Episode 29.14 - Newsmakers and Gamechangers
April 23

Gordon: This is Gordon Pepper, and usually we use the first part of our show to discuss who got booted off, or what happened in game shows this week.
Chico: Yeah, it's been like that since we started 10 years and almost 400 shows ago.
Gordon: However, due to the huge events of the past week, we decided that this is going to be a news and reaction segment.
Jason: Huge is an understated word.
Gordon: So for the first time - ever - there's no recaps in part 1 of our show.
That's not to say there won't be recaps - we have a game dedicated to it, but we're going on a different angle this time around.
Jason: But the news this week pretty much trumped everything that happened this week on TV
Chico: Exactly. So from somewhere in America, this special Newsmakers edition of WLTI... is... ON!
Gordon: Yay! Gordon Pepper here, along with Chico Alexander and our special guest Mr. Jason Block.
Jason: This is a week I NEEDED to be here. Thank you for inviting me on.
Gordon: And we start with a death of a multi-generational icon. The great Dick Clark, who I bvelieve we all met at one time or another, has passed away at the age of 82.
Jason: We met him at (if memory serves) his last public appearance before his massive stroke at GSC in 2004
Gordon: We met him there. I had the honor of speaking to him. He was a consummate professional, as well as a nice person outside of the buseiness realm. He changed many lives in front of and behind the camera.
Chico: You want to talk about a workhorse? He had his hand in everything he was involved with, and he was involved with a lot.
Gordon: Big Board please?

Gordon: The Subject: Pyramid of Clark. Clark produced over 170 shows and series. The big one that put him on the map was American Bandstand, where he played music and honed his trade.
Chico: I believe that ran from 1952 to 1989, give or take a few years, but it united generations and was the first show to take advantage of the power of the American youth.
Jason: And that show gave us phrases like "It has a good beat and I can dance to it"
Chico: That show led to the start of a business empire that survives to this day.
Jason: Dick Clark Productions
Gordon: #2. Pyramid. He hosted the $10,000 version and it continues to this day with it's various formats - including a new one set to air on GSN.
Jason: A Bob Stewart classic, which Dick Clark made into HIS Iconic show.
Chico: Pyramid, in my eyes, a perfect game show. The combination of Bob Stewart's genius with Clark's.
Jason: With one of, if not the best, bonus round in game show history.
Gordon: It's a great game
Jason: And the phrase, if you would both say it with me...Quiet in the audience please...60 seconds on the clock...
Chico: Here's your first subject...
Gordon: GO.
Jason: And then the chills and the ticking clock
Chico: And then your heart's racing..
Jason: Here was the beauty of Clark. When the contestant lost, there were some times he would play the game, and it was just perfect. And then that light would come on for the contestant. When the people won....it was NEVER about him. He KNEW it was about the contestants. How many times did you see him ask to show a picture or bring in a spouse or child?
Chico: Enough times.
Jason: And with the Pyramid franchise, the celebrities took it REAL seriously.
Gordon: That's not the only game show he did, but we'll go back to that later. Next up on his timeline: #3. Dick Clark's Rocking New Years Eve, which he started in 1972.
Jason: Which was an answer to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians.
Chico: And again, continues to this day. An answer for the youth of America, our own Guy Lombardo party if you will.
Gordon: That's now been on the air for 30 years, hosted by himself, Regis Philbin and some dude named Ryan Seacrest
Jason: Who? :-)
Chico: Dat dude.
Jason: Our generations Dick Clark if you will. He basically saw Dick Clark's model and copied it to the letter. Host, Producer, Game Show Host
Chico: And has his hand in everything.
Gordon: Let's go to game shows with #4. Dick Clark Productions.
Chico: Let's see... TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes...So You Think You Can Dance...
Jason: American Music Awards
Gordon: They created 2 more shows that we're very familiar with. The first one: So You Think You Can Dance. The other one....Greed.
Jason: Both great shows in their own way
Gordon: But those weren't the only shows. They also had a show called The Challengers, with Clark hosting.
Chico: And let's not forget his first show ever... "The Object Is".
Gordon: Not to mention The Krypton Factor, a fun show in it's own right.
Jason: I remember that one.
Gordon: They are not without it's clunkers, but we'll overlook The Chamber
Chico: Good idea.
Gordon: They Also did the All-American Ultra Quiz (taken from Japan's Ultra Quiz) and Puttin' On The Hits, a syndicated Lip Sync show
Jason: Which I absolutely LOVED BTW.
Gordon: Both shows were fun.
Jason: They were.
Gordon: So we say goodbye to a huge influence on the game show and reality genre. Can I have a moment of silence please?

