The big bombshell here in Los Angeles (that just about everyone knew was going to go off) is NBC's decision to move Jay Leno out of primetime. NBC had promised it would give Leno a year; it's only been three months. It's a bad-case scenario all the way around, but one the network really couldn't avoid considering how pathetic the ratings were. The big question: Will Conan O'Brien stay with the network if he's moved back by a half hour? I'd say it's 50/50 now, but I'm leaning towards O'Brien looking for greener pastures.
Hard for me to think straight, though, after last night's party celebrating the 10th anniversary of "Survivor." More than 200 past participants were there, most of whom paid their own way. I asked season 2 veteran Jerri Manthey how many of them probably thought they'd have Hollywood careers after being on the show. She guessed about 90 percent. Complimented Johnny Fairplay on his wild, colorful wardrobe and he slipped me the card of his fashion designer. Had a perplexing conversation with season 19 standout Russell Hantz, who talked about his strategy like he had figured out some complex mathematical problem. Also chatted with CBS head honcho Leslie Moonves and "Survivor" creator Mark Burnett. But my favorite encounter of the evening happened outside in the smoking area. Fairplay was hanging out with a chesty blonde who was very funny and charming and we struck up a conversation about music, movies and reality TV. It turns out it was Alexis Arquette, the transsexual actress who participated in "The Surreal Life." Surreal, indeed.
