We start this podcast with the huge news that ABC dropped via press release regarding Millionaire. There are a few new ways to get on to the July/August tapings of the 10th Anniversary of Millionaire. Of course, there are a few caveats. Would-be contestants can use more than one method to try to get on the show but will only be selected one time. No former "Hot Seat" players are eligible and you must be at least 18 years old, a legal U.S. resident and meet all eligibility requirements.

First off, ABC smartly included the phone game as a way to get on the show. The game works like this: The number will be 1-800-999-7878.

Phone lines are open for 10 contest days from 7 p.m. ET to 3 a.m. ET, starting at 7 p.m. on July 6th and ending at 3 a.m. ET on July 16th. Call the 800 number and attempt to answer general knowledge questions by putting the 4 answer choices in correct order. People who correctly answer all 5 questions will select one of the 6 available tape dates. A random drawing will be held from among all the people who selected the same tape date to receive an eligibility call to qualify to become a finalist on the program. If a person meets all eligibility requirements they will be flown to New York City with a companion for the opportunity for the chance to play in the hot seat.

Call Limit: One call per person per contest day. Also, a computer game has been established for persons who have a physical disability that prevents them from using a telephone to participate in the Phone Game. Go to www.abc.com keyword Millionaire for details.

 

Secondly, we have a video submission contest. From now until 3 a.m. ET on July 16, people can submit a 2-minute video explaining why they would make a good contestant and what they would do with the $1 million. The Producer will select people from among all videos submitted to advance to an online test, which is held July 17. Producer will select from among those who received a passing score on the online test to receive an Eligibility Call to qualify to become a finalist on the program. If a person meets all eligibility requirements they will be flown to New York City with a companion for the opportunity for the chance to play in the hot seat. People can go to www.abc.com keyword Millionaire to submit videos.

 

Thirdly and lastly, we have auditions in New York City. Go to millionairetv.com for details.

 

Now if you were in the hot seat like me, ABC wants you to attend a show. This was from a Facebook message from Millionaire audience coordinator Adam Nechamkin: Regis Philbin will be returning for a limited amount of shows to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. I'm the Audience Coordinator for the show and for 3 of the prime time shows with Regis, we're trying to have the audience full of former contestants. If you were ever in the hot seat and are interested in being a part of the studio audience please contact me at 212-456-3883.

 

We lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson last week. But in the celebrity world, Death has been working overtime. I usually put the condolences in the end of the column but there has been enough deaths in the past week related to game shows that we have a special section.

 

First off we have Karl Malden who died on July 1 at the age of 97. An incredibly accomplished actor, he appeared as a guest on "What's My Line?" in 1970 and "The Movie Game" in 1971.

 

Next we go to the UK as actress Mollie Sudgen died at 86. Most British Comedy fans know her as Mrs. Slocombe from "Are You Being Served". She was the face of "Mrs. White" on the short-lived British game show adaptation of "Cluedo" in 1991.

 

Fred Travalena is next on the list. He died at 66 on June 28th after a long, seven year battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was a frequent game show panelist on games such as Match Game. A multi-talented impressionist, he also hosted a hidden camera game show called Anything for Money.

 

Ken Roberts almost made it to 100! He was 99 years old when he died. A radio announcer of shows like "The Shadow" and "The Mercury Radio Theater", he also announced "Make Me Laugh" and "Chance of a Lifetime"..

 

Finally we have Gail Storm of "My Little Margie" who died at the age of 87. While on that show, she appeared on "The Movie Game", "What's My Line?", and "You Don't Say".

 

Finally, we might have our Susan Boyle. At least some of the media thinks that he is. The he in question is 35 year old Kevin Skinner. He is an unemployed chicken catcher from Mayfield, Kentucky. He impressed judges with his performance of Garth Brooks's "If Tomorrow Never Comes".

 

How does he compare to Susan Boyle? He never performed on a stage before his debut on TV Tuesday night. He had never been on a plane either before he auditioned in Los Angeles last spring.

 

According to the New York Post, he drew incredulous looks from the judges and laughs from the audience when he said he used to work as a "chicken catcher." His seedy look, backwards cap and backwoods accent drew scorn and laughs as well. But Piers Morgan's attitude changed quickly, along with the audience who gave him a standing ovation.

 

"There's a moment in every season, I can remember them all, where somebody comes onstage, dressed like you are and your cap's on the wrong way round, and we're all like, 'This is going to be a total car crash.' Then you start to sing, and within about 20 seconds, you have me and, by the end of it, that was one of the most emotional, powerful performances I've seen in a long time."

 

Will he win? Is he the next Susan Boyle? Time will tell.

 

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Block Party Quick Hits time:

 

--12 out of the 13 Big Brother Houseguests have been announced. 3 are married, and none are over the age of 41. The theme will be "Kicking It Old School" with cliques like "popular, athletes, brainiacs and off beats" And the Big Brother house has been "transformed into a mean, green, eco-friendly living machine according to CBS which added the interior walls are covered with a reconstituted wood panel product made from re-claimed wood flakes, thus reducing the amount of lumber used to build the house. In addition, the houseguests "will be made fully aware of the amount of waste they create" throughout the eleventh season and will be asked to recycle and place all food items in an outdoor manual compost center or indoor automatic composter.

 

--Paula Abdul guests on "Drop Dead Diva"

 

--Blake Lewis drops his 2nd CD "Heartbreak and Vinyl" on October 6. He is moving to a more dance based sound.

 

--Bravo is casting for an "untitled Art Project" looking for the latest starving artist. They will compete for a gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national tour.  Magical Elves will produce.

 

--Graham Norton will host "Most Popular" for Lifetime on July 19th.

 

--Lets Make A Deal shoots a pilot in Los Angeles on July 6 and July 8th.

 

--"There Goes The Neighborhood" (formerly known as Block Party) debuts August 9th on CBS with Matt Rogers of American Idol as host.

 

--"Making Waves: The Stories of Maine's Bob Crowley" is coming out soon and is a book of stories about Maine from Survivor Winner Bob Crowley's point of view.

 

--Melissa Rycroft is engaged. So is Ace Young of American Idol.

 

--Get Well wishes go out to Len Goodman who had a cancerous tumor removed from his prostate gland. His cancer was discovered in March, and the surgery was done right after the May ending of Dancing with the Stars.

 

--WWE stars John Morrison and Michelle McCool tape appearances on "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader"

Jason Block still wants to be a millionaire. E-mail him at jiblock@yahoo.com.