‘Model Latina’ reality series wraps Vegas shoot

There’s no better Vegas view than the one from atop the Stratosphere Tower. But the five finalists for the title of "Model Latina" were too busy looking at the camera to look down.

The Si TV reality series, which returns Aug. 1, wrapped its fourth-season shoot after visiting a variety of locations, including the Stratosphere’s Big Shot ride, which contestants rode last week — in glammed-up evening gowns — before posing for photos on the 112th-floor observation deck.

With "Model Latina" locations ranging from the Neon Museum boneyard to New York-New York’s "Zumanity," Las Vegas provided "diverse settings galore" for contestant challenges, according to Marlene Braga, Si TV’s programming vice president. "It’s the perfect backdrop to create a mix of fantasy and reality."

Local motion: "Time Warrior," a new sci-fi feature from Las Vegas-based Jaguar Pictures, rolls into its second week of production on the streets of Summerlin.

That’s in keeping with director Joaquin Rodriguez’s vision to "shine a different light on Las Vegas."

The local focus extends to the movie’s cast. Las Vegas-based actor and casting official Rusty Meyers (working with Cool Blue Entertainment) estimates he brought in 95 percent of the local actors cast.

International intrigue: The French TV series "Mag Men" continues a scheduled three-day shoot today and Tuesday, focusing on the history of the Strip as part of a series on "legendary, unique and symbolic places in the world," according to reporter Mathilde Menusier of France’s Canal+ network. Burlesque legend Tempest Storm is among Menusier’s interview subjects, along with a Caesars Palace employee and a journalist who covered Muhammad Ali’s October 1980 Caesars bout with Larry Holmes.

"Las Vegas is a place most French people only have seen in movies," Menusier notes, "and we thought it would be both captivating and appealing to explain how Las Vegas became the world-famous city it is today."

Also from France: the entertainment TV special "Bienvenue a Las Vegas (Welcome to Las Vegas), which shoots Wednesday through Friday at locations including the Strip, Fremont Street and the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign.

And from Britain, comedian Justin Lee Collins plans a three-week "Weird & Wonderful Vegas Adventure" in which he will attempt to make it big on the Strip. Collins reportedly plans to visit with Caesars Palace regular (and fellow Brit) Matt Goss during his stay.

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