SHOOTING STARS: ‘Deal’ wheels into Tropicana for extended run

  Las Vegas always has been the kind of place where fortune can turn at the turn of a card or the spin of a wheel.
  And now, you can add “outlandish costume” to the list of potential life-changers.
  After all, wearing an eye-catching outfit always has been a hallmark of the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal,” which returns to production Tuesday with Venetian headliner Wayne Brady hosting — but not at The Venetian.
  Instead, “Let’s Make a Deal” will tape at the Tropicana Pavilion, in the hotel’s convention area.
   Production officials “shopped several locations in Las Vegas” before opting for the Trop, according to Trish Gilbert, the casino’s marketing vice president. And the site they chose, which previously housed the Titanic and “Bodies” exhibits, is “a perfect venue to do a full-set build-out” of a studio with room for 300 audience members — all of whom are potential contestants.
  There’s also room for a costume shop adjacent to the studio, Gilbert says — just in case audience members don’t have outfits with them.
  Tropicana officials began discussing the show with production officials in August, Gilbert says.
  That’s not a lot of time to get a live TV show on its feet, but everybody really pulled together to see ‘How do we make this happen?’ ” she adds.
  FremantleMedia North America, the production behind the “Let’s Make a Deal” revamp (and another CBS game-show staple, the long-running “The Price Is Right”), will tape multiple shows weekly through February, Gilbert notes.
  Initially, shows will tape Tuesday through Thursday; eventually, taping days will shift to Thursdays through Sundays, she says.
  This week’s tapings are set for 3 p.m. Tuesday and 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
  According to a Tropicana telephone hot line (888-706-8767) devoted to show information, doors will open at 1 p.m. Tuesday; audience members (18 and over) should arrive no later than 2 p.m. (Wednesday and Thursday call times: 11 a.m. to noon for the first show, 2 to 3 p.m. for the second.)
  A ticket center in the casino also will have information for prospective audience members; tickets also are available online at www.cbs.com/daytime/lets_make_a_deal/ through early October.)
  Not only are the tickets free, but show organizers claim “it’s the best odds in Vegas,” Gilbert says — because “one in 18 (contestants) will win.” Which definitely seems like an improvement over the usual casino odds.
  Vegas ‘Face’-off: A different kind of competition unfolds this week with the new reality series “Face of Vegas,” which has both the Fremont Street Experience and the Strip on its opening-week itinerary.
  Production is slated to continue through Oct. 10 for the show, which aims to determine which of “America’s hottest men and women” will become “a sophisticated king and queen of the Strip,” mixing with everyone from high rollers to traveling families. (At least according to the show’s initial casting notices.)
  Future features: Principal photography on the made-in-Vegas murder mystery “Red Herring” doesn’t officially begin until next week, but that doesn’t mean cameras won’t be rolling.
  On Tuesday, background footage of the Strip and downtown is on the schedule — along with opening night of the annual San Gennaro Feast’s fireworks show at the Grand Canyon Shopping Center.
  In addition to being featured in the movie, the digital footage will be shared with the San Gennaro folks so they can use it for marketing purposes, explains “Red Herring” writer-producer Joshua Cohen of Cohencidence Productions.
  “Red Herring” is a homegrown project, but the folks at Vancouver-area Cascadia Films also plan to bring their action-adventure “Dominant Gene” to Southern Nevada in the next few weeks.
  From a “very accommodating” permit process to “different looks and weather,” Southern Nevada provides multiple filmmaking options, notes Cascadia’s D.J. Bowen.
  Stay tuned to Shooting Stars for additional details on both features.
  Everybody into the pool: An infomercial for the Knockout Abs exercise machine rolls Wednesday at the Palms pool — and members of the public are invited to participate. (If you decide to stop by the shoot, be prepared to test the boxing-themed workout machine — and be prepared to stay all day, if production officials decide to feature you in the infomercial.)
  Quick takes: The G4TV pilot “Loaded Questions” spent last Friday and Saturday on the Strip in front of Bally’s, querying tourists for the adaptation of a Japanese game show, explains Las Vegas-based location manager Chris Ramirez.
   If the show goes to series, it may travel from city to city, he explains. But “for the pilot, they wanted as much production value” as possible — and for production value, it’s tough to top the Strip.
   History’s reality hit “Pawn Stars” also continues production in Las Vegas this week, joined by an episode of HGTV’s “House Hunters.”