Vegas C.O.D. :: Scoop
USA (2001): Thriller
Produced by: DMG Entertainment
Filmed on location: Las Vegas, Mount Charleston and Hoover Dam, Nevada
Elman Rating: 1 star out of 4
Release date: September 25, 2001
88 min, Rated R, Color, Available on DVD and VHS
Producer: Edward Doumani
Director: Lorenzo Doumani
Monday, December 25, 2000
Projects take holiday break, but prepare for early 2001 work It's all quiet on the production front as Hollywood's annual holiday hiatus takes hold. But the pre-production front is another story as a host of projects gear up for early 2001 start dates. First up for Las Vegas will be a homegrown production: "Vegas C.O.D." (The "C.O.D." stands for "City of Dreams.")
And director Lorenzo Doumani plans to show a different side of his hometown in the "edgy thriller," which is scheduled to start a monthlong shoot Jan. 8. "The stuff that's here -- they're just using Vegas an an exterior," with emphasis on the Strip, Doumani says of visiting productions. "I'm tired of Vegas being depicted that way. To that end, "Vegas C.O.D." will be "showing Vegas in a whole different light," with locations ranging from Lake Mead to Mount Charleston, he reports. (A penthouse suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, and the Hilton's private VIP casino also will turn up, according to Doumani.)
"Vegas C.O.D." revolves around an annual family reunion, in which three sisters try to cope with -- and uncover the truth behind -- the mysterious demise of a fourth sister. Cast as the siblings: Erika Eleniak ("Under Siege", "Baywatch"); Monika Schnarre ("Beverly Hills 90210," "The Bold and the Beautiful"); and Brenda Epperson (alias Mrs. Doumani), whose credits range from "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" to Doumani's "Bug Buster," "Follow Your Heart," "Storybook" and "Amore!"
Rounding out the starring cast of "Vegas C.O.D." will be Joe Don Baker (alias CIA agent Jack Wade in the James Bond adventures "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies") as the sisters' father, Daniel Benzali ("Murder One") as the coroner and, as the villain of the piece, rocker John Taylor of Duran Duran.
In addition, "Vegas C.O.D." will use about 200 extras between 25 and 35 and about 100 older extras during the shoot; Lear Casting is handling the extras call. Casting calls for both "Vegas C.O.D." will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 2 at Lear Entertainment, 41 N. Mojave Road.
Thursday, January 4, 2001 - VEGAS FILMS
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The town continues be to a favorite for movie production companies. During the first quarter of 2001 the action-thriller "Vegas C.O.D." will all be filming in town.
Monday, January 08, 2001
'Vegas: C.O.D.' opens new year production in the valley Creativity, as well as charity, begins at home. So it seems appropriate that the first big-screen production to shoot in Las Vegas in 2001 turns out to be the homegrown "Vegas: C.O.D."
Directed by Las Vegan Lorenzo Doumani, "Vegas: C.O.D." (the initials in the title stand for "City of Dreams") is scheduled to kick off about four weeks of principal photography today, according to the director. The thriller -- which focuses on three sisters striving to solve the mystery of their sister's death -- will shoot at a variety of locations in its first week and a half, Doumani reports. Shooting begins at the Las Vegas Hilton -- with a penthouse suite and the Hilton's private VIP casino as the primary focus.
The action then shifts to the streets of Summerlin, where the locations include some model homes. Henderson's police headquarters and jail also will figure in early scenes, Doumani notes, along with a local golf course (playing a cemetery) and Allstate Auto & Marine Electric, a garage operated by local wrestling guru "Buffalo" Jim Barrier.
Erika Eleniak ("Under Siege," "Baywatch"), Monika Schnarre ("Beverly Hills 90210," "The Bold and the Beautiful") and Brenda Epperson (Doumani's real-life wife and frequent reel-life star, whose credits also include "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful") portray the movie's central trio. The cast's most recent additions are veterans Paul Winfield (playing a hotel general manager) and Tony Plana (as a police sergeant), both of whom had roles in Doumani's boxing drama "Knockout." Joining them in the co-starring cast: Joe Don Baker (as the sisters' father), former "Murder One" lead Daniel Benzali as the local coroner; and, as the resident bad guy, rocker John Taylor of Duran Duran.
Monday, January 22, 2001
Rounding out the week's big-screen schedule: "Vegas C.O.D." In its third full week of production, the thriller will spend three days shooting in a $16-million, 12,000-square-foot luxury penthouse atop the Las Vegas Hilton, according to director Lorenzo Doumani. Brenda Epperson, who plays one of the movie's three central characters, will perform three musical numbers in the Hilton's NightClub before "Vegas C.O.D." heads to Mount Charleston on Saturday and Hoover Dam on Sunday, Doumani reports.