(Silence)

Chico: Thank you. So long, Dick. You will be deeply missed. Also going to be deeply missed... three Top Model regulars, as Tyra Banks cleans house.
Jason: This is a MAJOR SHAKEUP.
Chico: Basically a reflection of declining ratings.
Jason: Or desperation if you want to call it that.
Chico: Either eye-ther.
Gordon: Here's the story. Tyra has decided that she wants the show as a more 'Social Media' experience. hence the show is going in the dreaded 'New Direction', and Nigel, Mr. J and Mrs. Jay all get their runway walking papers.
Jason: So...translation - it's done after next Cycle.
Gordon: If you read between the lines, this seems to me like A. Cost-Cutting and B. letting the audience have a vote as to who stays or goes.
Chico: I'd be more inclined to believe the former. The show's been growing long in the tooth for some time now.
Gordon: I agree with Jason here - you don't get rid of what people tune in to see. I think next year is ATNM's last.
Chico: The show's been going on for longer than it needed to.
Jason: The show's formula got tired real quickly
Chico: And the fact that it's still on when it is clearly on its last legs speaks as much to the network as it does to the show.
Chico: Seems like the CW has no other plans...
Jason: So the horse has been beaten to death.
Chico: Taken to the glue factory, made into a paper mache horse, and beaten again.
Gordon: Well as we've mentioned, all of the networks across the board are losing ratings. You can attrubiute it to the factor that all of the 'young generation' shows aren't on tv - they are on cable or online.
Jason: Right. So Tyra throws the long bomb.
Chico: And if it doesn't work (and I don't think it will), then... well, there's a saying, everything that has a beginning has an end.
Chico: I think we're beyond breaking at this point.
Gordon: It is a long-lasting show that should go into the annuls as one of the best rality shows of it's kind.
Jason: It begatP roject Runway...enuf said.
Chico: Yep. Another first-of-its-kind show was Cash Cab - was being the operative word. This week, Discovery confirmed that it has ceased production on Cash Cab.



Chico: Which is really a shame because it was one of the few pure answer-questions-win-money games that achieved both critical and popular acclaim in the 2000s.
Jason: The format, perfect. The host, great. The questions...not easy, not hard. The play along factor - HUGE.
Gordon: And because Jason Block FINALLY got on the show - I count him as one of the factors the show got cancelled. :P
Jason: You may joke about ME being the cause of the cancellation...I think this was cost benefit analysis. Ben is going elsewhere.
Chico: Agreed.
Jason: Sort of the son leaving the nest.
Chico: And you can only see his stock on the rise.
Jason: People LOVE this show. This reminds me of when Street Smarts was cancelled.
Gordon: I completely blame Jason for the demise of the show.
Chico: Of course you would.
Gordon: But if I'm the show, I try to go into syndication, like Street Smarts did.
Chico: I think that's what happens. I mean, they have 200 shows in the can. They have enough to run the show in reruns, but if reaction is positive, then why not go the syndication route.
Jason: Why not.
Gordon: It's not like you can do any worse than what Excused did.
Jason: Cash Cab is of the best shows of the modern era and hell...Excused got a 2nd Season
Gordon: But Excused is VERY dirt cheap to produce, and even though it got a 0.5 rating, that's all you need + advertising, of course, to get renewed.
Chico: Cash Cab... also dirt cheap to produce. Just trick out a cab.
Gordon: There you go. I think Jason, as pennance for ruining Cash Cab, should recap Season 2 of Excused.
Jason: Bite my shiny metal a**
Gordon: No thank you.
Jason: Can we say Thank you to Cash Cab though?
Gordon: We can. Thank you to Cash Cab, one of the better non-network game show out there.
Chico: Big thank you to Cash Cab. We had fun...We also have fun with...



Chico: The list is out for Jeopardy! 2nd DC Power Players Week. Together, they've earned 21 Emmys, 8 Peabodys, 4 Pulitzers, a Grammy, served under 3 White house administrations, and include the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Chico: The list... Big Board? This one's called Power Ranking. Your Power Players are... in alphabetical order.

