Tag Archives: television shows

“The Hills” Returns to MTV as Heidi Montag Reveals New Body

“The Hills” will be returning for one last season when it premieres Monday, April 27 on MTV. The final 12 episodes of the long-running series will deal with rumors about Kristin Cavallari, the brief return of Lauren Conrad and the ongoing drama that is Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. The trailer for the final season hints at both marriage trouble and the controversy surrounding Montag’s series of plastic surgeries, which have severely altered her appearance. 

Montag, whose album Superficial has stalled despite early buzz, unveiled her new body – which has not stalled – in Las Vegas on April 10 when she donned a bikini to sit poolside at the Liquid Pool at Aria at CityCenter.

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Las Vegas Open Casting Call for “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” TV Show

Mark McGrath is hosting auditions this Saturday in Las Vegas, seeking seeking contestants to appear on a hit game show. 

On Sat., April 24th an open casting call will be held for the all-new syndicated version of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” Set to premiere in the Fall, 2010, “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” is a musical game show that tests contestants’ knowledge of song lyrics from different genres, decades and artists.

Mark McGrath, a member of the multi-platinum group, Sugar Ray, will host “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” where he brings ordinary people center stage for a chance to win a fortune – just by knowing the words to the biggest hit songs ever recorded. 

The auditions will be held on Sat., April 24th from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bonkerz Comedy Club, 2411 West Sahara Ave., in Las Vegas.

A photo ID is required as contestants and their guests must be 21 years or older to audition. Casting is seeking contestants that are fun, outgoing and very knowledgeable of popular song lyrics. Also contestants must be willing to sing the songs on the game show. 

Whether your cup of tea is Motown or Country, or anything in between, they’re looking for all types of music fans as the songs are hits, from the 50s to present day Top 40. 

“Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” originally premiered on July 11, 2007, on FOX television and became one of the most popular shows in America, as well as an international phenomenon. 

For an application and further details please log on to http://www.dftl.tv.

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Lawyer TV Show Pilot Based in Las Vegas

Another Las Vegas-based TV pilot is in the works. Loosely based on the Las Vegas law firm Cristalli & Saggese, the series plans to feature Jim Belushi cast as a character based on Michael V. Cristalli and Jerry O’Connell as one based on Marc A. Saggese. Both are on board, Cristalli said. The characters’ names will not be the same as the lawyers.’ 

It’s the culmination of a four-year project that began with a relationship between Cristalli and Saggese and brothers Joe and Harry Gantz, the producers and developers of the HBO documentary series “Taxicab Confessions.” 

“We shot a docu-drama several years ago about the law office” says Cristalli, and it was sold to CBS as a drama. 

The TV pilot’s director, Davis Guggenheim, directed Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and the writing team of Niels Mueller and Kevin Kennedy collaborated on “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” which starred Sean Penn. 

Cristalli and Saggese represented Sandy Murphy in her October 2004 retrial in the Ted Binion murder case that ended in an acquittal of murder, but she was convicted of lesser charges of burglary and grand larceny.

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David Hasseloff Making a Comeback?

Could the aging former “Baywatch,” “Knight Rider,” and “America’s Got Talent,” television demigod be trying to reclaim his former glory? 

Trashing those late night sordid drinking and hamburger affairs, “The Hoff,” appears for now, to be sloshing onward and upward. 

His namesake Knight Rider Festival will be hosted in Las Vegas this weekend.   And, different than the first festival last year, this one will be graced by his presence. Hasselhoff plans to be at the festival on Fremont Street Experience on the First Street Stage tonight at 5 p.m., ushered in by Elvis impersonator Paul Casey, who created the Las Vegas event, dressed up as The Lone Ranger and riding up the street on a white horse signifying,  Casey says, the original “Knight Rider” television show’s intent of being a modern-day version of the “The Lone Ranger.” 

Following Casey and his white knight horse will be a parade of 20 K.I.T.T. cars from the series.  The first one will be driven by Jack Gill, the main stunt driver for the series. 

Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Most Watched TV Star in the World,” Hasselhoff, who has been on television for more than 30 years, will be joined in the Las Vegas event by television show creator Glen Larson and actors Ann Turkel and Justin Bruening. 

Allegedly, there will also be a drive-through wedding chapel with K.I.T.T. serving as best man. 

Then it’s off to London for Hasseloff, where the WWE is having him guest host WWE Monday Night RAW on April 12. 

And while that’s going on, the fun-loving-in-excess actor, who has also morphed into an internationally renowned singer receiving incredible kudos for his singing skills, especially in Europe, will be on a concert tour in Europe. 

