Goldberg's show spawned 'Survivor

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 6, 2000

Whoopi Goldberg says her game show revival of Hollywood Squares is responsible for the revival of the genre."We brought back the idea the people could do new game shows," Goldberg said in a TV Guide Celebrity Dish airing Sunday night on the Food Network.

"Now they've got game shows coming out of the ying-yang," the actor and comedian said. "You've got Survivor, Survivor's Mother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire."

Country star, wife 'heal' through separation

Country singer Alan Jackson says a brief separation from his wife, Denise, in 1998 "turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us."

The couple, who have three children, parted for a few months after 18 years of marriage but are now back together.

"I think it finally took a toll on us," Jackson told Country Weekly magazine in its Aug. 22 issue. "I don't think it's that uncommon and I can't blame it all on my career. I think it's just life and learning how to deal with a relationship, no matter how good a partner you have."

The five-month separation from his high school sweetheart "opened up a lot of wounds that we had covered up over the years and allowed them to heal," Jackson said.

Jackson, whose hits include Chattahoochee and Don't Rock the Jukebox, was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 1995 and is nominated for that honor again this year.

Actors Helen Hunt, Hank Azaria separate

Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria have split.

The Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor separated from her husband several months ago, said publicist Steven Huvane.

The two married on July 17, 1999. They had been together since 1994.

Hunt won 1998's best actress Oscar for As Good As It Gets and multiple Emmys for her comedic lead character in Mad About You. Azaria's movie credits include Godzilla and The Birdcage.

Huvane said the separation was mutual.

"They remain good friends," Azaria's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, said.

Azaria also had a recurring role on Mad About You as Nate the dog walker and is well known to fans of the animated TV series The Simpsons as the voice of a number of characters.

Hunt is slated to star opposite Tom Hanks in the upcoming movie Castaway and opposite Mel Gibson in What Women Want.

Actor, governor join to help veterans

Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up with his former Predator co-star-turned-politican to raise awareness of the plight of military veterans.

"The veterans are not getting a fair shake," Schwarzenegger said on Gov. Jesse Ventura's live radio show Friday. "The way the government is taking care of them is disastrous."

Schwarzenegger has been friends with Ventura since they made the movie in 1986. In his native Austria, Schwarzenegger was a tank driver in the military.