SHOOTING STARS: Heads up! NBC poker tournament returns to Caesars Palace

  Here’s the deal: NBC’s “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” checks into Caesars for its sixth annual tournament Thursday through Sunday.
  It’s the show’s fifth go-round at Caesars, following an inaugural run at the Golden Nugget.
  And it qualifies as a definite case of it-ain’t-broke-so-no-need-to-fix-it, according to Jon Miller, executive vice president of NBC Sports.
  The formula: 64 of the world’s top poker players competing in a bracket-style, head-to-head format — for $1.5 million in combined prize money.
  Among this year’s competitors: Doyle Brunson (pictured), Johnny Chan, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Chris Moneymaker and Daniel Negreanu — plus such celebrity players as Don Cheadle, Orel Hershiser, Gabe Kaplan and Jennifer Tilly.
  It’s the all-star lineup that makes the tournament such good television, Miller contends.
  “One of the things that makes ‘Heads-Up’ different is you’re always going to see a great player,” he says. “People like to watch stars.”
  If you’d like to watch the poker stars in action, the viewing gallery at the Caesars poker tournament room is open to spectators on a first-come, first-served basis.
  The tournament’s TV run begins April 18 and continues over six consecutive Sundays through May 23, airing at noon on the East Coast and 9 a.m. on the West Coast, Miller notes.
  In that early time slot, he explains, “we avoid a lot of the heavy competition” from other sports broadcasts, including basketball, baseball and golf.
  At the opposite end of the day, NBC’s “Poker After Dark” also continues “great guns” following Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show, Miller says. “But we’re not looking to do any more poker shows. We’re happy with the two properties we have.”
  Close ‘Encounter’: Las Vegas-based Snow Leopard Films is currently shooting its inaugural production, a short titled “The Encounter” that’s destined for the festival circuit.
  The romantic adventure comedy focuses on a married couple (played by John Stevenson and Merriliz Monzon) who plan a romantic getaway “to increase the charm in their marriage,” according to writer-director Rick Barker. “Each introduces a unique twist to the encounter. Just like life, it doesn’t go as planned.”
  Locations range from an area restaurant to two separate office buildings, along with some establishing footage of Las Vegas.
The shoot’s scheduled to conclude Saturday, Barker reports. Snow Leopard plans to follow “The Encounter” with the feature “18 Roses” later this year, he adds.
  Onstage: A new TV commercial for Wells Fargo Bank visits Southern Nevada on Tuesday to capture images for a regional ad campaign. Two local Wells Fargo branches — one in Henderson, one in Centennial Hills — will get into the act, according to location scout Kim Houser-Amaral.
  In addition, the spot will feature insert shots of downtown Henderson, the Strip’s iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and a variety of neon signs in downtown Las Vegas, including those at the Las Vegas Club and the Pioneer Club.
  Madison time: MovieTickets.com tapped “Peepshow” headliner Holly Madison (pictured) last week for an in-theater commercial that filmed at Planet Hollywood — and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.
  The spot features Madison discussing her Strip show, her reality TV series — and her enthusiasm for MovieTickets.com when she’s looking to wind down. Which must mean Madison likes going to Rave’s Town Square multiplex, because it’s the only Las Vegas theater that tickets through MovieTickets.com. (Other local multiplexes use the rival Fandango Web site.)
  Pilots landing: It’s pilot season at the TV networks, which are deep in development of new series prospects. And CBS has its eye on two Las Vegas projects.
  The legal drama “The Defenders” — from a group of executive producers that includes “CSI’s” Carol Mendelsohn — centers on a pair of Las Vegas attorneys, one of whom (the one with marital and drinking problems) will be played by James Belushi. (He’s Jim when he does comedy, James when he’s serious.)
  The “Defenders” pilot will be directed by “An Inconvenient Truth” Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim, according to a report in the show business trade paper Variety. Jurnee Smollett (“Friday Night Lights”) has been cast in a supporting role, but there’s no word yet on who’s playing Belushi’s partner.
  The buddy-cop comedy “The Odds,” meanwhile, follows “two detectives whose lives are almost as wild as the crimes they investigate.” (Hey, I don’t make this stuff up; the production companies do.) “Scrubs’ ” Donald Faison will play the show’s new lead homicide detective, who’s taking over for a recently demoted colleague. This one’s from creator, writer and executive producer Jeff Wadlow, whose directorial credits include “Never Back Down” and “Cry_Wolf.” (But his most interesting connection might be his aunt: CBS anchor Katie Couric.)
  Both pilots are expected in town late this month. As always, stay tuned to Shooting Stars for details.