May 16, 2006 |
Yoga Guru Keeps His Cool to Win Survivor
Aras Baskauskas may have butted heads with his Casaya tribe mates early on, but his athletic prowess and true competitive nature helped him survive 39 days in Panama by outwitting, outplaying and outlasting 15 other castaways to walk away as the sole Survivor. The 24-year-old Santa Monica-based yoga instructor was awarded the ultimate prize Sunday night as CBS' Survivor: Panama---Exile Island concluded its 16-week run. TVGuide.com sat down with the newly minted — albeit exhausted — millionaire the day after his big win to get the scoop on his "wonderful experience" in Panama, how he'll spend his winnings, and his latest business venture to keep America warm with his new brand line of winter hats.
TVGuide.com: Congratulations! How did it feel to wake up this morning a millionaire?Aras Baskauskas: [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: Going into the game, did you ever think that you'd manage to outwit, outplay and outlast your 15 teammates?Aras: It was amazing!
TVGuide.com: You were certainly one of the strongest alpha males in the game this season. What kinds of reactions have you received from your family and friends about your impressive game play?Aras: They loved watching [me]. They got a kick out of all the times I fell and all the times I did well.
TVGuide.com: Except the time you fell and got cut with broken glass, right?Aras: I haven't gotten any feedback on that yet, since it [only] just happened, but it's been cool. [My family] didn't know [I won], so it was a big surprise for them that I made it to the final two.TVGuide.com: Would you do anything differently in the game if you could?Aras: Well… I wouldn't have made the comments I made about Terry, Austin or Courtney, but other than that, no. I really thought I played a good game with a lot of honor and integrity.
TVGuide.com: Your strategic game play worked well to earn you a spot in the final two, but what were your feelings about how both your tribal friends and enemies would consider your previous actions and decide your fate?Aras: I made a lot of long-term friendships. Terry and I have a great relationship, Shane and I have a great relationship — despite what you see out there. Obviously Cirie and I do. [I talk with] Danielle and Austin all the time. I did make great relationships, actually, and that's why I think I won.
TVGuide.com: Did any of the jury questions surprise you last night?Aras: Shane's question, definitely. [Shane asked the final two to select an arbitrary number to earn his vote.]
TVGuide.com: If you were sitting on the other side of the fire pit and had to ask a question as a jury member, what would it be?Aras: I've honestly thought about that, and I don't know what I would ask.
TVGuide.com: So from the start you had a feeling you'd make it to the final two?Aras: When I got there and saw the other 15 people, I honestly thought to myself, "I can do this."
TVGuide.com: Now that you have a cool million in the bank, is there any chance you'll pay your dad back after freeloading off him for so long?Aras: I don't know, maybe I'll keep freeloading. Why stop a good thing?
TVGuide.com: Cirie told me you've already discussed the possibility of her driving you to the bank to cash your check, in her brand-new GMC Yukon.Aras: [Laughs] That would be awesome!
TVGuide.com: You already had a stamp in your passport from professional basketball play in Lithuania. How did your stay in Panama compare?Aras: I've traveled all over the world, but I've never been on a deserted island in the middle of a tropical area. It was really cool, such a wonderful experience.
TVGuide.com: You were one of the contestants who paid some dues on Exile Island. During your stay there, did you have any idea how influential the immunity idol would become?Aras: Yes, I did. I knew it was huge and could totally change the game. And it did. I remember thinking that if there were no Exile Island, I would have won the game.
TVGuide.com: How do you think the game would have been different had you found the idol instead of Terry?Aras: I probably would have still won.
TVGuide.com: How do you plan to spend your hard-earned winnings? Any plans to open a yoga studio?Aras: I'm definitely going to be doing the yoga stuff. Did you [hear about] my company? If you could give me a plug for TundraGear.com it would be awesome. You've got to write that down!
Are you addicted to shows like Survivor? Find out the real reason reality TV is a hit. |
Idol's Chris Has Left the Building
So much for Elvis' plea that people don't be cruel. That look you saw on Chris Daughtry's face at the end of last week's American Idol results show vividly sums up the front-runner's take on his surprising fate. "[My jaw] was pretty much on the floor," he told TVGuide.com the day after his ouster] He later used such words as "bummed," "disappointed," "shocked" and "speechless" to describe his reaction to the "gut-wrenching moment" he anticipated "not even a little bit."
