SHOOTING STARS: Conan O’Brien, Suzanne Roberts lead TV invasion

  Conan O’Brien doesn’t take over the reins of NBC’s “Tonight Show” until June 1, but he’s already hard at work — which explains why he was expected to be in Las Vegas over the weekend.
  So if you think you saw Conan somewhere on the Strip, shooting TV footage, you probably did, “Tonight Show” staffers note — although nobody’s quite figured out yet when, where or how the footage will be used.
  Emmy-winning octogenarian Suzanne Roberts, meanwhile, is still going strong at age 87 — and this week, she’s going strong in Southern Nevada, shooting segments for CNN Headline News’ senior-oriented “Seeking Solutions With Suzanne,” a half-hour version of which airs on Comcast cable systems.
  Las Vegas’ resident celebrity contingent — and Southern Nevada's popularity as a mecca for retirees — bring Roberts and new co-host Wally Kennedy to town to interview local luminaries from Tony Curtis (at his Henderson home) to Strip headliners Rita Rudner and Marie Osmond.
  Other stops on the "Seeking Solutions" itinerary range from a City Hall visit with Mayor Oscar Goodman to a backstage chat at Bally’s with "Jubilee!" company manager Fluff Le Coque. Also scheduled: on-the-street interviews with Sun City Summerlin residents.
  Most of the Las Vegas segments are expected to air in the fall, but there’s always a chance a few could sneak into the current season, which ends next month.
  It’s a wrap:  The comedy-drama “Up in the Air” has departed Las Vegas, following a Hard Rock Hotel wrap party that followed two days of location work last week.
  George Clooney (who has “Ocean’s Eleven” and its two sequels, plus “Intolerable Cruelty,” on his made-in-Vegas credits) stars as a traveling business type chasing a million frequent-flier miles; Vera Farmiga and “Twilight’s” Anna Kendrick co-star in the big-screen adaptation of Walter Kim’s novel.
  Locations ranged from McCarran Airport’s D Concourse and rental car facility to Strip exteriors — one outside Paris and Bally’s, one further south (in more ways than one) at the Happi Inn. A local residence rounded out the list of Vegas locations.
  Although production officials scouted potential filming sites “quite a while ago,” a one-day rescout with director Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Thank You for Smoking”) finalized the locales, notes Eddie Fickett, the movie’s Las Vegas location manager.
  Fickett cited cooperation from officials at McCarran (Linda Healey and Scott Russell), Bally’s (Sarah Gorgon), Las Vegas police, Bally’s security and Clark County (Russell Davis, Andrew Gonzales and Jenny Schofield) for helping to make the shoot a reality.
  “Without that cooperation,” Fickett says, “none of these shoots would happen.”
  Look for “Up in the Air” in theaters toward the end of the year — during prime Oscar-bait season.
  Reality bites: A quartet of TV shows, reality and documentary, also are expected here this week.
  Contestants for MTV’s “Making His Band” — which features wannabes hoping to join Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’ backup band for his “Lost Train in Paris” album — were scheduled to hit the Strip over the weekend. (It helps that Diddy was already in town, shooting the comedy “Get Him to the Greek,” which was expected to wrap Saturday.)
  The British documentary series “Breakout,” about the greatest U.S. jail breaks of all time, is scheduled to capture general Vegas views Friday and Saturday, while B Sky B’s “SkyTravel” is expected to wrap a five-day Strip visit today. And “Living With Yvette and Karl,” which focuses on married British broadcasters Yvette Fielding and Karl Beattie, are expected to shoot a special that includes 10th-anniversary festivities including “a hilarious ceremony in Las Vegas with an Elvis impersonator.” (At least that’s what their Web site says.)
  A word from the sponsor: A pair of TV commercials join the week’s production schedule as well.
  A Lexus commercial plans a one-day shoot that’s expected to include desert and in-town locations. And Pioneer Park is the scheduled location for a NutriSystem “Real People” spot featuring weight-loss customers showing off their now-active lifestyles.
  Coming attractions: No production details yet, but there’s word of two TV shows that will call Las Vegas home next season. The History Channel plans a 13-episode “docusoap,” titled “Pawning History,” that will be set in a local pawnshop. And a talk show, titled “Marie” and hosted by (surprise!) Flamingo headliner Marie Osmond, will debut in the fall.
  As always, stay tuned to Shooting Stars for more details.