January 15, 2007

Gordon: Let's Do the Time Warp Agaaaaaaaaiiiiinnnnnnn
Chico: Woo-hoo!
Jason: Hellz to the yeah
Chico: Welcome back... Let's do the news!
Jason: Cats...mice....lets do this!
Chico: Gordon, for the first time in 2007...
Gordon: Roll That Beautiful Brain Footage!

(Doug: Live, local, and latebreaking... From the four corners of the globe to your frontal lobe, this is WLTI Brainvision News, and now here's Gordon Pepper, Chico Alexander, and the award-winning Brainvision News Team)

Chico: Thanks... Lots of news to get through. Here's the first. Gordon,lead us off.
Gordon: I will, with some very happy news for John O' Hurley fans...

Family Feud has been cleared for renewal in 85% of the markets, including 49 of the Top 50. This all but certifies that the Feud is coming back next season.

Jason: Applause!
Chico: Amen and hallelujah for that.
Jason: Well that's one prediction I got right.
Chico: The Feud is probably better than it's been in this incarnation, and the changes made this year show that FremantleMedia is in it for the long haul.
Gordon: True - and with NATPE 2007 starting up this week, there should be more show announcements coming up.
Chico: Yep. And I got a few right here. Who wants to hear'em?
Jason: (RAISES HAND! I DO I DO)
Gordon: Me
Chico: Alrighty. One show and one network's glut of new product coming up.

In news that will drive one Game Show Man to raves... Temptation is coming to America!

Jason: You know I want to play this...so bad!

The new version of "Sale of the Century" will be a co-production of FremantleMedia and 20th Television. They've already signed the 10 flagships of MyNetworkTV. Now let's sign the rest of syndication, shall we?

Jason: This is the first syndicated new show in a long time.
Chico: Oh yeah, since 2002's Pyramid
Chico: My bad.
Jason: Thats 5 years.
Chico: About the same length of time we had since a good peimetime game.

Also on the docket... a new season for GSN favorites World Series of Blackjack, Lingo, and Chain Reaction. June, April, and March respectively.

Jason: Good job for Lingo and chain
Chico: But wait! There's more!
Gordon: Mooooore!

Also announced for GSN: a US version of "Without Prejudice?", "Cat-Minster," the National Vocab Championship, "The Box", "Carry Your Weight", "Grand Slam," "Indecision", "Kerry's Getting Married", "Camouflage", and "War of the Words"

Jason: Grand Slam! Whoo hoo!
Chico: Me, I'm looking forward to Without Prejudice, simply because I liked the British version. That and Grand Slam.
Jason: Premise?
Chico: Grand Slam: The best game show contestants go at it against each other to see who is the best of the best.
Jason: That I know. And I will be on that :) I hope. If Michael is listening :)
Chico: Without Prejudice: a jury of five ordinary people will reward one out of five people a cash sum, "simply for being themselves". If you ever saw the show on BBCAmerica, it delves more into it than that.
Jason: Yeah. Great stuff.
Chico: There's background, home and family, education, and what they say when they THINK the cameras aren't rolling. Good stuff.
Jason: But wait....
Chico: .. waiting...
Jason: there's more!
Chico: I miss something?
Jason: Yes....four shows that will be on in the next month on GSN.
Chico: Ah, the documentaries. Forgot about those.
Gordon: Mooore!
Jason: And a bit of shameless self-promotion on one of them.

Greatest Game Show Moments, January 14...Game Show Hall of Fame: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, January 21...

Chico: You're going to be on that, Block :)
Jason: Yes I am. I shot footage for that last April.

The Women Who Changed Game Shows, Jan. 28. February 11... Celebrities and Game Shows...February 18, Insider's Guide to Winning Game Show Millions.

Jason: So lots of good stuff in the next few months from GSN.
Chico: Oh yeah
Gordon: At least we know the money from PLaymania is coming to programming
Jason: To use a craps term...it's a generator.
Chico: Heh... and no one is any the wiser. Next?
Gordon: Next one...

When's the best time to debut a show? Usually after The Super Bowl. It worked for Survivor. Now maybe it will work for Canada's Deal Or No Deal.

Jason: It will. I hope Canada catches the same DonD fever.
Chico: One word. Boffo.
Jason: And Don...you are covering this :P
Chico: Howie just might be the busiest bald guy on TV if it does. Unlike the people behind this week's Haterade, on loan from Gordon...This one comes... with a visual aid.
Gordon: I gladly loan it to you, my friend
Chico: Big Board, please... Take a look. This is from WGN's Play2Win on Monday night.

Jason: Good grief.
Chico: I actually e-mailed the company on it and got not one... but TWO auto-responses.
Jason: And did they care?
Chico: No. For the record, the Shuzzle on this Monday Play2Win: Wizard of Oz.
Gordon: So right now, the Correct Answer is the Wizzard Oz Of
Chico: If we're playing That's the Question rules, in which case, the second Z goes into the question.
Gordon: I somehow don't see this being a Wheel of Fortune puzzle.
Chico: Uh..no. So Play2Win, congratulations. Thanks to you, I passed out ... on the Haterade.
Gordon: By The Way, a Mini-Haterade, on the same vein, goes out to MyGames Fever for this little Gem. Figure this out, for $2,000. Black _____
Chico: Box?
Jason: Rain?
Chico: Ranger?
Jason: Jack?
Gordon: Good guesses. All wrong. The answer is Black...Bamboo.
Chico: WHAT?!
Jason: WTFBBQ?
Gordon: Does anyone know what a Black Bamboo is?
Chico: No!
Jason: No
Chico: Wait...It's bamboo, right? And it's black right? So if you put those two together... I have no idea.
Gordon: Suuposedly, it's an exotic plant that happened to grow in host Natalia's Backyard when she was growing up. Does anyone by this explanation?
Chico: Nope.
Jason: Uh...no.
Chico: IDIOCY. :)
Jason: Ack.
Chico: Again.. Playmania... Best game in town.
Gordon: Next article...Since Chico has my Haterade, I have decided to get you all Fullly Loaded.
Chico: WOOHOO!
Jason: HIC!
Gordon: Now Jason and I went to Atlantic City. I made my own money, going on a nice Craps run for the tune of over $200. I walked out of the casino +$120. Now we managed to see something quite zany, which we got a picture of. Do you have that picture, Mr. Alexander?
Chico: Yes I do.
Gordon: Please show the picture
Chico: Here it comes...



