MSNBC’s Schultz brings ‘Ed Show’ to town

No word on whether MSNBC's Ed Schultz is a Willie Nelson fan, but he should definitely consider adopting Nelson's "On the Road Again" as his theme song.

Last week, Schultz covered Wisconsin's recall elections from the Badger State's capital city, Madison.

This week, Schultz hits Las Vegas.

The official reason for his Strip trip? The United Steelworkers' annual convention, where Schultz is scheduled to accept the union's Paul Wellstone Award, named for the late Minnesota senator, which salutes Schultz's "commitment to public service and the well-being of USW members and their families."

Wherever Schultz goes, however, "The Ed Show" goes, too. Which means that, on Wednesday, the show goes live from a Las Vegas studio at 7 p.m. -- 10 p.m. on the East Coast.

"I love getting out of New York," Schultz says of his road trips, which also include upcoming treks to New Orleans (for the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina) and Toledo, Ohio.

Wherever he goes, including Las Vegas, Schultz plans to focus on "job creation -- where are the opportunities and who bears the responsibility?" That theme certainly resonates in Las Vegas, where "the numbers are down" because of America's overall economic downturn, he observes. (At least that's what Las Vegas cabdrivers have told him, Schultz says.)

"It's always good to get out and meet people from around the country and have more of a personal touch," he says during a telephone interview. "I think it enhances the show -- and it gives me a better perspective."

After all, Schultz adds, "people say things to you face-to-face that they wouldn't say in a TV studio."

Odds on: Las Vegas' sports books are ready for their collective close-up.

"Linemakers," a series for Discovery's new Velocity channel, begins production this week, with the South Point serving as a location for the first of 24 hourlong episodes, according to Mike Levy of Las Vegas-based Levy Production Group, which is shooting the show for Velocity.

The series will take viewers behind the scenes at local sports books -- and provide a glimpse "into the minds of some of the top linemakers in the business," Levy reports.

Reality check: Several other unscripted shows join "Linemakers" on this week's production calendar.

National Geographic Television's "Explorer" is expected to shoot footage on the Strip for a one-hour special, scheduled to air next spring, about the black market of prostitution and illegal sex workers.

The A&E special "Storage Wars: Unlocked" plans a series of driving shots that will take cameras from the Strip's "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign to Red Rock Canyon's Calico Basin and Henderson's Lake Las Vegas. Also scheduled: interviews with Strip pedestrians.

The Travel Channel's "VIP Vegas," headquartered at the Hard Rock Hotel, continues production for a few more weeks, while Showtime's "Gigolos" also keeps rolling around town.

TLC's "Sister Wives" plans a trek to the Fremont Street Experience as part of production on additional second-season episodes. The Fremont Street Experience also shows up on the itinerary for Oxygen's "Bad Girls Club," which is scheduled to capture promotional footage at Dream Vision Studios as well.

And a planned documentary-style shoot for Canon reportedly will re-create a couple's Las Vegas elopement, from driving shots on the Strip to staging the ceremony inside the Clark County Museum's chapel.

Still cooking: If you're a foodie, professional or amateur, don't forget the "Food Network Star's" eighth-season casting call from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Westin Casuarina, 160 E. Flamingo Road. Full details are available online at www. foodnetworkstarcasting.com.

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