Friday, June 9, 2006 | 7:42 a.m.
One of the perks of organizing a film festival is you can award whomever you want, for whatever reason. At this year's CineVegas Film Festival, Sylvester Stallone (who turns 60 on July 6) is being honored for "Rocky" (which turns 30 this year).
"We're paying tribute to that anniversary and to Sly as a superstar of film, someone who has a huge box-office pull," CineVegas Director of Programming Trevor Groth said Thursday. "People might wonder why we're honoring Sylvester Stallone at this time, but it's not like we're just bringing in celebrities for the sake of celebrity. We are paying tribute to real actors and filmmakers. 'Rocky' was such a landmark film, and it came out of nowhere we might have some 'Rockys' here this year."
And maybe they'll even have a "Lords of Flatbush," Stallone's fine 1974 film debut.
Boosted by the most intense media coverage in its eight-year history (the festival was featured Sunday in both The New York Times and Los Angeles Times), CineVegas begins this evening at Brenden Theatres at the Palms with a screening of "Strangers With Candy." Established in 1998, the festival is as much about the presence of celebrities as films. Red carpet events and celebrity-laden parties include Stallone's award presentation on Wednesday at Brenden Theatres.
But Groth tries to maintain balance between the stars and the screenings.
"I like to think of it as a healthy marriage of two things - the stars and the recognizable people we're paying tribute to, and the gems of film we're debuting," he said. "It's a symbiotic relationship We don't want the celebrities and the parties to overshadow the films."
CineVegas runs through June 17.
NoteMart
Diva alert: The MGM Grand Garden Arena, the reigning heavyweight champion of major concerts, is the likely venue for Barbra Streisand's fall tour stop. The tour is to run from October through November and will span 20 shows, but no dates or sites have been announced. Streisand, 64, most recently performed during Andre Agassi's "Grand Slam for Children" fundraiser at the MGM Grand in October, but hasn't toured in 12 years
Star of the show: Las Vegas land developer Richard MacDonald Sr. was presented with his star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars on Wednesday night during a private party at his Turnberry Place residence, which has a panoramic (and dizzying) view of Paradise Road and the Strip. MacDonald moved to Las Vegas in 1959; he is the developer of the 3,200-acre MacDonald Ranch master-planned community.
MacDonald clearly still loves the city, as he noted during Wednesday's fete: "People who live on the East Coast and have never been to Las Vegas don't know what they're missing. If they ever came here to visit, they would never want to go back." When asked if there was anything about the city he would change, MacDonald said, "The title of Sin City. It's not that we don't sin - but we are honest about it. Other cities have sin but it's underground, and they're hypocritical about it. We should change it to 'Opportunity City.' That's what I found here."
Another star: Author, TV personality and renowned sports prognosticator Wayne Allyn Root will be honored by the Walk of Stars on Aug. 15 at ESPN Zone at New York-New York
Suit settled: The lawsuit brought by David Cassidy against Sandy Hackett has been settled out of court. Cassidy, producer of "The Rat Pack Is Back" touring tribute show, had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Hackett and his production, "A Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean," playing at the Greek Isles.
Part of the agreement is that Hackett's production will be called "The Rat Pack Is Back! In Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean" (Maybe they can borrow the gigantic Mirage marquee to display this unwieldy title). Also, Cassidy will return to Las Vegas on June 24-25 to reprise his role as Bobby Darin. Cassidy played that role in the original show, which he produced with Don Reo, at the Desert Inn and Sahara. Cassidy has not performed in Las Vegas since "At the Copa" at the Rio, which closed in January 2001
Feeling chipper: Former Riviera entertainment director and current "Sopranos" cast member Steve Schirripa has a new $5 commemorative chip in his honor at the Riviera. The chip promotes Schirripa's new book "The Goomba Diet - Living Large and Loving It." Just 750 of the chips have been stamped
"Hair" out of place: How abrupt was news that "Hairspray" is closing Sunday at the Luxor? Nevada Public Radio members received postcards in the mail this week offering a meet-and-greet with cast members of the production after a performance on June 23
ArenaBowl XX hype! The ArenaBowl XX Fan Fest is set for noon-11 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. The free-to-the-public event will include performances by the AFL Dream Team dancers, U.S. Army Chorale and Drill Team, and Las Vegas band Ashbury. Also scheduled is an eating contest sponsored by GoldenPalace.com (so you know this will be a challenge) and a skills competition among AFL players. Go to www.arenabowl.com (if you have a computer, that is) and click on "events" for information
Bouncing Czechs: Asked this week who he liked to win soccer's World Cup, "Hell's Kitchen" host (and former soccer player) Gordon Ramsay picked the underdog Czech Republic. "It's not always good to be the favorite," he said
I couldn't help but follow this car for miles: A Chrysler 200 with the plate MEZMRIZ.
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