Few predicted the outcome, including his bottom-two companion as well as Idol's judging triad. "[Katharine] and I didn't get a chance to talk after, so I don't really know what was going through her mind, to be honest with you," Chris shares. "I had the inclination that she was expecting herself to go — that was the picture I got." And the one that viewers more or less witnessed for themselves on screen.Crossing paths with the judges after the show, he says, "Randy was pretty much saying, 'Don't worry about it, man. You're going to be fine.'... Paula was crying too much to really say anything.... And Simon said he didn't see this coming. He wished me the best of luck, so I think things are going to be OK."
Perhaps further consoling the chrome-domed crooner was the nearly instantaneous tendering of offers from established bands, one of which — Fuel — has since been named as wanting him on board. Not wanting (or perhaps contractually able) to detail the discussions, Chris will only allow, "There's going to be a flooding of opportunities... and I just have to field all the offers and do the right thing for me. I think everything's going to turn out great in the end."
In a conference call with reporters, Chris also had this to say about...
... his early status as a favorite to win:"I tried to block it out and just do the best I could, and I think I accomplished that. But you know what? Maybe people thought I was safe and didn't vote as much."
... why he might — and might not — get Fuel'd up:"They're really good songwriters, and great songs are what makes someone successful. But part of me is debating: Do I go and do my own thing and have success on my own, or do I get into someone else's success? I'm really unsure."
... his wife Deanna's reaction to the viewers' vote:"I was expecting her to be out of control and [that] I was going to have to be the one to console her, but it was the other way around. She was telling me how proud she is of me."
... making ends meet while he was off doing Idol:"I've had family and friends [who have] really [helped] out, and my wife works really hard. She works two jobs. People do what they have to do to make things happen."
... having a real Ace (Young, that is) for a pal:"We became like brothers on the show, and we probably always will be. He called me [after the ouster] to check in on me and see how I was doing."
... Ryan's atypically abrupt dismissal:"I thought he was building up [to say], 'Chris, you can sit down,' or 'Chris, you're going home... on a private jet to visit your hometown.' That there was going to be some sort of kidding factor there. But that wasn't the case."
... his first dash of reality:"I actually auditioned for [CBS'] Rock Star. It didn't go too well, though. I realized then that that was because I was supposed to be on this show."
... the big question: male pattern baldness or follicular fashion statement?"It's probably a little bit of both. I started with the recession thing and I was like, 'I like this and I'm going to stick with it.' I've probably been shaving my head for three or four years now, and I'm not planning on growing it out anytime soon." |
Mel Brooks Ponders Other Remakes
While filming the original The Producers in 1968, actor Andréas Voutsinas (aka Carmen Ghia) passed along this wisdom to Mel Brooks: "Or you got it or you ain't." Those mangled yet profound words have stuck with the 79-year-old comic legend, who definitely proved he's still "got it" when he made the decision to take The Producers to Broadway. Years after first hitting the boards, the Tony-winning hit continues to play around the world to sellout crowds. (He's now hard at work bringing Young Frankenstein to life on the Great White Way!) TVGuide.com spoke with Brooks about the film version of that stage-musical version of The Producers (out on DVD today), as well as got he take on the upcoming Get Smart movie and the possibility of more Spaceballs. It was a convivial little exchange, until the question of retirement came up....
TVGuide.com: You wrote The Producers in the late 1960s and we're still talking about it today. Do you ever feel like telling people to just let it go?Mel Brooks: No! Let me ask you a question: Do you think Dostoyevsky would have said, "Hey, that Crime and Punishment stuff — let it go"? No, he would have said, "Hey, you should buy it in paperback."
TVGuide.com: The new film's director and much of the cast are from the Broadway production. Was there ever any question about using the same people?Brooks: No, the main thing driving us all was to get the production memorialized on film. We wanted to get Nathan Lane's performance as Bialystock and Matthew Broderick's Leo Bloom on film so we'd have it forever and ever. But we were also lucky to get Uma Thurman to play Ula. [The role was originated on stage by Cady Huffman.]
TVGuide: How did that come about?Brooks: Uma's agent called and said, "I heard you're looking for a tall, beautiful, Swedish blonde. I think I got one." And Susan Stroman, the director, said, "All right, but can she sing and dance?" The agent said, "Not at the moment, but I think in a few days she could." So Stro got together with Uma and literally in 10 days she had her doing every step and belting out high notes. It was an amazing metamorphosis.
