Mike White to return to ‘Survivor' for its 50th season
White first appeared on 'Survivor' in 2018, during the show's 37th season, and lasted on the island for 39 days, finishing in second place. Although 'The White Lotus' wouldn't premiere until three years later (White has said the show, an acerbic anthology series set at an exotic hotel chain, was partly inspired by his observations while on 'Survivor'), he was already a well-regarded filmmaker, having written the film 'School of Rock' and created the HBO series 'Enlightened.'
Advertisement
Conceived of and filmed during the COVID pandemic, 'The White Lotus' became a breakout hit for HBO and catapulted White to a new level of fame. He won Emmy Awards for both writing and directing in the limited series or anthology categories for the show's first season. The finale of the third season -- which aired this spring and starred Parker Posey, Carrie Coon and Walton Goggins -- was watched by more than 6 million viewers.
Before 'Survivor,' White competed on 'The Amazing Race' with his father in 2009 and again in 2011. In a 2021 interview with The New Yorker, he attributed his love of reality television to its ability to distill real human behavior and conflict.
'For me, as a writer of drama, I aspire to do what reality television already does,' he said. 'To create characters that are surprising and dimensional and do weird' stuff and 'capture your attention.'
Advertisement
The landmark 50th season of 'Survivor,' which is scheduled to air in 2026, will feature several returning cast members, including a Season 1 contestant, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, and five-time competitors Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth. Filming is scheduled to take place this summer.
This article originally appeared in
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'You Wussed Out': David Mamet Reveals Trump's 20-Minute Call After He Committed A MAGA Sin
Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter David Mamet has recalled once receiving a lengthy phone call from Donald Trump after he dared not to go all in on the then-former president's 2020 election conspiracy theories. Trump loyalist Mamet, appearing on Bill Maher's 'Club Random Podcast' this week, remembered being 'kind of iffy' about whether the election had been stolen from Trump during an appearance on Maher's HBO show, 'Real Time.' At 8 a.m. the following day, the Hollywood veteran said he received a call from Trump who told him: 'I saw you on Bill Maher yesterday, you were great. But you wussed out on the question of the stolen election.' Trump then 'talked to me for like 20 minutes about how the election was stolen,' Mamet told Maher. 'But it wasn't,' Maher reminded him. Mamet, a yearslong vocal critic of progressive causes who has called former President Barack Obama a 'tyrant' and described diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as 'garbage,' responded: 'Well, I think it was.' Maher noted how the claim that the election was rigged for now-former President Joe Biden has fallen flat in dozens of court cases, been dismissed by Trump's own commissioners and analysts have described the 2020 vote as 'the most fair, honest election we've ever had.' Mamet argued Trump would have won by a majority had various issues not been suppressed. 'Oh, please. That's so ridiculous,' said Maher, who doubted they would have swung the result. Watch from the 5:30 point here: Critics Cackle Over Mike Johnson's Awkward Confession About Elon Musk Phone Call Cringe Karoline Leavitt Clip Perfectly Sums Up Trump's White House, Say Critics Critics Gasp At Trump Official's 'The Thing That Matters' Declaration
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why the Doobie Brothers still matter in 2025
Since the early 1970s, the Doobie Brothers have provided the soundtrack to countless road trips and backyard parties with songs like ' Listen to the Music,' ' Long Train Runnin' ' and ' What a Fool Believes,' among many others. Yet half a century into their storied classic rock career, the band finds itself stuck with an unlikely label: yacht rock pioneer. After a 2005 web spoof went viral, the Doobie Brothers got lumped into the R&B-influenced soft rock subgenre promulgated by acts like Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. Nostalgic heartstrings were tugged, yacht rock cover bands spread the gospel, and a recent HBO documentary exposed new generations to this invented but totally legit phenomenon. 'The whole idea of yacht rock, comically, is not lost on me,' Michael McDonald told the Chronicle, on video call from his Santa Barbara home. 'If I have to be attached to any group of musicians or bands or songs, I couldn't be prouder to be counted among bands like Steely Dan and Hall & Oates.' It's another curious twist of the tail for the Bay Area music legends. During their Carter-era peak, the Doobie Brothers were hitting cruising altitude in their DoobieLiner jet, high off a string of instantly recognizable hits and readily available substances. By 1976, they already had a greatest hits compilation that has sold more than 10 million albums in the U.S. to date. Now 56 years after their humble San Jose beginnings, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are back with their 16th studio album 'Walk This Road,' out Friday, June 6. A week later, members Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and McDonald will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 12. Johnston credits the band's success and longevity — they survived addiction, deaths, lineup changes and a five-year hiatus — to the strong connection fans have made with their music. 'They look fondly on the band because our songs are associated with good times,' said Johnston, on joint video call with his bandmates, from his home in Visalia (Tulare County). 'We're extremely fortunate to have that.' Johnston and Simmons are OG San Jose like the Winchester Mystery House. They met at San Jose State University in the '60s, and together they would prowl Bay Area clubs and bars. In the process, they scooped up like-minded souls like drummer John Hartman and bassist Dave Shogren who would eventually form the Doobie nucleus in 1970. 