Jason: That's is the biggest Wheel I have ever seen.
Chico: Wheel nothing, that's a Spaceship.
Gordon: This is a 10 person Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. It's a nickel slot, but it will cost you $4.35 to max out a spin. However, it's worth maxing out, because the Jackpot is $2 million plus.
Jason: And every time you get the bonus...the wheel spins in front of you.
Chico: sweet
Gordon: Yep - up to 1000 times your bet, so if you had a max bet plus a 1000 bet, then you're looking at $1,250.
Chico: Sounds killer.
Gordon: If you really want to play, bring a bankroll of $80 to $100 to stuff in and play MAX bet. The only way to win a Jackpot is to play Max bet, and you don't want to hit the jackpot, thinking you have 2 million, and only win a couple of hundred bucks.
Chico: I don't know. I could use a couple hundies right now.
Jason: Who couldn't?
Gordon: We also saw a list of game show slot machines, including Deal Or No Deal and Password. We'll have more details on it in this week's State of Play.
Chico: Okay, next story...

How would you like to have the Great American Dream given to you? Well, ABC and Mike Fleiss, he of the Bachelor ilk, will put it to a nationwide vote. ABC has fasttracked "Great American Dream Vote" for production.

Jason: Sort of a modern "Queen for a Day"
Chico: Sort of...only without Mo'Nique :)
Jason: With a "Fantasy" twist....and no Peter Marshall.
Gordon: Mike Fleiss is your favorite, isn't he?
Chico: Oh yeah. He's a dancing hero. *gags* Maybe this one will be "the one". You know, every reviled producer in game show history has "the one" For Scott Stone, that "one" was Fun House. For Klein & Friends, that "one" was Win Lose or Draw. Could Mike Fleiss' "one" be this? We'll see.
Gordon: We will indeed. Of course, Mike Fleiss has had a history in dealing with Media Hoes.
Chico: That is true. *plays "Area Codes"* Some things never change. Who's on the Ho-dometer this week?

For starters, the Hoes for the New Survivor are out and about.

Chico: All 19 of them. Looks to be as diverse as the last cast.. without all the mucking about of race division.
Gordon: And although they are diverse, over half of them are models from California. We got BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!
Jason: Score.
Chico: Whoopee.
Gordon: But...the 3 of the first 5 episodes are going up against...American Idol
Chico: March Madness?
Gordon: Between March Madness and Idol expanding the first sets of shows to Thursday, yes.

In other ho news, Katharine McPhee gets to go on Ugly Betty, Shandi Finnessey speaks at a fundraiser, and Trump and Rosie..well...you know...Brooke Burke gets a new baby ho (Heaven Rain Charvet), while Jewel helms Nashville Star. Stephenie LaGrossa's on-line game gets postponed, Eddie McGuire helms 1 Vs. 100 abroad, Danica McKellar is going for Dancing With the Stars, Jimmy Carr does a gig for Second Life, while Grease gets a gust star appearance from Olivia Newton-John and a pan from Randy Jackson, Gordon Ramsay gets a new show on FOX, Mario Lopez gets to be the Miss America host...

Chico: An addendum on Mario...He's a new Extra correspondent. Good for him.

Tim Gunn and Jerry Springer both get reality show deals...and..get this...Former reality TV contestant Carolina Gynning is auctioning off her boob implants.

Gordon: But none of them are your hoes of the week.
Jason: Who beat all of these?
Gordon: The Ho of the Week...is....Paula Abdul.
Chico: ... Again, daddy? I can't wait to hear this.
Gordon: She's been a very busy little Media Ho over the break.
Jason: What did she do?
Gordon: We start with her complaining that Simon Cowell may be spreading himself out a bit thin. So what does she do? She gets a new reality TV series featuring her AND she signs a movie contract to be in the new Bratz movie.
Chico: That's more like it :)
Gordon: The television show is called 'Hey Paula'
Chico: That's... umm.. what does one say about that? No one knows more about big lipped oddly-shaped big eyed fashion creatures... more than Paula. Okay.
Gordon: And those...are your hoes.
Jason: Yup.
Gordon: Last one?
Chico: Last one, we're ending Brainvision on a somber note as we Go Global.

Unfortunately, not everything in 2007 starts on a happy note, Magnus Magnusson, of 'Mastermind' fame, has passed away. His long fight with cancer ended at age 77.

Chico: He will be deeply missed. But also... over the past week, we lost a member of the WLTI family. Doug Morris, he's the voice of Brainvision News... he lost his wife Cindy suddenly last week, and... well, everyone at GSNN sends him and their families our deepest condolences. As we go to break, can we have a moment please for Magnus... as well as one for Cindy.. We'll be right back.

(silence)

Chico: Thank you.
Gordon: We'll miss you, Cindy.
Chico: We'll be back.

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