TVGuide.com: The other new addition to the cast was Will Ferrell as Franz Leibkind. What had you seen in his previous work that made you think he'd be right for the part?Brooks: The minute I knew I was going to do a movie, I let him know and he said, "Yeah, deal me in." Mostly I knew him from Saturday Night Live, because my son [Max Brooks] was a writer there for two years. I'd come there every Saturday and just from that I knew Will was one of the funniest guys in the world. He goes for the throat. The guy's a maniac. He's very good in the movie and it's a good movie. I know I shouldn't say that because I wrote it, but the jokes work.
TVGuide.com: Speaking of the jokes, why is Hitler still comic gold?Brooks: I haven't the foggiest. Maybe it's because of those arcane shows on The History Channel. It's a wacky channel.
TVGuide.com: A Get Smart movie starring Steve Carell is on the way. What was your input on that?Brooks: I think they may be making a big error. They haven't called me, even though Buck Henry and I created the character [of Maxwell Smart]. I like Steve Carell — he's very funny, and if they get a good script and a talented director, they may have a shot at it. But it would be wise of them to pass the script under my nose. I might have a random thought that could be helpful. I think they give Buck Henry and me creator credits, but that's just a sly way of using our names. Anyway, I wish them luck.
TVGuide.com: There is also a Spaceballs follow-up rumor that just won't die. Can you set the record straight on if there are any plans for a sequel?Brooks: There is a shot at Spaceballs becoming a half-hour animated TV series. I wouldn't mind doing the voice for President Skroob or Yoghurt, if they wanted me to. So I'm hoping that will happen with Spaceballs.
TVGuide.com: In June you'll turn 80. Do you ever think of retiring, or is the allure of showbiz too tough to give up?Brooks: I'm not giving anything up! I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing. Do you see me driving a forklift? Do you see me unloading a truck of flour? What the f--- have I got to do!? I can lift a pencil and write 50 or 60 pages on a legal pad. It ain't hard work. All you need is a little bit of inspiration. |
Prison Break: Is the Doctor (Gulp) Out?
In tonight's season finale (8 pm/ET on Fox), Prison Break's actual prison break continues, as Michael, Lincoln et al desperately try to shake their pursuers. Speaking of being hot on someone's trail, what does Michael's fugitive future hold as it relates to Sara? Dr. Tancredi's portrayer, Sarah Wayne Callies, spoke with TVGuide.com about her Prison paramour, Wentworth Miller, and about making mischief with that other major TV heartthrob.
TVGuide.com: So the good doctor decided to leave the infirmary door unlocked, eh?Sarah Wayne Callies: I guess I did, I did....
TVGuide.com: I had to wonder if she was tempted to snatch some morphine on her way out.Callies: You'd have to actually ask the writers about that. We shot that two ways, and I'm not sure how they're going to use it.
TVGuide.com: She was last seen sitting out in her car, looking all conflicted.... Callies: We shot that scene both ways — with the morphine in my hand as I was in the car, and with it not in my hand. I don't have a television right now, but I understand the one they aired was the one where you can't see it in my hand. I'm not sure how they'll play that out in the next episode.
TVGuide.com: I can't let what you just said slide, of course. No television? What's that about?Callies: [Laughs] My husband and I are in New York, for hiatus, and we left most of our stuff in our apartment in Chicago. And to be honest, I've been saturated with television, so I've decided to do without it for a few months. I'm enjoying it!
TVGuide.com: You're "detoxing."Callies: I'm detoxing — although I do crumble and watch The Sopranos at a friend's house on Sunday nights.
TVGuide.com: Is Dr. Sara's nurse friend going to snitch on her suspicious behavior?Callies: I think she's getting awfully suspicious....
TVGuide.com: What was your reaction to Sara's shocking backstory? Was the flashback episode's script your first inkling about her past?Callies: It was the very first inkling. In fact, I had been out of town doing some publicity, and I got back to set the day the script had been released. Wentworth met me at my trailer and he was like, "Girl, you've got some work to do." [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: As an actress, you must have been licking your chops.Callies: Oh, absolutely. In the very first conversation I had with [Prison Break creator] Paul Scheuring about the character, back when we were shooting the pilot, I suggested it would be interesting to play her as a recovering alcoholic, partly because I'm very suspicious of people who do good things for no reason. Seeing what a big heart she has, I wanted to give that some place to come from. Paul and I had that conversation and literally didn't mention it again to each other until I got the script for that episode.
