Monday, April 18, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SHOOTING STARS: Local drug store becomes focus for 'Lucky You' filming

Many made-in-Vegas projects focus on the big and splashy instead of the grittier side of Glitter City.

But the poker drama "Lucky You," which already has visited such swank spots as Bellagio, digs into a heaping helping of old Vegas this week when it takes over the venerable White Cross Drugs, at Las Vegas and Oakey boulevards, for a week of location work.

By state law, the drug store's pharmacy must remain open during filming, according to store manager June Meredith.

But doors will be locked and customers will need security-guard escorts to pick up prescriptions during the show's location visit, she notes. The rest of the store will remain closed through Thursday.

That's because "Lucky You" stars Eric Bana ("Troy"), Drew Barrymore (currently lighting up "Fever Pitch") and Oscar-winner Robert Duvall will be busy filming dialogue scenes under the direction of Curtis Hanson (an Oscar-winner himself for co-writing "L.A. Confidential's" screenplay).

They'll be ensconced at Tiffany's Cafe, the 24-hour, luncheonette-style eatery located inside the drug store and owned by Denny Kolmetsky and Teddy Pappas.

White Cross Drugs may play a co-starring role in "Lucky You," but "right now it's the role of chaos," Meredith acknowledged as crews readied Tiffany's Cafe and portions of the drug store for filming last week.

Preparations ranged from changing lighting fixtures to rearranging stock, installing fake slot machines and an ATM, she notes.

"Some of our people are going to be extras," Meredith adds, "which is a big deal for them because they'll get paid."

Last week, White Cross Drugs posted signs and passed out flyers informing customers of the upcoming movie shoot and store closure.

Of course, most White Cross regulars already knew about the Hollywood invasion, Meredith says.

"There's been a lot of gossip about it since February," when White Cross owner Marcy Davis first mentioned the possibility of the drug store serving as a location for Warner Bros. drama.

"The customers seemed pumped about it," she comments, citing shoppers who have said, `This is cool for you guys.' It's a neighborhood thing."

Besides, once filming ends, customers are "going to want to know what happened," she reasons. "They'll come back and talk about it. We're like people's second home."

Elsewhere on location this week, NBC Sports is scheduled to conclude a two-day shoot today showcasing the Arena Football League's championship trophy at various spots around town.

"They want to go around and set the trophy in front of Vegas Vic," capturing "bumpers" for AFL telecasts, explains Eddie Fickett, the Las Vegas-based location manager who's coordinating the shoot.

Planned locations include various MGM properties and the Fremont Street Experience, Fickett reports.

Salt Lake City-based LenzWorks, meanwhile, is in town this week for a half-hour episode of the WE cable network's "Endless Vacations."

Executive producer and host David Debenham will visit a variety of Vegas attractions, reports producer Demetrius Graham, including the Richard Petty Driving Experience, The Venetian's Guggenheim Hermitage Museum and Canyon Ranch spa and Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef. (To say nothing of more traditional tourist sites downtown and on the Strip.)

RDF Media, meanwhile, returns for pick-up shots to complete production on its upcoming TLC reality series "Faking It," which previously filmed contestants fulfilling fantasies by experiencing dream jobs -- including life as a Chippendale's dancer.

Germany's Focus Productions also continues production on a television special keyed to Las Vegas' centennial celebration.

And, catching up on over-the-weekend activity, PBS' "American Masters" (produced by New York's PBS affiliate, WNET) was expected at the Golden Nugget Saturday for an upcoming episode devoted to Bob Newhart.

In addition to capturing in-performance footage, the PBS crew was expected to shoot interviews and rehearsals with Newhart for "a backstage look" at the veteran comedian, according to Sylke Finnegan, the Golden Nugget's public relations manager.

Shifting from past to future, NBC's daytime drama "Passions" plans a three-day Vegas visit starting Sunday, highlighted by the introduction of two new characters.

Las Vegas provides a definite contrast to the show's home base: the deceptively picturesque New England town of Harmony.

Before "Passions" arrives in town, however, they need to hire almost a hundred local extras. Which explains why an open casting call for extras and day players (ages 21 to 40, union and nonunion) will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Baskow and Associates, 2948 E. Russell Road.