‘Raising Hope’ wedding episode filming at Rio

When your family name is Chance, a trip to Las Vegas must be in the cards.

That's the case for "Raising Hope's" Chance clan; the Fox sitcom visits Las Vegas this week to shoot a special wedding-themed episode for its second season.

The Rio serves as production headquarters for the three-day shoot today through Wednesday, according to "Raising Hope" creator Greg Garcia.

Although there's one brief shot planned for the Strip, everything else will be at the Rio, from a bachelorette party in a hotel suite and casino gambling, dancing at the VooDoo Lounge and the outdoor wedding and reception.

"We're being very ambitious," Garcia admits, "and to shoot what we need to shoot, we need to get everything in one place."

Between 60 and 80 crew members are expected to make the Vegas trek alongside "Raising Hope" regulars Emmy nominee Martha Plimpton, Garrett Dillahunt, Shannon Woodward and Lucas Neff. Also in on the action: Amy Sedaris, who returns as cousin Delilah, alias the bride.

"It's a big deal to go out of your comfort zone" and shoot on location, notes Garcia, citing the "nice fun carnival atmosphere" the show hopes to capture.

"It's fun, but it's a little nerve-wracking" to go on location, he adds. "You have the real world colliding with the world you've created." And when those worlds collide, Garcia explains, "there's always the risk of the genie being out of the bottle."

Look for "Raising Hope's" Vegas episode sometime this fall.

Mob ties: Las Vegas' gangster past continues to fascinate filmmakers around the world. The latest evidence: a British TV documentary with the working title "The Mob's Greatest Hits."

The 13-part series focuses on the "game of cat and mouse between the Mob and those trying to enforce justice," according to production officials, noting that "the early history of Vegas and the mob are closely connected."

The weeklong shoot is scheduled to wrap Tuesday after visiting locations on the Strip and elsewhere around town; views of old and new Las Vegas will be interspersed in the show with archival and interview footage.

The hourlong Vegas segment is scheduled to air early next year on the Yesterday Network, part of the UKTV digital network.

Local motion: Three locally based features continue production around Southern Nevada. And we do mean all around Southern Nevada.

"After Romeo and Juliet" began its 21-day shoot last week in Nelson, a fitting locale for its contemporary tale of feuding families and high school romance, reports Terry Haden, who's producing the drama with Stephen Levy and Randy Carels .

Las Vegas-based filmmaker Albert Pyun, meanwhile, hopes to work out a final shoot for the serial-killer thriller "Road to Hell" at Henderson's Hollin Studios; his next project, "Red Moon," is scheduled to start next month. (Pyun recently shot "Red Moon" test footage at the Jean Dry Lake Bed.)

And the drama "Little Monsters," from filmmaker (and UNLV film instructor) David Schmoeller continues shooting next weekend at a Summerlin residence, according to producer May May Luong .

Musical notes: Las Vegas provides the backdrop for two music videos that were expected to shoot last week.

LMFAO, whose "Party Rock Anthem" topped Billboard's "Songs of the Summer" chart, was slated to film at Boulder City Airport, the Strip and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. And John Dalback 's house-techno "One Last Ride," featuring Erik Hassle , was scheduled to shoot on the Strip; director Paul Coy Allen "felt that the Las Vegas city backdrop complements the (track's) lyrics and tones like no other city could," according to Riveting Entertainment's Kenia Ortega.

Carol Cling's Shooting Stars column appears Mondays. Contact her at (702) 383-0272 or ccling@reviewjournal.com.