CBS”Girls’ Night Out’ concert, Fox’s ‘Dance’ hitting the Strip

Gotta sing, gotta dance.

That's the ticket for two network productions making separate Vegas visits this week.

If you thought last night's 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast -- from the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay -- wrapped up the ACM's annual Las Vegas stay, think again.

That's because there's one more show on the schedule: "Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country," which tapes at 7:30 p.m. today at the MGM Grand Garden.

The CBS special, airing April 22, showcases everyone from the Judds, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood to ACM host Reba McEntire -- and the Coal Miner's Daughter herself, Loretta Lynn.

So much for the singing. As for the dancing, it's time once again for Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" to step on down to Planet Hollywood's Theatre for the Performing Arts for eighth-season callbacks.

Executive producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe, judge Mary Murphy and guest judges will put the dance hopefuls through their paces as they work with choreographers, hoping to advance in the competition.

Cameras also will venture outside the theater to capture views of the Strip and the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign as well.

Also on the dance front, E!'s "Chelsea Lately" was scheduled to catch the Chippendales dancers in action at the Rio this weekend for an upcoming taped segment.

Start your cameras: The countdown clock's ticking down to the start of Las Vegas' 48 Hour Film Project, the annual race to complete a short film during one wild weekend.

The winning film from Las Vegas always goes on to compete against films from around the world, but this year's contest winner will have an additional showcase at next year's Cannes Film Festival.

The contest kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where more than three dozen teams will participate in a drawing to determine the genre of movie they'll make. Every film must contain the same predetermined character, line of dialogue and prop.

From there, it's off to the races for filmmakers, who must deliver their completed shorts no later than 7:30 p.m. Sunday at theatre7 , 1406 S. Third St., where refreshments will be waiting for the weary teams.

There's still time to sign up at the project's final networking mixer, from 6 to 11 p.m. Wednesday at LJ's Bar & Grill, 1243 E. Sahara Ave. Additional information about the contest is available at www.48hourfilm/lasvegas.

Casting about: The biopic "Tupac," about the late Tupac Shakur, is scheduled to shoot in Las Vegas later this year.

But first, the production needs to find its title character -- in an online casting call running through April 30. If you're interested in playing Shakur, you can upload an audition video to www.InSearchOfTupac.com.

Incentive update: The Nevada Assembly's taxation committee is currently considering two bills that would establish incentives for filmmakers to shoot their projects in Nevada.

The new proposal, AB506, is similar to the previously introduced AB418, but "goes a few steps further," according to James "JR" Reid, president of JR Lighting, who's co-chairing the drive to enact the legislation. "We support both bills," Reid says, adding that he hopes the two proposals can be combined in the next few weeks.

Proponents are currently conducting a letter-writing campaign in support of the legislation; more information is available online at www. nevadafilmincentive.com.

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