Probst: 'Palau' is a different 'Survivor'
According to Jeff Probst ‘Survivor Palau’ is the response to critics who believe the CBS reality series has become too predictable.
“There are more firsts this season than we have ever had,” Probst told Jam! Showbiz. “That’s what struck me as the season went on and on. Some of them are twists. Some of them are things that happened organically and some are a result of challenges but there are more things you have never seen before this season.”
Calling ‘Palau’ the “water season”, Probst promised the challenges on this the tenth installment are the most physical and original ever.
“The visibility underwater was so good we decide to pull out a lot of challenges we have been sitting on. In the first three or four episodes we have some of the most physical challenges I think we have ever put on in terms of endurance and needing to be physically fit,” said Probst.
To the delight of the producers, strengthening the challenges made things difficult for the tribes to immediately target the athletic players as they had in the past. A problem which had haunted the series as a whole and ultimately doomed ‘Survivor: Vanuatu’.
“The message that they (the players) are going to find out is if you vote out your strong simply because they are strong…go ahead…but odds are, you will back at Tribal Council,” said Probst revealing that there is a major “cat fight” at one of the challenges early on.
The producers also kept the players off balance right out of the gate by not providing the them with any information or tools whatsoever to begin the game. The ‘Palau’ players didn’t even know if they were one tribe or not.
“This time, I literally show up and say…There’s your beach. Have a good time,” Probst stated. “The players began wondering…Do I start making alliances now or will that maybe bite me in the ass? Should I not say anything at this moment? Do we build a shelter? Are we staying here? There is no name on the flag. It just says ‘Survivor Palau’.”
Probst said that confusing start doesn’t sound like a whole lot but it “pays off” in the first few days and Day 33 because the producers put into the players’ heads that ‘Palau’ is a slightly different game.
Viewers will see that difference for themselves when the first two ‘Survivor Palau’ contestants get booted. They don’t get kicked the traditional way at Tribal Council. They are victims of a tribal pick ‘em. Two players aren’t selected to be on a tribe and therefore must leave the game immediately.
“It is brutal. It is the same feeling you have when you’re not picked on a schoolyard or when you’re the first guy laid off. At its core, without question, ‘Survivor’ is a social game and that is put to the test right away. These people in essence never really get a chance to play this game and yet they go through all the work to get there,” said Probst.
Besides the water-based premise, ‘Palau’ also will underscore the theme of “choices” and their “consequences”.
“You may not even pick up on it but it started filtering in and we started making it an element to some challenges, some situations and some decisions. The thinking was…Let’s every time we can let them make a choice and it ends up having an impact,” said Probst.
While the producers did use the Second World War heritage of the ‘Palau’ area as a backdrop, Probst maintains they didn’t exploit it. The Tribal Council area is in a bunker-like set and there may be some military themes to the challenges but the producers viewed ‘Palau’ as a living monument to the conflict.
'Die' Another Day
Bruce Willis is 49, but that's not stopping him from donning John McClane's tank top one more time. The long-in-development fourth Die Hard movie, the first since 1995, is about ready to shoot, Willis told BBC Radio this week. A year ago, Willis told reporters that the big hurdle was coming up with a script that handled the franchise's usual terrorism plot in a way that was appropriate after 9/11. But Willis and Twentieth Century Fox have apparently overcome that stumbling block.
In London to promote his forthcoming action drama Hostage, Willis also revealed the sequel's title. ''Die Hard 4.0 is being written as we speak,'' he said, ''and if all goes well we'll be shooting it in autumn on the East Coast of the United States.'' The actor was reluctant to divulge much more than that. He said, ''John McClane has retired as a cop, and that's all that Fox have allowed me to tell you about it.''
GOOD NEWS FOR ALL YOU NEWBIES… AND THE REST OF US, TOO
BURBANK - Relive the entire first season of SCRUBS, the groundbreaking, Emmy and Golden Globe nominated television show starring Zach Braff (“Garden State”), in a spectacular DVD box set available on May 17.
