Rachel Hunter joins 'Gilligan's Island' reality show
New York -- Just sit right back, and you'll hear a tale ... a tale of a new reality show.
On Monday, "The Real Gilligan's Island" -- a new TBS reality show that drops real people who fit the mold of the original 1960s characters onto an island -- announced who will play Ginger, the pampered movie star: Rachel Hunter.
Hunter, the swimsuit model turned actress, "shares the flightiness and aloofness of Ginger," according to the TBS Web site.
The other contestants of the show also are chosen to reflect the still familiar sitcom characters, including the professor (here, a New York University faculty member) and the skipper (a Massachusetts small business owner and, well, a skipper).
The "real" Gilligan is a 20-year-old college guy who works at a marina, and, apparently, "has been preparing for this role his entire life because he is Gilligan."
"The Real Gilligan's Island" premieres Nov. 30 on TBS.
Kinsey film prognosis good
Bloomington, Ind. -- The new movie about the life and work of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey has received a thumbs-up from one of Kinsey's colleagues.
Paul Gebhard, an 87-year-old who was a member of the late scientist's research team and who is portrayed by Timothy Hutton in "Kinsey," said he liked the film.
"For artistic reasons, they took some liberties with facts, but basically, it's an excellent film," said Gebhard, who directed the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction from 1956 to 1982.
Gebhard, who attended Saturday's premiere of the movie in Bloomington, even suggested that Irish actor Liam Neeson, who plays Kinsey, should get an Academy Award for his portrayal of the Indiana University sex researcher, who died in 1956.
The film also stars actress Laura Linney.
G.I. Joe honored
Rochester, N.Y.-- G.I. Joe, an action-figure toy with a love-or-hate history, drew a historic salute from the National Toy Hall of Fame.
"Some people like this toy -- a lot, and some don't like it -- a lot," Strong Museum's chief executive, G. Rollie Adams, said as the 40-year-old miniature soldier was enshrined last week along with the rocking horse and Scrabble.
They joined 28 classic playthings, from Barbie to Mr. Potato Head, Legos to Lincoln Logs, Slinky to Play-Doh and Crayola crayons, that have been inducted into the 6-year-old Hall of Fame.
The 11 1/2-inch-tall figure also inspired mixed reactions, its popularity temporarily dented as the Vietnam War transformed American political and cultural values, Adams said.
Some argued that it "fosters violent play, leads to a 'might makes right' perspective and desensitizes us to war," Adams said. Others said it "inspires patriotism and bravery" and asked whether "its critics confuse fantasy with violence and therefore undervalue play as a means of overcoming fear."
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