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Sugar uses Bob's fake immunity idol to exact revenge on Randy, who apologized to Crystal

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:28:27 -0500

It's hard to capture the comic drama of last night's Survivor Gabon episode--a great episode to lead into a two-week break, since Thanksgiving's is a clip/recap episode--because there's no way a summary can do Tribal Council's dramatic tension and non-stop "no way" moments. Once again, someone fell for a fake immunity idol, with Randy playing Bob's impeccably crafted fake idol at the prompting of Sugar, who wanted to get back at Randy.

Despite being a fan of the show, Randy was convinced by the fake idol. "Honestly, I pretty much thought that it was real," he told me when we talked a few minutes ago. "Bob was a friend, Bob was even an ally. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out the benefit he thought he might get by giving me a fake idol. The only possible benefit is making me look foolish, and I didn't think Bob was that kind of guy."

Randy said his increasing outspokenness in the game "was a result of me finding a home with Marcus, Charlie, and Corinne. We felt in control, and it didn't matter if I treated Sugar like a princess or if I treated her like the way you saw me treat her," he said. "On day 23, I was already practicing me speech at finals," but then, of course, Marcus was voted out.

I reminded him that, before the season started, he told me, "If you carve a strategy in stone, you're fucked from the beginning," and being so confident in an alliance is pretty much a stone-carved strategy. "Please don't curse, Andy," Randy joked. "I've ready your article on me several times, and I played that not carving the strategy in stone perfectly for the first 18, 19 days of the game," he said. "I would have been much better off not aligning with anybody; the power alliances in this game are getting picked off."

When Sugar voted for Randy, she said, "You are a disgusting, old, hot-headed, chauvinistic, alcoholic bigot, and you need to grow up before you die alone." Her strong feelings were echoed by Crystal. "You have made my life hell from day one. Forget you, go home, goodbye," she essentially yelled--loud enough so everyone could hear it. (Jeff Probst tells the cast members during their first visit to Tribal that the voting confessional is purposefully placed close enough so that the voter can make their intentions known, but I can't remember anyone taking advantage of that until last night.)

Those kinds of comments, in addition to ones from previous weeks, convinced me that Survivor Gabon is different and less-satisfying strategically because, as I wrote last night, people are playing the game emotionally and personally, not strategically. Sugar wanted Randy gone because he annoyed her, and wanted to humiliate him at the same time, which was perhaps deserved considering some of the awful things he said.

I asked Randy if there was anything he regretted saying or if he ever crossed a line, and he said, "Don't beat around the bush. I know exactly what you're talking about. Two weeks ago during Tribal Council, I cringed watching it. At the time, I didn't know what I was saying. And the 'posse gang line' to Crystal was--I cringed when I watched that on TV. I've talked to Crystal, I've apologized, I believe she's accepted it, and we've moved on. As far as the T-Rek, Sasquatch, Bigfoot line, there's no apology required there. She called me the ugly troll that lives under the bridge. We're all out there a long time; a lot of people say a lot of things about everybody and most of it's not all that flattering."

As to Sugar's send-off of Randy, "Actually, I loved it," he said. "I was out there 30 days, I drink three beers, and she calls me an alcoholic, which pretty much blows away all her credibility for all of her other comments. I loved last night's episode because of Sugar's edit. It showed just what a vicious--she's just a crappy person."

Of those remaining, Randy said, "I think there's two people left in the game that are actually playing the game, and that's Kenny and Corinne. I think the rest of them just don't have a clue what they're doing out there and they haven't from the beginning."

Here's something that may come as a surprise: "Believe it or not, I made as many friends out there as anybody did," Randy said, citing Charlie, Corinne ("we're best friends"), and Marcus, in addition to Matty, Dan, and Ace, who he said is a great guy--and Ace does not hit women and Ace did not say he's famous to the cops," referring to police reports about Ace's recent arrest. "What [viewers] saw was accurate, but what they didn't see was hours and hours and hours of me actually being human with some of the friends I made out here," Randy said. "There's another side of me."

