Survivors Ready? Less Than Two Weeks to Fiji!

Yep, the new season is almost upon us. Graphics artist Zoetawny has made me a new logo - have I mentioned lately that she rocks?

Survivor 14: Fiji begins on Thursday, February 8th, at 8 PM ET/PT. As it always has been (and we always complain), the season premiere is an hour, not the 90 minutes or two hours we often see with other reality television shows.

Similar to last season's diverse cast, we're in for a heck of a lot of diversity this year ranging from age to color to culture and beyond. I personally support this kind of mix on the show because, to me, it's more like the real world in which I live. Perhaps other areas of the country are different, but I live in a huge mix of cultures and colors within the Greater NYC Metropolitan Area. I love the mix and would find it a boring world if everyone looked alike, held the same beliefs, etc. I outlined the cast with bio information and photos in four separate entries - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.

As I tend to do, I've been poking about the Internet in search of more information and any spoilers I can find regarding the upcoming season. The biggest spoilers I really know come from my Unknown Castaway contact, but I'm not at liberty to divulge all that I know about that castaway. I made a few corrections to that initial article here.

I found several sources which reveal the reason we're seeing the odd number of 19 castaways at the start of the season. There were actually 20 castaways as they flew off to Fiji, but one dropped out before they were placed on the island. In stead of replacing her with an alternate (Sundra, an alternate, made it to the Final Four last season), they decided to leave it be and work around it.

In my travels, I visited one of my favorite Survivor sites, Survivor Fever. They always have some great pre-show footage and photos, as well as a spoilers area and cool things like a peek at the Survivors Base Camp for the production staff. Of particular interest to me on my latest visit was an interview with Jeff Probst originally posted by The Slug.

An excerpt from the interview (go to The Slug for the whole interview):

The Slug: Now there was some criticism about your influence during "Cook Islands," specifically when you pointed out Yul brought Jonathan his hat to Tribal Council. When is too much, you know, too much?
Jeff Probst: It's a fine line I walk. The line is being a moderator on the show and being an instigator. That fine line is when you start influencing the game too much. It's always a judgment call. It's never really any formal discussion about it. We all know that line. There's a lot of trust in me to not step over it. I'm sure at times I do, and I have. I'm sure there are times when I've been too heavy handed or hard on somebody. I usually can justify it in my head.

There was a time in the Cook Islands when Yul had skated through Tribal Council after Tribal Council and never really got hammered on anything. There was a point where he had revealed he had the Idol, he had revealed he was in control of the game and after that.

At the next Tribal Council, I felt like there were certain questions the audience was gonna want to know, which was "Why would you let a guy rule the game like this, have the Idol, let him tell you he has the Idol, let him tell you he's in control of the game and not try to stop it? Are you just gonna let him waltz to the finish line?" And Yul got upset. He's like, "Jeff, why are you picking on me?" And I said, "Yul, you've had a free pass for the last several Tribal Councils. I'm saying everything that everybody's thinking." So that's how I look at it.

I know there was controversy here on this blog and elsewhere about Jeff's "interference" in that incident. I see his reasoning, but I still think he went a bit further than he should at the Tribal Council. What do you think?

There are mild show spoilers in regard to how the show starts out and the have/have not theme comes into play, but nothing within the article spoils beyond the premise of the season.

I think we're in for another great season. Survivors ready?

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, January 27, 2007

As I walked to the corner store yesterday afternoon (in the freezing cold, I might add), there was a Comcast van stopped at the red light with its window down. That's odd enough when the windchill is around 0.

What's even odder (more odd?) is that I could hear the voice of Ian Bernardo (American Idol reject) blasting from the van. Thankfully, he was talking and not singing. Oh, he was on the van's radio, not in the driver's seat. Although, now that I think of it, he reminds me of the last time I dealt with a Comcast customer service representative!