Chico: This is not a liberal-conservative thing. This is not a rightie-leftie thing. This is hard facts and harder trivia. You lose, you have no one but yourself to blame. Heh.
Gordon: I'll give the early nods to Cooper, Black, Page, Todd and Wallace.
Chico: I'll go with Cooper, Black and Wallace. And maybe Katty Kay. Have to throw a lady in there.
Jason: Cooper, Black. Wallace, Perino and Kay.
Chico: But it's standard celebrity week rules. Winner gets $50,00 for their charity. Again, that's going to happen May 14.
Jason: Sweeps is coming REAL soon
Chico: Yep. And (^_^) just got real at the Biggest Loser ranch. Gordon, please.
Gordon: Well we did tell you about this a few weeks ago - and so did most of the press. Well that episode has happened. Because of the producers telling the contestants that one of them is coming back (which if you've done your homework, happens in almost every single recent season), 2 of the players leave.
Jason: That's a load of sour grapes to me.
Gordon: So we go from 5 to 3 players - and then we eliminate Jeremy Britt, which leaves Conda and Kim as automatic finalists for not doing anything stupid.
Jason: Do you think the two people who left will be on the finale?
Chico: How about no
Gordon: They were invited to be on the finale. I probably wouldn't show up, but whatever.
Jason: Just checking...you know how reality show drama goes.
Chico: But in any case, again, you know what you're signing up for when you sign up for the show.
Jason: You know what goes down on these shows. Why you did that was beyond me? Was it just a case of "Thats BS?"
Chico: At least you would if you read your contract and did your homework.
Gordon: IF you did - but they clearly didn't
Chico: Clearly
Gordon: Besides, it's one of those shows where you have to expect twists
Jason: Like pretty much EVERY reality show
Chico: But again, who watches this show anymore? Heh.
Gordon: Well - it is NBC's second highest watched show
Chico: That's like saying "cardboard" is the second-best defense against bullets.
Gordon: Behind a Tupperware pot
Chico: Boom
Gordon: NBC needs that and The Voice to continue to do well, because the rest of theis shows...yick.
Chico: That's being nice.
Jason: The last rating of The Biggest Loser BTW, from Tvbythenumbers.com - It had a 7 share and 6,960M watching
Chico: That's hardly winning.
Gordon: Again, in perspective, it's NBC's second highest rated show. They also sell tons of merchandise. They can't afford to cancel the show - and they can't afford it to have a horrible season with bad contestants - which, unfortunately, they have this year. So while I don't agree with the thought of giving cntestants a chance to get back in the game, I can understand why.
Jason: I agree with you. I am just saying while it's not the ratings powerhouse, it is a $$$$$$$$ machine
Chico: It's free money.
Jason: Right Rob?
Rob the Cash Cow: MOO
Chico: Speaking of free money, someone at FremantleMedia's moving up in the world.
Chico: Now if I were to say "Cecile Frot-Coutaz", what would come to mind?
Gordon: Freemantle US Head Honcho
Chico: Thank you. She oversees production on TPIR, Feud, Idol, and others. Well, Cecile's been given the keys to the mothership. She's now the head of Fremantle Worldwide
Jason: She's earned it though
Chico: Yes she has. She shot to the top on the back of EPing both Idol and X Factor for Fox.
Jason: Amongst others.
Gordon: Well she's got a huge set of tasks to do. The biggest one: fixing a set of shows in the US that have been slunmping in prime time.
Chico: X Factor for one.
Jason: And Idol
Gordon: And keeping TPIR (which hasn't been slumping) around for another 30+ years
Jason: And resigning Drew Carey.
Chico: And getting LMAD to do the same for Wayne Brady.
Gordon: And feeding Eve the cat...oh wait that's Jasons job (gives Jason catfood and a bowl).
Jason: (opens food and Feeds Eve)
Gordon: Roll That Beautiful Brain Footage
Chico: Nice.

(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, Doug. First up, we've got a bit of business to attend to.
Jason: Which Bat do you need?
Chico: Give me the Yankees bat. For the beatdown they gave the Sox.
Jason: (hands Chico the Black NY Yankees Bat)
Chico: On the 100th birthday weekend of Fenway Park, no less.

George Lopez has been tapped to host Fox's "Take Me Out"... never mind the clips of Dermot O'Leary in the Fox promos.

Chico: Yeah, I SAW THAT.
Jason: PIlot versus Reality?
Chico: Try UK version vs. US version.
Jason: That will work.
Gordon: No it won't.
Chico: still, should be good stuff.
Gordon: We'll see. As we've seen before, a US and Uk vserion of anything won't work well when mashed together. I can give you a laundry list of those. Most recently, Million Dollar Money Suck
Chico: Also good stuff: Hip Hop Squares on MTV2. We saw the set for the first time. It's so purple. Apparently when you get the Ghostface Killah stamp of approval, you can do such things.
Jason: One month from recording day as we tape this.
Gordon: That, on the other hand, I looking forward to seeing. And also these shows on the Datebook.

We see HGTV's White Room Challenge on April 24th and Syfy's Total Blackout on April 25th

Chico: White Room Challenge, an extension of Design Star.
Jason: Total Blackout looks interesting
Chico: Stunts. in the dark
Gordon: That show is all going to be about the execution
Chico: We'll have a review next week.
Jason: Yes.
Chico: Meanwhile, we'll have some logic-challenged folk... now.
Gordon: Here's some.