Capturing every episode of the show’s highly acclaimed first season, the DVD set boasts a host of hilarious bonus features, including never-before-seen dream sequences, audio commentaries and a gag reel of flubs and bloopers.
Plus, each SCRUBS DVD package includes a collectible, SCRUBS-themed x-ray. SCRUBS is a top comedy hit, and this great DVD box set captures every irreverent and outrageous moment from the first season in the collection you will want to watch over and over.
Zach Braff stars as J.D., a medical resident at Sacred Heart Hospital. Joining the rumpled J.D. are fellow residents Turk (Donald Faison, “Clueless”) as J.D.’s college buddy who is part of the more elite surgical group, and the beautiful but socially awkward Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke, “Roseanne”).
SCRUBS’ talented cast also includes the sure-of-himself Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley, “Office Space”), the terrorizing janitor (Neil Flynn, “Mean Girls”), the fatherly Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins, “The Sum of All Fears”) and the feisty Nurse Carla (Judy Reyes, “Oz”).
SCRUBS is created by Bill Lawrence (“Spin City,” “Friends,” “The Nanny,” “Will & Grace”) and produced by Touchstone Television.
The 3-disc DVD set is available for $49.99 (S.R.P.) from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
SCRUBS BONUS FEATURES
NEWBIES
A retrospective documentary examining the actors before they were cast
PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND MALPRACTICE
Gag reel of flubs and bloopers
THE B TEAM
Featuring the Janitor and Lawyer
FAVORITE MOMENTS WITH CAST
AUDIO COMMENTARY
On six episodes
Comedy Is Hard, Winning an Oscar Harder
LOS ANGELES - Good comedies are among the hardest films to make. So why does comedy usually strike out at the Academy Awards? The road-trip romp "Sideways" is a rare comic tale that earned a best-picture slot and four other nominations for the Feb. 27 Oscars.
While "Sideways" won the ensemble prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globe for musical or comedy, it's considered a just-happy-to-be-in-the-same-room-with-the-big-boys Oscar contender.
As usual, sober dramas are favored for best picture, either "Million Dollar Baby" or "The Aviator." "Sideways" filmmaker Alexander Payne is a best-director long shot against Clint Eastwood of "Million Dollar Baby" and Martin Scorsese of "The Aviator."
Heavyweight performances are expected to take the supporting-acting categories, possibly Cate Blanchett for "The Aviator" and Morgan Freeman for "Million Dollar Baby" rather than Virginia Madsen and Thomas Haden Church of "Sideways."
Despite giving one of last year's most acclaimed performances, "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti was snubbed for an Oscar nomination.
Payne and Jim Taylor's screenplay for "Sideways" is the film's best shot to actually win one of those little gold statues.
Other comedies such as "Working Girl," "Babe" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral" occasionally sneak into the best-picture mix, but they hardly ever win key Oscars. Kevin Kline's supporting-actor prize for 1988's "A Fish Called Wanda" is one of the few Oscar triumphs for a flat-out comic role.
Church figures part of the Oscar appeal for "Sideways" is that it's comedy mixed with real-life drama as the misadventures of two buddies spin out of control.
"We don't really characterize `Sideways' as a comedy at all," Church said. "I think it's a life movie. It's a movie about everything that can happen to you in one week given the circumstances where these two guys are out to have a good time, and one guy's definition of a good time has nothing to do with the other guy's."
Grammys Could Put a Smile on Brian Wilson's Face
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wouldn't it be nice if Brian Wilson finally won a Grammy?
The former Beach Boy will compete for two of the music industry's most coveted awards on Sunday, hoping to end one of the most infamous losing streaks in the event's 47-year history.
Along with influential rock acts such as the Who and Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beach Boys -- in which Wilson was the main creative force -- never won a Grammy. Their 1960s peers the Rolling Stones had to wait until 1995 for their first statuette.
