|
July 9, 2005
Jason: Batman Begins--best comic book movie ever.
Chico: Agreed.
Gordon: Actually, I preferred the original Batman to Batman Begins. Nothing
beats Jack Nicholson's Joker. Acting > Special Effects.
Rob: Batman Returns wasn't half bad either. Forever is when it went downhill.
Kevin: I see that critics have roundly panned "Fantastic 4". Even those who
liked were saying "it's OK, sort of, I guess".
Chico: Yeah, right here.
Jason: Jessica Alba...yummy.
Gordon: We're back, and it's time to do some Bargain Hunting.
Chico: We're not just doing ANY Bargain Hunting, it's Bargain Hunting at GSC4.
Since Gordon's out to pub the hell out of it.
Gordon: So here is what we're going to do. In front of me is the schedule of
this year's Game Show Congress 4. We will be incorporating it into the game.
Jason: Gotcha.
Kevin: But first, Gordon, when and where IS Game Show Congress 4? That's a
leading question, son.
Jason: That's an anvil over the head question, Kevin.
Gordon: Good question. The convention will be at the Glendale Hilton at Los
Angeles during the weekend of August 19-21
Jason: and if you want to find out more go to
http://www.gameshowcongress.com
Chico: Right across the street from Frank Nicotero's house? =p
Gordon: Not that close, but Frank was at GSC 3 last year. He could very well be
there this year.
Chico: Okay. Get us into the game, please.
Gordon: We start on Friday August 19th. This is the first night to register and
the first opportunity to hang out and chat with your fellow game show attendees.
It's also the first opportunity to compete in the Game Show Tournament, which is
the 'Olympics' of Game Show playing. 10 events. There will be teams of 4. The
top teams will be competing for a chance to play on a wonderful contraption
created by Michael Burger called the Game Show Machine.
Jason: THE GAME SHOW MACHINE!
Gordon: Here is the first question - If you could buy any sort of set from any
game show, what would you buy?
Chico: The Whammy Board!
Gordon: From Whammy or Press Your Luck?
Chico: Whammy!. More oblique. More rounded.
Rob: I gotta go with the Fun House set. From Season 2
Jason: The Big Wheel from TPIR.
Kevin: When they were auctioning off the prior jeopardy set, I thought of
getting a podium.
Gordon: I'll take the original PYL board. Round 2, Of course. And I'll take the
Whammy animations while I'm at it.
Kevin: How about the Plinko board?
Chico: Now there's an idea...
Gordon: That would be my second purchase but I only get one.
Chico: But you could easily make your own.
Gordon: True, but it would be cooler to buy TPIR's.
Chico: All you need is plywood, paint, some footlong nails, a bracket, a piece
of lexan, some weapons-grade plutonium...
Rob: Hold on. That sounds like a recipe for a Time Machine.
Gordon: Not to mention an electronic scoreboard and 3 Barker's Beauties.
Rob: Ok. That doesn't.
Chico: Sure, you'd say that if I didn't include the bracket.
Gordon: And stairs.
Kevin: More plywood for stairs. So, around the reception that starts at 8 on
Friday, are there some games being played?
Gordon: Yes - TPIR and Match Game will be played as part of the Tournament.
Chico: Starwheel?
Gordon: There could be a Starwheel there... Moving on - we go to Saturday,
August 20th. In addition to the Continuing tournament, we get a symposium of
Rare Classic Game Show Episode Screenings, which will be helped by Stuart
Shostak, who was a contestant of Greed. Any more information, Kevin?
Kevin: The classic shows will be rare episodes showcasing the honorees at the
luncheon on Sunday.
Gordon: If you could get a season of shows - any 1 season from any 1 show.
Which would you purchase and why?
Chico: We should note that purchasing rare tapes is illegal. "Not for sale or
rent".
Jason: Season 1 of TPIR. Thats classic
Kevin: Which version---the one that started in the 70s, or Bill Cullen?
Jason: Bill Cullen
Chico: I'd pick up the complete Michael Aspel series of Blockbusters. But if I
can't get that... Then season 1 of SotC.
Rob: I would like, personally to buy the entire series of The Joker's Wild 90,
but to appease people who hate that show, I'll say The Syndicated Sale of the
Century.
Kevin: Nice on Joker's Wild 90.
Rob: I don't get why people hated TJW 90. It was a decent show.
Chico: Well, Pat Finn had the demeanor of plywood.
Kevin: Jokers wild 90 was too complicated for its own good. Pat Finn didn't
help.
Gordon: No he didn't.
Rob: Well it was also his first Major TV gig. All he had before was a local TV
show called Finn and Friends.
Chico: He didn't get any better, I thought.
Gordon: Maybe, but Shop Til You Drop made him a very rich man.
Rob: Now he does California's Big Spin, I think.
Chico: Providing it's still on, yes.
Kevin: Yes, CA Big Spin still exists.
Gordon: I'd pick up the first season of Press Your Luck. There are some classic
games at the very beginning of its run that GSN has never aired.
Kevin: I'd take an early year of GE College Bowl.
