FRANCE HONORS DENNIS HOPPER; BILLIONAIRE PROPOSES LAS VEGAS MUSEUM

Dennis Hopper has been named a commander in the French Legion of Honor. The seventy-two-year-old actor was visibly moved as he received France’s most prestigious prize at a ceremony in Paris today, according to AFP via NPR. The Cinematique Francaise in Paris is opening an exhibit on Hopper this week that will run through January 19. Hopper’s screen credits include Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, and Easy Rider, which he also directed.

In other news, a European billionaire and contemporary art collector wants to convert an old fingerprinting station on East Fremont Street, in Las Vegas, into a museum that would house his extensive collection, reports the Las Vegas Sun. Tamares Group’s chief executive and chairman Poju Zabludowicz, of Liechtenstein, has twice attempted to build an art museum in downtown Las Vegas. And there’s no guarantee a third attempt will be the charm for the owner of the Plaza and other downtown casinos. His proposal for a twenty-three-thousand-square-foot Las Vegas Museum of Contemporary Art, which would also include a club and restaurant, is one of four projects vying for the forty-year-old brick building up for grabs. A selection committee in the city’s Office of Business Development heard the proposals on Friday.