The Grammys largely ignored the nascent rock revolution, preferring to reward acts like Frank Sinatra and the 5th Dimension.
Wilson, 62, bears no grudges.
"I just don't think the Beach Boys were that impressive of a vocal group to be nominated. They were a good group, but they weren't great," he told Reuters in a recent interview.
"I thought maybe I should have been nominated a little bit more as a songwriter, but I wasn't."
The Beach Boys did receive a nomination in 1966 for their No. 1 single "Good Vibrations," a tune many consider to be Wilson's crowning glory. But along with such worthy contenders as the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and the Mamas and the Papas' "Monday, Monday," it lost the contemporary rock Grammy award to the novelty song "Winchester Cathedral."
WILSON'S "SMILE"
This year, Wilson has been nominated for "Brian Wilson Presents Smile," a re-recording of a 1966 Beach Boys album that was never finished. At the time, Wilson envisaged "Smile" as a "teenage symphony to God," but he abandoned it as his drug abuse played havoc with his mental state.
Tunes from "Smile," such as "Heroes and Villains" and "Surf's Up" turned up on later albums, and "Smile" took on a mythical status as one of rock's great lost works.
In 2003, Wilson and "Smile" lyricist Van Dyke Parks finally completed the project. Wilson and his band played "Smile" in its entirety for the first time last February in England.
Back in Los Angeles, he recorded the basic tracks for the album over five days in April. Released in October by the boutique Nonesuch Records label, "Brian Wilson Presents Smile" debuted at No. 13 on the U.S. pop charts and has sold more than 300,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The album yielded Grammy nominations for pop vocal album and pop instrumental ("Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"), as well as best-engineered album (non-classical), an award that would go to Mark Linett.
Wilson said he was most confident of winning the pop vocal album award, although one of his rivals is seven-time nominee Ray Charles, who is considered a sentimental favorite.
The 47th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The main televised event begins at 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT Monday), but most of the winners in the 107 categories will be announced immediately beforehand.
Juno brass snub Randy Bachman
By TOM BRODBECK -- Winnipeg Sun
Talk about a slap in the face.
Winnipeg rock legend Randy Bachman spends the past couple of years lobbying to help get the Juno Awards to come to Winnipeg for the first time.
He's asked by Juno organizers to contact another Winnipeg rock legend, Neil Young, and convince him to perform at the televised event, scheduled for April 3 at the MTS Centre.
Bachman travels to the U.S. and finds Young and gets him to agree.
And what does Bachman get from Hogtown Juno organizers for his enthusiasm and effort? A pig sticker in the eye.
Turns out there are no plans for Bachman to perform at the Junos.
He wants to. But they won't invite him.
The folks in Toronto didn't mind using Bachman for their own purposes. But when it came time to pick the lineup for the ceremonies, they told Bachman to sit at the back of the bus.
They want him to hand out an award. That's it. So Bachman says he may not show up at all.
"Something's broken there and I don't know how to fix it without being a dink," Bachman told Winnipeg Sun entertainment reporter Rob Williams in Toronto this week. "If they don't want me on the show, what's the point of going?"
I don't think Bachman's the one being a dink here. I think Juno organizers are being dinks.
Burton Cummings, another Canadian rock hero from Winnipeg, isn't scheduled to perform at the ceremonies, either.
What's up with that?
The Juno Awards are -- finally -- being held in Winnipeg and they're not inviting two of Canada's most important rock icons who grew up in Winnipeg and launched their music careers here.
These are the guys who blazed the trail for future generations of Canadian talent.
The Guess Who was the first Canadian band to score a No. 1 hit single on the U.S. charts in 1970 with American Woman.
Isn't there any recognition of that in Toronto among Juno organizers?
Winnipeg has played a tremendous role in the growth of Canada's music industry.
And now that the Junos are finally being held here, shouldn't the industry be showcasing that contribution by having pioneers like Bachman and Cummings perform at the ceremonies?
It's great that Neil Young has agreed to perform at the awards.
But snubbing Bachman the way they have is a low blow.
