I always disagree with the LA Times, but this is actually the voice of reason. Maybe this whole “race” thing might actually be a good idea and people will actually work together! What a concept…

Los Angeles Times

Reality show gimmick will force conversation and maybe show that skin color doesn’t matter.

By Tony Pierce, TONY PIERCE is the editor of LAist.com.
August 26, 2006

WHO KNEW A stupid game show could launch a race war?

That’s what nervous pundits and politicians from coast to coast are saying about the decision by the reality hit “Survivor” to divide this fall season’s 20 contestants into four competing groups (or “tribes”) — whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians.

“This could get ugly,” warned a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist. New York City Council members said they’d launch a boycott. One Arkansas paper ran the headline: “Race wars are coming to a TV near you.”

First, unless four white cops get caught on videotape billy-clubbing a black man, and then all get let off the hook, television has little or no power to inspire racial violence. Second, Americans don’t rise up for anything nowadays, or else people would be rioting over unleaded being $3 a gallon and the president continuing a war most of us oppose. And third, dividing “Survivor” into ethnic tribes is more likely to keep people off the streets and in their homes watching TV, where they ought to be. More… »

The Boston Globe

Maybe they should call it “Survivor: The Race Riots.” Or “Survivor: Sharks vs. Jets.” The 13th season of the reality show, which premieres Sept. 14 on CBS, will divide its contestants into four teams (above): white, black, Hispanic, and Asian.

It all sounds suspiciously like a “Chappelle’s Show” sketch. But the race-baiting theme is starting to look like a sign of the times for reality TV, a genre that’s always searching for creative ways to make people fight. (Bravo’s “Project Runway” brought in the contestants’ mothers this week, guaranteeing an ample flow of tears.) Here’s a recent sampling of race-based reality shows, some aired and some thwarted. More… »

Appearantly some of you are a little upset by the new format, especially the Native Americans and loud, stupid people. Count how many times you read the words “Nazi” and “Race War”. All the email is against the idea, but the poll on the subject supports it.

Some suggest a Germans, Irish, Italians and Polish show. Other point out that “Hispanic” is not a “race”. Neither is “White”. Then there was the person who outraged because “Thirteen of the twenty survivors are from CALIFORNIA!”.

I’ve listed my personal favorites first. There are great ones sprinkled through out, so read them all. Oh, and by the way, I’m not associated with CBS or the show in any way. You know that, right? These people don’t.

…and now for your amusement:

Straight up you guys are f**king idiots!!! You motherf**king idiots lost ideas for a show and now you want to make four tribes based on their race. You f**king retards! Do you know how much racism this is going to start up again. Take this s**t off the air and make something new you stupid, dumb, lazy ass motherf**king, TV trash making mother f**kers. P.S. C’mon, man! You are so f**king stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you racist b*st*rds! why aren’t there any native americans on this series? 9 out of 10 places that host the show were inhabited by natives originally anyway. you should have really thought about this move first you ***holes.

What you are doing is fine by me you only offended me by not putting Native Americans as one of the groups I conceder that ratial

I will not be watching this season of Survivor, nor will I discuss the show with anyone who might, except for the purpose of persuading them *not* to. History has already proven that racism is an instigator, so I can’t see any redeeming purpose in this particular social experiment.

When will people realize that “white” is not an ethnicity? It is “Caucasian”.

Racial division? That is so wrong. My family will not watch this show anymore. And we will be sure to let your sponsors know that.

There is one race…the human race you idiots! Isn’t that what we have been striving to proove for a couple hundred years?

Let the race show go on the air! More… »

I guess this is the end of the world as we know it. Survivor is going to promote divisiveness. We don’t want to talk about Hezbolah or Iraq or Pakistanis blowing up airplanes because a TV show is going to bring this country down.

MSNBC.com

‘How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?’ asks one city councilman

NEW YORK - A group of New York City officials blasted CBS and its hit series “Survivor” on Thursday, a day after the network announced that the teams on the new season of the reality show will be divided by race.

Saying that the setup will promote divisiveness, the officials called on CBS to reconsider its plans.

