Episode 31.14/15 - 2012 Year In Review
December 24/31

Chico: We're calling this one, "The Ringer Gets Wrung". Carly did three things wrong here. I don't even think one of them was her fault.
Jason: Go on
Chico: One, if you look over the course of the competition, you notice that she always went with songs that displayed a bombastic voice and a penchant for vocal aerobatics. So there was no variation. We didn't see all of what she could do. And it's a shame, really, because I think she could've done more.
Gordon: I agree. Tate, though country, gave us more variety in genres, and I think that was a big factor. The week he moved into #1 to stay he did
Living on a Prayer' - a mainstream rock song. Carly did...Bibber. Item #2. I think it more comes to what you said to me earlier on this week, and that's Self-Indulgence.
Chico: That's #2.
Gordon: She sang what she wanted to, and not necessarily what America wanted.
Chico: Right. Then there's #3. In the finale we had three rounds. The second was a superstar duet. You know where I'm going with this?
Gordon: Sure do.
Chico: Carly did a duet with LeAnn Rimes, and she'll deny it to whoever asks, but she did not look like herself.
Jason: Are you saying she was "impaired" (or alleging so)
Chico: Let's just say that Carly brought her A game to the duet. Leann didn't.
Gordon: I'm not sure the degree that it hurt her. It certainly didn't help her.
Jason: Who did Tate sing with?
Chico: Tate sang with Little Big Town And Fifth Harmony sang with Demi Lovato.
Jason: Demi gets double :)
Chico: When you don't have a horse in the race, you can do these things. Tate did the heart-string-tugging ballads, he did the showstoppers, he was a showman.
Gordon: I agree completely. Tate had the most versatility in the show, and he was the best singer. This win was well-deserved.
Chico: Yep, and so Tate gets this



Jason: This was not just the Hot Guy With Guitar. He is Phil Phillips like
Chico: I predict that in a year, we're going to hear more from this crop of singers than we ever did from season 1's
Jason: Could be. Did the SHOW itself improve from Season 1?
Chico: I think so. We got the right mix of personnel, the talent was a step up.
Gordon: No doubt it improved. I liked what they did with the editing - especially at the beginning. I hope they keep it like that, but unfortunately, we know they won't.
Jason: Question....we asked it last week...any change in who you think replaces LA Reid?
Chico: I like G's idea of Diddy.
Jason: I like it too.
Gordon: They should. We'll see if they do. They can also ask Denise to do it, because she has some free time on her hands.


INJURY REPORT

Jason: Denise should not have even BEEN in the final four.
Chico: Now we talked about the winner of Survivor last week on the podcast.
Jason: Yes but Malcolm made that Million Dollar Mistake by not playing the Idol.
Chico: He really should've played that Idol.
Gordon: If you're SKupin and Lisa, you had to keep Abi and get rid of Malcolm and Denise. They didn't do that, so whoever survived that tandem would win.
Chico: Right. So although you get rid of Malcolm, who's a threat, that pretty much opens the door for a win on Denise's part. And it was a crush. 6-1-1. Now Gordon.
Gordon: Yeeees Chico?
Chico: We talked a lot about Penner's move in Final Tribal. Jason thought it was brilliant to bring up Lisa's past as a child star. I thought it was a clown move.
Gordon: I don't think Penner's move was a factor, to be honest. If it was a close vote, maybe, and we've seen clown moves in the history of the show play major factors.
Jason: You think it was a clown move?
Gordon: In this case, no. Once Abi got knocked off, in the words of Block, we knew Malcolm or Denise were going to win - especially once you saw people's feelings in Tribal Council.
Chico: As is the case when cash is on the line
Gordon: Though the biggest winner here may be Lisa, with a trip to the soon to be dead Jeff Probst show.
Chico: Hello. :-)
Jason: This was a career rebirth for her. :)
Chico: Hey, she was looking for one.
Gordon: Well for now. We'll see what happens in the future.
Chico: a rebirth. Not so much a career rebirth, but a rebirth nonetheless. So let's go from one Mark Burnett joint to another.



