March 21, 2005

Chico Alexander: It's Monday, March 21. Do you know where your fans are?
James Dinan: Crying in their pillows :-)
Chico: Or in the case of Tobacco Road, sleeping in their beer :-) Shall we start?
Joe Van Ginkel: *yawn* Yes, please.
Chico: Well, in that case... from somewhere in America... We Love to Interrupt is on! Yep. We're at it again as we finally get into some spring-like weather around here. I'm Chico Alexander, and so far, my March... is mad.
Gordon Pepper: Roll call - this is Gordon Pepper - and I still have all of my final four intact after the first 2 days of the tournament. How is everyone else's bracket doing?
Chico: Oh, QUITE well... I had State in an upset against Charlotte. Oh yeah, did I mention that I had Gonzaga to the Sweet 16? Bastards.
James: James Dinan -- I still have my Final 4, everything else has gone to heck.
Joe: "Game Show Man" Joe Van Ginkel - mine's okay...mostly because I don't have one.
Curt Spear: Curt Spear, here. I had Syracuse in the Final Four. Otherwise, I survived OK.
Mike Klauss: I'm still Mike Klauss and I'm going through buyer's remorse after betting several paychecks on Eddie Timanus to win on Jeopardy! on Wednesday, followed by half my life savings on Kansas on Friday night.
Chico: Dude. No more gadgets for a while then, huh?
Mike: No more food for a while.
Gordon: You can spend some money on Joe, who just got a job at Commerce Casino as a prop player.
Joe: At least I THINK I got the job. Haven't heard back from them yet.
James: Cool.
Mike: I'll bring the loaded dice.
James: But betting on J!? This may require an intervention. :-)
Chico: Well, while Joe waits on hand and foot for some news of his job placement, we've got a lot to cover...
Gordon: Let's start with the obvious - American Idol. Mario Vazquez starts with the madness by withdrawing from the tournament - and the rumor mill goes wild.
Curt: I had Mario going all the way on my American Idol bracket, too. This is devastating.
Gordon: I believe that James has the latest on the contract news - James?
James: According to the rumor mill, Mario has hired the same lawyer that successfully broke 19's contract with Clay Aiken. Which suggests...someone has contacted Mario about a record deal?
Chico: Wouldn't surprise me. But then again, only the top 12 would have an automatic contract. We all know how restrictive the Idol contract is. I think the first season and everything after proved that. If you win, basically 19 Entertainment and Simon Fuller own you.
Gordon: Or is suggests that Mario may have had a deal in place to begin with, as he was on a CD last year released by an artist called Cesar.
Chico: Or it suggests that he is still ensconced in the entertainment field that he alluded to earlier (he was "on the lookout for new talent"). It suggests many a thing, really.
Gordon: It also suggests that the competition will be worse without him, as he heard the first week of Idol post-Mario, What happened? Nerves - or playing it safe?
Chico: Nerves. Definitely nerves.
Curt: The new set and the live band seemed to throw a lot of people off.
Chico: I mean, sure you can say you've performed in front of 30 million people, but how many of those people do you actually see as per the audience? Not that darn many. And besides, it was the same safety we saw round of 24, so why blame that? Can't make an honest-to-goodness assessment without more weeks. But yes.. Definitely cause for concern.
Gordon: In this round, it's all about getting an audience and the people who play it safe and get no fans are the ones who get booted. Jessica Sierra, Carrie Underwood and Scott Savol need to be VERY concerned.
Chico: Carrie's a one-trick pony and I'm still waiting for Anwar to do something amazing. Not that he hasn't already, but still.
Joe: I miss Amanda Avila.
Gordon: While Joe is pining on Amanda Avila, we'll turn to us pining the departure of Eddie Timanus as the Jeopardy tournament continues.
Chico: In all fairness, they dropped a load on all of them that day. How Jonathan Groff made it out alive... I don't know.
Gordon: Well, it's the Tournament of Champions. They should expect to have loads dropped on them.
Mike: Eddie started off slow. That's the main reason. He was only at $2000 when he hit a Daily Double in the 2nd round. That's a slow start.
James: And made it a true DD.
Mike: Eddie got on a roll near the end of Double Jeopardy but it was a little too late.
Chico: His only hope in the final: if both players got it wrong. He got halfway there.
James: The question was perfect for him, given what Eddie does for a living. Unfortunately, Jonathan reads newspapers too :-)
Mike: And as Eddie noted earlier this week, Groff lives in California, which gave him an edge on a Final Jeopardy! whose correct response was Barbara Boxer.
Chico: But still, a champion in the hearts of his fellow man.
Joe: Indeed.
Gordon: It was an exciting match on Wednesday - but Tuesday's match was even more exciting.
Chico: That was a match right there.
Mike: What's with the accidental plurals with these champs? We've seen two matches thus far where a tacked-on S cost someone big bucks and an invite to round 2.
James: Babu redux.
Chico: I don't know. I guess people like the S.
James: It just happens. When I played quiz, there were players who were just notorious for mispronouncing and misspelling answers.
Gordon: Message to Jeopardy! contestants - Finail Jeperdi Speeelink ith Impourtent!
