Las Vegas Weekly

June 12, 2009 · 9:17 AM

2009 CineVegas Notebook: A sincere thank you from and to Romany Malco

By Robin Leach

Robin Leach and Romany Malco, star of Saint John of Las Vegas.

Photo: Denise Truscello

Actor Romany Malco gave me a surprising hug and a kiss on the cheek while doing his red carpet duties for his new film Saint John of Las Vegas at the 11th Annual CineVegas Film Festival. Surprising because we’d never met before! But this was no Hollywood fakery.

Romany told me that when he was growing up as a poor youngster, he used my old TV series Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous as his inspiration to get to Hollywood. Once there, he said he purchased my old videotape compilation collection so he could watch it whenever necessary to keep driving himself.

“Look at where you got me,” he laughed, pointing me out to whoever would listen that I was the jumpstart to his career. He couldn’t have been nicer, or prouder.

Thank you, Romany, sincerely, and congratulations on all those successes, including Showtime’s Weeds opposite Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins.

A festival chairman’s work is …

Festival Chairman and actor Dennis Hopper appeared on a local Fox show to promote CineVegas. At the Fox studio, he met Tropicana magician Dirk Arthur and almost fell for his baby leopard named Jan with black-on-black spots and blue eyes!

Dennis had a free morning from his film festival duties, so he enjoyed an 80-minute massage at Drift Spa inside Palms Place Hotel & Spa, followed by some sunbathing at the pool before starting his second day of duties.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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