Tastes Like Chicken
Tossing another rat on the barbie could get “Survivor” in trouble. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is protesting against CBS over all that skewered rat the show has been serving up. It’s also been serving up delicious ratings: last week’s episode set a CBS record of 23.5 million viewers for the time slot, more eyeballs than the other five networks combined. No surprise, then, that a new season of the Darwinian drama will shoot in Australia this fall. What is shocking is it’s even bailing out CBS’s hapless “Early Show,” where the latest exiled contestant makes a Thursday-morning appearance. For the third-ranked net, it’s not just a survivor, it’s a life raft.
On the Hot Seat
Mixing reality and TV may be firing up ratings right now, but some of the players are getting burned. Julie Stoffer, 20, a Mormon cast member on MTV’s latest installment of “The Real World,” is facing suspension from Brigham Young University because the show’s coed living arrangements violate school rules. And New York City fireman Michael Lombardi has a new blaze to put out since his bum-baring appearance in the season premiere of “Sex and the City.” Although Lombardi, 38, says he had permission to do the show, he’s in hot water with fire officials, who say he may have brought “discredit” on the department. But judging from the love scene, costar Kim Catrall seemed satisfied with his job performance.
Nudes in the News
Jerry Hall, 43, is set to pick up–and then take off–the towel for Kathleen Turner when she exits the London staging of “The Graduate” on July 29. Perhaps gearing up for the role in regional theater, Roseanne, 47, also plans to get naked. She’s dropped 75 pounds, courtesy of a stomach stapling. “I can’t confirm Playboy because I’m also talking to Penthouse and all three of us are haggling over price and retouching rights.” No doubt the mags are holding out for more money.