“The idea of having a battle of the races is preposterous,” said City Councilman John Liu. “How could anybody be so desperate for ratings?” More… »

Chico Enterprise Record

By HEATHER HACKING - Staff Writer

It’s true.

Fans of the show “Survivor” and fans of Chico’s NorCal Roller Derby will have a chance to see a Chico gal compete on the popular reality show that begins at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 on CBS.

“Flica Flame,” whose real name is Jessica Smith, was confirmed as a contestant on the show in a CBS news release Wednesday.

The Enterprise-Record recently reported that friends of the 27-year-old roller derby contestant believed she was to be among the “Survivor” cast filming in the Cook Islands off Australia.

The show’s producers contacted an organizer for the Chico roller derby group asking if they had any interesting women to take part in the show.

All of the skaters are interesting, and some names were forwarded, including Smith’s. In addition to being known as a tough roller derby player, Smith also performs on stilts and dances with fire. More… »

People.com

Fueled by critics who slammed its lack of diversity, CBS’s Survivor has unveiled a new twist for its upcoming season: Contestants will be divided by ethnicity.

When it premieres Sept. 14, Survivor: Cook Islands will feature 20 castaways divided into four tribes: black, white, Asian and Latino.

“We’re going to take some heat for it,” says creator and executive producer Mark Burnett of the twist, which was announced Wednesday morning. “But it’s a great cast.”

For a show entering its 13th season with steady ratings but ebbing buzz, the decision could be a shot in the arm if it once again generates Survivor water-cooler chatter. More… »

Be sure to go to this page. They have his audition video. www.wdbj7.com

www.wdbj7.com

CBS has announced the cast for the next installment of the television show Survivor and a nail salon manager from Christiansburg is one of the competitors.

Anh -Tuan “Cao Boi” Bui auditioned along with dozens of other aspiring survivors on January 31st, when WDBJ7 sponsored a casting call at Kent Square in Blacksburg.

This morning, CBS introduced Bui as one of the 20 contestants who traveled to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific.

Survivor: Cook Islands premieres on WDBJ7, on Thursday, September 14th.

Fayetteville Online
By Jessica Banov
Assistant features editor

Candice Woodcock slept in mud huts in Kenya for more than two months. She lived on the open sea in a sailboat off the coast of Maine for almost three months.

Both experiences taught her hardship, but will they help her outwit, outplay and outlast 19 other castaways hungry for $1 million on CBS’s “Survivor”?

Woodcock, a graduate of Terry Sanford High School — and a University of North Carolina Morehead scholar — was announced as one of the contestants of the popular reality show on Wednesday’s “The Early Show.” More… »

Suckers. This is what they planned for. Big Buzz. Everyone talking about it.

Why didn’t people get upset when it was divided by sex? or by age and sex? Why was that not offensive and yet this is offensive to so many people? I don’t understand. Tell me in the forum.

ABC News

Aug. 25, 2006 — The CBS plan to launch this season’s “Survivor” pitting four teams against each other divided along racial lines — blacks, whites, Latinos and Asians — is enraging city officials in New York, who are demanding the show, scheduled to premiere Sept. 14, be scrapped.

The network has issued a statement saying, “CBS fully recognizes the controversial nature of this format but has full confidence in the producers and their ability to produce the program in a responsible manner.”

Critics are unsure what “a responsible manner” would be, even as CBS defends its plan.

But if CBS was looking for a storm of free publicity in the press, they’ve got it.

“What’s Next? Germans vs. Jews?” the New York Post asked in a headline today.

“Racism does bring out the worst in us and, unfortunately, in that [’Survivor’ producer Mark] Burnett is not entirely wrong,” the Post says.

