Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • 11

www.qctlmes.comfeature ENTERTAINMENT QUAOCTY TIMES BJ Monday, January 8, 2007 DO White performers are facing the rap I' ii-. ii. i -f 7 i -r hSt -r I fix New VH1 reality show plops them into South Bronx NEW YORK (AP) Their very names strike fear in the hearts of white rappers everywhere: Vanilla Ice. Snow. Kevin Federline.

Though there are notable success stories Eminem and the Beastie Boys, most obviously pale emcees often travel a hard road to respect. "The White Rapper Show," a new reality program debuting tonight (9:30 p.m. on VH1), is both a parody and commentary on race in hip-hop. The setup is simple and instantly amusing: Ten white amateurs are picked to live in an apartment in New York's South Bronx (the birthplace of hip-hop), where they must prove their rhyming skills and gain respect. The winner gets $100,000.

"White Rapper" is produced by the "ego trip" collective, which started as a magazine co-founded by Sacha Jenkins and Elliot Wilson. The magazine is now defunct, but ego trip has grown into a media company that produces books and provocative TV shows often dealing with race and hip-hop. "The power of the show is that when you hear the title, you already have images of what it's going to be, whether good or bad," says Wilson. "Most of them are thinking, 'Oh, it's going to be some dumb But it's not that it's smart" The host is Michael "MC Serch" Berrin, known for the prompts Serch to exclaim, "I didn't know it was that hard in Connecticut" Hailing from Davis, 26-year-old John Brown immediately rubs many contestants the wrong way. In his audition, he asks, "What's really hood, man? Suburbia." Once picked as a contestant, Brown proves himself well enough as a rapper.

But he infuriates castmates by referring to a "Ghetto Revival," a personal social movement scant on details other than Brown's claim that it's a "lifestyle brand" that will support "the revival of ghet-toes and all types of different struggles throughout the world." Brown's nemesis emerges in Persia, a confrontational 25-year-old woman from Far Rockaway, Queens, who describes herself as the show's "hood connectioa" "You'll see on the show why a lot of white rappers are made fun of," she said in an interview. "Some of them are just lost. There's very few that can make it, very few that are real. I think if you concentrate on the fact that you're white, then so will the world." "It's very funny how true to form they were," says Serch. "The one thing white rappers can't stand is other white rappers." In the first episode, Persia repeatedly uses the N-word, to the dismay of castmates but the glee of producers.

Soon Berrin informs the cast, "That word don't play here, regardless" and bestows a giant silver chain with an enormous "N-word" medallion upon Persia, who must wear it for 24 hours. 4. ii THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rapper John Brown puts competitor Persia In a mock choke hold. Both are competitors In VHl's "The White Rapper Show," where the victor receives $100,000. 1 la.

African-American expression. Unlike other genres, though, rap has remained a predominantly black art form. The guys of ego trip (none of whom are white) are well aware that rap is now mainstream popular music, and that its record-buying audience is mostly white. They joke that the show presents a vision of the future. "There are more white kids who are captivated by the music and the culture than ever," says ego tripper Jefferson "Chairman" 1 Mao.

"I think it's a terrific thing because music should be shared. It's for everybody you just don't want the origins of it to be lost" Of course, white rappers have forever been easy targets, and the show is not lacking in Vanilla Ice-style punch lines. A female rapper from upstate New York claims during her audition, "Cows are great to rap about. It's that whole black and white thing." Another auditioning rapper speaking about her hometown of Waterford, WORTH WATCHING TONIGHT LISTINGS Sunday's TV Times, or online at www.qctimes.comtv date. Now she wants to say it but hesitates.

7 p.m., ABC Family; reruns at 8. When manager (and boyfriend) stole the Raintree Farms left the business wobbling. Now Kris tries to money by being a jockey in every race; meanwhile, Raintree battles to land a key customer. Straight orTaken?" debut, 7 p.m., Lifetime. In a young woman meets three guys.

They dance, play touch football and more; then she one. If she chooses the available one, they together. If not, the one she chooses gets the with his significant other. New York," debut, 8 p.m. VH1.

After getting by Flavor Flav twice on the "Flavor of Love" contestant known as New York gets her own love with this reality show. Tonight 20 single to vie for her affections. Her mother, of course, gets to weigh in. "Heroes," 8-10 p.m., NBC. Two weeks before returning to new episodes, this show lets us catch up.

That starts with the night of Claire's homecoming game exploding into fierce violence. "Anti-Semitism In the 21st Century: The Resurgence," 9 p.m., KIIN Ch. 12 and WQPT Ch. 24. Violence in Europe against Jews and Jewish institutions has more than doubled in the past decade, says this documentary, hosted by Judy Woodruff.

Mike Hughes, Gannett News Service Talk shows "Tonight Show With Jay Leno," 10:35 p.m., NBC. Kiefer Sutherland, Betty White, Daughtry. "Late Show With David Letterman," 10:35 p.m., CBS. David Arquette, Jennifer Hudson. "Jimmy Kimmel Live," 1 1:05 p.m., ABC.