Chico: The Voice season 3 is over and done with and we have a winner... and we managed to mess this one up too, but not without a little bit of help. There was one final twist to the show. As you know, iTunes downloads count toward the overall vote totals. If anyone's studio cut of their performances reached iTunes top 10, their iTunes total would be multiplied by 10. Cassadee Pope had two, the reprise of "Over You" and solo of "Cry". Terry McDermott had one, the solo of "Broken Wings".
Chico: That may very well have made the difference, because it goes Nicholas David third place, Terry McDermott second, Cassadee Pope first.
Gordon: That could be - and it would be lame, but in the pure radition of voting shows, $$ = Votes.
Chico: Now she gets to make the emo pop punk country rock music for anyone who will remember her in about three months.
Jason: Yawn.
Gordon: This is a huge win for NBC this season, and it will stay that way as long as they don't overkill the show - which of course they will.
Chico: Because it's NBC and they don't learn much.
Jason: See Season 4 With Usher/Shakira
Chico: Now I'll give the season 4 moves if only because schedules will not warrant Christina and Cee-Lo returning.
Chico: And both have said that they plan to return to the show "eventually". Cee-Lo even says that he'll be back for season 5. So we'll see what happens.
Gordon: Replacing them: Shakira and Usher, which I think are fantastic choices.
Chico: Indeed. It's cold inside Sony Pictures Studios. Let's spread some love.



Chico: This week on Wheel, we had a record breaking performance of the highest AND the lowest caliber. Jason, if you would, please.
Jason: On Friday we set a record Leanne Mclaughlin wins the main game with $69,200 - including $63,500 in cash and a trip to Puerto Rico.
Chico: Good NIGHT!
Jason: What was the low point?
Chico: It was on Wednesday's show. Renee Durette from Merette Island, FL thought she had SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING.
Jason: She said SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMIN'. Different connotation.
Chico: That could just be how she talks.
Gordon: You still have to pronounce the words.
Jason: And there was no apostrophe at the end!
Chico: Here's the clip in case you missed it.

http://www.tmz.com/2012/12/21/wheel-of-fortune-screws-contestant-swans-swimming-pat-sajak/

Gordon: It reminds me of the Wheel of Fortune episode where the person had 'Double Indemnity' with ALL of the letters up, mispronounced the puzzle and got buzzed.
Jason: It happens.
Chico: So yeah, it's not the first time a contestant got hosed for their own tongue, but yeah, the rules are clear on that. And yes, Leanne McLaughlin should be in the player of the year discussion... which we WILL have next week. :-)



Jason: Thank you.
Chico: CLW83.com, WLTI Live's Best and Worst of Everything. Next up, we deal with four letters... A, B, C, or D.



Chico: ... quartered. Everyone loves when a Friends question comes up... except if you don't know the answer to it. Such is the case with one Shawn Sutherland. We'll get to Friends in a moment, but here's his $100,000 question...

If you hate Shakespeare, you'd most likely appreciate what play, which at around 1,800 lines is his shortest?

A: Pericles
B: The Comedy of Errors
C: Timon of Athens
D: King John

Gordon: I had to do research on this, because I was doing a Shakespearean Trivia night with Jason. No joke. Isn't that right, Jay?
Jason: I was there. I hope it's C.
Gordon: (Tosses Jason a Dunce Cap) YOU FOOL!
Chico: ... Gordon? THE CORRECT ANSWER, PLEASE
Gordon: I had it on the test! It's B Comedy of Errors!
Chico: Shawn went with B... and he gets to see this!

As a child, which cast member of "Friends" had artwork exhibited at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art?

A: Matt LeBlanc
B: Jennifer Aniston
C: Lisa Kudrow
D: David Schwimmer

Gordon: I'm ashamed that I know this. The answer is Jennifer Aniston.
Jason: That because her father was a Broadway star - Gordon is right.
Chico: Yep. All Shawn can think of is "Phoebe!" Sorry, but all Lisa Kudrow did outside of Friends was Americanize "Who Do You think You Are?"
Gordon: And I understand that he's there for the experience, but really? Why throw $75,000 out the door?
Chico: If i didn't know it, I'd leave with $100,000 and not look back.
Jason: What did he do?
Chico: He guessed C.
Jason: GUESSED?
Chico: He REALLY wanted to go for the million
Jason: What's the rule...if you don't know...GET THE HECK out of dodge with the cash!
Chico: Or to use the word you used on TV, J... RUN.
Jason: RUN...as far and as fast as you can
Chico: Okay, those were the big plays, now for the smaller plays of this final week of 2012. It's time for the FASTEST FIVE AND A HALF MINUTES IN GAME SHOWS. We call it the Replay.
Jason: GO!
Chico: Starting in Jeopardy! land... I'm Mike Wallace. And it's MY game to lose on Friday. He's got $17,000 to Chrisanne & Jessica's $4800 and $6800 respectively. The final on Friday is World Capitals. The clue:

