, lit on fire, hung, it is phenomenal what magicians have done to these women and they keep coming back for more. We as a society love that kind of thing. In some regards the business is doing ok thanks to Penn and Teller, Criss Angel, but not like it was 30-40 years ago but Vegas has and always will be the world headquarters of magic. Houdini would have been an incredible star here in Vegas if it had been around in his time. He would have loved it here.”
The other Festival highlight that won everybody’s vote was the world premiere of the Hank Greenspun documentary Where I Stand, the incredible story of a controversial crusading editor and publisher of the Las Vegas Sun he founded in 1950.
As colleague Joe Brown wrote, “Moments after the opening credits roll it turns into an adventure yarn that could give Indiana Jones a run for his money.” Brian Greenspun who is now editor said, “When he wrote his book I remember some said it was a real life James Bond. That was his life-one episode, one surprise, one adventure after another. He bent the law to follow the straight law of justice.” Greenspun was responsible for much of modern-day Vegas in ending segregation on the Strip and cleaning up a mobbed-up city.” The documentary won raves from stars, critics and film fans.
The CineVegas final night coincided with the 5th anniversary festivities of our Vegas Magazine with June cover model and Australian singing sensation Delta Goodrem hosting the four hours of fun around the fountains and pools of The Palazzo terrace.
Among the guests were My Boys actor Kyle Howard, actress Rosario Dawson, Dancing With the Stars beauty Karina Smirnoff, Sex and the City actor Willie Garson, Brothers and Sisters star Dave Annable, Flamingo magician Nathan Burrton, DJ producer Clinton Sparks from E! Network TV, NBA player Lou Amundson and the always beautiful Miss Nevada Veronica Grabowski.