pimblr.com

Survivor - noun. 1. A person or thing that survives. 2. The one of two or more designated persons having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others. 3. A person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship or setbacks.
Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites: A reality-TV show that continues to prosper in spite of opposition, hardships or setbacks, such as constant bad weather on the Pacific island of Palau; the return of Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy after a 101-day writers’ strike; the early elimination of fan favourites Yau-Man Chan and Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton; and a game-ending injury to frontrunner - and fan favourite - James Clement.
When Survivor’s producers first chose an epic battle between former contestants and die-hard followers of the show over a second straight all-star edition, they had no idea it would play out so - deliciously.
With an average 13 million viewers on CBS in the U.S. - good enough for 12th in the weekly Nielsen table - and another two million on Global TV here in Canada, Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites has defied TV’s Darwinian odds that says every well runs dry after a while. After 16 seasons, Survivor is still going strong.
It helps, of course, that, as desert-island tales go, this edition of Survivor has played out in recent weeks like Lost on steroids. As host Jeff Probst solemnly intoned at the end of last week’s tribal council - featuring the third shock dismissal in a row - “You guys are perfecting the art of the blind side. That is the good news, and that is the bad news.”
Survivor’s penultimate episode airs Thursday, May 8. Five contestants are left; four will survive to lie/cheat/steal and backstab their way to the two- hour live reveal and reunion program on Sunday, May 11. At stake: a US $1 million and bragging rights for the next six months.

canada.com

Friday, April 4th 2008, 4:00 AM
Mighty was talking to Ron Novotny, one of the coaches of the NYPD hockey team, which battles the FDNY Sunday at Nassau Coliseum (1 p.m., $18 admission).
“What are the chances the cops beat the firefighters for a second straight year?” (NYPD 5, FDNY 3 in 2007) Mighty asked Ron.
“Let’s just say the NYPD is a very confident team,” answered Novotny.
Mighty couldn’t hold back: “My brother Dennis is a cop in Brooklyn (TD 30), so I’m going with the cops to beat the firefighters, 6-2.”
“Hope you’re right, Mighty,” was all Novotny said.
Top Hops: Jeff Gorlechen has The Sixpointopia Final Four of Beers (tomorrow, 5 p.m., South Fourth Cafe in Williamsburg):
Gorilla Wafare/Righteous Ale winner vs. Sweet Action; Hop Obama vs. Diesel Stout.
Mighty’s pick: Gotta go with Hop Obama. Could be the year.
Super LX: Joseph and Rose Galgano celebrate 60 years of marriage today. That’s amore!
Cause For Cawley: 7th Annual Michael Cawley Memorial Fund-raiser is tomorrow at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, 3 p.m. kickoff. FDNYer Cawley died on 9/11.
Mighty was rained out with the Rays last night.
Today it’s the 76ers. The surplus is 570 sirignanos.

nydailynews.com

In an exclusive tete a tete with Meenakshi Shankar, Mandira comes clean about hosting the latest musical extravaganza on Star Plus, ‘Joh Jeeta Wohi Sikander’. The quintessential Shanti, she rose to fame in Balaji’s ‘Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi’, but turned heads and soared the TRP’s with her noodle strap blouses. Given a choice between her character Shanti and her negative character, she gives a thumbs up to Shanti which made her a household name.
She says, “I’ve been out of the daily soaps for the last three years. Give me hosting a show or being part of a reality show any day. Ofcourse, being part of the reality bandwagon is limited because singing and dancing are absolutely no no in my books. Which leaves me with the other side to the coin, which is hosting the show.” She adds, “I’ve been part of fear factor, which is something that I enjoyed doing. ‘Nach Baliye’ and ‘Jhalak Dikhla jaa’ have been knocking at my door, but then, they probably at some level realize that I’m not cut out for the ‘naach gaana’.”
Though, she does not have anything against Balaji, since they did give her a big break, in terms of her character, she said, “It was too negative. Every individual has shades of grey, but the character that I was essaying was only black. The way our TV industry works is that there is either a Sita or a Surpanakha. A middle path is alien to them.”
And when questioned about the reason the creative and the casting directors where having a tough time filling in the space created by the likes of her, Smriti Irani, Juhi Parmar, she says, “Which thinking actor would want to be part of a show which is repetitive?” By making a strong statement, she is, in turn, ruffling a few feathers! To which she says, “I’m happy in my space and unless there’s something really good and meaty out there, I’m happy hosting my shows.” And in the channel war, she prefers what NDTV Imagine’s bringing to the table. “There’s a freshness in that channel. And yes, their take to their serials is different and not the same run of the mill.”

entertainment.in.msn.com