SHOOTING STARS: ‘Poker After Dark’ pulls up stakes
After four seasons at South Point, NBC’s made-in-Vegas poker series “Poker After Dark” heads for points north: downtown’s Golden Nugget.
The show’s fifth season, from Las Vegas-based Poker PROductions, rounds up a host of poker luminaries for the 11-day shoot, which was scheduled to get under way Sunday in the Nugget’s new events center, The Grand.
The first 60 episodes feature such star players as Doyle Brunson, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Gabe Kaplan, Phil Laak, Howard Lederer and Daniel Negreanu, plus such celebrity players as Don Cheadle, Orel Hershiser and Jennifer Tilly.
Another NBC poker show, “Heads-Up Poker,” previously shot at the Nugget, but this is the first time “Poker After Dark” has headquartered there. Model Leeann Tweeden returns as host.
“From a promotion and marketing and branding standpoint, this program will get a lot of coverage,” notes Nugget spokesman Justin McVay. “It’s good for us all the way around.”
And even though the tapings are closed to the public — all the better to preserve the intimate, up-close-and-personal feel, my dears — there’s always a chance that players knocked out of the TV competition may wander over to the Nugget’s 10-table poker room for additional action.
Canada discovers Vegas: Discovery Channel Canada discovers Las Vegas in not one but two separate shoots.
“Forensic Factor,” which explores the science behind crime scene investigation, was scheduled to wrap Sunday following location work inside the Clark County Coroner’s office and the Metropolitan Police Department crime lab.
And “Guinea Pig,” in which star Ryan Stock, at right, and cohorts perform a variety of kids-don’t-try-this-at-home stunts, is expected to shoot sideshow-meets-science moves at Cashman Field Center. The stunt in question: a human pulling a vehicle — while swallowing a sword. (At least the “Guinea Pig” folks have had a chance to get accustomed to Las Vegas: They’re performing at Circus Circus’ Fright Dome through Halloween.)
Reel estate: Las Vegas’ real estate market may be down, but it’s definitely in, not out, for “A Place in the Sun.” The prime-time show, which airs on Britain’s Channel Four, focuses on couples looking to buy real estate.
That includes one couple planning to buy here in Southern Nevada, explains assistant producer Stefania Bon. The hourlong episode hopes to capture “the unique, beautiful, shiny, absurd place” Las Vegas is, she notes, “for viewers who don’t know Las Vegas.”
To that end, the episode will shoot from Henderson to Summerlin and various points between, from the Strip to Red Rock Canyon.
Jonesing for a cause: Speaking of Britain, Strip headliner Tom Jones — who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2006 for his services to music — plans to strut his stuff in a segment for the British version of “Comic Relief” that’s expected to shoot this coming weekend at Planet Hollywood’s Privé.
Daisy double: Daisy De La Hoya, at right, a finalist on VH1’s “Rock of Love 2,” now has a VH1 reality dating show all her own, titled “Daisy of Love.” And local guys have not one but two opportunities to take a chance on finding romance with her.
From 9 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, an open call for those 21 and over will take place on the outdoor patio of New York-New York’s new Rok Vegas nightclub. (The after-party goes from midnight until 2 a.m.) And from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, the search moves to the Double Down Saloon, 4640 Paradise Road.
For more information, check out www.daisyoflovecasting.com.
