Did Survivor: Cook Islands not learn anything from Vanilla Ice, Eminem, and uhm, K-Fed?

It is finally an era when white boy rappers are tolerated, the Beastie Boys gain well-deserved recognition, and we all think we’re moving forward. Along comes the popular CBS reality TV show pulling a stunt that seems to have upset everyone save for certain white-hooded Caucasians. Survivor is having its new season’s 20 castaways segregated by race: whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics.

Host Jeff Probst, born in Wichita and raised in Seattle, had told The Early Show: “The idea for this actually came from the criticism that Survivor was not ethnically diverse enough because, for whatever reason, we always have a low number of minority applicants apply for the show.”

Just as white supremacists might hope for, their favorite color was easily a betting favorite. The White tribe was at 3/2 odds to win when Bodog began its Survivor betting props. Another favorite had been the Asian-American tribe, with 13/7 odds to win. The Hispanic tribe trailed at 2/1 odds in Bodog prop betting, and the African-American tribe was the longest shot at 8/3 odds to win.

There is no solid evidence any of the whities can dance, speak other languages, or tell a funny joke, but one is a gym buff and another has an Academy nod. We will note that all but one reside in California, and two of them are…

I guess this means Survivor: Cook Islands can forget about guesting on Oprah.

“The first record of slavery in Colonial America begins with twenty blacks recorded as being brought by a Dutch man of war and sold to the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 as indentured servants.” (Source: Wikipedia) In a move that sets America back four centuries, CBS’ awarded reality TV show will have 20 castaways segregated by race: whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics.

What does the queen of talk, who is outspoken against racism, have to say about all this? It might rile up Ms. Winfrey double that the African-American tribe is faring poorly as a longshot, with 8/3 odds to win at Bodog betting props. Also not doing too well is the Hispanic tribe with 2/1 odds to win.

The Bodog prop betting favorites are the White tribe with 3/2 odds as well as the Asian-American tribe with 13/7 odds to win. I wonder if these Survivor betting odds are also an indication of the skin color of most online bettors for reality TV betting.

For as long as we’re stereotyping, none of the black castaways is named after a Nike shoe or related to the Wayans. There’s a break dancer, a hiphopper, a boxer, three in showbiz, one was in the Gulf War. Let’s meet tha brothaz and sistahz…

Survivor: Cook Islands – The Unofficial African-American Tribe

Rebecca Borman. 34, make-up artist, Laurelton, NY. A make-up artist for…

This nation, a cradle of civilization when it once was Mesopotamia, has survived the British invasion, the 14 July Revolution, Saddam Hussein, and the Gulf War. Still, we ask: Will Iraq survive Lindsay Lohan?

The child star turned wild child told Elle magazine in September last year about her intentions to visit the US troops in war-torn Iraq with Hillary Clinton. We can’t yet decide whether to be scared for her or for the soldiery she hopes to inebriate with her evil antics so they may regurgitate their sufferings.

Bodog asks: Will Lindsay Lohan travel to Iraq and perform for US troops in 2006? The prop betting odds are +175 it’s a Yes, -260 it’s a No.

Sure, Iraq has existed in political chaos in the last 60 years or so, and is still standing. But if we consider the sorts of menace Ms. Lohan has stomached, and she’s still standing, we must say it’s a tough choice.

Firstly, there’s the too-young-too-fast exploits. Which, newsflash for Lindsay, bigger child star Macaulay Culkin has all done by a younger age. Including boozing and doping, parents’ divorce, and friendship with the eccentric rich (billionaire heirs and heiresses for Lohan, and for Culkin, he who likes kids and now dwells with Arabs).

And then there’s the singing career complete with tying a scarf around the microphone stand in live performances. Which, another newsflash, Steven Tyler has done way, way back. Supposedly, she aims to be a ‘triple threat’ (actress / model / singer) like her idol, Ann-Margret.

Not to forget, the chronic hospitalization for everything from…

How can anyone even eat in those one-size-smaller awards show gowns?

The quick answer is that you don’t eat; you dine. Chefs to the stars have their work cut out for them in every red carpet affair: how to feed a horde of celebrities too worried to ruin their designer frocks and faces. I mean, they can’t all faint in the middle of an acceptance speech.

The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is happening on August 27, several days from now. World renowned chef Joachim Splichal gives us a preview of what TV celebrities will be dining on at the 2006 Emmy Awards – and still look cheekboned as cameras sneak on them while host Conan O’ Brien tells a really long joke without a punchline.

First off, Teri Hatcher, Ellen Pompeo, and Mary Louise Parker need to eat. Period. Unless they want Mischa Barton’s nutrition-deficient queendom. We think Felicity Huffman and Allison Janney do eat, but it’s like they work out more than they can chew.

May we suggest some stuffed avocado with shrimp and crab? Splichal, chef for the official Governor’s Ball in the last 10 years, is serving avocado stuffed with hefty shrimp, crabmeat, and julienned veggies. With a sprouting salad on a bed of lettuce, and his Louis dressing.

Guilt-free yum. It should be a hit with the health-headlining cast of Grey’s Anatomy, who might all show up as they have the most Emmy nominations for any…

Old money vs. new money. Born rich vs. married rich. Privileged vs. fortunate.

Our obsession over social status is more alive than ever. Its latest incarnations: the billionaire heiress, the celebutante, the rich bitch. She is someone whose trust fund and inheritance are off the roof. She’s either a spoiled brat wasting daddy’s money away or filthy rich with a conscience and earning her keep. At one point or another, she has been a fashion model, resided in NYC, ridden horses (mind those free horse galleries), been blond.

(Scroll further down below for who isn’t on our list, and for who might be on our next list – that is, if we ever find the energy to pull this sh!t again.)

For the last time with feelings, meet the top ten billionaire heiresses whom you should namedrop as if you have their number.

10. Nicky Hilton, 22.
9. Athina Onassis Roussel, 21.
8. Georgina Bloomberg, 23.
7. Anna Anisimova, 21.
6. Aerin Lauder, 36.
5. Holly Branson, 25.
4. Ivanka Trump, 24.
3. Dylan Lauren, 31.
2. Lydia Hearst-Shaw, 21.

1. Amanda Hearst, 22. Now that Paris Hilton is so five years ago, Amanda is widely dubbed as the new ‘it’ girl. She and Lydia Hearst-Shaw, aka the Hearst cousins, are the new Hilton sisters. A student and Ford/Elite fashion model, Amanda is the new face of preppy designer Lilly Pulitzer. Hearst Corp.’s own…

Now we know why Indians are good in business.

We see trouble, they see opportunity. We see a shrink, they see the humor in it. We see disaster and donate to Oprah, they see disaster and let the betting begin.

In north India over the weekend, a boy aged 5 going on 6 fell into a pit too deep and narrow for easy rescue. His name is Prince, and his pit fall happened two days before his birthday. Neither television nor Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could pass up the human drama in that, and soon enough, had the entire nation on their knees, praying for this boy’s life.

Elsewhere in India, the bookmakers were equally busy, and not on cricket betting picks. Will Prince survive? How long before his rescue? What are the odds, and how could any good bookie ignore them? Well, they didn’t. Bookmakers received US $33 million in bets (26 million euros or 1.5 billion rupees) surrounding the boy’s survival.

Prince fell into a 60 foot-deep (18 meters) irrigation shaft on a Friday in his neighborhood, the remote village of Kurushetra in Haryana. The pit’s opening could not fit an adult, and local police did not have the equipment to extract him.

The army stepped in, and lowered down a…