Quick Takes: ‘Survivor’ Rupert Boneham to Indiana governor?

“Survivor� all-star contestant Rupert Boneham may run for governor of Indiana.

Boneham formed an exploratory committee this week to possibly seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination for governor.

He said on his campaign website that the field of candidates doesn’t understand the problems average Hoosiers face. He cited his extensive charity work on behalf of troubled teenagers as his chief qualification.

The bushy-bearded Boneham, known for wearing tie-dyed shirts, competed in 2003 on “Survivor: Pearl Island� and has been on multiple “Survivor� follow-ups.

He was voted fan favorite in 2004’s “Survivor: All-Stars� and donated a portion of the $1 million he won to his charity, Rupert’s Kids, which provides mentoring and job-training to youths.

—Associated Press

Comic strips to focus on 9/11

Sept. 11 is etched in the memories of millions, and as the 10th anniversary nears, cartoonists are etching their thoughts and emotions about 9/11 into comic strips.

With the anniversary falling on a Sunday, more than 90 cartoonists with five syndicates have banded together to dedicate their strips on Sept. 11 to those whose lives were lost in the attacks. Sept. 11-themed strips will appear from the writers and artists of “Family Circus,� “Mallard Fillmore,� “Candorville,� “Doonesbury� and “Pluggers,� among others.

The comics, each produced independently by the artists, will be featured in a separate, full-color pullout section and online the same day at https://www.cartoonists

remember911.com. Afterward, exhibits on the strips are planned for the Newseum in Washington, D.C., San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, the Toonseum in Pittsburgh and the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York.

—Associated Press

NBC unveils Olympic plans

NBC’s Olympic coverage in London will look very familiar, with one major twist.

For the first time, the network plans to show every event live in some form — even if it’s just raw video streaming online. But the prime-time broadcasts will still use that traditional formula of human-interest features and taped competition.

The minds behind that coverage will be steeped in the NBC philosophy of packaging the Olympics for a wide audience. “Today� executive producer Jim Bell will serve in that role for the 2012 Games. And the man who previously held the title, former NBC Sports Group Chair Dick Ebersol, will be an advisor to his successor, Mark Lazarus.

Ebersol had resigned in May after 20 years overseeing sports at the network.

—Associated Press

James Franco drops out of play

James Franco can’t make time for Broadway.

Publicist Robin Baum confirmed Tuesday that the workaholic actor has dropped out of a planned production of the steamy Tennessee Williams play “Sweet Bird of Youth.�

It was to mark Franco’s Broadway debut and would have created one of the hottest tickets of the season because he was to be paired with Nicole Kidman, who is still on board.

Franco is shooting the film “Oz,� appearing on “General Hospital� and earning a doctorate in English at Yale.

—Associated Press

The Beatles and Buddy Holly

“Breakfast With the Beatles� host Chris Carter will mark his 10th anniversary at the helm during Sunday’s edition of the long-running radio show on KLOS-FM (95.5), for which he’ll be joined by Buddy Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly.

Carter took over in September 2001 after the death of the show’s original host, Deirdre O’Donoghue, and subsequently expanded the program beyond the original studio group and solo recordings that O’Donoghue played each week. Now, the show routinely features outtakes, alternate mixes and Beatles material as performed by a wide array of musicians.

Three years ago, the show joined the lineup on Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel on Sirius XM Radio.

Maria Elena Holly is joining Carter in conjunction with activities next week surrounding what would have been her husband’s 75th birthday on Sept. 7. In the 1970s, Paul McCartney bought the rights to Holly’s publishing catalog because all four band members were huge fans of the Texas singer, songwriter and guitarist’s music, and the Beatles even modeled their name on that of Holly’s group, the Crickets.

—Randy Lewis

Finally

Casting: Tom Berenger, Powers Boothe and Mare Winningham have joined the cast of the History miniseries “The Hatfields and McCoys.