Las Vegas Weekly

June 10, 2008 · 7:53 AM

For Hopper, life is a festival

By Robin Leach

From Cannes to CineVegas, Dennis Hopper is there.

Photo: Scott Doctor/www.greatscottstudios.com

CineVegas Film Festival chairman Dennis Hopper flies into Vegas for the 10th anniversary celebrations that kick off on Thursday night with the premiere of The Rocker. He’s just returned from Europe, where he filmed an Internet movie-commercial and attended the Cannes International Film Festival. He’s about to start an original hourlong weekly new TV series for the cable-TV Starz movie channel – and he may have to commute back and forth between CineVegas and Los Angeles as the cameras crank up. The TV series comes from the Crash movie, with Bobby Moresko directing, and has three different stories running simultaneously. Dennis says that there was no pilot, and because it’s a cable movie channel the wonderful script has no restrictions on content.

Dennis took some time out from his crazed schedule to chat in this Luxe Life exclusive about this year’s festival:

Robin Leach: You just got back from Europe where you were filming something new and different?

Dennis Hopper: I was doing a thing for Todd, the leather company. Diego and Manuel Diallavalle and David Lynch made a short movie for rival Gucci and they said why don’t we have Hopper make one for us, so I went over and shot with Gwyneth Paltrow for three days and edited for three. This short movie is about a bag that she leaves during an interview and the paparazzi are there. She forgets her bag and they return it to her. This is not really a commercial; it is a movie made for the Internet.

Then I went on to Cannes. It was fun, and Sean Penn was president. I was in a film with Wim Venders that we honored in Cannes. It was in competition, but we didn’t win anything.

RL: You come home on a weekend where ‘Sex and the City’ becomes one of the most commercial movies of the year, breaking all box office records, I wonder does Hollywood have to make such commercial big winners in order for there to be a market for Independent films?

DH: It doesn’t hurt anything. Our marketplace is a strong feature. We have distribution over the world and we need the blockbusters to continue the distribution, so it is good for everybody especially after the writers’ strike.

RL: So for Independent filmmakers who come to CineVegas, it is a way to ensure notice and recognition?

DH: I think at the end of it, they will know that they are their initial films because we all go through that early phase and most of us graduate to features. I am sure that all of these young directors will do the same. The big blockbusters are healthy for us because the people that are doing these experimental films now, a lot of them will become feature directors. That market will still be there for them to use. Getting into the independent movie distribution business is a major feat when something happens. It seems that the independent films are hard to get distributed.

RL: Which is why you need film festivals?

DH: Exactly. Hopefully they will come to the top and be distributed.

RL: Looking back 10 years of CineVegas, how it has progressed, how well has it grown and how does Hollywood view us after 10 years?

DH: I really only started five years ago when they honored me, and Robin and Danny Greenspun (the Greenspun family owns this Web site) have been incredible with this festival. It is such a love of theirs and they put such energy and time into it. I have seen it grow by leaps and bounds. When I first came I felt there was hardly any Hollywood involvement. I saw these two major entertainment giants sitting next to each other that had little communication. I thought it would be great to get Hollywood involved. Last year we opened with Ocean’s 13 and raised $2.5 million and all the stars came in, besides doing that the whole cutting edge of doing films and giving prizes to filmmakers, and feeling they can come to Vegas and show their films and be as far out as they want to be and nobody is going to complain. It is a venue where they can feel free to experiment, and be rewarded for it, to find little features that have no distribution and get them distributed is another asset of CineVegas. It keeps growing. Trevor Groth and Robin Greenspun just do a terrific job and the team that Robin has put together to run CineVegas have been wonderful. The Maloofs at the Palms have been wonderful and certainly having Brenden Theaters at the Palms is a stroke of genius. It has been a wonderful family.

RL: Does Hollywood tip its hat a little more seriously to what we are doing now with CineVegas?

DH: Absolutely. I think that all the major companies are coming up and having a rep here. There is a real give and take between Hollywood and CineVegas. It is beginning to become a market.

RL: You have looked at the films this year. I find many really interesting pictures. Do you have any favorites?

DH: I noticed Bill Pullman is in there. I noticed him in a film that I saw at Cannes in a screening of Jennifer Lynch, David Lynch’s daughter. She is wonderful. It was a great movie. It was one of the strongest movies I saw there. It was called Surveillance. Bill Pullman is the star in it. We also have Rainn Wilson with Rocker on our opening night. It is going to be a good year, with Viggo Mortensen and Don Cheadle getting awards.

RL: So as a director and an actor, do you see the state of film growing?

DH: I think if we survive, hopefully there won’t be an actor’s strike, but we have a few things to look at in the next few months. The writers strike crippled a lot of little industries.

RL: When you do a movie for the Internet, you understand the forces behind new technology. The computer screen is becoming the movie theater. We did survive the writers strike…are we stronger because of it?

DH: I think the writers brought to light the problems that we have to face. They now have a pretty good diving board to work from. The problem with SAG is that there are so many members, and very few that actually make their living from acting. A lot have other jobs. It seems like everything we go for to negotiate winds up a strike.

RL: In terms of CineVegas strengths, are there any weaknesses that you would like to change?

DH: I think it is developing really well the way it is. I would like to see the market stronger, but it is year by year.

RL: Can we ever become as big as the Tribeca film festival in New York or are we different?

DH: It is a different festival, we can reach the success of Tribeca, but Cannes has become such a huge business for the European and Asian marketplace. For us to do that will be difficult, I think CineVegas is right where it should be. It is really cutting-edge, you have a great time. If you can’t have a great time at this festival, you really have some problems. It is the soul of the city. I am looking forward to another wonderful 10 days. It is my only time to go to Vegas, so I have a wonderful time. I don’t gamble, but I do I play golf. That is probably riskier than the tables but Vegas has great shopping, restaurants, and entertainment.

