SHOOTING STARS EXTRA: Lights, camera, action at CES

  Once upon a time, the Winter Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center was only for techno-geeks.
  Now that consumer electronics advances have turned all us consumers into techno-geeks, the annual trade show has become a magnet for TV coverage.
  Everything from NBC's "Today" to CNBC's "Closing Bell With Maria Bartiromo" is going live from CES this week.
  And while "this year is more important because of the economic environment," in Bartiromo's view, "innovation is the key element that drives economic growth — and that's one element of this economy that's still thriving."
  Bartiromo's "Closing Bell" and Bill Griffeth's "Power Lunch" were expected to go live from CES, with Bartiromo's syndicated "Wall Street Journal Report" taping Friday for weekend telecast.
  "There is good news out there," Bartiromo, pictured at right, maintains, saying she told her producers to "go out and find it."
  But the TV presence at CES extends well beyond news.
  For example, the syndicated game show "Jeopardy!" planned to tape 10 Tournament of Champions shows (and one "Celebrity Jeopardy!" installment with Elizabeth Perkins and Tom Bergeron) on a set adjacent to the Sony booth on the CES floor. And why the Sony booth? Because Sony Pictures Television produces the long-running game show, that's why.
  The NBC-produced "Access Hollywood," meanwhile, isn't just covering CES. It's introducing "Access2Go," a new application for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices available at iTunes next week. ("Access" host Nancy O'Dell will demonstrate the free application for the show.)
  "This is our second year of coming to CES," notes David McMahon, director of digital strategy for NBC Universal Television Distribution. (NBC produces the show.) "Last year we launched our entire Web site live on the CES floor."
  Five years ago, a celebrity-driven show like "Access Hollywood" wouldn't have bothered with CES.
  But "entertainment and consumer electronics are becoming one thing," McMahon observes. As a result, "It's star central" compared to past years.
  Also compared to past years, "this stuff's pretty mainstream," he says. "You have to pay attention."