Background players sought for Willis-starring ‘Lay the Favorite’

It's been a while, but Las Vegas finally is getting ready for its next big-screen close-up.

It's "Lay the Favorite," based on Beth Raymer's memoir about infiltrating the world of sports betting as a protégée to veteran gambler Dink Heimowitz . Rebecca Hall ("The Town," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona") stars as Raymer; Bruce Willis plays Dink. Calling the shots will be Stephen Frears, whose numerous credits include "The Queen," "Dangerous Liaisons" and "High Fidelity." (Screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis, who adapted Raymer's book, also scripted "High Fidelity.")

Cameras aren't scheduled to roll until next week, but casting official Julie Goldman of Goldman and Associates is looking for union and nonunion background players, ages 21-70, to play attractive cocktail waitresses, bikini girls, blackjack and roulette dealers, Strip/downtown tourists and sports book employees and gamblers. (If you're a real-life cocktail waitress or dealer, so much the better, Goldman notes.) The production also needs stand-ins/photo doubles for Hall and Willis.

If you're interested, email your name, contact number and a photo (snapshots are OK) to Goldman at julie@gacasting.com.

And, as always, stay tuned to Shooting Stars for more on "Lay the Favorite," which is scheduled to spend less than a week on location in Las Vegas before moving to New Orleans for a 25-day shoot.

Reality check: Fox's long-running "Hell's Kitchen," in which host Gordon Ramsay puts aspiring chefs through intense culinary competition, visits Caesars Palace this week as part of the show's ninth season, which debuts in July.

And let's not forget TLC's "Sister Wives," which has moved to Las Vegas for its second season. Kody Brown and family (four wives, 16 children) were scheduled to enjoy Fremont Street Experience attractions last week, taking on the zipline and posing for caricatures.

And there are plenty more reality shows where they came from. In addition to such long-running hits as History's "Pawn Stars" and its "American Restoration" spinoff, Spike's new game show "Repo Games" -- in which real-life repo men Josh Lewis and Tom DeTone quiz debtors with trivia questions, giving them a shot at keeping their cars from being towed to the impound lot -- is in production here, along with A&E's "Flipping Vegas," focusing on (surprise!) local house-flippers.

Hand-crafted: A documentary devoted to a nationwide search for traditional crafts experts is scheduled to visit Stitched Lifestyle at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas today to focus on the store's custom tailors.

Sponsored by the Balvenie, a hand-crafted single malt Scotch, the "Rare Crafts Roadshow" follows Balvenie Ambassadors Andrew Weir and Nicholas Pollachi as they travel cross-country to visit artisans of all stripes, from brewers to bicycle makers.

"Stitch Lifestyle is a fine representation of devotion to the art of craftsmanship," Pollachi says, "and we are very excited to visit and learn more about their practice."

Casting about: Seattle-area rockers Motopony plan to shoot a music video for their song "King of Diamonds" -- so where else would they shoot it but Las Vegas?

And the video, scheduled for production Wednesday and Thursday will feature a variety of Vegas places and faces, according to producer Daniella Southgate.

"We're going for a documentary look," she says -- one modeled on the 1982 documentary "Koyaanisqatsi." (The title is a Hopi word that means "life out of balance.") That documentary filmed in Las Vegas, so the Motopony music video is filming here, too, Southgate notes, echoing the documentary's visual themes with time-lapse shots of "hordes of people on the street."

Southgate's looking for "real people," including: showgirls old and young; bodybuilders; folks with facial tattoos or another "unique look"; cocktail waitresses of all ages; Elvis impersonators of all ethnic persuasions; celebrity impersonators; drag queens; exotic dancers; and maids.

Pay is $100 for an hour's work; if you're interested, email your contact information and a current photo ASAP to Daniella.Southgate@sbcglobal.net.

And local filmmaker Marko Sakren's Glenbrook Studios is accepting résumés, headshots and demo reels prior to casting two features, for roles ranging from an ex-porn star dying of AIDS to a female bartender "full of sass and good advice," along with singers and vocal artists for an upcoming puppet musical.

If you'd like to be considered for cast or crew, email Glenbrook Studios at m1@glenbrookstudios.com or mail information to Glenbrook Studios Inc., Dept. 4-111M, 10120 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas NV 89147, no later than May 1.

Carol Cling's Shooting Stars column appears
Mondays. Contact her at (702) 383-0272
or ccling@reviewjournal. com.