Fox rolling reality dice
Net bets on Vegas 'Casino'

By JOSEF ADALIAN

What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas if Mark Burnett has his way.

Fox has pacted with the reality kingpin for "The Casino," an hourlong
reality drama that will focus on the pending relaunch of Sin City's famed
downtown Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. Net has ordered 13 episodes of the
skein, which is already in pre-production for an intended summer 2004
premiere.

Skein, which was conceived by Burnett and production partner/manager Conrad
Riggs, marks Burnett's first collaboration with Fox reality titan Mike
Darnell.

It will be centered on businessmen Thomas Breitling and Timothy Poster, who,
after making a killing by selling web startup Travelscape to Expedia in
2000, have invested tens of millions of their own coin to buy the Golden
Nugget and its sister casino in Laughlin.

Project is the latest addition to CAA-repped Mark Burnett Prods.' growing
slate of scripted and unscripted projects.

"Survivor" is about to wrap its seventh installment on CBS, with ratings and
buzz still sky-high. "The Apprentice" will get a Thursday-night bow on NBC
next month, with an all-star "Survivor" launching after the Super Bowl in
February.

A second season of "The Restaurant" is in production for NBC, while the WB
has given a pilot order and script commitment to a pair of scripted projects
from Burnett. Another "Eco- Challenge" is expected in a year or so.

As for "The Casino," in addition to chronicling the Nugget's relaunch, skein
will also document the daily dramas surrounding the Nugget's 3,000 pit
bosses, security guards, cocktail waitresses, entertainers and other
employees. Guests of the casino will also find their way into storylines.

Skein will also be produced in HDTV in conjunction with Panasonic.

As with "Survivor" and his other skeins, Burnett said "storytelling and
character development are paramount" to the success of the new project.

"Just saying 'casino' doesn't make for an interesting show," he told Daily
Variety. "But when you take two dynamic characters like Tom and Tim who've
rolled the dice in the biggest way by buying the Golden Nugget, it has all
the makings of a high-stakes drama. They're going to be two people you're
rooting for."

New owners are hoping to bring the Nugget back to its Rat Pack-era gloryby
focusing on customer service and standing out from the megacasinos on the
Strip, which are owned by congloms.

"We researched the Vegas landscape and found Tim and Tom to be very
charismatic characters and their journey to be the most personal and
dramatic story," said Riggs, who will serve as co-exec producer on the
project. "They will be walking the casino floor every night like in old
Vegas. That doesn't happen in today's large, corporate casinos."

Poster said he and his partner want to "give our patrons the type of service
that was so common in years past, but has been slowly disappearing. Vegas
casinos used to be a fantasyland for gamblers, and this is what we intend to
provide."

While "The Casino" would seem to have much in common with Burnett's NBC
success "The Restaurant," Burnett said the two shows will be dramatically
different.

"The only thing similar is that they're both reality shows," he said.

Darnell agreed, saying "casinos are inherently much more dramatic places.
You've got people from all over the world who've landed in Vegas. It's high
stakes, high security, high drama. (Tim and Tom) have their necks on the
line."

Burnett and Darnell have been personal friends for about five years, and
both said they're excited to finally be teaming up.

"With Mark Burnett behind this, it should be really great television,"
Darnell said.

"The Casino" has been in the works for several months, with the Las Vegas
Review-Journal first reporting in September Burnett was scouting locations
for such a skein. Pre-production has already begun on the skein, with
Burnett gaining clearance from current Nugget owner MGM Mirage to shoot at
the casino.

"The Casino" will be exec produced by Burnett with Riggs and Jamie Bruce
("The Restaurant") on board as co-exec producers. Kevin Harris ("The
Apprentice") will be a supervising producer.

Trent Othick of Las Vegas-based Insomnia Entertainment will exec produce,
along with Rob Lieberman, on behalf of Poster and Breitling. Perry Rogers
and Mark Burg will also get producer credits.

Deal for "The Casino" was brokered by CAA, Riggs and Irell & Manella. Poster
and Breitling are repped by Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka and Finkelstein.

Poster and Breitling are awaiting final approval of their purchase of the
Nugget; Fox's deal is contingent on that approval.