Las Vegas Weekly

June 15, 2009 · 1:09 PM

Photo Gallery: Jon Voight and Willem Dafoe receive CineVegas Awards on Day 5

By Robin Leach

Jon Voight accepts the Marquee Award at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival Filmmaker and Honoree Awards at the Palms.

Photo: Denise Truscello

Comedy superstar Robin Williams is getting better slowly in his recovery from recent open heart surgery that sidelined him from appearing at last night’s CineVegas screening of World’s Greatest Dad. Former standup comic turned movie director Bobcat Goldthwait and the film’s leading lady Alexie Gilmore attended the near closing ceremonies of the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival.

Bob told me that Robin was doing well, progressing slowly and hopefully would be able to do some promotional work for the film when it is released in August. Bob laughed: “If anybody should have been a candidate for a heart attack, it would have been me, not him. I guess screaming all those years got the stress out of me.”

Alexie, who has been an actress in New York the past seven years, also starred in the James Caan and Scott Caan film Mercy, which premiered here, too, so she was celebrating and promoting both.

Yesterday evening marked the Honoree Awards saluting legendary actors Jon Voight and Willem Dafoe for their contributions to the movie industry. Jon and I chatted at length as he told me the extraordinary story of his Hal Ashby movie Looking to Get Out filmed here in Las Vegas in 1982. The film, which marked the debut of his then 6-year-old daughter Angelina Jolie, was lost for 21 years and found two years ago. We’ll have that incredible story from Jon tomorrow along with our James Caan interview.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

George Maloof, Dennis Hopper and Danny Greenspun at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival Filmmaker and Honoree Awards at the Palms.

Our contributing photographers Denise Truscello, Tom Donoghue and Erik Kabik were all on duty yesterday for our photo galleries as the stars wrapped up their film festival visits and received their awards at Rain in the Palms.

Today is the sixth and final day of CineVegas, and the jury will present awards to winning filmmakers of documentaries and indie films. At 9 p.m. downtown on the Fremont Street Experience, the final film Attack of the 50-Foot Woman brings the film festival to a complete close. Festival Chairman Dennis Hopper and Artistic Director Trevor Groth told me that the shortened six-day festival had been a total success in its new abbreviated format.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Maria Menounos.

“We start planning next year’s 12th festival this coming week,” Trevor said. “We are so pleased with this year’s -- it has been our most successful to date -- and we feared because we had so many movies squeezed into half the time, we wouldn’t get filled theaters. But they have been packed solid with independent film fans. We’ve also seen our biggest attendance ever by using different locations around Vegas for screenings, events and parties while still maintaining our Palms and Brenden Theatres headquarters. We can do more of that next year, too.”

Photo: Denise Truscello

Willem Dafoe accepts the Vanguard Award as Dennis Hopper looks on at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival Filmmaker and Honoree Awards at the Palms.

Before it all ends tonight, at 6:30 p.m. I even get a star. Palms mogul George Maloof and Johnny Brenden, owner of Brenden Theatres, will unveil my star on the cinema’s Walk of Fame. I’ll join such distinguished folks as Sylvester Stallone, Dennis Hopper, Hugh Hefner and Shaquille O’Neal. I’m honored and humbled -- and say a sincere thank you. I’m not one for awards and presentations, but this one I just couldn’t say no to my many friends at the Palms.

Come on down and join the fun.

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

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— From Vegas Deluxe

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