One of the 3 national capitals made up of 2 words that begin with the same letter.

Jason: I'll name one. What is SAN SALVADOR?
Chico: I'll name another. PHNOM PENH. Gordon, do you have the third?
Gordon: What is Brassy Brothel?
Chico: Gordon... NO.
Gordon: Come on. You know they all do it. Don't you see Hostel?
Chico: I did...
Jason: May I give the Third?
Chico: Sure
Jason: What is ADDIS ABABA?
Chico: That's right.
Gordon: We continue with Top Chef. While CJ, Josie and Stefan are still all there, Danielle is no longer. She faces off against CJ for the right to stick around.
Chico: That oughta be tasty. Thursday saw a Big Deal go out of the doors of CBS on Let's Make a Deal. Daniel, who was a dancing biker, trades his dining room set for a door. His choice is #2. Behind it... a Mazda 2 and EVERYTHING IN THE BIG DEAL! That's the car, the trip to St. Lucia. and the LMAD vault which had $1976. That's a Big Deal worth $23,971.
Jason: niiice
Gordon: Project Runway All-0Stars: Laura is NOT in the running as she gets eliminated in Flapper Fashion. We're down to Uli, Emilio, Ivy, Anthony and Joshua.
Chico: On Chopped, Akiko Thurnauer and Nathanial Zimet have to make a dessert out of dulce de leche, pineapple, sesame see buns, and apricot paste. Nathanial makes Sesame Seed Dumpling with Pineapple Salad. Akiko makes a cocoa sesame seed bread cake with smoky pineapple. Winner... NATHANIAL.
Gordon: Next Iron Chef; Redemption - it's down to Nate Appleman, Alex Guarnaschelli and...Chico's favorite cooking judge in the whole wide world...Amanda Freitag.
Chico: Nate gets booted, ensuring that the next Iron Maiden will be the Next Iron Chef. God I hope Alex wins.
Gordon: I'll go with Amanda, because I need to torture Chico to start off 2013.
Chico: Like you need an excuse.
Gordon: Actually...you're right. I don't.
Chico: This is what I have to deal with on a weekly basis. And THAT, my friends, is the final Replay of 2012.
Jason: (STOPS THE CLOCK)
Chico: Okay, let's get the party hats on the hamsters. And for Eve, I've made a party muzzle.
Gordon: Got catnip in it
Chico: That oughta sedate her. Okay hamsters in, bookworm in, mole in, fish in... do it, G!
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: Thank you, Doug Morris! We're starting with a ... Charlie Brown tree bat.
Jason: Ho Ho Ho

A greenlight on top of my tree as well, as NBC greenlights Hollywood Game Night from Sean Hayes.

Chico: Much like "Celebrity Charades" (the AMC version) was based off of Hilary Swank's charades nights, this is based off of Sean Hayes' game nights in Hollywood with two civilians plunked in for good measures.
Gordon: I'm hoping it plays better than how it sounds, because it sounds like an exercise in vanity from people who may be out of touch with the general collective in America.
Jason: Yuck
Chico: We'll see what NBC does with that in 2013. Meanwhile, we have a change in personnel on Project Runway. Michael Kors (whose sweater I'm wearing) is out. Zac Posen is in... and Project Runway does a team thang for the next season. We're basically playing Survivor... on the Runway.
Gordon: Explain to me how exactly this is innovative?
Chico: ... I can't. It's the first ever teams edition for the show, but it's an idea that has been in the offincg since Survivor first started in 2000.
Gordon: I do have a datebook with something that while not innopvative, sounds cool.