Courteney Cox, Mark Moses, Twilight Singers. "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," 1 1:35 p.m., NBC. Matt Lauer, America Ferrera, Little Big Town. "Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson," 1 1 :35 p.m., CBS. Ne-Yo, Fantasia, Shawn Colvin.

Tonight's must-see "Lincoln Heights" debut, 6 and 9 p.m., ABC Family. A cop (Russell Hornsby) is wedged into a small apartment with his wife and three kids. Then he gets a chance to buy a former drug house, cheap. It's a sprawling home in a scary neighborhood. That sets the backdrop for this new series, a blend of family drama, social issues and cop-and-crook action.

There are times when this all seems too contrived. Still, it's in good hands, with Kevin Hooks as director and co-producer. As a child actor, Hooks was in two classic social dramas, "Sounder" and "J.T." Now he directs top shows, including "Prison Break." Backed by Stanley Clarke's music, he gives "Lincoln Heights" a sense of urgency. It's also one of the few black dramas on TV. Other choices tonight "Everybody Hates Chris," 7 p.m., CW.

In this rerun, Chris is working the cash register at the corner store when it's robbed. He's afraid to say who did it. "How I Met Your Mother," 7 p.m., CBS. When this series started, Robin ditched Ted because he said "I love you" on Ron Loremzen VIEWPOINT Robin finds nest in Ohio THE trouble with being a writer about TV is that towards the end of every year one has to spend a whole midnight hosting these three ghosts and then have a dickens of a time a few weeks later trying to remember who they were. So, for the record, let us note they're called the Ghost of New Year Present, the Ghost of New Year Past and the Ghost of New Year Future.

While they Swoboda all hang around gibbering for attention, the Ghost of New Year Past usually gets the coldest shoulder because the other two always talk about exciting new talent being brought into TV's theater of the increasingly absurd. This year, though, the spirit usually passed over did mention something that might have caused the eyebrows of some Quad-Citians to twitch upwards. It reported the anchor known as Robin Cole when she was in residence at WQAD-TV, Moline, back in the '80s, has accepted a prestigious job in front of the camera after somewhat of a layoff to spend time with her family. Under her real name of Robin Swoboda, the longtime reigning TV personality in northwest Ohio has been chosen spokesperson for The Remodel Ohio show in Cleveland's I Center. She'll be seen in all print ads as well as on TV and radio commercials for the Jan.

25-28 event. Q-C folk who have shown they easily forget stuff might like to be reminded that "her Robin-ness," as she has been called by the press, came out of Missouri and Missouri Western State Teachers College in 1981, to be with her then-husband Alan Byrn, a reporter at what was then WOC-TY Davenport (later KWQC). He later left the area to join the Tobacco Institute. She left advertising and public relations jobs to join WQAD as a reporter and then teamed with Al Van Zee on the anchor desk beginning in 1983. That's when she set about choosing a short, professional name, spotted "Kohl" on an eyebrow pencil, changed the spelling and adopted it She reverted to her real name when she left WQAD in 1985, after an agent offered to negotiate a job for her in Miami.

She surfaced in Cleveland TV in 1986 in what became the city's top-rated newscast, and in 1991, she wed Bryan Wagner, a football punter for the Cleveland Browns. They bought a four-bedroom house in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Also that year, she debuted in an NBC show called "Cover to Cover," co-hosting with Oprah Winfrey confidant Gayle King, but that only lasted 13 weeks and she was back home in Ohio. In 1992, son Matthew was born, followed by two more children. In November 2000, she left her TV career to concentrate on the reality show she and her husband had produced.

Contact the features desk at (563) 383-2400 or newsroomqctimes.com. Find the (amiliar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters. YV-: Actress goes undercover to play overweight in movie LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK MOVES TO CH. 63 early '90s hit "The Gas Face" with the group 3rd Bass, who schools the 20-something contestants on the history of hip-hop and the art of the rhyme. "This generation can't answer basic hip-hop trivia," says Berrin, 39.

"Early on, there was a history that you had to know. I had to know who the Funky 41 was, who Sha Rock was. I had to know this because when I was coming up, guys would test me." Like rock, blues and jazz, hip-hop began as a distinctly A padded suit and prosthetic Into her character for "To Be today on Lifetime. Cuoco said she hopes the film's message will "open people's minds, parents' minds, to the bad eating habits and emotional nature of being heavy." Cuoco said she's never had a weight problem, but learned from her role that overweight people can face difficult challenges. For Aly, the challenges include people's reactions to her faux fat state.

She's surprised to 1994, is a member of the Television Critics Association, and will be attending the group's semiannual meeting. Pennington she begins with a preview of what she expects at the meeting. Read it this week at www.qctimes.comentertainment. TV Check their first "Wildfire," Kris' money he make "Gay, this Opener, swim, chooses vacation vacation "I Love dumped the chance at guys get A new year meant a channel change for customers of Media-corn cable in the Quad-City area. Lifetime Movie Network, which had been at Ch.