Indignation in the press is not always echoed by people in the street, as ABC News’ questioning of random passersby in front of New York’s Lincoln Center showed this morning:

“I wouldn’t mind or be offended by the whole race division. I’d be more interested to see what the competition is like,” said Mike, a African American assets administrator in his late 20s. “I mean, unless it’s stereotyping any group in a way that’s offensive, I’m okay with it.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Ashley, a white woman in her mid 20s who designs wardrobes for TV shows. “It gives people extra incentive to watch the show, now, out of sheer intrigue. I wouldn’t have watched it before, since it seemed kind of dull, but this adds new flavor.” More… »

www.contactmusic.com
THE SURVIVOR CONTROVERSY GROWS

As expected, Wednesday’s announcement that the next Survivor series will see the show’s “tribes” divided along racial lines has begun to generate controversy. In New York, City Councilman John Liu, calling the plan “preposterous,” told the Associated Press that he plans to launch a campaign urging CBS not to broadcast the show, which is scheduled to debut on Sept. 14. He said that a coalition of officials, including the city council’s black, Latino and Asian caucus, was planning a protest rally at City Hall set for today (Friday). Mychal Massie, national chairman of the conservative African-American group Project 21, told CNSNews.com, a unit of the conservative Media Research Center, that the show will perpetuate “a racial divide, and I’m not certain that this particular racial divide is not intentional to show one [racial] group as more adept or more adroit than another group.” New York Post TV columnist Linda Stasi remarked that “the whole concept is racist. Of course, it’s ugly as can be. … So will ‘Survivor: Race Wars’ be a ratings winner? You bet! If racism hadn’t turned into entertainment, it wouldn’t be called ‘playing the race card.’

Charlotte.com
Matt Ehlers
News & Observer

It’s no surprise that a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate is part of the new cast of “Survivor.” The surprise is that her white skin is central to the reality show’s gimmick.

When the new season begins Sept. 14 on CBS, the 20 contestants — this time stranded on islands in the South Pacific — will team up by race or ethnicity. There are four teams: black, white, Asian and Hispanic, and they will be pitted against one another. One contestant will win $1 million.

Criticism has come from all angles — from television writers to bloggers to a New York City councilman. They called the setup a cynical ploy by a network anxious for buzz, viewers and advertising dollars.

“We’re trying to work to make this country — a country of immigrants — blend in together,” Julie Garza, program director of La Ley 96.9 FM, a Triangle Spanish-language radio station, said Thursday. “Then we go and do these kinds of shows.” More… »

WLTX-TV News 19

The producers have selected Stephannie Favor of Columbia to be part of the 13th season called “Survivor: Cook Islands.” Favor is a 35-year-old nursing student and a mother of two. She made it on the show by going through a News19 casting call.

This was her third tryout for the show.

Favor continues a proud tradition for the Palmetto State. South Carolina has been well-represented over the years, including two contestants last season. Here’s a breakdown of who’s been on before.

Patricia Jackson of Lugoff — “Survivor: Marquesas”

Joanna Ward of Orangeburg – “Survivor: The Amazon”

Lea Masters of Columbia – “Survivor: Vanuatu”

Ashlee Ashby of Easley – “Survivor: Palau”

Cirie Fields – Walterboro – “Survivor: Exile Island”

Ruth Marie Milliman – Greenville – “Survivor: Exile Island” More… »

Roanoke.com

The 13th edition of “Survivor” will debut at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 on WDBJ (Channel 7).
By Marques G. Harper

Two “Survivor” contestants with ties to Virginia Tech will compete for immunity and the $1 million grand prize when the popular CBS reality series returns in September.

Christiansburg resident Anh-Tuan “Cao Boi” (pronounced cowboy) Bui, who attended Tech, and Adam Gentry, a Tech graduate who lives in California, are part of the latest round of castaways.

Their chance for a million dollars comes seasons after Tom “Big Tom” Buchanan, of Rich Valley in Smyth County, became a popular “Survivor” contestant appearing on “Survivor: Africa” and “Survivor: All-Stars.” More… »

E! Online News
by Gina Serpe
Aug 23, 2006, 8:10 AM PT

Some may call it exploiting racial tensions. CBS calls it darn good television.

Jeff Probst popped in on The Early Show Wednesday morning, confirming the reports that the 20 castaways for Survivor: Cook Islands will be grouped by race, with competitors divided into four tribes consisting of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics.

Apparently, “separate but equal” holds only the warmest of connotations for Mark Burnett. More… »

This photo is from the annual report for the City Of Santa Monica, where it’s reported that she won a LINE OF DUTY MEDAL. Looks like she’s a genuine hero!