Speaking of his friendships, Randy said, "I have a date with Charlie going to see Clay Aiken on Broadway. I'm dead serious and I'm looking forward to it." I initially laughed because I thought he was joking, but they actually are going to see Clay Aiken in Spamalot tonight. Clearly, CBS should show video from that instead of the clip show next week.

'Survivor' gets personal as season nears end [MSNBC]

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Momma's Boys cast member's racism prompts her to seek police protection

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:36:18 -0500

A woman appearing on NBC's upcoming Momma's Boys, a series that lets mothers pick romantic partners for their sons, contacted police in her hometown, as did a producer for the show, because they're fearful about the response to her racist comments on the show.

On the Dec. 16 season premiere, Washington Township, Mich., resident Khalood Bojanowski describes what she wants in a partner for her son like this: "I cannot have a black one; I can't have an Asian one; I can't have a fat-butt girl. .... Nooo! No Jewish girl! No way, no way! I cannot stand them! I'm sorry, but I can't handle them. It has to be a white girl."

When her son makes out with a black woman, she says, "I'm going to kill him, that's what I'm going to do! I'm going to strangle his balls! I swear, I'm ready to kill somebody!" In her NBC bio, Khalood, who emigrated from Iraq, says, "I am very opinionated and will tell it like it is whether you want to hear it or not. However, I truly do have a good heart and am a very generous person."

Macomb County Sheriff's Office captain Tony Wickersham told the New York Post that he "actually got a call from the producer of the show who was concerned" and Bojanowski "told our people ... that she was going to be on a reality show and that she may have made some statements or something."

The paper reports that recently, "her house was broken into and her beloved German shepherd suddenly died. She believes the dog was poisoned," but police "[do] not believe the death of Bojanowski's dog and the burglary have anything to do with the TV show."

Bias 'Mom' Fears Her Big Debut [New York Post]

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Probst's charity auctioning tickets to finale

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:30:36 -0500

Jeff Probst's charity is auctioning off two tickets to the Survivor Gabon finale and reunion.

The winners of each of the two eBay auctions will receive tickets to the Dec. 14 finale in L.A., "a meet & greet" with Probst" that will last 15 minutes, an hour-long "lunch with the Survivor contestants," a "photo opportunity & autographs" from contestants, and an "exclusive backstage tour," according to the auction description.

All proceeds will benefit Jeff's charity, The Serpentine Project, which "empowers youth transitioning out of foster care to reach for their dreams by opening the door to possibilities" via "personalized mentorship, life skills training, job shadowing and financial support."

As of 7:30 a.m. ET Friday, the current bid for each is 99 cents; bidding ends Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. PT.

The Serpentine Project Survivor Gabon Finale Tix +Lunch w/Cast & Probst, 12/14 [eBay]

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Aubrey O'Day may get her own spin-off

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:20:42 -0500

After being kicked out of Danity Kane, Aubrey O'Day is moving on--perhaps to her own Diddy-produced reality show, and may even show up on Making the Band 4 in some capacity.

Aubrey told Hollyscoop, "You never know maybe ill [sic] be back on it. Maybe I will be on my own show." She then said she'd "Absolutely" get her own show, but as to whether it'd be on MTV, she said, "Possibly, you never know."

MTV's blog links to that report, which gives it validity (since MTV uses its blog to promote its own shows), and says that Aubrey "may have her own (Diddy-produced??) spinoff show in the works." The blog also asks, "If Aubrey does have her own show, would you guys watch?" Blog comments: the new marketing research.

Aubrey O'Day To Get Spin-Off Reality Show [Hollyscoop] Is Aubrey O'Day Getting Her Own Spinoff Show?? [MTV]

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Homeless Youth TV Network parodies reality shows to bring attention to teen homelessness

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:03:37 -0500

A campaign to raise awareness about youth homelessness is using mock reality show titles and brief, satirical trailers that reveal facts about homelessness.