TVGuide.com: You do have to wonder why a lady doc would elect to apply her services to a men's prison, when there are obviously other, safer options.Callies: I think there's a very strong sense in her, especially given her backstory, of "there but for the grace of God go I." She was engaged in illegal activity, and she found her way out through health and by getting clean, as opposed to being criminally prosecuted and thrown in jail. That gave her a first-person understanding.
TVGuide.com: Her addicted self certainly got quite the wake-up call, standing helplessly as that young kid died....Callies: Yeah, it's not her fault he died, but it might be her fault that he didn't live, and that's a lot to carry around. It's certainly more than Lincoln Burrows is guilty of.
TVGuide.com: Stacy Keach told me he's unsure how, if and to what degree his prison warden will figure into Season 2. Do you have similar concerns about Sara?Callies: I don't tend to believe anything I've heard until it's in front of me in a script, so at this point, yeah, I feel completely up in the air. I've heard rumors going in a couple of different directions....
TVGuide.com: She, like Pope, is "attached" to the prison, after all.Callies: Yeah, and the season ends with me in some pretty extreme circumstances. That might be my last episode... or it might be in another five years. [Laughs] There's no way for me to tell right now.
TVGuide.com: At the very least, Season 2 should get you out of that lab coat — not that you didn't cut a long, lean silhouette in it.Callies: I tell you, it's an interesting position to be in, because when Wentworth and I shoot these scenes it's so refreshing for me to feel that as the woman in the scene, I'm not the sex object, it's him. He's the one taking his shirt off and getting beautiful lights shined in those big blue eyes of his, while I just sit there in my lab coat doing my thing. [Laughs] I kind of appreciate it.
TVGuide.com: You're in the movie Whisper [now slated for a winter release] with Lost's own cover boy, Josh Holloway. Gee, Josh, Wentworth... you're quite the geek magnet, huh? Callies: [Laughs] I know! I am a rather lucky girl when it comes to costars. The nice thing for me is that they are as kind and professional as they are attractive. That's more important to me. They're both lovely guys and terrific to work with.
TVGuide.com: Wade Williams (Bellick) said that while Wentworth and Dominic Purcell may have "melon heads," their niceness trickles down to the rest of the cast.Callies: It's amazing to me. With a cast that is not only so big but so young and good-looking, usually you'd think there'd be one big ego that everybody would have to dance around. If there is, I haven't worked with [that person] yet.
TVGuide.com: What can you tell me about Whisper and your role in it?Callies: Oh, gosh, Roxanne is about as different from Dr. Sara as it gets — she has almost no education, she's very Catholic, she doesn't come from a lot of money, and she looks to the men in her life to provide every answer and every security. She is someone who's very easily duped. The story is about a group of people who kidnap a boy to get ransom money to start their lives again, but the boy turns out to be more adept at manipulating people than they are, so he starts to turn them again each other. I've played a lot of lawyers and doctors and cops and things like that, but if this girl could hold down a job she'd probably be the midnight waitress at an all-night diner! Josh plays my fiancé, the kidnapper, who's kind of done this thing before, and I go along because I think this little boy will need someone to take care of him. Roxanne provides the mothering, nurturing touch, although there's not a whole lot about her that is outwardly maternal! |
Everwood Finale Preview: Part 1
Nestled between the countless procedural dramas and reality shows that tend to dominate the prime-time lineup, the WB drama Everwood (Mondays at 9 pm/ET) has managed to keep viewers coming back for a weekly dose of romance and comedy. But will that loyalty be enough to secure the in-limbo fan favorite a spot on the CW lineup (to be revealed this week)? If executive producer Rina Mimoun has her way, fans will follow the Colorado kids to college next fall. Until then, the 4-year-old series is set to wrap its current run on June 5, but not before a major character says goodbye to Everwood — permanently. TVGuide.com invited Mimoun to recap the possibilities for next week's "big death," discuss upcoming guest stars, and offer, for whatever it's worth at this late date, a final plea to save the show. TVGuide.com: Hi, Rina, thanks for your time today.Rina Mimoun: Thanks so much for still saying Everwood is on the air. [Laughs] Our final prayers are with you!
