Hunter to play Ginger in 'Gilligan' reality show

Hunter to play Gingerin 'Gilligan' 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. "She tends to drift and wander without care for what is going on around her."
The other contestants of the show are also chosen to reflect the still familiar sitcom characters, including the Professor (here, a New York University professor) 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."
In the show, the castaways will have to work together to get off an island, and in various contests, will relive scenarios from the classic series. "The Real Gilligan's Island" premieres Nov. 30 on TBS.
Rocker Roth trainsto be a paramedic
NEW YORK -- Rocker David Lee Roth, the former Van Halen front man, is taking up a new trade.
Instead of screaming "Jump," he'll be yelling "Clear!"
Roth, 50, has been riding for several weeks with a New York ambulance crew in training to become a paramedic, The New York Post reported Tuesday.
"I have been on over 200 individual rides now," said Roth. "Not once has anyone recognized me, which is perfect for me."
The singer, who spent a decade with Van Halen before embarking on a solo career, except a collaboration with the band for two new songs on a greatest hits album, has been riding along with crews in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn several nights a week. His training seems to be going well.
Several weeks ago, Roth saved the life of a heart attack victim in the Bronx by using a defibrillator.
Today's birthdays
Olympian-turned-politician Bob Mathias is 74. Singer Gordon Lightfoot is 66. Movie director Martin Scorsese is 62. Actress Lauren Hutton is 61. Actor-director Danny DeVito is 60. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels is 60. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver is 60.
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