Photo: Scott Doctor

Nelly celebrates the release of Brass Knuckles at Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort.

NELLY’S CD RELEASE PARTY ROCKS THE HOUSE

For the first-time in three years, rap superstar Nelly performed a full concert -- right here at the Red Rock Resort. It brought out a slew of stars, including NBA star Allen Iverson, who was simultaneously celebrating his birthday.

The 48-hour sneak preview weekend of Nelly’s first new studio album in four years, Brass Knuckles, was designed for 100 lucky radio contest winners from all over America -- and the three-time Grammy Award winner and six-time Billboard Award winner kicked it all off with a bowling tournament with rapper Chingy and super-producer Jermaine Dupri competing in the alley for strikes and spares! An after-party in the Cherry suite attracted basketball’s famed LeBron James.

The next afternoon, Nelly held an intimate conversation with key members of the media and he told my ABC News Radio producer, Al Mancini: “I love Vegas first and foremost and the Red Rock is incredible, it is one of three billion-dollar hotels in Vegas and they were gracious enough to roll out the red carpet for Nelly and for you guys to have a good time.

There is only one way to party when you come to Vegas. You gotta go hard, man. It never sleeps so you don’t have a time limit. You get in and go hard.”

Photo: Scott Doctor

Nelly and Jermain Dupri thrill a packed Rocks Lounge.

R&B star Akon and Jermaine Dupri, who helped produce Nelly’s new Brass Knuckles album were also on hand. Nelly has sold over 40 million copies worldwide of his prior four albums, one of which was a unique double release Sweat and Suit, which made him the first artist in history to make simultaneous album chart entries at the No. 1 and No. 2 slots. Today, he’s become a business entrepreneur. He’s CEO of his own label, Derrity Entertainment, launched two successful clothing labels, Apple Bottoms -- the USA’s No. 2 junior apparel line -- and Vokal, in addition to the all-natural energy drink, Pimp Juice!

He performed a full concert in the exclusive and intimate Rocks Lounge, and was joined onstage by Akon, Chingy, Dupri, rapper Paul Wall and The St. Lunatics, which turned into a private party for the radio winners. Red Rock’s resident entertainers, Zowie Bowie, even snuck in to stand and listen. “It was so great,” said Ali Nehkorn, one of the lucky guests. “It was so intimate with just a hundred or so of us, and he performed right on time and his performance ran just 15 minutes short of two hours. Between songs he told us why it had taken four years to make the new album.”

Nelly hosted his stars’ after-party in Cherry Nightclub. Celebrities on the red carpet included retired boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather, Mindfreak magician Criss Angel, Luxor comedy headliner Carrot Top, Flamingo magician Nathan Burton, "Dr J." Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, MTV VJ LaLa, rapper Murphy Lee, and Larry Hughes of the Chicago Bulls.

SHATTERED ROMANCES ALMOST COLLIDE AT BIRTHDAY BASH:

It could have been one of those awful awkward and embarrassing moments.

Former beaus Nicky Hilton and Entourage star Kevin Connolly came dangerously close at actor and the Bank’s managing partner, Danny A, at his birthday party in the Bellagio nightclub. Nicky was with new steady, David Katzenberg and big sister Paris Hilton with Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden at her side. Kevin wisely stayed in Danny’s booth enjoying a “boys-only night out” with actor pal Lukas Hass (Alpha Dog, Gardener of Eden) while the Hilton sisters took center stage, dancing atop the raised banquettes.

Newly separated Sopranos actress Jamie Lynn Sigler stayed dancing until 3 a.m., consoled by her co-star Rob Iler. Also joining the fun were Seth Meyers fromSaturday Night Live, Miami Ink’s Ami James and Chris Nunez, Sports Illustrated model Tory Praver, motocross star Carey Hart and You Don’t Mess with Zohan star Ido Messori. Danny A also appears in the Zohan movie and the two celebrated its opening box office weekend in the No. 2 slot – just behind Kung Fu Panda with a whopping $40 million-plus haul. The entire group dined first at the new Brand Steakhouse in the Monte Carlo, which is owned by Bank’s Light Group.

Photo: Hew Burney

The Sex Pistols made Las Vegas the only U.S. stop on their 30-city international tour.

STRIP SCRIBBLES:

-- Punk apparently is not dead: the Sex Pistols played to a sold out crowd at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. All number of visiting rock stars and celebrities turned up to catch the band's only U.S. date before heading out on a European tour. Matt Sorum of Velvet Revolver; Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers; Billy Morrison and Billy Duffy of The Cult, tattooed motocross ace Carey Hart; and lovemates Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson were all partying in the VIP section of the balcony. Carey, owner of the soon-to-open Wasted Spaces rock lounge there, played after-hours tour guide host and invited everybody over to a small portion of the just completed lounge for a first look and after-party. Legendary Pistols frontman Johnny Rotton (real name: John Lydon) led his band in along with Guns & Roses/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum, newly-single Sopranos actress Jamie Lynn Sigler, showman extraordinaire Jeff Beacher and Cory McCormack, a partner in Wasted Spaces. While at the Hard Rock, Sorum, Pamela Morrison, Jameson and Ortiz dined a deux at separate tables in Robert DeNiro’s Italian restaurant, Ago. Meantime, downstairs at the Body English Smashtime party, Sopranos actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler kept on dancing to drown the blues of her recently shattered romance. It was a girls’ night out for Jamie and four female friends, but she did pose on the club’s red carpet with film pal Ben Lyons of E!s Daily 10 show. Hip-hop artist Flo-Rida gave an impromptu performance and sprayed the crowd with champagne -– missing Jamie, who was up on the balcony level and in the clear.

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