TVGuide.com: As the season winds down, the Everwood faithful have been showering CW boss Dawn Ostroff with gifts in an effort to keep the show alive. For those who have yet to contribute, is Dawn more of a rose or a tulip kind of gal?Mimoun: I always say, "Send a lady roses." That's what I like to get. That way, for a brief moment, you can be really excited and think that it's being sent from, like, Taye Diggs or something.
TVGuide.com: With the roses, fans should include pages and pages of testimony about how fantastic the show is, right?Mimoun: Exactly. God bless you! I swear to god, I've turned into this crazy prayer person since all of this has happened. It's really not my scene, and now I understand why everyone thinks I'm the voice of Hannah. I'm telling you, I've been Amy since Season 1, and suddenly the fans have turned against me. They can't understand it!
TVGuide.com: From where you sit, have fans been satisfied with this season's stories?Mimoun: I think so. I sneak around on fan sites every once in a while, which I know I'm not supposed to do. If I see people are really screaming about something — even if they're screaming, "I hate it, and here's why" — it's a good thing, because it means that people are talking and people are excited. The point of television, especially when you're writing character drama, is not to get everyone to agree with you. When we had Andy Brown throw Madison out of Everwood, you can imagine the hate that came. My grandmother called me, hating me! She was like, "I can't watch it anymore," and I said, "But you're riveted, and you will."
TVGuide.com: There are only a handful of episodes left this season. What can you tell us about how it will wrap up? Will Kelly Carlson [as Ada] continue to cause problems for fan-favorite couple Bright and Hannah? Mimoun: You will no longer see Kelly, but the predicament remains. Hannah meets somebody else that causes a bit of a stir. But there is hope remaining for Bright and Hannah. As Ephram and Amy exist in the ether, Bright and Hannah have become similar in that way.
TVGuide.com: Good, because I've cried too much already!Mimoun: Oh, yay! [Chuckles] It will get happy for them.
TVGuide.com: Who else are we going to see in terms of guests?Mimoun: You are still waiting to see Justin Kirk (Weeds) and Charles Durning, whom I adore! If there is a Season 5, you will definitely see more of him. There are people leaving Everwood — major people saying goodbye forever.
TVGuide.com: Do tell.Mimoun: There's a person dying who is leaving the earth forever, but there are some other people who are simply leaving Everwood forever. Probably getting other shows, quite frankly.
TVGuide.com: In terms of this season's big death, what are some of the more humorous guesses fans have offered?Mimoun: A lot of people have been wanting us to kill Jake. Jake is not dying! Scott Wolf is my favorite addition to the cast, over all four seasons. He's just friggin' awesome — an amazing human being, an amazing actor. He handles a show like this better than so many other people, because he can really master comedy and drama at the same time. A lot of people thought we were going to kill Jake in some major drug overdose.
TVGuide.com: At his new clinic, of course.Mimoun: Yes, someone's going to bomb the plastic-surgery clinic. [Laughs] Then Joan Rivers comes to town.... That would have been a good one! But Jake is ruled out. The way we structured the episode where the person dies, there are three possibilities, and we lead you down the road toward three different people. I feel like I'm ruining it....
TVGuide.com: Some have said the death is more sad than tragic.Mimoun: I think it's both. For the people who are affected by it, it's certainly tragic, and there's one person who's definitely affected more than others. I suppose I could tell you the three people who it looks like could die, and then people can take their guesses.
TVGuide.com: Sure — then you can go read the message boards!Mimoun: You've got Bright with a serious problem after a major drunken incident at a bar that causes him to go flying through a sheet of glass. You've got Rose, with the scare returning. And Andy's father coming back to town... it will always cause speculation when a very old man comes back to town to meet his grandchildren. There are always questions when you bring in a super-old guy. It always seems like a last hurrah.
TVGuide.com: That could be too obvious. Mimoun: You never know. But it's just like writers to say there's a big death coming and then kill off a guest star. [Laughs]
Coming soon, in Part 2 of Insider's exclusive Q&A: Rina Mimoun reflects on the season gone by, reveals her favorite character, and shares the scoop on Everwood's syndication deal. |
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