The Homeless Youth TV Network features such "shows" as Project Runaway, The Simple Strife, and American Idle, but after a few seconds of a fake trailer, viewers are presented with a comparison between that show's contents and homelessness. There's also a fake casting application. Each of the "shows" invite visitors to "sponsor" them by donating $1 to the campaign's charitable partners.

The campaign plans an actual reality show, however, one called 24 Hours on the Street. Two randomly selected winners will spend a day living on the street with no food or money with American Idol 6's Ace Young, who identifies himself as "a former reality TV star." (Text "REAL" to 99464 to enter.)

Virgin Mobile USA created the campaign, and exec Ron Faris says in a press release, "The personal drama found on HYTV is far more moving than your average episode of reality television. Youth homelessness is not something that runs for a season and then goes off the air. Virgin Mobile USA is committed to getting people to pay attention to this important issue."

Homeless Youth TV

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Julianne Hough leaving Dancing with the Stars because "music is where I want to be"

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:24:20 -0500

Julianne Hough, who missed two weeks of Dancing with the Stars 7 and then was eliminated Tuesday on her first week back, definitely won't be back for Dancing with the Stars 8--and may be leaving the show for good.

"Actually, I'm not going to be back next season. ... That's final, I'm definitely not going back next season. It's because I really, really want to focus on the music and, you know, kind of be taken seriously a little bit," she told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show today. "And I think it's hard being on Dancing with the Stars and be singing, and kind of get that confusion, so I'm really going to focus on the music and go on tour."

Seacrest asked if that was risky. "I mean, yeah, but the music is where I want to be. So, you gotta do what you gotta to do get there," she said. "The music's so important." On the show, she didn't say anything about future seasons, but on her Fancast blog, she wrote, "I don’t know about the fall. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see."

In other words, if her singing career tanks, look for her back on the show on season nine. That music career, however, has involved releasing two albums this year: her self-titled debut and Sounds of the Season: The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection.

While Julianne and her celebrity partner Cody Linley were eliminated this week, she has won the show two of the four seasons she's appeared on it (with Helio Castroneves on season five and Apolo Ohno on season four.

Julianne Hough [On Air with Ryan Seacrest] Julianne Hough: "Vote For My Brother Derek" [Fancast]

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Playboy's Foursome casting for its "most extreme season yet"

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:41:31 -0500

Playboy TV's reality show Foursome, which is basically just an excuse to show amateur sex in a series format, is now casting for its third season. On each half-hour episode, two men and two women go on a 24-hour date at a mansion, which basically means they show up, get naked, and start hooking up to various degrees. Oh, and there's occasionally interpersonal drama involved due to things like jealousy and performance issues.

It's good practice for a career in porn or just in reality TV; after all, Survivor Cook Islands and Survivor Micronesia cast member Ozzy Lusth had sex on Foursome long before he appeared on CBS, and got practice in appearing on cameras and giving confessional interviews, although on Survivor he never got to say, "I blew my load in her mouth like she told me to, because that's how she likes it."

The casting notice says they're "gearing up for our most extreme season yet and looking for just the right singles to kick it off with a bang." Ha, bang.

Anyway, producers want a non-nude photo, a bio, and an explanation as to why the show should come--ha! writing about porn is fun--to your city.

If you want to see what you're getting into before applying, here's a (mostly) safe-for-work preview of the show:

Foursome casting [Playboy]

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David Archuleta's first-week record sales rank him third among runners-up, 10th overall

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:19:35 -0500

David Archuleta's debut was released last week, and its first-week sales were strong enough to make his album the third-most popular among American Idol runners-up, and he sold enough copies to place 10th overall--even beating last season's winner, Jordin Sparks.

Archuleta sold 183,000 copies of David Archuleta, according to Billboard, placing him second for the week, behind Taylor Swift, who sold 592,000 copies of her debut.

Those 183,000 copies place Archuleta behind just Bo Bice, whose record sold 226,976 copies in 2005, and Clay Aiken, whose Measure of a Man sold 612,859 copies in 2003 and remains the reigning champ of runners-up, according to numbers compiled by MJ's Big Blog. Archuleta just beat Katharine McPhee's early 2007 self-titled debut, which sold 115,761 copies. That makes his debut the best in three years for a runner-up.