In a related note, but much friendlier, I received an email from American Idol NYC Auditions male singer with the beautiful woman's voice, Christopher Henry. He seems to be a nice guy. He's a music theater major who has no desire to sing in drag, but that's a comfort point for his singing voice. He said that if he knew then what he knows now, he would have chosen another song. But he's doing well and has had positive reaction from show fans as well as in radio and television interviews. I missed his Larry King interview the other night. Now, he can't be compared to the likes of an Ian Bernardo. He wasn't right for the competition, perhaps. But he does have a music background and a true interest in the field. I wish him the best of luck!

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• I caught a bit of I Love New York on VH1 last night for the first time. Eep. Omarosa (The Apprentice) was on it. Yikes.
• Ohhh! There's an insider peek into Survivor 14: Fiji contestant Edgardo Rivera from his college sports coach. He has a temper, huh? I wonder how that will work out on the show. Earrings, a tongue ring, and a bad attitude? But, but... he's so good-looking and clean cut in the CBS promo photos!
• There's yet another interview with one of my newly-found favorite television actors. Masi Oka (Hiro on Heroes) was recently interviewed here. I find him a fascinating and entertaining guy. He makes me smile and, to me, is the hit of the show.
• Celebrity Spider has the goods on the American Idol schedule. The top 24 singers will be revealed on February 14 (Valentine's Day) and the top 12 finalists will perform for the first time on Tuesday, March 13. We have three more audition shows to go through - Birmingham, San Antonio, and Los Angeles. Then, on February 7th, there will be a special "Rest of the Best" auditions show. On February 13th, it's onto the Hollywood rounds. Check out the article I linked for more details.

In the Spoiler Zone - Websites to Peruse (No Spoilers in Article Itself)

I only post the mildest non-really-spoiling show spoilers here on this blog, mainly because there's no way I can "hide" the information from those readers who don't want spoilers.

Sure, I'll post that I have inside information that the upcoming Survivor 14: Fiji was filmed entirely in HD (and that info is just starting to hit the web a few weeks after I posted it)... but I won't post the rumored final four in the upcoming Amazing Race 11: All Stars.

Just because I don't post the information doesn't mean I haven't come across some cool spoilers, foilers, and Internet rumors about shows as I scout about the Web. But, since I don't feel comfortable posting information which may "spoil" a show or information which could very well be just rumors, I'll let the readers decide. I'll give you some of the best spoiler sites and you can choose to go there or not... and to believe the spoilers or not.

One of the best and most comprehensive TV show spoiler sites out there is SpoilerFix. They cover almost every show you may want to know about. Want the latest spoilers on Grey's Anatomy? Well, it's updated today on the site. Another "overall" spoiler site I recommend is the Ask Ausiello column on the TV Guide website. That site has lots of insider information that a mere mortal like myself can't get without Hollywood connections. It's a weekly column and you can subscribe to it... if you want to know the skinny, that is. Kristin over at E!Online always has some good gossip and a few spoilers, too.

I like some of the individual show spoiler sites, but they're sometimes as lacking in knowledge as I can be myself. So, what you read there sometimes has to be taken with a grain of salt. It could be show fans following rumors or foilers-believers spreading the news. But, still, they can be an interesting read.

Lost spoilers can be found on these sites:

• LOST - The TailSection always has some good show spoilers and lots of show speculation.
• Although dependent on fellow show fans for spoilers, the Lost Spoilers Blog is always a good place to check in on.
• In addition to a huge plethora of show info, Lost-Media.com has spoilers.

The Amazing Race 11: All Stars is out there in the Spoilers Zone. As they filmed the season, there were fans around the globe reporting on the teams as they traveled. Now, the spoilers at this site are major. I can't actually vouch for their truthfulness as I didn't see the teams race through New Jersey. Beware that the final group of teams competing may be spoiled for you as will the route followed. Don't go to the site if you don't want to know. You've been warned. It's now up to you. (Please don't discuss the findings in comments as I'm sure some folks really, really don't want to know.)

Whatever Will I Watch on TV Tonight? Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007

After two nights of American Idol auditions, it seems a bit odd that they're not on this evening. It can be a good thing. After two rather intense nights of note-taking, camera-shooting, photo-editing, and writing extended entries, I can actually relax a bit.

