Is war having an effect on Valley filming?

By LAVENDER KEMBLE
Valley Press Staff Writer

"First we thought there'd be more production because people weren't going to fly (out of the country)," East said. There was a spike in commercial production as threats of war loomed. The AV Film Office broke a five-year record for commercials in February. "It was just the rumblings (of war)," East said.

According to the film liaison, before the war began, filmmakers seemed to be waiting temporarily to dive into new productions, expecting the war to be wrapped up quickly. Now, as the war is proving more complicated, there is a general air of hesitancy in Hollywood. "Everybody's going, 'Well, what if it continues?' I think everybody's confused.'"

Lake Los Angeles film set Club Ed, for one, doesn't seem to be feeling the sting of the war so far. According to a site rep, there is "a lot of stuff coming through."

A production crew shooting a Sony television pilot filmed scenes last weekend at Lancaster's Mira Loma Detention Center and neighboring California State Prison Los Angeles County.

The series, "There's No Place Like Home," reportedly revolves around a family whose father has been imprisoned for a white collar crime.

A makeshift set was built at Mira Loma's Tower One and local corrections officers were hired to appear in the shoot, according to East. The company producing the pilot is Canadian, she said, so if the series is picked up by a network, "my guess is we won't get the project."

Also last weekend,

• Former "Baywatch" beauty Carmen Electra posed for a calendar shoot at Club Ed.

• A big-screen remake of the "Starsky and Hutch" television show starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson is expected to pay a little visit to the high desert in mid-April. The film will reportedly be an "origin story," detailing how Starsky and Hutch first met. It will also star Snoop Dogg.

If you see filming news happening in the Valley, call staff writer Lavender Kemble, (661) 267-4154 or e-mail lavender.kemble-@avpress.com