Are YOU Smarter than...The Biggest Losers' Allan Shuh and Mark Conrilison, who took their ball and went home, leaving $250,000 on the court at the same time.

Gordon: Even if you don't like the rule because A. You weren't smart enough to read the rulebook, or B. You didn't watch the show before, you should NEVER quit a game like that. You make nothing and you look like a fool. So you're giving away 2 extra weeks of working out because of your pride. Dumb.
Jason: Its just DUMB.
Chico: And speaks to where their minds were. Not on getting healthy, but on getting money.
Gordon: It does. Maybe drinking Haterade will help them slim down a little
Jason: (puts down Mug)
Gordon: Now we already zombies Cash Cab, so it's not that.
Chico: Right
Jason: ok...what then

There's trouble down the road for The Bachelor - and this could be a game changer. A class action lawsuit has been brought after them for them not having any minority bachelors or bachelorettes, and they use their experiences in the interviewing process as examples. If this goes through, this can spell big problems for the show.

Jason: I believe this case may have legs.
Gordon: I do too
Jason: Because IF they can prove that minorities were excluded due to color and race...I believe that MIGHT be a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Chico: That would indeed be a game changer.
Gordon: I agree with it. more importantly, the people who have brought up the case have given proof that they were treated differently during their interviews, claiming that their interview time was less than half of what other people have gotten. If they can prove it, than ABC is in a world of trouble.
Chico: I betcha Fleiss gets all reactionary and puts in a token next season.
Jason: That's NOT a "prima facie" case, but if they HAVE more proof than just that, they could be in trouble. But I will say this. Bachelor/Bachelorette has been lily white since moment one.
Chico: It'll also bring up a sticky social more (well not to you or me because of who we are and what we've been brought up to believe)... but interracial dating. Just saying.
Jason: yes that's true, but this is 2012...not 1962.
Chico: Right.
Gordon: If they put in a 'token', at least it would be better than the whole Brad Womack fiasco.
Chico: HA
Jason: Does anyone remember what happened when the NAACP complained about Millionaire?
Chico: Yep
Jason: Back in 2000. They begged for minority contestants and made WAY too much of a big deal out of it. That led to the fastest finger being removed and an interview process being built in.
Gordon: Right.
Chico: But yeah, expect something to happen.
Gordon: I think some lawyers may be getting loaded with this
Jason: hic
Chico: Usually , we take a game show on TV and bring it home here. This week, we're going to flip it around and take a party game and bring it to TV...

As NBC greenlights a Howie Mandel game, "Howie Mandel's White Elephant".

Chico: ... you know what White Elephant is, right?
Jason: I don't remember.
Chico: It's a holiday party game where someone opens a gift and then someone else can open THEIR gift or trade it for the already opened gift. They call it "Dirty Santa" in the Dirty South.
Gordon: They also use that during the Let's Make a Deal games.
Chico: Remember the iPod episode of "The Office"? It's kinda like that. Howie Mandel's not the only Media Ho getting ink this week, right?
Gordon: No he's certainly not. Luda me.
Chico: (Ludacris)
Jason: ((turns up the volume on Ludacris)

In this week's Media Ho Report, Todd Newton does The Price is Right in South Florida, with Alan Thicke and David Ruprecht, The Military show up this week on Mllionaire, Ben abd Courtney are NOT planning a wedding (take with that what you will)...George Lopez hosts Take Me Out, GSN does a Dick Clark Tribute, as does Ryan Seacrest on his live show...SImon Cowell has a new fling, Jordis (Rock Star) gets booted from The Voice, and Nigel Barker is opening a new skin line.

Chico: SKIN LINE MONEY!
Gordon: But none of them are the ho of the week. And it has to be Dick Clark, for everything he has done for the game show community.
Chico: And for entertainment at large.
Jason: Yes sir.
Gordon: He will be severely missed.
Chico: Yep. Finally, let's take a trip
Jason: Where to?

India, where Amitabh Bachchan is prepped to sit in the hot seat again for KBC That of course, the Indian version of WWTBAM.

Gordon: That show is motoring right along
Chico: Yes it is
Gordon: And that's BrainVision. Shut it down.
Jason: (shutting down)
Chico: Still to come... why do people say things? But first, Gordon?
Gordon: First up: We go through what our first segment usually is, with a dash of Heidi Klum. you're readig WLTI. You give us 22 minutes and we'll give you 22 shows Dick Clark produced that we'd like to see remade. Starting, of course with Pyramid. THough I wouldn't miund seeing The Challengers and Greed right after that.
Jason: Greed would be hot.

(Brainvision is powered by The Real World Road Rules Challengers. Three generations of Real World/Road Rules alums go at it against each other in a quiz of current events. My money's on the one who appeared on the show in the beginning, when the housemates had jobs and social consciences.)

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