Press Tour Day Two: Good Morning, CBS! Plus: Meet The Survivors.

Stay tuned for Showtime, coming up this afternoon.
The cast of 'Survivor: Tocantins'
The cast of 'Survivor: Tocantins' - CBS
Pamela Sitt

LOS ANGELES -- It's another beautiful day in L.A., not that I've stepped foot outside the Hilton in 24-plus hours. But apparently it's so unseasonably warm out that "Good Day LA" is reporting that it's making some people sick! If the pollution doesn't get ya, the sunshine will. California.

CBS has rolled out the breakfast buffet, and while we wait for CBS Entertainment prez Nina Tassler to show up, let's talk Survivor. CBS just announced the 16 castaways who will compete on Survivor: Tocantins, premiering Feb. 12. In case you're wondering where that is, exactly, it's in the Brazilian Highlands. Apparently it's quite rugged there and conditions include scorching temperatures, torrential downpours and dangerous wildlife. Fun times!

This season, the castaways will arrive already divided into two tribes: Jalapao and Timbira.

Jalapao Tribe: Sandy Burgin, 53, of Louisville, KY; Joe Dowdle, 26, of Austin, TX; Spencer Duhm, 19, of Lakeland, FL; Carolina Eastwood, 26, West Hollywood, CA; Stephen Fishbach, 29, of New York; Tak Johnson-George, 37, of Nashville, TN; James Thomas Jr., 24, of Samson, AL; and Sydney Wheeler, 24, of Raleigh, N.C.

Timbira Tribe: Tyson Apostol, 29, of Lindon, UT; Debra Beebe, 46, of Auburn, AL; Erinn Lobdell, 26, of Waukesha, WI; Sierra Reed, 23, of Los Angeles, CA; Jerry Sims, 49, of Rock Hill, S.C.; Candace Smith, 31, of Dayton, OH; Brendan Synnott, 30, of New York; and Benjamin Wade, 37, of Bolivar, MO.

Up next: Nina Tassler!

Nina just took up a good chunk of the press conference singing CBS' praises rather than taking questions. A good start to the day.

Yes, we get it, The Mentalist is the most successful new show on television. Yes, we know CBS is known for its crime procedurals. But CBS as a destination for comedy? That's stretching it. Two and a Half Men? No.

Someone just asked how the election of Barack Obama might change primetime television. Well. Nina said something about making TV more "aspirational." Huh.

And how does CBS feel about Jay Leno as a 10 p.m. competitor? "Our first reaction when they did that was to say thank you. Our 10 o'clock programs do extremely well. It's a coveted time period. The creative community was, quite frankly, shocked when they heard of it. We will continue to develop (scripted programs) for 10 o'clock."

John Mayer will be singing and dancing his way onto a primetime variety special. "It'll be a music variety sketch show, and it's being developed now. It was his idea. We didn't reach out to him."

Drew Carey on The Price is Right? Yay or nay? "We're very happy."

What happened to The Ex List? "It failed in its execution. I think people liked the concept but it never found its traction. It didn't find its pulse."

Swingtown is officially cancelled: "We're not going back to Swingtown."

NCIS spinoff? "It's happening. We're waiting for a script and then we'll cast."

Rumors of a CSI: London in the works? "That's the first I've heard of it."

Coming up: Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson.

Apparently Craig Ferguson sent pizza to the press tour last year. This year, the CBS refreshments table has already run out of bottled water. Boo!

Everyone wants to talk about Jay Leno's move to 10 p.m., of course. Could Leno effectively destroy late-night? There seems to be concern that viewers will go to sleep after watching Leno at 10 p.m.

On Jimmy Fallon, who will be Ferguson's new competition at NBC: "Give Jimmy a month before you review him. I think we should give him a chance."

Will we be seeing Ferguson's new wife on The Late Late Show? "I can categorically say that I would not have married someone who had any desire to be on my show."

How did they meet? (This question has to be from a tabloid reporter. Seriously?) "We met at a party. I was there, she was there. Eyes across a crowded room. I took off my disguise. I don't know."

After Ferguson spoke at the White House Correspondents Dinner, George W. Bush sent him a photograph signed, "To Craig, my fellow American." Ferguson said he hid it, but it exists.


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