It's not only a slap in the face to Bachman. It's a slap in the face to Winnipeg.
Perhaps not altogether surprising, though, coming from we-are-the-centre-of-the-universe-Toronto.
Perhaps Neil Young should boycott the Junos if they don't invite Bachman to perform.
After all, if it wasn't for Bachman, Juno organizers wouldn't even have Young for the event.
I say we flood Juno organizers with a petition demanding that they invite Bachman to perform at the ceremonies.
Bachman deserves to perform at the Junos.
Let's speak up on this one.
Sexy shows mark Valentine's Day
Has talking about sex replaced actually having sex? That grim thought might occur to anyone watching TV over the next week or so. There are dozens of TV shows featuring people blabbing on about their sex lives, all in the name of Valentine's Day.
Cupid seems to have been replaced with Kinsey. Over the last month, my desk has been flooded with steamy promotional tapes, some wrapped in red ribbons and covered in chocolate-covered hearts.
After years of Blind Date, Elimidate, The Bachelor, Temptation Island and other randy relationship fare, programmers must feel they have to ramp up the shock factor to seduce viewers. It is enough to send you screaming back to The Lawrence Welk Show.
Still, sex sells, so fill 'er up. Here is a list of lust-themed programming just in time for Valentine's Day. Push yourselves away from all that Internet porn and check these out:
* Last Chance For Romance (beginning Friday, 8 p.m., Global). Hosted by news babe Cheryl Hickey, this 13-part series will look at couples in crisis. Can they pull their relationship out of the ditch while cameras roll? At least these Bickersons get free trips to a five-star Caribbean resort as thanks for airing their dirty laundry in public. Therapist Joe Rich referees.
* Older Women/Younger Men (Feb. 14, 7 p.m., W). Resident Sun Cougar Valerie Gibson explains why young bar dudes are suddenly ga-ga over grannies. (Gibson also appears Feb. 14 on Dr. Phil, 5 p.m. on CTV).
* Sex, Truth And Videotape (Feb. 14, 10 p.m., CBC Newsworld). This six-part series from former Fifth Estate host Francine Pelletier is a cut above the usual boff blather. It starts with a bang (so to speak) as several famous Canadians (including Mary Walsh, Sandra Shamas, Susan Swan and dancer Margie Gillis) blab about everything from first times to orgasms. Their wit and candor will disarm, entertain and empower. Future episodes, featuring Canadian women from all ages and preferences, bring more human stories, some funny, others painful. All are real and riveting.
* Sex, Toys & Chocolate Valentine's Special (Feb. 14, 10 p.m., Life Network). Learn new and exciting positions, like how to lunge for the remote in case any kids come into the room while this skanky show is on. Hosts Robin Milhausen and Michael Cho trick kiss-and-tell twentysomethings into spilling the beans on their most erotic encounters. There's a 'How could they?' giddiness to this voyeuristic chatfest, but you'll want to shower after every viewing.
* American Experience: Kinsey (Feb. 14, 9 p.m., PBS). If you saw Liam Neeson in the recent biopic, meet the real Alfred Kinsey, an erudite, tweedy academic who became the granddaddy of all sexperts. Back in the 1940s, Kinsey was the first to pry into the bedrooms of average citizens for sex data. The result was explosive, best-selling reports. The fact that the dawg was basically doing it with everything but small farm animals only adds to the mystique (and TV appeal).
* The Bachelorette (Feb. 14, 9 p.m., City-TV). Jen and the three remaining dudes go on overnight dates. Hope somebody brought protection!
* Legendary Sin Cities - Shanghai: Paradise For Adventurers (Feb. 15, 8 p.m., CBC) concludes this three-part look at the steamy capitals of the world. Hey, where's Brampton?
* Get It On! A Brief History Of Sex & Music (Feb. 16, 10 p.m., CITY-TV). A SexTV special tracing horny music from the pimply '50s to today's graphic rap filth. Followed by two more SexTV specials: Utopia: Love & Sex in a Perfect World (Feb. 23, 10 p.m. on CITY-TV) and Gay Hollywood: The Last Taboo (March 2, 10 p.m., CITY-TV).