504 on the digital tier, has changed spots with i I fj 7 Fuse, which was at Ch. 63 on the analog tier. The changes happen periodically as we review the placement of where the channels are," said Mediacom spokeswoman Phyllis Peters. Lifetime Movie Network, or LMN, airs many of the films originally seen on the cable channel Lifetime, which bills itself as Television For Women." Fuse is an alternative music and video channel. "We're glad to put Lifetime Movie Network on the analog tier, where it will be seen by more households," Peters said.

"And we think that Fuse, as an alternative music and video station, has more of a niche market, so ft makes more sense to be up there." The Quad-City Times' TV Week should be reflecting the change in its Jan. 14-20 edition. A program schedule and more information about Lifetime Movie Network can be found at www.lmn.tv. David Burke THE WASHINGTON POST Kaley Cuoco wanted to feel fat. "I play a lot of the same roles: the ditzy blonde, the girlfriend, that's what I'm best at.

But I've always said, 'Put me in a fat suit; let me show I can do said Cuoco, who portrays a slim teen-ager trying on an overweight identity in a new Lifetime film. Inspired by the real-life experience of a New York teen-ager who went undercover for a 2003 TV news story on obesity, the movie shows how a popular high school junior hopes to win a documentary film contest with her firsthand report on life as a 250-pound summer school student "The fat suit was miserable, hot, sticky and I couldn't fit in my trailer bathroom," said Cuoco, who said she is 5-foot-6 and weighs 110 pounds. In addition to the body suit, Cuoco was outfitted with an elaborate mask-like face that made her feel claustrophobic, she said. "When I saw myself in it, it was so scary. I taped a picture of myself in it to my fridge.

We're all afraid of something like that happening to us." As Aly, Cuoco appears in every scene, many of which had to be shot twice, from different angles, to achieve a hidden-camera effect POSTCARDS FROM L.A. What's ahead for your favorite TV series, stars and networks in 2007? Find out at QCTimes.com, beginning today. Gail Pennington, TV critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a sister newspaper to the Quad-City Times, will be filing daily "Postcards From L.A.," Jan. 15-19 and 22-25.

Pennington, who has been the Post-Dispatch's TV critic since LMN and found something beyond the surface of her judgment." 3 Ttctit nd Info -i- fmionaUinwjfmwti.com STMWM Sf TiWj CKXBt DIGITAL SumOtWD UXMC 1 ill PEKfOKMAMCES kU SHOWS ST.WTWG KHM 6PM CHILDREN OF MEN 140 430 720 1005 CODE NAME: THE CLEANER 1205 220445 710 930 PO-13 HAPPILY N'EVER AFTER 1210 225 440 700 920 PO FREEDOM WRITERS 115 415 715 1000 PO-13 DREAMQIRLS 1215 100 325 400 625 655 1010 PO-H BLACK CHRISTMAS 730 955 THE GOOD SHEPHERD 1130 305 425 635 BO0 1015 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 1150 1220 220 250 450 520 720 7501020 PO WE ARE MARSHALL 1235 330 630 915 PQ ROCKY BALBOA 11 45 205 435 705 935 PQ CHARLOTTE'S WEB 1225 240 500 725 940 ERAGON1230340 650 905 PQ THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS 1 135 110 215 355455 645 745 9251025 PQ-U BLOOD DIAMOND 925 M. P. THE HOLIDAY 135 440 735 1030 PQ-1S THE NATIVITY STORY 1140 205 PQ CASINO HOYALE 950 P.M. PQ-U HAPPY FEET 1200 230 505 LIFETIME PHOTOS mask turn actress Kaley Cuoco Fat Like Me," airing at 8 p.m. find that she's openly mocked for her looks instead of being accepted for her personality.

She also begins to understand her brother (Brandon Olds) and mother (Caroline Rhea), whose weight struggles have affected the entire family. Rhea's character had a heart attack, triggered by weight complications, and Aly's fear for her mother's health is masked by anger and impatience. "She just wants to be a kid, not someone who has to tell her mother and brother what to do," said Rhea, who hosts NBC's unscripted weight-loss show, "The Biggest Loser." "When people are obese, they are so harshly judged, and you never see their side of the story," Rhea said. "This girl started looking for one thing ROCKY BALBOA If MO MO 9 50 (PG) 645 855 1243 3 15 5. 740 1010 THEGOOOSWPWROfl 1140 2 55 6 30 THE HOLIDAY (PG-13J 1240 320 705 1 THE PURSUIT OF ItAWYNESSIRfrlJ 11.50 225 5S 101 lOK WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) 12 30 4 20 7 00 9 35 520 650 Friday, Jan.

through Thursday, Jan. 11 3lACCHmST(B FSLSf i. It IS 240 455 WEDW WRITERS 1225 4 35 HAWER AFTER i2 2 30 440 HAPPY FEET IPG 1155 2 35 $D5 BLOOD tHUIOND (R) 30 10 IS :hw.otte'Sb We 1 45 2 SI 'ODE NAME: THE CLEANER (PG-13) 7 35 SS WA WH EY WE IGH HWtfTltlWSfUlipGJ IS SEAHORSIPfrlJ IX 340 6 55 12 05 12 35 9 55 7 4il Qi5 Answer on Page B7 1.