And an MJ's blog commenter posted the first-week sales for all American Idol finalists, which shows his first-week sales place him at number 10, ahead of American Idol 6 winner Jordin Sparks' sales.

Taylor Swift Soars To No. 1 Debut [Billboard] David Archuleta - First Week Sales 183K, Debuts at #2 on The Billboard 200 and [MJ's Big Blog]

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McKey Sullivan wins Top Model 11

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:04:30 -0500

A 19-year-old college student from Illinois is America's next next next next next next next next next next top model. Brittany McKey Sullivan won America's Next Top Model 11, beating runner-up Samantha Potter and Analeigh Tipton, who placed third. McKey never landed in the bottom two.

When Tyra announced that she'd won the show's prize, a $100,000 Cover Girl contract and representation by Elite, and would soon join the pile of winners everyone's already forgotten about (okay, Tyra didn't say that), McKey hugged Tyra and lifted her off the ground.

Her selection wasn't a surprise to the show's two Jays, who both say they knew from the first day of the competition that McKey would win. Back in September, Jay Manuel told E!'s Kristin Dos Santos, "I called the winner of this cycle on day one. I knew it." And Miss J said, "We both did. We both knew who would win right away. It was obvious!"

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Lifetime sues to get exclusive rights to Runway, says it can air the show in December

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:44:24 -0500

Another day, another Project Runway 6-related lawsuit. This time, Lifetime has filed suit, asking a court to give it the exclusive rights to the series--and insisting it can air the new season in December. That's despite the fact that the network previously delayed the debut to early 2009.

Tuesday, Lifetime "filed suit in Manhattan federal court against NBC Universal and Bravo Media, claiming Lifetime holds the copyrights to the high-rated reality TV show through its deal this year with the show's producer, the Weinstein Co.," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The network says it "paid a $20 million advance to TWC for 'Runway' and has expended resources and money to launch the next cycle of the show, including committing to advertisers and viewers. The show, it claims, is ready to air in December, with all but two episodes filmed for the sixth cycle," the paper reports.

Producers expect to film those two episodes--the two-part finale--during Fashion Week this spring. That's according to a New York Times article that mostly summarizes what we already know: the show is in legal limbo and may not air until next summer at the earliest.

Lifetime joins 'Runway' row [Hollywood Reporter] Legal Tangles of 'Project Runway' Keep It Frozen on the Catwalk [New York Times]

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Season five of My Life on the D-List started production today, will be "celebrity oriented"

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:53:56 -0500

After battling with Bravo over money, Kathy Griffin has officially signed up for another season of My Life on the D-List, which started production today and will focus more on Kathy's contact with celebrities.

"It's season 5. We start shooting [Wednesday]. Literally, it's our first day. I know, what am I doing here?" she told Us Weekly Tuesday night at a party.

As to the content, she said "Season 5 is going to be a little bit of a transitional season because it's going to be more celebrity oriented. [It's] the way that American Idol sort of started as a singing contest and then every week you expect to see the mentors. I have some really good guest stars coming on the D-List this year," Kathy said, but wouldn't name those stars.

While there was an early report about that the show had been renewed, Kathy insisted the show hadn't been renewed, and was even talking to other networks, although she said she wanted it to stay within the NBC family.

Kathy Griffin: Another D-List Season Is Happening [Us Weekly]

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Life at Ponderosa series returns with Marcus and Charlie's reunion

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:56:14 -0500

Survivor's behind-the-scenes Life at Ponderosa series is back, and so far there are five web episodes, three following Marcus' eviction and two following Charlie's.

In episode one, Marcus gets voted out, and the most fascinating part--besides the hooded robes they wear when being transported--is that he stays overnight at base camp, in a cabin just like crew members, before traveling to Ponderosa. In a voice-over, Probst explains that it's because this Ponderosa is only accessible by helicopter which can't fly at night. (For a while, at least, they were at a different Ponderosa than the one used pre-season, but the jury eventually returned to that location, which was accessible by car--although still quite a long, bumpy drive away.)