What will I be watching (or not) this evening? Here's some of what's on:

At 8 PM ET/PT, it looks like almost everything on the basic networks is a repeat. Ugly Betty, C.S.I.: Miami, My Name is Earl, The Office... all repeats.

:::I interrupt this blog to bring an important news update. If you live in New Jersey, please limit your consumption of squirrels, especially ones found near the toxic waste sites near Ringwood. This came from the WNBC4 news I have on in the background as I write this. Hey, you over there with the squirrel in the oven, take heed! We return to the regularly scheduled blog entry at this time.:::

Back to the 8 PM slot -- over on the CW, Smallville is new. Oh, and CourtTV has on new Hot Pursuit shows back-to-back. Woowoo, pull it over! I think I'll reserve the hour for reading or writing endeavors.

At 9 PM ET/PT, there are some new episodes of some popular shows. C.S.I. is new on CBS and Grey's Anatomy is new on ABC (check the sidebar of the blog for the GA discussion post). Scrubs and 30 Rock are repeats. One show I see listed which would catch me if I didn't want to watch something else is the Winter X Games on ESPN. Although my ski-racing and adrenalin-rushing days are over, I love to watch that stuff... and preferably from inside where it's warm. Also at 9 PM, although I'll catch the later airing of it, BET is showing The Wire. I'm hooked on that one now that it's being shown off of HBO, but I want to watch C.S.I. Oh... and The O.C. is in its death stages, but it's also new this week on FOX. The CW is airing a new Supernatural.

The 10 PM ET/PT time slot is Repeat City with the exception of Men in Trees on ABC. Hmmm... TBS is showing Dumb and Dumber. I've never seen that one. It couldn't dumb me down any more than American Idol does, right?

What are you watching tonight?

TV Newsy Bits - Thursday, January 25, 2007

Here I am expecting an artic cold snap, but I laugh at the ill winds as I quaff my hot chocolate. Please note I don't have any outdoor plans, though. I'm still catching up on my books pile, now reading Ten Little New Yorkers by Kinky Friedman, about time I got to it! I have my TV, music, and books to keep me warm. That's all I need. Well, those and two not-so-aloof cats.

In TV Newsy Bits (and a Bit o' Blog Bits), here's the latest:

• I just received a note from one of my friends at Turner Broadcasting. I'm not all that into NBA games, but now I have the overwhelming need to watch TNT's promos for NBA All-Star 2007 (Feb. 16-18). Why, you ask? Because Jeremy Piven (hot) and, more dear to my heart, the Blue Man Group are to be featured. The Blue Man Group! It's enough to make me watch the game... almost! Great marketing, I must say.
• I mentioned that I filled out the job application for Primatech Paper (Heroes) in a previous post here. I received another note from Primatech today. They said " We are always interested in unique individuals with special abilities to help us provide the best service to our many clients." They promised a Primatech representative will be contacting me with further instructions. I'm not sure where this is leading, but it's intriguing. I hope they realize I'm just an observer-type. I don't want to be on the show or anything. My biggest super-power is my ability to eat large amounts of gourmet chocolate ice cream.
• Please remember that I've taken early peeks at the casts of The Amazing Race 11: All Stars and Survivor 14: Fiji. If you missed them, they're listed on the right sidebar.
• Reality News Online (RNO) have been giving their take on the Top Thirty Reality TV Contestants of 2006. Although I admit to watching a lot of television, perhaps even with a focus on the reality TV genre, I couldn't make such a list as my time (and interests) rule out so much of the genre. It's an interesting take - their number one choice was actually a duo. Well, um... one of them made my personal list.
• The New York Post extended American Idol wannabe Ian Bernardo's fleeting fame. Actually, I was surprised that he brought up a bit of a serious side in the interview.
• Huh, I didn't know that the actress who plays the Niki/Jessica role on Heroes, Ali Larter, was a Jersey Girl. Yes, from Cherry Hill which is over towards the Philadelphia area. [I'm more towards NYC. If I go atop the local "mountain," I can see the Manhattan skyline.]