(Read the caption. She looks good in that suit and tie, but Sergeant Jim Hirt needs to dress more appropriately. Whoever wrote the annual report didn’t count on her becoming a TV star 4 years later and having this viewed by thousands. If you ever want a lesson in why getting the details right is important, this is it. There’s nothing they can do about it now!)

Santa Monica Police Department - Press Release May 11, 2002

HONORING SANTA MONICA POLICE DEPARTMENTS FINEST

May 11, 2002

The Santa Monica Police Department’s Awards Banquet was held on May 10, 2002, at the Casa Del Mar Hotel. The ceremony paid tribute to department personnel and community members. The awards were given for a variety of criteria: heroism, meritorious service and injury in the line of duty.

In attendance were the following dignitaries and friends: Mayor Michael Feinstein, Mayor Pro Tempore Kevin McKeown, Council Members Richard Bloom, Ken Genser, Pam O’Connor and Herb Katz, City Manager Susan McCarthy, City Attorney Marsha Moutrie, Actress June Lockhart, KTTV Fox 11 newscaster, John Beard who received a special award, David Sampson, Jr. who received the citizen involvement award for assisting in the apprehension of an armed bank robbery suspect, and John Catoe, Deputy CEO for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The following awards were presented by the Department:

LINE OF DUTY MEDAL

Awarded to any Police Department employee who, through no fault of their own, sustains serious or career-debilitating injuries during the performance of job related functions.

· James Hirt, Sergeant

· Cristina Coria, Police Officer

· Steven Wong, Police Officer

2002 Police & Fire -Women

Flash Results, Inc. (Don Chadez) Hy-Tek's MEET MANAGER
2002 CALIFORNIA POLICE & FIRE GAMES Page 1
TRACK & FIELD
Santa Ana College - Wednesday 06/19/02 to Saturday 06/22/02

———– Women 35 ————
1 Beverly Flemings W36 Oakland Police Dept 14.14 NWI 1
2 Lynda Sears W37 CDC-CSP/LA 14.83 NWI 1


Survivor: Cook Islands on CBS

31, San Mateo, CA, Management Consultant

biography

Yul Kwon was born in Queens, New York to parents who emigrated from South Korea. The family moved to the West Coast when he was six years old and he was raised in Concord, California. He attended high school at Northgate High in Walnut Creek, California, where he played varsity water polo and track and graduated valedictorian.

Kwon then attended Stanford University and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in symbolic systems (theoretical computer science). While at Stanford, he received the James Lyons Award for Service, attended officer candidates school for the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Kwon went on to receive his Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.

Kwon has enjoyed a diverse career straddling both the private and public sectors in law, business and technology. He practiced a mix of litigation, appellate, transactional and regulatory work at several law firms. He also served as a judicial clerk to a federal judge on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, he worked as a legislative aide to Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, D.C., where he helped draft sections of the Homeland Security Bill and other technology-related legislation. Several years ago, Kwon decided to switch careers and become a management consultant at McKinsey. From there, he joined Google’s business strategy group and most recently went back into consulting.

Kwon’s favorite hobbies include politics, boxing, ultimate fighting and volunteering with kids. He describes himself as idealistic, compassionate and ambitious. He became passionate about creating awareness for more minority bone marrow donors in the U.S. after launching a major search to find a match for his best friend who was diagnosed with leukemia, but ultimately succumbed to the disease.

Kwon is a member of the Washington, D.C. and California State Bar Associations. He is also a member of the Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Kwon currently resides in San Mateo, California. His birth date is February 14, 1975.

Survivor: Cook Islands on CBS

31, Los Angeles, CA, Actress

biography

A first generation American, Sundra Oakley was born in Queens, New York to Jamaican parents. Oakley received her Bachelor’s Degree from New York University. She also studied at Georgetown University.

Oakley is currently a cocktail waitress at a Hollywood nightclub while pursuing an acting career. She has appeared on CSI: MIAMI on CBS, “Strong Medicine,” “Sex and the City,” several national commercials and has appeared off Broadway.

Oakley’s hobbies include dancing, traveling to new countries, reading, kung fu and capoeira, snuggling on the couch with her son to watch a movie and sleep when she can get it. Her favorite sports are running and boxing.

Oakley currently resides in Los Angeles with her son, Carsun and their beta fish, Beta. Her birth date is January 2, 1975.