Today I Declare
Independence From... - July 4
having any more birthdays!
Just kidding. Tomorrow (July 5th) is the big
day. Birthdays have never been a huge deal to me
no
massive parties or anything
the only goal has ever been
to get out and do something, not spend it at home or at
work.
That
will be accomplished.
Until
then, though, I thought we should look back at the year
that was. No, not for me
my year was BORING. In games.
This
time last year, we saw the most blatant rip-off of a
reality show ever: Tommy Hilfigers The Cut.
Can you believe we had just seen the beginning of the
phenomenon that is now Dancing with the Stars too?
The
buzz about Deal or No Deal was also starting. By late
in the year, I was concerned that Howie Mandels comedic
side would overpower the game. Boy, was I wrong!!
Then
came the announcement that Steve Beverly, proprietor of
the long-running Game Show Convention Center, was
changing his site to a weekly site versus a daily one.
GSNN paid tribute to Beverly across our platforms, as
his site was part of the reason this one was created and
able to grow.
The
best one of these columns I did last year was on January
3rd
when we began discussing hosts for the
upcoming syndicated Deal or No Deal. Assuming the
project still goes forward next fall
it will be
interesting to see what happens there.
Now that its over
Lets
fully look back on Gameshow Marathon. And will it be
back? Im not sure. Moreover, Im concerned that
Marathon might have hurt the chances of primetime
Price is Right episodes coming back. I think a
slightly scaled-down version of Marathon with non-celeb
contestants
stripped five days a week
would be a hit!
Or you could use the programming wheel theory being
employed by new network MyNetworkTV and run a different
show each quarter
or even each month. That would work
even in primetime.
I just
dont think the public appetite is there to watch
celebrities play game shows, hosted by Ricki Lake
at
least not on a regular basis. I hate to say that, but I
do believe it. Folks like us die-hard game show fans
will watch that
but the bulk of the public? Probably
not.
Dont
get me wrong. I enjoyed Marathon, especially after
the first week. But I must say, CBS spoiled the finale
with their POOR attempt to blur out the Feud family
names. If you looked closely, you could easily see one
family name, and possibly even both names, in the promos
a couple weeks before the finale. So I knew who was
going to win each semifinal before it was ever played.
Me at GSC?
Barring
some last-minute changes (which are possible the way my
life is going!), I wont be able to attend this years
GSC. Maybe its better that way
and Ill tell you why.
I have never been to Americas left coast. Going this
year means rushing in and rushing right back out. It
sure would be nice to take a week or so
see a few
tapings
and explore the area a little bit. This year,
that wasnt an option. So, eh.
Game Show Alphabet
I
promised you the trifecta
M, N, and O. Here we go:
At M,
we take on a recent show, Moolah Beach. The series,
hosted by J.D. Roth, was a direct predecessor to the
Discovery Kids series Endurance, also hosted by J.D.
Roth. Moolah Beach aired on FOX in the fall of 2001,
and replayed on what was then FOX Family Channel. The
show also replayed on ABC Family when FOX sold its
channel to Disney and the channel was renamed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moolah_Beach
For N,
I would be crazy not to highlight The Newlywed Game.
The series first launched on ABC Daytime in July 1966,
and ran for more than eight years. A concurrent
primetime version was broadcast for four of those
years. Versions also aired from 1977-1980, 1984,
1985-1989, and 1997-2000.
Bob
Eubanks has been synonymous with this franchise from the
beginning
hosting all but two years and one week of the
program. Jim Lange hosted in 1984, Paul Rodriguez in
1989, and Gary Kroeger in 1997.
More
info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newlywed_Game
For O,
we go way back in the past
to the 1950s. The show was
called On Your Account. In it, contestants had to
answer questions to win money either for charity or for
someone else. One player was later chosen by the
audience to win a bonus. The series aired from June
1953 to March 1956
moving from NBC to CBS 52 years ago
today. The primary host was Dennis James, though there
were other hosts in the early part of the series.
Thanks for another great year!
Wish Jason Elliott a happy birthday at jason@stormseeker.com |