Hasselhoff is also on the road of making other endeavors a success too. 

The folks at Abercrombie & Fitch hope are banking on the brand and image appeal of The Hoff to change their fortunes in the United States.   So far, the traveling salvation show is working- his image is increasing sales revenue by 5 percent, while many of their industry competitors are down by 5 percent. 

A&E also sees the shining rebounding light of Hasseloff, hiring him for a 10-epsisode deal for a new reality show with his two daughters. The docu-series, currently unnamed, slotted to air later this year, will take a behind-the-scenes look into the life of  The Hoff focusing on his multiple entertainment and business endeavors, as well as his most important role as a single dad trying to help his teenage daughters’ break into the recording industry. 

The Knight Rider Festival is March 19-20, all day, free.  Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegaswww.knightriderfestival.com

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Las Vegas Pawn Shop Doubles as Reality TV Show, Proving Junk Sells

Well, it’s not all junk.  But many may think their dust-collecting, largely abandoned asset won’t bring much money- that is until they haggle with Rick Harrison, center, or his father, Richard, left, or son Corey who co-own a hugely successful Las Vegas pawn shop, Gold and Silver Pawn. 

Recession?  What recession?  Boom times are out the roof, thanks in no small part to the History Channel’s hit reality TV series “Pawn Stars.” 

Back in July, before the show started, the family business about 70 customers a day that showed up at the 713 Las Vegas Blvd. South address. 

And now? “We do about 1,000 a day,” said beaming Rick Harrison. 

The 35 episodes of national TV exposure have doubled revenue and generated a non-stop waiting line of 50 customers throughout the day, which usually ends at 11 p.m. 

The Harrisons have even added a surreal touch for their customers: a velvet rope for crowd control, ala a Las Vegas nightclub. 

Two of the more shocking items that recently arrived: a bronze medal from the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics and a 1998 Denver Broncos Super Bowl ring.  Rick Harrison said he paid $700 for the medal and $11,000 for the bejeweled ring.  The medal came from a shoebox found in a garage by a son-in-law who was cleaning up after his wife’s father died. The family, who lived in the Midwest, was vacationing in Las Vegas and decided to sell the medal. 

“Names aren’t etched on Olympic medals so we have no idea who it belonged it to,” Harrison said. 

Harrison said the ring owner identified himself as a former landlord of Bronco safety Tori Noel, a late addition to the team roster. The former University of Tennessee standout saw little action that year in Denver, the first of back-to-back Super Bowl titles, and suffered a career-ending injury the next year during training camp. 

It’s not the only Super Bowl ring pawned at Gold and Silver. Harrison said he purchased Brock Williams’ ring from the 2002 Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots. 

Williams, a former cornerback at Notre Dame, was paid about $2,000 for the ring. He never returned to buy it back, Harrison said.

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Las Vegas Airs Bizarre Version of “Let’s Make a Deal” TV Show

Is there a better place anywhere on the planet to launch a bizarre and outlandish game show then if not in Las Vegas, the king of all things untamed?  Of course not, silly. LetsMakeaDeal

As reported Aug. 16 by Las Vegas Backstage Access, the “Let’s Make a Deal” show was coming to Las Vegas- and now it’s a reality. 

Complete with lots of costumed, bizarre contestants oozing energy from every pore, TV history was rebooted yesterday in Las Vegas, as “Let’s Make a Deal” version 2009 started taping weekday mornings from the Tropicana’s 300-capacity studio, the show airing on CBS from 9 to 10 a.m., KLAS-TV, Las Vegas Channel 8. 

Boasting 2 1/2 times as many deals, new rhythm and audience members facing 1-in-18 odds of being selected, “Let’s Make a Deal,” is a new take on the classic game television show, featuring audience members dressed in outlandish costumes and jumping non-stopped like deranged jackrabbits, hoping to be selected as a zany contestant and win cash and prizes by making deals with game show host Wayne Brady, an Emmy Award winner and headliner at The Venetian in Las Vegas. 

This Vegas-based edition is the first daytime network game show to premiere in 16 years, replacing “Guiding Light,” which was snuffed out recently by CBS. 

The classic “Deal” aired on ABC and NBC from 1963-76; a weekly syndicated version was broadcast from 1971-77; a Canadian revival ran from 1980-81; an “All New Let’s Make a Deal” popped up from 1984-86; another daytime version resurfaced on NBC from 1990-91; and episodes of yet another weekly prime-time “Deal” aired in 2003. 