Chico: See, now you're doing this on purpose.
Gordon: Moi?
Joe: ROFL.
Mike: The first case is somewhat understandable. I thought it was All's Quiet on the Western Front, not just All Quiet. The second one...ouch. Starry Night is probably Van Gogh's most popular work.
Chico: Anyway, Leah and Doug made it a two-man race, and in the end, the S cost Doug, giving Leah a golden ticket. But what are her chances of going to the big show?
Gordon: By backing in...not good.
Chico: And if they're not that darn good, who do you see in the big dance out of those who played so far?
Mike: She can be a factor. She played a spectacular game and was overshadowed by Doug for the first 21 minutes of the game. She won almost $47,000 on Tuesday. It's hard to ignore that number when looking at possible contenders.
Chico: True... True.
Gordon: Not counting the people with first round byes so far, I have to go with Dan Melia and Bob Harris.
Chico: I think Dan... and maybe Pam Mueller... Talk about a lethal thumb. But then again, we have 10 or 20 some odd games to play.
Gordon: Pam was very impressive in the first round - I think she could go far, too.
James: Pam Mueller's seems to have got stronger knowledge and buzzer-wise during her absence...she may go pretty far.
Mike: I like Bob Harris as well. I can't wait to see Michael Daunt on Tuesday.
James: Another player to watch this week...Jeff Stewart on Tuesday...he of one of the most heartbreaking defeats in TOC history.
Chico: What do you suppose his chances are?
James: If he's still on his game, he may have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Mike: The same as everybody else--1 in 145.
Chico: People like him get knocked down, but they get up angry.
James: Plus, he's a BYU grad like Ken. He wants an all-Mormon final :-)
Gordon: Maybe you can recoup some of your lost money on future Jeopardy shows...OR...or can recoup it by betting on the Amazing Race finals, since apparently, a lot of people have gotten inside information on the show.
Chico: We have our first case of betting on The Amazing Race that forced the hand of an off-shore better. Some erratic patterns have led to closing of wagers after people put hundreds and thousands on one particular team. You can go back and read the story, but I'm not going to say who the team is right now.
Mike: I read the Amazing Race story/spoiler this week. I won't name names, but the team mentioned in the story is my favorite to go all the way.
Chico: Is this before or after the story?
Mike: Before.
Chico: Just making sure.
Mike: After seeing them over the past few weeks, I thought they had the right stuff to win it all.
Chico: Like?
Mike: You don't want me to give vital info away, do you? :-P I think this pair is a great team. They rarely have differing views or opinions. They are in good mental and physical shape. They have all the traits desirable in an Amazing Race team.
Chico: Without naming names.
Gordon: I am just wondering why the internet gambling sites continue to do this as time after time some group happens to have inside information to the show.
Mike: Why do the gambling sites do it, Gordon? The almighty dollar. They get their name in the mainstream press, which in turn brings visitors to their site, and likely some money.
James: If there's something to bet on, an Internet gambling site will lay odds on it.
Chico: But at the same time, they stand to lose money on those with insider information.
Gordon: I hope the publicity is worth the $500,000 or so that they spent on it.
Mike: Any publicity is good publicity. Once their name is mentioned in the press, people will flock to their web site. I admit I did after reading the story.
Curt: That's where half your life savings went on the Kansas game, right?
Mike: I told you--lost several paychecks on Eddie, half my life savings on Kansas. I hope the readers have sarcasm detectors. I don't want hate mail asking me why I bet so much.
Gordon: Ah - the truth comes out. You'll be coming with us to Commerce Casino at the GSC to play Super Pan 9 and take Joe's paycheck money, won't you.
Mike: That I will. And your money too, Gordon.
Gordon: After last year, Joe will tell you that you won't be taking my money.
Joe: Actually, they might pitch us both out if they find out we're friends.
Mike: Maybe this would be a fine time to throw a plug in for Gamblers Anonymous.
Joe: Recommend you stay with the Bicycle Casino.
Chico: Just a reminder that just because they have a habit, doesn't mean you should. Gamble responsibly. And knowing is half the battle, yada yada.
Gordon: We'll make sure that we gamble when you aren't working. Anyway, Joe - can you tell us more about the Game Show Tournament at this year's GSC 4?
Joe: This year, the GSC has been expanded to two days from the one at last year's event.
Mike: Nice!
Joe: The tourney takes place on the first day, Contestant Day, and runs the length of the day. It actually starts the night before with the introduction social, with two icebreaker games... TPIR with our friend, Travis Schario, and Jackpot with our very own Gordon Pepper. Saturday kicks off with yours truly hosting the Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour. The rest of the tourney's games range from Remote Control and Starcade, to Sale of the Century and Win Gordon Pepper's Points (aka Win Ben Stein's Money). We cap off the regular segment of  the Tournament with 2 of the games the people have been clamoring the most for...Team Whew!....and... Press... Your... Luck.
Chico: We're talking old school on the Starcade?
Joe: Word.
Chico: Nice.
