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April 24 - 30, 2022 WHATS UP! T11 As soon as he heard about "Survivor," a bold new TV con- cept that CBS was developing, he knew he wanted to be a part of it. In an interview with Suc- cess magazine, he said he cam- paigned hard for creator Mark Burnett and, having made his case, had to wait and hope. Burnett, fortunately, has proven to have a pretty good TV instinct — not only in choosing Probst as the face of the show but in turning "Survi- vor" into a major TV land- mark. "I was lucky enough that the guy who hired me turned out to be a remarkable storyteller, and he knew how to execute," Probst said. "Because 'Survivor' in the hands of a lot of other television producers could have been a di- saster." Even after landing the hosting gig of a lifetime, Probst hasn't stopped hustling. While he was waiting for his big on-air break, he also wrote a film, and only got a deal to direct it after he landed the "Survivor" gig. That film, "Finder's Fee," was released in 2001, before he wrote and directed another one, "Kiss Me," in 2014. Q: Remember the Whoopi Goldberg movie "Soapdish"? Was that based on the TV show "Soap"? A: Believe it or not, no. The ABC sitcom "Soap," which aired for four seasons from 1977-81, was created by TV producer extraordinaire Susan Harris (who gave us "The Gold- en Girls" and so many other hits). The critically beloved big- screen hit "Soapdish" (1991), on the other hand, was made from an original script by Robert Har- ling (coming off his success with 1989's "Steel Magnolias") and Andrew Bergman ("Fletch," 1985). The existence of two com- pletely separate, ensemble-cast soap opera parodies is a little less surprising when you think about when they were made. The 1980s have been called the golden age of soap operas — a time when their popularity peaked and their audience final- ly extended beyond "stay-at- home moms or the elderly watching their 'stories,'" accord- ing to Medium.com critic Kathy Copeland Padden. Of course, when something enters the wider pop culture conversation like that, it's pretty much asking to get spoofed. That kind of humor relies on au- diences understanding the pat- terns and tropes of the thing be- ing parodied. (Think of musical- comedy legend Weird Al Yankovic — he's not spoofing pop stars' B-sides, he only does the hits.) Soaps had been around since the radio days, and so have been a part of the TV landscape since its beginning, but it wasn't until the late '70s that enough people were familiar with them that they would understand a parody, which is why we got "Soap." Their popularity only grew throughout the '80s, which justi- fied "Soapdish's" dip into the same mockery well in 1991. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: Are they going to make more seasons of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? A: Yes they will. And they may never stop. When it aired its 15th season on FX in December, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" quietly set a record recently as the lon- gest-running live-action sitcom in TV history (bypassing "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harri- et"). Before that season even de- buted, FX renewed it for three more, so we're almost guaran- teed episodes up to Season 18, at least. FX Entertainment president Eric Schrier has said that cre- ators Rob McElhenney ("Mythic Quest") and Glenn Howerton ("The Strangers," 2008) never seem to get tired of writing new episodes, and viewers don't get tired of watching them, so FX will never get tired of paying for them. "The guys have been doing it for so long," Schrier told Dead- line.com. "As long as they feel that they creatively can maintain its vibrancy, they want to contin- ue to do it. Creatively, the show is excellent, and we think the last season was as strong as ever. The fans love the show, so we'll keep going as long as as they want to keep it going." Q: What did Jeff Probst do before hosting "Survivor"? A: Before Jeff Probst was be- ing flown to remote islands and outposts as host of the long-run- ning reality smash "Survivor," he was already traveling the world for TV. Probst held an array of host- ing and correspondent gigs, hus- tling to get his face and voice known in a crowded industry. He started with a series of shows on the fledgling FX net- work, including the viewer-re- sponse show "Backchat" and the music-themed "Sound FX." He also briefly hosted a show called "Rock & Roll Jeopardy!" for VH1. Soon, though, he was getting steady work as a traveling corre- spondent for "Access Holly- wood." He says he logged more than 300,000 miles for the show, attending premieres, interview- ing stars and generally preparing himself for a life of airplane food and talking to people. Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney as seen in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" HOLLYWOOD Q&A Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares Rogers 479-636-5590 • Springdale 479-756-1788 Eureka Springs 479-253-8967 www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 PEST CONTROL | TERMITE FERTILIZATION | WEED CONTROL PRE-EMERGENTS