SHOOTING STARS: ‘Ultimate Fighter’ keeps punching

  The competition’s heating up as the 11th season of Spike’s “The Ultimate Fighter” continues production through the beginning of March.
  UFC legends (and rivals) Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz (pictured) are coaching the show’s contestants, unsigned mixed martial arts fighters hoping to prove they’re ready to rumble inside the UFC octagon.
  The fighters may be the show’s focus, but the coaches are “guys who transcend the actual sport and have mainstream personas,” notes Brian Diamond, Spike TV’s senior vice president of sports and specials. (Liddell, of course, has “Dancing With the Stars” on his resume, while Ortiz has a “Celebrity Apprentice” appearance on his credits, taking their duel beyond UFC and into the reality-TV realm.)
  As always, coming up with a “coaches’ challenge” for the show is a challenge in and of itself, Diamond says; after table tennis, bowling, soccer, beach volleyball and pool, officials are “trying to think up something that will be humorous.”
  And, of course, camera-worthy.
  Among the new developments this season is an expanded gym, with “a new design feature” that “will look great on TV,” he promises.
  The show’s Las Vegas backdrop also plays a vital role on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diamond notes.
  In addition to being the UFC’s home base, “there’s a mystique about Las Vegas that exists in every guy’s heart, he says — including the hearts of those competing for the “Ultimate Fighter” title. “Las Vegas is a unique city that’s hard to replicate.”
  Which explains why “Ultimate Fighter,” and many other shows, don’t even try.
  Ad it up: Speaking of not being able to duplicate Las Vegas, that’s what a European advertising agency was contemplating, when it seemed as though they wouldn’t be able to find a suitable location for a Heineken beer ad.
  After all, they wanted to shoot on Super Bowl weekend — a time when high-roller suites are generally reserved for genuine high-rollers, not advertising shoots.
  “They were looking for the highest-roller suite, with a Strip view,” explains Las Vegas’ Chris Ramirez, who “scouted for three weeks” looking for a likely location while coordinating the shoot. “They were going to fake Las Vegas in Los Angeles.”
  Finally, with the help of Las Vegas-based producer Trent Othick (whose credits range from the made-in-Vegas “Yonkers Joe” to “Yonkers” star Chazz Palminteri’s solo stage hit “A Bronx Tale” on Broadway and on the Strip), Ramirez managed to find a home for the commercial at The Venetian. The spot was scheduled to shoot last Friday night (and into Saturday morning), with Don King and Michael Madsen among the famous faces featured.
  Also on the advertising front, Houston-based Stage Stores (which operates more than 700 stores in small and midsized towns in 39 states) plans a four-day shoot for their spring campaign. Locations include Lake Mead and the World Market Center, reports Las Vegas-based location scout Kim Houser-Amaral.
  International news: Las Vegas’ economic woes take center stage in “Lost Vegas,” an episode of the Dutch TV documentary series “Lauren Verslaat (Lauren Reports),” in which host Lauren Verster “travels the world, reporting on special stories from special people in special places,” according to Dana den Hertog of NovusTV, the show’s production company.
  This week’s visit will focus on “how resilient Vegas is in the face of the recent economic downfall,” den Hertog explains. “We chose Vegas for our shoot because the recession has hit this city harder than in many other places, and because it holds such a special position in the world” as a gambling and entertainment mecca — and “a place where everyone can become a winner.”
  Among the expected locations: the Strip (including Planet Hollywood), downtown and various residential areas.
  The documentary also will feature some personal stories, including an exotic dancer who “used to have a good day job, but lost it because of the recession,” den Hertog e-mails. “Now she dances for survival, because the people of Vegas don’t get knocked down by a bit of bad economy! The program will be very real, honest and respectful.”
  Also expected from overseas: Britain’s 78 Seventy Broadcasting, covering the International Rugby League’s USA Sevens World Series next weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium. The two-day tournament features seven-member teams from 16 nations (including England, of course) going head-to-head in 44 games.