Joe: I even bought some of the Jakks TV Games joysticks to simulate them. Players will be playing on 4-player teams. Each game is worth as much as 30 points. These points will be counted towards the team's total. The four teams with the highest totals will advance to participate in the playoffs, whose games will remain top secret for now. Only two teams will advance with the opportunity to play Mike Burger's famed Game Show Round for the 2005 Game Show Tournament Title.
Chico: Should be fun...
Joe: In addition, we're doing something new this year. In addition to the regular team contest, each game will also have an "All-Star" qualifier, where the winners will automatically advance to play the "All-Star" Game Show Round. This is so that players who are not on a team will have the chance to be part of the official competition, in response to some of the feedback we received last year. And of course, hopefully, Mike Burger will do additional Game Show Rounds for fun afterward. After all, Bob Boden will probably want to play again...as will Gordon and I. Right Gordon? ("shoe")
Gordon: But if you wish to join a team, it's real easy to do so - just show up that night when we start play and we will try to get you on a team. This year, Joe, we need to select our team a little more....judiciously.
Joe: That much is certain...Mike? Chico? You boys down?
Chico: Outlook good. We'll see if my boss is judicious with my work sked.
Joe: WHOOOOOOOO.
Mike: We'll discuss that as we get closer to game time.
Joe: Just making sure.
Chico: Cool. Say, Joe, what are the chances that Impossible Heists and Craft Corner Deathmatch make the lineup?
Joe: Nil.
Chico: Shame. Both are on this week's Big Board. Subject: Interesting finds you may not know about. A few games premiered with all the fanfare of a Gordon Pepper humility trip. First off, Style Network's Craft Corner Deathmatch: Martha Stewart if she was an Iron Chef. Winners get a scrapbooking cruise. Losers... well, leave. It's madcap in its execution and you can't help but laugh, I think. You can catch it Wednesday nights on Style Network.
Gordon: Next - Impossible Heists - An actual decent show about two teams competing to steal items and recreate heists. It's a fun show. The third show that premiered happened on Thursday. You're thoughts on it, Joe?
Joe: Hollywood Hold 'Em is the show in question. It's basically a cross between MTV Cribs and Celebrity Poker Showdown. Phil Laak is the host and dealer. You know him better as the "Unabomber," the player who sits at the table in the grey pullover hoodie at WPT events.
Chico: I am familiar with the Laak.
Gordon: How was the show, Joe?
Joe: I like the concept. But I would have rather have seen someone other than the cast of That (Crappy) 70s Show to start.
Mike: I saw it. I thought it was a tad rushed. I think the game was almost secondary to the celebrity chatter.
Chico: It's E!. Everything's secondary to celebrity chatter.
Joe: As it is on Celebrity Poker Showdown.
Mike: Well Joe... In case you didn't notice, the producer of this show is Laura Prepon. Hence, I get the feeling we'll see a lot of 70s Show actors.
Joe: Of course, the Masterson brothers have been on CPS, IIRC.
Mike: We did see one rarity, something I've seen on TV one other time--a royal flush. And a flopped royal flush, at that.
Joe: As long as we don't have to look at Ashton Kutcher anytime soon.
James: And now we have reached....saturation.
Gordon: We haven't reached saturation yet, James. Just in case you want even MORE poker, partypoker.net has produced a show on rivals playing poker against each other. In my neck of the woods, the show has a bunch of New York poker players Vs. a bunch of Boston poker players. You can catch the show every Sunday at 8pm on the YES network.
James: And if you want EVEN MORE poker, Marc Berman reported in Mediaweek that there is a show being pitched for this fall called *Hip-Hop Hold'Em*.
Chico: Ripoff.
Joe: Isn't that "Bring it To the Table" on SpikeTV?
Mike: "Oh shizzle, I flopizzled a flushizzle"?
James: Dueling urban poker shows, I guess.
Joe: ROFL
Chico: Spike earlier announced "Bring It To the Table", where hip-hoppers, rappers, and reggaeton...ers, compete for bling. And Mike... never do that again.
Mike: My badizzle.
Joe: What did you do, Mike? Run that line through Gizoogle.com?
Mike: Nah. I'm down with the urban slang. You just add -izzle to every third word.
Gordon: Competing urban poker shows, eh? It can be cool - as long as a gunfight doesn't break out.
Joe: Then it would be a Wild West poker show, Gordon.
Chico: Unless 50 and the Game are involved.
Gordon: So it would be googizzle.com.
Joe: No, no, Gizoogle.com, Gordon. That's a real address. It was posted to the Invision message boards. It can translate any webpage's text to Snoop Dogg-speak.
Chico: Well, you think that we've reached saturation before, wait until after the break. When we return, we have 20 Questions with our special guest. And, because we can, another trip on an island in the sun...
Joe: *sigh* They think I'm kidding, don't they?
Chico: I doubt it.
Joe: Try running GSNN through their translator.
Chico: Well, Jason, you just missed the hip-hop portion of the show. But you're in time for this break!

(Today's Big Board is brought to you by Googizzle... the searchizzle engizzle for all my pizzles, for shizzle. And by the new game show Shizzle my Nizzle! In this show, we see how stupid the white boys sound when they talk slang.)

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