Vegas PBS takes look at green projects

Green's in season -- and not just because Christmas Eve is two weeks away.

It's also because Vegas PBS (alias KLVX-TV, Channel 10) begins production this week on a six-part documentary about green building in the Silver State.

And Vegas PBS' very own studios will be the starting point for the documentary series, which is scheduled to debut in February.

Representatives of the Weidt Group, which oversees the environmental impact of building design and construction, will discuss the concepts and designs behind the new three-story, $37.5 million Vegas PBS Technology Campus, expected to be completed in October 2008.

Other green projects to be featured in the documentary include CityCenter, now under construction on the Strip, and downtown's Molasky Corporate Center.

Realty check: The Southern Nevada housing market may not be booming these days, but that's not stopping HGTV (Home & Garden Television) from planning to bring "National Open House" here in late January and early February.

The show, which compares different real estate markets, will shoot two episodes here.

To that end, producers are looking for homeowners with properties ranging from $250,000 to $1 million in price -- from condos to estate homes. The residences don't need to be for sale to be featured on the Pie Town Productions show, according to segment producer Ally Weinberg.

"We are looking for fun, enthusiastic homeowners who are willing to share the value of their home, along with some monthly cost-of-living expenses, with our viewers," Weinberg notes. "We would also be asking about life in Las Vegas and why it's a great place to live."

If you're interested in participating, e-mail a brief description of your family and your home (including its current value, square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms) to ally_weinberg@pietown.tv. Deadline is Dec. 21.

Quick hits: DreamVision Studios is scheduled to host a commercial shoot today, complete with special effects.

But that's hardly the only activity at the studio. Training classes in Airstar specialty balloon lighting and Steadicam use (sponsored by Women in Film's Las Vegas chapter) also take place this week, along with a professional hair and makeup course that continues through late April.

Ben Kalb Productions, meanwhile, is scheduled to conclude a three-week shoot this week for an informercial touting a special hairbrush. Locations include the DK Productions soundstage.

Hosting the infomercial: Jordan Adams, who also does play-by-play for mixed martial-arts events, and Australian Kylie Jaye, a recognizable on-camera presence in Oz before moving to the United States.

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