Want to be a member of the audience or possibly become a contestant?  It’s easy.  Just call 800-706-8767, or visit www.cbs.com/daytime/lets_make_a_deal or just arrive in costume at the “Deal” ticketing center on the casino level at the Tropicana, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. South, in Las Vegas.

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Wayne Brady to Host “Let’s Make a Deal” in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Venetian headliner Wayne Brady has been vetted to host the revived “Let’s Make a Deal” TV show. WayneBrady

CBS executive producer Mike Richards says the show will tape in Las Vegas, without naming the venue yet.

Pretty good news for Brady- his contract was up for renewal this month.

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“Chefs vs. City” Cable TV Show Visits Las Vegas

Cable TV is serving up yet another tantalizing food show entree as “Chefs vs. City” airs on the Food Network at 10 p.m. on Fridays.  

The by-product is, hopefully, the new show could potentially boost our stagnant Las Vegas economy. In this week’s episode, the gang visits the Minus 5 Degree Lounge, BLT Burger and Shibuya.

 But the key scene is when two-person teams- Food Network chefs Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez and Seablue’s executive chef Stephen Hopcraft and executive pastry chef Santanna Salas – have to hurriedly eat 100 bite-sized versions of the Bellagio buffet items, ranging from pickled ginger to smoked duck with St. Andre croustade and pecan caramel to items that have a dazed Salas wondering, “What is all of this?”

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‘24’ TV Star Mary Lynn Rajskub Marries in Las Vegas

’24’ TV star Mary Lynn Rajskub and personal trainer Matthew Rolph got married last weekend. The couple wed in a hush-hush Las Vegas ceremony at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, People magazine reports.MaryLynnRajskub

Rajskub walked down the aisle to the Elvis classic ‘A Little Less Conversation,’ wearing a Nicole Miller dress. Rolph reportedly donned a Hugo Boss suit. The couple’s one-year-old son Valentine escorted his mom at the ceremony.

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Las Vegan ‘Leverage’ Actress Beth Riesgraf Stars as World’s Best Cat Burglar – & More!

Las Vegas Cimarron-Memorial graduate Beth Riesgraf stars as Parker in TNT’s highly popular “Leverage” TV show, playing a cat burglar with unmatched prowess for stealing priceless works of art, a room full of orphans, and even the Hope Diamond- and putting it back, just because she was bored. BethRiesgraf

She’s back for a second season of “Leverage” that debuts 9 p.m. (PT) this Wednesday, along with her co-stars Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane and Aldis Hodge. 

Born in Minnesota, Riesgraf moved to the Las Vegas Valley while she was in junior high.  Her parents have two construction companies, and once her dad began working in Las Vegas and in California, it only took one visit for her mom to move the rest of the family away from the frigid winters. 

Riesgraf was a member of the Cimarron-Memorial high school class of ’96, with a list of extracurricular activities longer than your arm, including being the student body president, prom queen, and voted the most admired senior. 

She also was involved in photography and sports in high school- pretty much everything but acting.  “Acting I always loved,” she said during a phone interview from Portland, Oregon, the locale for this season’s show, “but I think I was always kind of a character in real life.  I was always goofing off and having fun.” 

Riesgraf is also an accomplished photographer, sponsored by Swedish clothier WeSC, and her work has been exhibited in London, New York and Los Angeles and published in the likes of GQ, Jane and Nylon magazines.  She moved to Los Angeles when she was 20 and took up modeling to learn more about photography from the other side of the camera. 

Eventually, her agents started sending her on commercial auditions, and she found her calling, making the leap to movies and TV. 

She works almost non-stop, taking a brief time out to chat while scrambling for some caffeine to help recover from her 19-hour days. “We’re working hard, working long hours. It’s a lot of work, but it’s awesome. It’s fun.”

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Mary Tyler Moore to be Honored at NAB Dinner in Las Vegas

Mary Tyler Moore will be among those honored at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Television Chairman’s Award dinner on April 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. marytylermoore

The NAB advances the interests of more than 8,300 radio and television stations through legislative, regulatory and public affairs actions. 

At the 2009 event long-time entertainer Mary Tyler Moore will be honored with the NAB Distinguished Service Award which recognizes broadcasters who “have made significant and lasting contributions to the broadcasting industry”.  Past winners in this category have included President Reagan, Edward R. Murrow, Bob Hope, Walter Cronkite and Oprah Winfrey. 

