Kwon takes $1M as winner of CBS’ ‘Survivor: Cook Islands’

New York – His former competitors awarded Yul Kwon, the “godfather” of the CBS game “Survivor: Cook Islands,” with the $1 million top prize Sunday in a classic finale that pitted brains vs. brawn.

Kwon, a management consultant who was the soft-spoken strategic whiz in the 13th edition of the game, bested Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth, the effortless athlete who dominated physical challenges as the game neared its end.

With the money on the line, it was a 5-4 vote.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever felt bad that somebody didn’t win,” host Jeff Probst said. “It was so evenly matched.”

Kwon, a 31-year-old management consultant who lives in San Mateo, Calif., was the brain with degrees from Stanford University and Yale Law School. He controlled the strategic aspect of the game.

“The key to winning the game is maximizing the good luck and minimizing the bad luck,” he said later.

Lusth, who has two years of Santa Barbara City College on his resume and works as a waiter near the surf in Venice, Calif., mastered the tropical game’s challenges.

Actress went behind camera to be more proactive

Little Rock, Ark. – Joey Lauren Adams says she got tired of waiting for the phone to ring with acting job offers, so she decided to go behind the camera for her directorial debut “Come Early Morning.”

“I spent 19 years in Los Angeles and 16 of those acting, and for 16 years I’ve been sort of at the mercy of Hollywood,” said Adams, who has appeared in films including “Chasing Amy” and “Big Daddy.”

“You’re waiting for them to call and I needed to feel a little more proactive with my life,” she said.

Though it took about seven years to go from script to screen, Adams said she was excited to have a hometown audience see her film, starring Ashley Judd, at its Arkansas premiere Thursday.

“I’m so proud to be from Arkansas, and I’m very proud of this film. I tried to depict Southerners in a very honest way,” Adams told the moviegoers.

“Come Early Morning” is about a small town woman who has never committed to a serious relationship. It was filmed in central Arkansas and made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Jerry Seinfeld working on animated ‘Bee Movie’

New York – First, there was Fusilli Jerry. Now, there’s cartoon Jerry.

Jerry Seinfeld is trying out his animated side in a DreamWorks production called “Bee Movie,” due out in November 2007. In it, he is the voice of a bee who leaves the hive and discovers that humans have been stealing the insects’ honey.

The move co-stars Renee Zellweger, who is the voice of Vanessa, a New York City florist.

“I think I’m bringing a different humorous sensibility to an animated movie,” Seinfeld, who also is writing and producing the movie, told Newsweek magazine. “There’s a lot of attitude in the jokes, the same way it was on the show.”

The comedian, who starred in the NBC sitcom “Seinfeld,” still does standup and has three children younger than 6.