Valley families ‘Trading Spaces’

Something old, something new.

That's the formula as TLC's "Trading Spaces" hits Glitter City for two episodes through Tuesday.

It's the second Southern Nevada visit for the show, which focuses on two pairs of neighbors redecorating a room in each others' homes, with the help of the show's designers. ("Trading Spaces" first shot here in early 2003.)

The premise remains the same. And the host should look familiar; Paige Davis is back after TLC dropped her in 2005. (The cable channel cites "overwhelming viewer demand" as the reason for her return.) Original designers Frank Bielec, Hildi Santo-Tomas and Doug Wilson also return.

So what's new? The folks trading spaces.

Instead of literal neighbors, the new episodes will feature families linked by what they do, not where they live.

Friday and Saturday's scheduled shoot, for example, involved one home in Las Vegas and another in Henderson -- both occupied by celebrity impersonators. (One does Elvis, one does Cher.)

And today's two-day shoot focuses on a pair of military families: Army vs. Navy.

The made-in-Vegas episodes will air during the show's eighth season, which begins in late January.

"Dutifri" duty: Las Vegas attracts residents from around the world. And television networks from around the world visit Las Vegas to catch up with them.

The latest case in point: "Dutifri" (think "Duty Free"), from Spain's Telecinco network, which checks in this week with several Spanish expatriates.

"Dutifri" host Javier Sarda is scheduled to visit with, among others, gymnast Ortiz Acosta, who performs in Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at The Mirage.

In addition, "Dutifri," which is headquartered at Planet Hollywood, plans to stop by a variety of notable Vegas sites, from the real crime scene investigation unit (not to be confused with the one featured in CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") to the Bellagio's dancing fountains.

The Las Vegas-based episode will air during the show's second season, which begins its run next spring.

"Green" screen: Vegas PBS (alias KLVX-TV, Channel 10) continues production this week on its six-part documentary devoted to green building in Nevada.

With a working title of "Green From the Ground Up," the show heads to Nellis Air Force Base today "to cover the opening of the largest solar photo-voltaic energy production plant" in the Silver State, reports producer-director Heather Caputo.

The series also continues to document construction on Vegas PBS' new Technology Campus -- which seems inevitable because, as Caputo notes, a time-lapse camera at the site captures "the progress of the building."

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