NAB President and CEO David Rehr said of Moore “We are proud to honor her with our Distinguished Service Award for the tremendous impact she’s had on broadcasting and for her many years of public service.” 

The NAB Show will be April 18 through 23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Hilton.  Exhibits begin on April 20.  NAB Show information:  http://www.nabshow.com/2009/eventInfo/default.asp

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Comedian Bob Newhart to Receive NAB Award in Las Vegas

Droll comedian/actor Bob Newhart will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show Television Luncheon on April 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. bobnewhart

Newhart is being recognized for his contributions to entertainment which span comedy albums, two highly successful television series and several movies and guest appearances.   The award will be given to Newhart by NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr.

Past NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame television inductees include Bob Barker, Regis Philbin, The Tonight Show, and Star Trek. 

The NAB Show will be April 18 through 23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Hilton.  Exhibits will begin on April 20.  NAB Show information:  http://www.nabshow.com/2009/eventInfo/default.asp

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Cure for Recession Blues?

Most everyone to some extent has or is being touched by our economic recession blues.  A new prescription for those ills is debuting at 7:30 p.m. on April 6 on KLVX-TV, Channel 10 (Vegas PBS) when they air “Recession Rx,” and also show it on their Web site (www.VegasPBS.org/rx), YouTube and as an Internet stream and podcast. 

All of our recession’s biggest aches and pains – the mortgage crisis, home foreclosures, unemployment, bankruptcy, health care, job searches and training, legal problems, even psychological issues – will be diagnosed on “Rx,” a half-hour, 13-week series. 

“We’re not solving everybody’s problems, but we’re setting out to say what’s out there,” says Cathy Hanson, host of the television show.

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KITT, Knight Rider Varoom into Las Vegas

Paul Casey Productions is bringing KITT back to Las Vegas.  Knight Rider fans know that both the 1982 original series pilot and the 2008 revamped series opener were based in Las Vegas and on March 20 and 21 the Fremont Street Experience will be the sight of this fundraising weekend.   knightrider

Although Hoff won’t be attending as he will be filming in New York “Dancing with the Stars” segments, organizers for the event promise many of the leading characters of the Knight Rider series will be on hand.

Events include a wedding at the drive-in chapel with KITT as the best man, a celebrity meet and greet, Q&A sessions and celebrity autograph sessions.  In addition, there will be KITT car displays and a moment with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. 

One of the primary objectives of the Knight Rider Festival is to gather donations for the Children’s Miracle Network.  The Super Pursuit Mode KITT Fundraiser began months ago encouraging participants to collect money for the Children’s Miracle Network.  Funds collected at the Knight Rider Festival will go directly to the pediatric unit at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson.  The top 3 earners will be recognized with a Jay Orhberg Super Pursuit Award.

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Las Vegas Homeowners Get New Abode Courtesy of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

The Cerda’s of Las Vegas are going to spend the next few days in Hawaii and when they get back from sun and surf in Maui, they’ll return to a rebuilt home courtesy of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  

On Tuesday, March 10 Ty Pennington and crew woke the Cerda’s with the news that their home had been chosen for a construction make-over.  A short time later the family was whisked away in a stretch SUV to begin their holiday and the ABC crew began the task of packing the house and prepping for demolition on Thursday, March 12. 

The Cerda family bought their home in 2004 and have fought construction issues ever since.  Multiple floods caused water and sewer damage as well as potentially creating an unhealthy living environment filled with mold and bacteria.  This is always a serious situation but for the Cerda’s, it’s literally life and death.  The Cerda’s daughters, Molly and Maggie, both have Combined Immune Deficiency Disease (CIDD) which makes them more susceptible to lung and upper respiratory infections.  A cold becomes pneumonia.  Because of their condition the girls have limited contact outside the home making it even more important that the house be in pristine condition. 

In part, the Cerda’s were chosen for their need but also, because of their ability to reach out to others while they work through their own difficulties.  Chuck Cerda is a Homeland Security officer and Terri Cerda works in global relief efforts with search and rescue dogs during environmental disasters.  The family also founded “Artful Hearts” which supplies murals to organizations that work to help children with life threatening health issues. 

Wright Customer Home/Wright Engineers and more than 500 volunteers will participate in the rebuild of the home at Rainbow and Ann Road in Northwest Las Vegas.  During the rebuild, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be collecting food donations at the spectator area of the construction sight to benefit Three Square.  

Three Square is a Southern Nevada food distribution hub that to date, has distributed more than 10 million pounds of food to families in need.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC affiliate KTNV Channel 13 in Las Vegas.

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