Marcus' other two episodes aren't that interesting; in one, he mixes red wine and Coke to get "the poor man's sangria", and in the other, just kills time.

Before Charlie's voted out, Marcus flies back via chopper--which isn't something that can't exactly happen once the jury gets big, hence the change--and then Charlie joins him at base camp, where they stay in tents instead of a crew cabin (apparently, someone changed their mind about that). From the video, those tents appear to be the ones local crew members were using while we were there.

While the second of the Marcus and Charlie episodes is entertaining, as it featuresthem deciding what to wear to Tribal Council, the first episode after Charlie's eviction features the Charlie/Marcus reunion footage, which is predictably edited but actually features more behind-the-scenes footage than bromance footage:

Survivor Gabon - Charlie in Ponderosa [CBS]

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MTV casting "celebrity" Beauty and the Geek that would star former Real Worlders, Playmates

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:57:29 -0500

MTV is negotiating to acquire the former CW series Beauty and the Geek, but will change the format so that the beauties are "celebrities," emphasis on the scare quotes.

"MTV wants a celebrity version of the show, where average geeks compete for semi-famous" women, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and "the celebrity girls probably will be at the star-wattage level of former 'Real World' contestants and Playboy Playmates."

Yes, former Real World cast members will have yet another way to artificially extend their fame and continue to get paid for just being their obnoxious selves.

The paper says that while "the deal is not complete, things are far enough along for producers to have started casting."

Earlier, The CW cancelled Beauty and the Geek after five seasons, but reports said the show would probably move to a new network.

'Beauty and the Geek' could go to MTV [Hollywood Reporter]

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Whale Wars ratings increase, renewed for second season

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:44:08 -0500

The second of Whale Wars' seven episodes aired Friday and its ratings increased significantly and performed better than any other recent show the network has aired that night. It was Animal Planet's "best performing Friday primetime telecast in five years," the network said in a press release.

Episode two was watched by 1.153 million viewers, which is 80 percent higher than the household ratings the network got last November, and a 13 percent increase from the first episode--never mind "200 percent increases over the network's prime-time average last November" in the 25 to 54 demographic, according to Animal Planet.

Broadcasting & Cable notes that the network "bet big on Whale Wars. In addition to an extensive election week ad buy, the network gave a green light to a second season of the series before the first episode even aired."

As to that second season, it starts filming soon, and may show more about what happens aboard the Japanese ships. Variety reports that "Discovery [has] invited the Japanese to participate in next season's filming, which commences on Nov. 27."

I found the series' first episode to be fascinating and compelling, and its second episode delivered even more than the first. Two crew members on the Steve Irwin boarded a Japanese whaler, and then the other Sea Shepherd members immediately started claiming they'd been kidnapped. I find myself rooting for them and loathing them simultaneously, and that complexity makes the series utterly fascinating.

'Whale Wars' Harpoons Viewers In Second Outing [Broadcasting & Cable] Controversy buoys 'Whale Wars' [Variety]

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Bar owner: Ace slapped a man, not a woman

Andy Dehnart — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:13:48 -0500

Survivor Gabon cast member Ace Gordon's Sunday arrest outside a bar was preceded by an altercation in the bar, but the bar owner says early reports that Ace struck a woman were incorrect.

While the Collier County Sheriff's Office report cited Sway Lounge staff members who said Ace hit a woman, owner Assaf Basher told the Ft. Myers News-Press that Ace "had an incident with a girl and the guy she was with said something and then he (Gordon) slapped him in the face."

Basher also says that, while being arrested, Ace "told police, 'I'm from 'Survivor.'"

The paper couldn't reach Ace for comment, and while he logged in to his MySpace page yesterday, he's posted nothing about the incident.

Ex-'Survivor' Ace Gordon arrested outside Naples lounge [Ft. Myers News-Press]

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