December 30 is 'Machines of Glory', here people build and use machines to compete against each other in various tasks. On GSN, we have the Match Game Marathon, featuring the pilots of the original Match Game and Match Game '90.

Chico: And I'm hearing we'll also have the GSN premiere of Match Game 98. If GSN is pining for new MG, they need to pick up the current Canadian version. Just saying.
Jason: Yes they do
Chico: Here's something worth picking up. Let's get loaded up on eggnog. (plays "Who Spiked The Eggnog")
Jason: HIC

The Face is going on the YouTube as part of a contest. The winner and two of her friends will win a trip to NYC, a professional photo shoot with Nigel Barker, and a portfolio of their experience. The winner will be announced February 12. Go to Youtube.com/thefaceonoxygen for more details.

Chico: Smart use of youTube to launch the brand on the network.
Gordon: I sense a segue coming
Chico: Now here's a dumb use of anything to do anything.
Gordon: Aaaannd there's the segue.
Jason: Let's see it.

Are YOU Smarter than...Ne-Yo, who is now getting sued because he blabbed out some baby mama confidentiality stuff that he wasn't supposed to blab about.

Chico: HIPAA for $400, Alex. I got one for ya, G. This is perhaps the DUMBEST person of the year.

Are YOU Smarter than... Helen Flanagan, whose appearance on the UK's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was pulled after she posted a picture of herself online in which she pointed a gun to her head.

Jason: That's not good.
Chico: Considering all of what happened this month... NO, THAT'S BAD!
Gordon: Yeah, You wonder where the rationality of these people have gone.
Chico: They're celebrities. Need we say more?
Jason: Nope. Not another word.
Chico: But how about some Xmas Haterade?
Jason: Ho Ho HO

Project Accessory may need mistletoe as it gets sent to the catwalk of cancellation.

Gordon: I think one of the accessories was this (gives Chico a hockey stick).
Chico: Maybe they should go to China for the holidays
Jason: Let's go!

China is the latest country to sign on for their own version of "You Deserve It". They were looking for heartwarming clean TV? This is as clean as it gets.

Jason: Pretty much
Gordon: And boring
Chico: Right
Gordon: ZZZZZZzzzzzz
Chico: Wake up.
Jason: You said something?
Chico: Time for your Santa Claus impersonation
Jason: Where? Where? Where? :)
Gordon: Toys Toys Toys
Jason: Don't you mean HOe HOe HOe?
Chico: (plays Luda)

In this week's Media Ho report, Rosie O'Donnell may...or may not...be a judge on America's Got Talent, Todd Newton shows up on Today, Tate Stevens says L.A. Reid didn't want him...aw...Carly Rose Sonenclar's family want LeAnn Rimes to pay and pay dearly, Kat Von D gets proposed via Twitter (classy), and Sean Lowe hopes that his viewers don't beat him up, Chico wouldn't beat him up, would you Chico?

Chico: *shines hockey stick*
Jason: Uh oh
Gordon: But none of them are the ho of the week.
Jason: Who is he/she?
Gordon: He is Simon Cowell, who can't help being in the news. He says he wants Britney and Demi back, plus he's had a tribute on the Sandy Hook tragedy AND he's dating Carmen Electra.
Jason: THAT'S Mutlitasking
Chico: The Voice also did a tribute. Both are available on the YouTubes.
Jason: So did SNL
Chico: All three tributes very moving
Gordon: And those...are your hoes.
Chico: And that's Brainvision.
Jason: Shutting Down
Chico: Time to retire the Choppler for the year.
Jason: Lever, Button...Repair shop :)
Chico: Next year... solar powered Choppler. =p Still to come, we give our final thoughts on the year, but first, we look at what's in store for 2013.
Jason: Toilet time?
Chico: Toilet time. You're reading the WLTI 2012 Year in Review Special. You give us 365 days, we'll give you a bunch of people who're "royally pissed off".
Gordon: (waves Occupy Gallifrey sign)
Chico: ... Nice

(Brainvision is powered by the Xmas Factor. Who has the best version of "Santa Baby", "Do They Know It's Christmas", and "Give Love On Christmas Day?" Winner takes $1 million in silver bells... silver bells... It's talent time in the city)

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