TV Bulletin Board (Thurs., Jan. 7) -- former golden boy Colby Donaldson rides again in Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains
01/07/10 09:24
By ED BARK
A trio of native Texans, including former Christoval "cowboy" Colby Donaldson, are in the mix on CBS' 10th anniversary edition of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
Donaldson, who owned a car customizing shop in Dallas when he was first cast, finished as the heroic heartthrob runnerup on 2001's Survivor: The Australian Outback.
The show was at the height of its popularity back then. And the Texas Tech grad, now 35, envisioned a bright acting future for himself when he subsequently relocated to Hollywood. But his last listed credit is as "Sleazy Man" in a 2006 episode of the now defunct WB's shortlived Pepper Dennis series.
"The Colbster", as he was dubbed by host and subsequent close personal friend Jeff Probst, also joined the cast of 2004's Survivor: All-Stars, where he was quickly voted off. His nemesis on both Outback and All-Stars, blood-curdling vixen Jerri Manthey, likewise will be a part of the Heroes vs. Villains edition, which premieres on Feb. 11th.
Donaldson obviously returns as a hero while Manthey gets a villain hat.
"Why is Colby back? We had such a history," she says in a CBS promotional video.
Also cast as bad guys in the new edition are super-duplicitous Russell Hantz of Dayton, Texas (runnerup on the just-concluded Survivor: Samoa) and Austin's Randy Bailey, the 11th competitor evicted on 2008's Survivor: Gabon.
No one from 2000's first edition of Survivor is among the 20 returnees in Heroes vs. Villains. Inaugural winner Richard Hatch would have been a logical choice as one of the primo bad-nasties. But he was otherwise occupied serving a federal sentence for tax evasion before being released on Oct. 16th of last year. Production on Heroes vs.Villains was already underway by then.
For the complete new cast, selected from among 301 possibilities, go here.
***Not getting enough of Katie Couric? Most people aren't watching her in the first place, but CBS has an app for that. Namely The CBS News Katie Couric App, announced this week. It offers "Katie fans an additional opportunity to discover and experience the depth of CBS News coverage through her eyes," says a publicity release.
Included is the Katie Couric Notebook Blog and excerpts from her interviews with the likes of Al Gore, Michelle Obama, Shakira and Glenn Beck. IPhone and ipod owners can get the app for free via the App Store.
***While still recovering from Basic Instinct 2, Sharon Stone will be playing a cop-turned-prosecutor on a four-episode arc of NBC's Law & Order: SVU. There's no air date yet. Nor has NBC announced a name for her character. But executive producer Dick Wolf duly says, "It is obviously a thrill and a delight to have a star of Sharon's wattage and importance joining SVU."