SHOOTING STARS: It’s a wrap for Omarosa, Moulin Rouge documentary

  The Las Vegas dating whirl can be dizzying, but “Omarosa’s Ultimate Merger” (that’s a working title) takes the mating game to a new level.
  The reality series, which is scheduled to wrap its Las Vegas shoot early this week, finds former “Apprentice” star Omarosa choosing from among 12 rival bachelors — with a little help from “Apprentice” mentor Donald Trump.
  But it’s Omarosa herself who “has to make tough decisions on who stays and who goes,” explains Lewis Fenton, an executive producer on the show and head of production for Juma Entertainment, which is partnering with Trump’s production company on the show.
  Eight hourlong episodes are expected to debut next spring on cable’s TV One channel.
  And while the focus remains on Omarosa and her prospective suitors, Las Vegas definitely has a standout supporting role, Fenton notes.
  After all, “Las Vegas is one of the most visually exciting cities in the world,” he points out. Fittingly, a variety of picturesque locales, from the Strip to the desert, provide suitably scenic backdrops for the competition.
  And let’s not forget the show is “a Trump production and very much in the Trump world” — a world that includes the Trump International luxury resort on the Strip, which Fenton describes as “a natural tie-in.”
  One of the show’s biggest challenges: finding a new way of approaching what he calls “a famously played-out genre.”
  The reality-based dating series ranks as “a format that’s been done a million times on a million different networks,” from the “small-town Cinderella” stories of “The Bachelor” to “the salacious cable romps,” Fenton explains.
 “Omarosa’s Ultimate Merger,” by contrast, represents “a more realistic middle,” he says, focusing on “a strong, independent woman” choosing from a group of “strong, independent men. It’s extremely exciting — because it feels real.”
  Moulin Rouge memories: The Moulin Rouge has all but vanished on Bonanza Road, its battered shell a rueful reminder of its place in history as Las Vegas’ first — and, for a time, only — integrated hotel-casino.
  But while it’s almost gone, the Moulin Rouge is hardly forgotten, at least not by local filmmakers Stan Armstrong and Gary Lipsman, who’ve just finished producing and directing a documentary focusing on “The Moulin Rouge: Las Vegas’ Misunderstood Legend.”
  The hourlong documentary will explore three phases of Moulin Rouge history: its initial splash back in the ’50s, when it attracted an integrated crowd of showroom stars to West Las Vegas; its role in the civil rights era of the ’60s; and its subsequent sad decline, despite its presence on the National Register of Historic Places.
  In addition to interviews and historical photographs — including “a lot of images that have never been seen before,” Armstrong says — the documentary has a stylish storyteller in Las Vegan Antonio Fargas (alias “Starsky and Hutch’s” Huggy Bear), who introduces the   Moulin Rouge tales, flanked by two costumed showgirls. (The Attic and Williams Costume provided the vintage wardrobe, Armstrong says, while auto dealer Jim Marsh loaned some vintage wheels.)
  Fittingly, Fargas’ scenes — filmed last week at the Strip’s iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign — marked the end of principal production on the documentary. Armstrong hopes to have it ready for a private screening before the end of the year.
  “Live” Encore: “Live! With Regis & Kelly” wraps up two days of on-the-road production today at the Wynn’s Encore Theater, taping two shows scheduled to air later this week.
  “There are so many great acts, we could do a lot more than four days” in Las Vegas, notes executive producer Michael Gelman.
  Plans for the show’s current Vegas visit were in the works for more than a year and a half, he says.
  Between “our schedule and their schedule, getting all the stars to align” took time, he explains, citing three things that make the show’s road trips possible: “We have to find a good reason and a great location — and negotiate a deal.”
  Home work: A new home renovation show for HGTV is looking for Boulder City residents contemplating small-scale renovations or upgrades (think hardwood floors replacing carpeting, fresh paint, new window treatments and the like).
  Tricon Films and Television plans to film the show in picturesque, slower-paced cities — “the kind of place that big cities need reminding of,” explains supervising producer Tammi Downey. “We think Boulder City fits that description.”
  Downey’s interested in finding outgoing, energetic Boulder City homeowners between 25 and 50 years old who “want to be on TV.” If that’s you, submit photos of yourself and your family, your home and your small-scale renovation project (along with an explanation of why you need professional help with the project) to casting@triconfilms.com.
  Submission deadline is Friday; the show’s projected Boulder City visit is in late February or early March.