10th CineVegas and Vegas Convention give 1st Vegas Icon Award

The 10th annual CineVegas Film Festival and The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority are joining forces to present the first ever Las Vegas Icon Award
to James Caan. Caan has been featured in over fifty films throughout his career.
He received an Academy Award nomination for his work as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. He portrayed Big Ed Deline, the head of security for NBC's tv show "Las Vegas" for four years. in 1992, he stared in the film "Honeymoon in Vegas" with Sarah Jessica Parker and Nick Cage. Mr. Caan has a cameo role in the film Get Smart, which had it's premiere at CineVegas last week. He's an investor in the Las Vegas high-rise project Fontainebleau. Caan is currently working on a film with Robert Duvall called La Linea. The CineVegas film festival has most of it's events in The Palms Hotel at The Brenden Theatres but also branches out to a few other hotels for it's various events. Planet Hollywood will host the Vegas Icon Award ceremony Friday, June 20th, 2008 from 8PM until 11 PM.

I'll be updating this blog post after I've attended this event with my friend Maria Shahan, whom I've worked with in local film making (The Casino Job).
Other award winners of 2008's CineVegas film festival include: Viggo Mortensen, Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson and Anjelica Houston. I wish I was able to catch the showing of "All Together Now," the documentary of the creation of LOVE, Cirque du Soleil's show with The Beatles (at The Mirage). The CineVegas film festival features locally created films, documentaries, soon to be cult classics, independent films and premieres of films. I've noticed it's really grown in popularity to the point that most shows sell out and the lounge and club after events sell out as well. Tickets to the award ceremonies themselves are sold to the public and they sell out. People can apply to work and/or volunteer in assisting the festival by applying online. Usually the deadline is early spring. It's never too early to plan for next year.
www.cinevegas.com
www.lvcva.com

Respectfully,
Xtine on the sin city scene

Update: It's midnight on a Friday night in sin city. Usually this is the time to arrive for a happening event in clubland. Tonight I was dazzled by the dj and live percussion of DJ A+ before and after the awards ceremony of CineVegas.
I was so happy attending this event in Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood has been completely transformed in appearance during the last several years. It's amazing because it was imploded as The Aladdin and rebuilt with similar decor to be sold to The Planet Hollywood corp. They didn't re-implode. For a while it was like oh, just the felt on the gaming tables and the gaming chips had 'Planet Hollywood' but the place looked basically the same. After you live here a while you forget that if even a few months go by a whole new skyline can be built from the completion of a new resort or what happened with Planet Hollywood. The place is completely different looking. Chrome, crystals, marble, modern patterns, loads of new vendors, modern furniture and lighting has really made the place sweet! We were taken care of at valet and the CineVegas ushers cheerfully told us to take the elevator up to the sixth floor to the CineVegas awards ceremony. What a great time! I got a chance to catch up with my friends Dave Hawks and Mac Hale, local film makers. I got to eat, mingle and blah blah with my neighbors Judy and Steve Thorburn. Judy's 'The Queen of Las Vegas media' to me, and from the amount of traffic on her web sites
www.theflickchicks.com and www.LasVegasRoundTheClock.com in addition to her newspaper gigs and media coverage of all kinds of events including CineVegas and Show West it's a fact! Judy has "THE JUICE." There was an incredible amount of food offered at this event: mashed potatoes served in martini glasses, cheese and broccoli soup, fresh baked paninni bread sandwiches, pizza, hors d'oeuvres like fresh mozzarella and peppers, oyster cracker shells with chicken salad, crab and cream cheese petit fours, tuna bites, and a desert table that served film industry inspired snacks such as
popcorn and cotton candy along with other deserts. Grey Goose Vodka was the hard liquor sponsor for the event. Stella Artois provided the beer. Bottles of Fiji water were greatly appreciated by most since it was still over 100 degrees during the entire event.

My friend Maria Shahan took loads of fantastic photos and video. She's burning them onto a disc and is mailing it to me since the files will be too large to email them. Sure we could do a "you send it" session but I want these photo memories to last on a disc. She got great pics of all the awardees and James Caan took his picture with her! It's a great shot. Not only did she get great pics of all the awardees we were able to get some great shots of us with our friends.
I learned that Viggo Mortensen's a publisher of poetry not only his but other peoples. I learned that he paints and loves photography as well. And he speaks five languages. I learned that Steve Wynn called James Caan 'The Best Jewish Cowboy he knew of.' That Robert Duvall and James Caan have been friends for almost 39 years. Robert Duvall considers 'Jimmy' (James Caan) to be an "All State Everything":horseman, horn player, breeder of Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, Actor and that he's considerably more comically gifted than Marlon Brando.
I must say the Rosario Dawson is simply gorgeous! She's a great actor who started in her teens and humbly accepted her 'Half-life Achievement Award.' I learned that she is now working behind-the-scenes in production of films. I loved her in Grindhouses "Death Proof." I own a copy of both the films of Grindhouse. I missed the fact that she was one of the producers of the film.
Don Cheadle was honored with a 'Half-Life-Achievement-Award.' He mentioned he really appreciated film festivals like CineVegas because of the energy associated with the atmosphere of festivals helps create a better community for the enjoyment of everyone. He's amazing looking in-person!
Speaking of amazing looking Anjelica Houston looks like a babe-in-the-woods. Dressed fashionably with flawless skin she graciously accepted the CineVegas Vanguard award with an empathetic statement:"If you think the half-life award feels good you should be me tonight!" CineVegas Awards are cool. I highly recommend attending them.
I'll update this post with photos as I get them arranged and photoshoped and will add to this a review of a film or two from the festival.

Respectfully,
Xtine on the sin city scene