Monday, April 11, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
SHOOTING STARS: 'Today,' 'CSI,' 'Dateline' top list of production visitors
Today's a "Today" day as weathercaster Al Roker kicks off the NBC morning fixture's latest "Lend a Hand Today" tour in Las Vegas.
But "Today" has plenty of network company this week, with CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Dateline NBC" also on the schedule.
Throughout today's "Today," Roker will visit a local charity (which he declined to reveal in advance of today's live broadcast) and present the organization with a variety of items to assist their efforts.
After today's Vegas visit, Roker travels to Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Detroit Wednesday, West Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday and, on Friday, Savannah, Ga.
"We look at a map and the other cities we've done, and we do representative regions of the country," Roker says of his itinerary.
Add the requirement of going "where we haven't been before," and Las Vegas would up as the first stop on the weeklong tour.
"Lend a Hand Today" began as "an offshoot after 9/11," Roker recalls. "So many charities were hurting -- and understandably so."
Putting those organizations in the "Today" spotlight has led to several success stories, Roker says, because "you've helped people in a way that has a ripple effect."
Today's Las Vegas setting also may remind viewers "that people actually live in Las Vegas," he notes.
Roker doesn't visit Vegas much apart from business -- but business will bring him back, along with "Today" hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, for another live broadcast April 29.
The reason? "The answer is blowin' in the Wynn," Roker jokes -- because "Today" will broadcast live from the grand opening of Wynn Las Vegas.
In addition to acknowledging Las Vegas' centennial, the April 29 show will feature various musical acts as part of a two-day jaunt, "Today Goes a Little Bit Country and a Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll," which begins April 28 in Nashville.
As for "CSI," CBS' top-rated drama returns to its Vegas roots for the season finale, "Grave Danger," directed by Oscar-winning "Pulp Fiction" auteur Quentin Tarantino.
Tarantino also came up with the finale's storyline, which places a cast member in (you guessed it) grave danger, prompting the two "CSI" teams to unite to save one of their own.
"CSI's" creator, Las Vegan Anthony Zuiker, first met Tarantino while working as a Mirage bellman (Tarantino tipped him $20, Zuiker recalls) and reconnected at a post-Sept. 11 fund-raiser where Tarantino declared himself a "CSI" fan.
Flash forward to a few months ago, when Tarantino bumped into a "CSI" technical adviser and expressed an interest in working on the show.
That led to a story meeting, which lasted more than four hours, in which Tarantino pitched ideas for the finale to Zuiker and "CSI" executive producer Mendelsohn.
"I was just awestruck by his ability to have (the) story (process) so conquered," Zuiker says of Tarantino. "He doesn't talk about camera angles, he just talks about story, saying, `Wouldn't it be cool if ...' "
Mendelsohn and executive producer Naren Shankar then outlined the finale, with Zuiker joining them to write the script.
"CSI" scouting was still under way at deadline, but the schedule calls for the shoot to begin Thursday night and conclude sometime Friday.
One of the expected locations: an off-Strip location with a prime view of the Strip skyline -- one of the few vistas the show can't duplicate at its Southern California production base.
"Dateline NBC," meanwhile, also returns to Las Vegas, with correspondent Keith Morrison shooting stand-ups at the Fremont Street Experience and on the Strip to wrap up Binion trial coverage for a May segment.
Turning to the big screen, the poker drama "Lucky You" continues shooting this week at locations ranging from a Summerlin golf course to a top-of-the-tower Strip lounge.
The Warner Bros. production, directed by Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential," "Wonder Boys") stars Eric Bana ("Troy," "The Hulk"), Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall.
But the movie, which is expected to shoot here through early May, still needs extras -- all ages (18 and over), all shapes and sizes, union and nonunion.
An open call for "Lucky You" extras will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Casting Entertainment, 4350 S. Arville St., Building D, Suite 27.
For more information, call the casting hot line at 940-7773.
Returning to the small screen, the upcoming A&E series "Mindfreak" -- which centers on edgy illusionist Criss Angel -- begins its final week of Vegas location work with a definite blast.
Monte Carlo headliner Lance Burton is scheduled to host this afternoon's shoot, in a parking lot next to downtown's Plaza, during which Angel will attempt to escape from a wine crate -- while dangling from a 100-foot crane.
Tuesday afternoon, Angel will attempt to escape from another crate -- this one filled with C-4 plastic explosives, according to segment producer Ben Waller.
The public is welcome to watch both stunts, Waller says. (If you're interested, plan to arrive about 3 p.m. each day.)
"We feature anybody with good reactions," he says of the audience. "The more people we get out there, the better."
In addition to daring stunts, the upcoming "Mindfreak" series, debuting in late July, also features "an all-star cast" of magicians, from Burton to fellow headliners Penn & Teller and the Amazing Johnathan, according to Waller.
Although Angel hails from New York's Long Island, "we liked the dramatic backdrop of Las Vegas," he says.
"It's also the heart of where magicians, illusionists and mystifiers perform."
Also scheduled on this week's crowded location calendar: two British television projects, Class Films' "The Player" and the BBC's financial-makeover reality show "The Bank of Mum and Dad;" a segment for the WE cable network's "Endless Vacations" and "The Weinberger Switch," a short from Las Vegas-based director Barrett Farmer and writer-producer Bill Shepard, which explores the playful premise of "four college students, two crushes, one party -- what could possibly go wrong?"