* The Language Of Love (Feb. 17, 8 p.m., CBC). Canadian jazz artist Carol Weisman journeys to Rio and Umbria in search of musical amore. Guests include Herbie Hancock, Brazilian Djavan and Italian composer Romano Musumarra.
* As well, Star! is having a Hollywood Sweethearts Weekend, with specials featuring Ashton Kutcher, George Clooney, Halle Berry and Cameron Diaz, among others (Saturday and Sunday). The Movie Network has cued up some romantic films for the 14th, including Lost In Translation (11:25 a.m.), The Goodbye Girl (1:10 p.m.), Something's Gotta Give (8 p.m.) and 50 First Dates (10:15, all on MMORE). MESCAPE has oldies but goodies Casablanca (4 p.m.) plus Dirty Dancing (8 p.m.).
* For kids, Teletoon has a Valentine's Day exclusive interview with Johnny Bravo, a.k.a. God's Gift To Women (6 p.m.). At least he's not blabbing to some sex therapist.
Britain's Prince Charles to Marry Camilla Parker Bowles
LONDON (Reuters) - British heir to the throne Prince Charles announced Thursday he will marry long-time lover Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman blamed for destroying his "fairytale" marriage to the late Princess Diana.
Aware of public misgivings over his lover, Charles ruled out Camilla becoming queen once he assumes the throne.
His mother Queen Elizabeth, who had been slow to accept the divorced mother of two into the royal midst, wished the pair well for their April 8 wedding in Windsor Castle, west of London.
The couple, lovers during Charles' tumultuous marriage to Diana, plan a quiet, civil ceremony. It will be in sharp contrast to the dazzling church wedding to Diana, which was beamed worldwide from St Paul's Cathedral in London.
"Mrs. Parker Bowles and I are absolutely delighted. It will be a very special day for us and our families," 56-year-old Charles said in a statement.
Camilla, 57, will take the official title of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall after marriage.
Once Charles becomes king, his wife will be called Princess Consort, a fudge aimed at killing off constitutional controversy and one that legal experts said will demand a change in the law.
Charles was divorced in 1996 from Diana, who blamed "rottweiler" Parker Bowles and the prying media for the break-up of what had promised to be a dream union.
Charles' sons William and Harry, next in line to the throne after their father, have also accepted Parker Bowles, who shares official rooms with their father at his London residence.
Parker Bowles is the great love of Charles' life -- the pair met in their 20s at a polo match and share a passion for country pursuits -- but she has faced an uphill struggle to rival his former wife in the public's affection.
ESTABLISHMENT RALLIES
Opinion polls show most Britons have gradually accepted the idea of their marrying but balk at Camilla ever becoming queen.
Now their fears have been assuaged with a formula that constitutional expert David Starkey derided as "an ill-thought out compromise."
Once Charles succeeds his 78-year-old mother Queen Elizabeth, he will be titular head of the Church of England, which overcame clerical objections to his marrying a divorcee.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who heads the world's Anglicans, will preside over "a service of prayer and dedication" after the civil ceremony, bestowing establishment approval on their controversial union.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who famously mourned "People's Princess" Diana after her death in a 1997 Paris car crash, welcomed Charles's marriage as "very happy news."
NO DIANA
Charles and Camilla had a two-year love affair after first meeting in their 20s; Camilla then married cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles, divorcing him in 1995.
Charles admitted in 1994 that he and Camilla had resumed their affair after his marriage had irretrievably broken down.
Diana memorably said on national television "there were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded," while he was secretly taped sharing intimate pillow talk with his lover.
Charles' biographer Penny Junor said of the marriage announcement: "This will divide opinion and some people will think it is the end of the world. But once it has happened, people will accept it.
"He's very much in love with her and she with him. That's just the way it is."