'Living in the Bay Area had a profound influence on me musically because there was so much live music all the time,' said Simmons. 'It really sparked my imagination.' A regular gig as the unofficial house band at Chateau Liberté in the Santa Cruz Mountains sealed their reputation as a favorite among local Hells Angels, who would ride their hogs into the joint without complaint. Moby Grape's Skip Spence was a key contributor to their rootsy hybrid sound. Hits like 'Black Water,' 'Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)' and 'Jesus Is Just Alright' revealed regional inspirations outside the 408, from swampy blues to joyous R&B. 'One of the things I really like about the band was that it never put stylistic limits on the music,' said Doobies guitarist John McFee, who joined the band in 1979, from his Santa Barbara home. 'We try to find things that work and just be as creative as possible.' The addition of McDonald in 1976 opened up the band's sonic palette further into R&B and gospel territory, and set the wheels in motion for a sound reset. 'Takin' it to the Streets' and 'What a Fool Believes,' the latter which won a 1980 Grammy for song of the year, showcased McDonald's bearded brogue that would later define the yacht rock aesthetic. On the band's new album 'Walk This Road,' the Doobie Brothers have matured like fine whiskey. Their voices have mellowed a touch, yet still have a satisfying residual burn. Mortality is a naturally occurring topic for the members whose average age is 74, as the group reflects on strengthening bonds ('Call Me'), achieving peace ('State of Grace') and pondering life's eternal lessons (the title track, a duet with gospel and R&B legend Mavis Staples). 'We have a lot of common feelings about where we've been and where we're going,' Simmons explained, joining the Zoom from his Maui residence. 'And it comes out in the songs.' 'Walk This Road' is a homecoming for McDonald, who hasn't recorded with the Doobie Brothers since 1980. He contributed 'Speed of Pain' and 'Learn to Let Go' to the new album, both imbued with his inimitable voice and keyboard touches. Even during the peak of his solo popularity, McDonald said he's always stayed in touch with his Doobie brothers. He especially enjoys playing different instruments with the group, which he doesn't get to do in his own band. 'It's a great opportunity to become a part of the band again,' McDonald said. 'I've always enjoyed playing the music of the Doobie Brothers every bit as much, and sometimes more than, my own.' Having a string of hits has resulted in a wide swath of Doobie admirers across a spectrum of genres. A 2010 tribute album, 'Southbound,' highlighted their lasting give-and-take connection with country music, featuring artists like Zac Brown Band and Brad Paisley. There are pop, house, funk, even Cuban jazz renditions of the Doobie Brothers songs. They've been sampled by producers and DJs like J Dilla ('367') and Daft Punk ('Face to Face'). And McDonald's 'I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)' forms the foundational bed for Warren G and Nate Dogg's G-funk classic 'Regulate.' Oakland R&B great Raphael Saadiq included 'China Grove' in his 2025 NBA All-Star Game medley, and yacht rock cover bands keep sprouting up as a new generation taps in and climbs aboard. All this interest keeps the Doobie Brothers hype train on track. In July, they'll kick off their 2025 'Walk This Road' tour in the U.K., with U.S. dates following in August. Johnston doesn't take the transformational power of live music for granted. He said the goosebump-raising feeling of an audience reacting to familiar opening chords of hits like ' Rockin' Down the Highway ' never gets old, even after more than five decades. 'If you can get that, man, take that to the bank and hang on to it,' Johnston said, 'because that's one of the reasons people keep coming back.' 'It's like we've been invited into people's lives, and we've become part of them,' added McFee. 'And that's an amazing thing. What a great benefit of playing music — to be lucky enough to make that kind of connection with people.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Concert to raise money for cardiac screenings
A fundraising concert has been organised in memory of an eight-year-old boy who died from a cardiac arrest. Jasper Cook, from Birkenshaw, died in January 2022, three days after he fell ill with Covid-19. His parents, Kim and Ian Cook, said money raised from the event would be used to help fund cardiac screenings for young people. The event comes after Mrs Cook was nominated in the fundraiser category for this year's BBC Radio Leeds Make a Difference Awards. "My whole ethos behind what we've been doing in Jasper's name is, the more people I can reach, the more money I can raise, the more young hearts I can screen, the more people I can stop being in this terrible position," she said. "We have already now done three days and tested nearly 300 young people between the ages of 14 and 35." Since her son's death Mrs Cook has completed a number of fundraising challenges and events, including skydiving. The concert, taking place at St Paul's Church later, in Birkenshaw, will feature a choir from Birkenshaw primary school, as well as singers from St Paul's and the BBG Academy. It will also feature the first public performance of a song written by in memory of Jasper by his friend and her father, called A Song for Jasper. Mrs Cook said: "It's been a really difficult few years, but we are I think pulling through. "I think what we've been doing with the heart screening has really given us a little bit of focus. The BBC Make a Difference Awards are organised to thank and recognise people who want to improve the lives of people in the communities where they live, with the winners due to be announced at a ceremony in Bradford on 13 September Mrs Cook was nominated by a family friend who said: "It is truly remarkable that the family, despite their utter grief in dealing with the tragic loss of their young son, are honouring his memory by doing all that they can to prevent other families having to go through what they have suffered." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Free heart checks in memory of eight-year-old boy Cardiac Risk in the Young
