Life is an oyster...

...aww, shucks.  

Sorry, that was truly a Gordon Pepper-quality joke.  I won't subject you to such horrible entertainment in this column again.  Speaking of Mr. Pepper...thank goodness he doesn't have a Ph.D.  Think about that one.  

Anyway...I stumbled across what I believe may be the first-ever public picture of our esteemed WLTI hosts and webmasters together.  You can look for it on your own, but let me just say, Hello Odd Couple!

In about two weeks, these two men...and all the rest of us who even occasionally work on GSNN...will become the primary voices (or keyboard-ites) of the primary one-stop shop for current game shows.  You'll read more about that in an upcoming "State of Play," so I won't steal that thunder.  Look for my thoughts both there and here within a couple weeks.

Now, let's talk games:

*  I stated in this column sometime in the horribly distant past that I was looking forward to the new game "Deal or No Deal."  Since my last column, Howie Mandel was chosen as host.  I'm a fan of Mr. Mandel, but please, don't let the comedy overpower the game.  If Mandel can make the game fun and about the contestants, then this could be a great thing.  The thing to remember is there has to be some fun involved...because the base gameplay itself doesn't exactly lend itself to enthralled viewing.  Here's the Channel 4 website for the across-the-pond version if you're not familiar.

*  Is the announcement of Regis Philbin taking the hosting reins of "This Is Your Life" a sure sign that "Super Millionaire" won't be back....ever?  "Millionaire" EP Michael Davies insists that talks about the show's return are frequent.  But I can't imagine that it would return until at least after "This Is Your Life" has aired its six weeks sometime next year.  And if you're a big fan of the series, you have to believe that with ABC's ratings turnaround, and "Millionaire" having not aired a single episode in 18 months...that it just ain't happening.  Prove me wrong, ABC...please?

*  One final note about this season's "Survivor":  Gary Hogeboom's finding of the hidden immunity idol may have saved him in the game.  But there are still people who can beat him in challenges.  If the Survivors don't/can't get him out of the game...and fast...he may start sliding toward the finals even if the numbers are against him (ahem...hi, Kelly).  It's not likely, but the chances are certainly higher than they seemed before the last episode.

Here's this week's random game show from the past, starting with B:

THE BIG MOMENT
ABC, 1999

We're not going back very far this time.  In 1999, "The Big Moment" launched on ABC with host Brad Sherwood.  It featured families of contestants who most complete a difficult stunt, with time to practice it beforehand, for a chance to win $25,000.  The series was based on the Japanese program "Happy Family Plan Show."

See you next time.