CineVegas Brings Hollywood to Las Vegas

There’s nothing like a film festival to bring in celebrities and CineVegas is definitely one of the world’s best. 2007 marks the ninth year for this annual event, which has steadily become a real player in the festival world.

CineVegas rolls into town from June 6th until June 16th, starting with an all-star charity premiere of “Oceans 13” tomorrow at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms. Proceeds from this event will go towards “Not On Our Watch,” a charity dedicated to helping victims of the conflict in Darfur. Jerry Weintraub, producer of the film, will also receive the festival’s Vanguard Award.

Not to be outdone, another film will roll out the red carpet tomorrow night (June 7) downtown at The Golden Nugget. “The Grand,” which was also filmed in downtown Vegas, will debut at 7pm and many of the film’s stars, including Jason Alexander, Ray Romano, Michael McKean, Chris Parnell and Andrea Savage are scheduled to attend.

The rest of CineVegas centers around its home base of the Brenden Theatres at the Palms.

On the 14th, Maria Menounos will attend a screening of her film “In the Land of Merry Misfits” and you can spot actor Diego Luna at the screening for “Chávez,” which he also directed, the same night.

Friday the 15th is when you can catch live Q&A’s with actress Charlize Theron at 3pm, and actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, whose 6pm session will be followed by the premiere screening of his new movie, “Slipstream.”

Later that evening is the festival’s Honorees Reception at the Palms Pool and Bungalows, during which Hopkins is scheduled to receive the CineVegas Marquee Award and Theron the Half-Life Award. Other award recipients will include Sir Ben Kingsley, who will receive the Vanguard Actor Award, and Mike Newell, who will receive the Vanguard Director Award.

June 16th is the final day of the festival and features several celeb events.

British director Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Harry Potter” series) will participate in a Q&A session at 2pm. Later, Sir Ben Kingsley will attend the premiere of his new film, “You Kill Me.”

The evening wraps up with a closing party that shifts over to Mandalay Bay, where CineVegas partners up with Vegas Magazine to host not only the 4th anniversary of the publication and the closing of this year’s film fest, but the grand opening of Mandalay Bay’s multi-million dollar renovation of the pool area. Providing entertainment for the party will be former “American Idol” contestant Katherine McPhee.

Individual film tickets are $10 each. Festival passes range from $100 to $525, with the higher priced options providing more festival perks and admissions.

For more information on CineVegas, please visit www.CineVegas.com or call 888.8VEGAS8.