Gordon: Some great choices. Next on the schedule - a design / charette of the
Library and Museum of the GSC. Would you like to explain more about it, Kevin?
Kevin: One of the goals of the Game Show Congress is to develop a permanent
library and museum devoted to the genre. An architect has developed some
preliminary designs, which will be shown off in a session at the Congress.
Chico: In Truth or Consequences, NM, right?
Jason: Yes.
Kevin: That's the current idea, to set up this museum in TorC NM, as it has the
name, and the chamber of commerce is into promotions.
Gordon: We need them to help us out with the new World Trade Center here in NYC,
since no one seems to be able to get it right.
Jason: Amen, Gordon.
Gordon: After that, we see the Jeopardy! Lunch Roundtable. What will be going on
there, Kevin?
Chico: I'll have a Philly Chicken, hold the mayo.
Kevin: There will be a number of past Jeopardy players present, including some
who were in the Ultimate Tof C. The plan is to have them tell of there
experiences in a group, while the audience munches on optional boxed lunches.
Gordon: Do we have any confirmed names?
Kevin: Someone who made the quarters or semis I heard will be there. Depending
on schedules, some people who made it farther could also be present.
Gordon: We're personally hoping that our pal Lan Djang can make it to the event.
Jason: Absolutely.
Kevin: Also, if someone from Jeopardy attends to pick up their award from the
ceremony following, the hope is to have them come and say something.
Gordon: That brings us to the next question - if you could set up a 'Defend the
Crown' Jeopardy Tournament and buy television time for 2 people to challenge
Uber-champ Brad Rutter, which 2 people (either Jeopardy or Non-Jeopardy) would
you send after him?
Jason: Two contestants who didn't get to the UTOC - Leszek Pawlowicz and Frank
Spangenberg.
Rob: I'll send in Blockbusters' John Hatten and The Challenger's Stan Newman.
Chico: Blockbusters' Pat & Liz McCarthy.
Kevin: I could get some quiz bowl people who could give him a run.
Gordon: I would send in Stan Newman and the Dr. Himself. Kevin, how do you think
you would do against Brad Rutter?
Kevin: I don't have the speed---I would be OK on some categories, not others. If
they loaded up on art and humanities, I'd be dead.
Gordon: You've been on Jeopardy before, right?
Kevin: I was on in 1994.
Chico: Darn.
Jason: How much did you win?
Kevin: Won a couple days, tad under $27K cash and prizes.
Jason: Not bad.
Gordon: Watch to see if we can get the reruns on GSN.
Chico: Doubtful. I believe they lost the license.
Kevin: I think it's come through, long ago.
Gordon: ok - back to the GSC. What's After lunch?
Kevin: There will be an awards ceremony for player of the year, game show of the
year, and host of the year, along with awards in sub-categories. Those present
will get their piece of hardware immediately.
Gordon: And then?
Kevin: After that, we hear from Ruth Horowitz, who had a run of 20 games won on
Concentration in the old days. That was an amazing run, because there was both
the memory game as well as doping out the rebus puzzles. Along with her will be
Norm Blumenthal, the producer of Concentration. I believe there will be a tape
of one of her episodes to show.
Gordon: There's been a rumor that Ruth will also be competing at the symposium.
Any truth to that?
Kevin: Yes, in the works is an adaptation of Concentration in Mike Burger's Game
Show Round to mimic the old-school Concentration Board, to let Ruth and Norm
play.
Gordon: That should be a lot of fun to watch.
Kevin: The old-school board had 30 squares, unlike Classic Concentration with a
mere 25.
Chico: Right..
Kevin: After the ceremony and Ruth, the games resume, and more tapes will be
shown for those not involved in the games.
Gordon: That brings us to the next question. Classic Concentration is a great
show that people want to bring back. If you had the money to resurrect one game
from the Goodson/Todman library, which one would it be?
Kevin: Now You See It.
Chico: Blockbusters!
Jason: Blockbusters.
Rob: I'll go with Chico and Blockbusters.
Gordon: I would bring back Super Password, but I would make the format a 3 out
of 5 instead of a race to $500, since the first $100 puzzle is worthless. Now
continuing on, Saturday has other symposiums, including a 'State of the Games'
by tvgameshow.net's Steve Beverly, a 'Smartypants' Trivia game from Paul
Paquette, and the conclusion of the Game Show Tournament, but we will move on
and highlight some of Sunday's programming. Let's start with a live version of
WLTI, starring...us! Whee!
Chico: Yay.
Jason: Hooraaaaay US!
Kevin: Get up early and come down to the main room to see the gang.
Gordon: After that, we get a College Bowl session. Can you explain more about
it?
Kevin: There will be a session about College Bowl, which was on the air in the
60s. It won major awards in the day, and continues now on college campuses,
along with other quiz bowl competitions.
Gordon: Now THAT'S a show that needs to find a major network again.
Kevin: A gentleman named Tom Michaels has some tapes of some episodes from the
old days, and there will be questions and answers. I don't know who else from
the College Bowl Company may be showing up.
Gordon: Following that is an industry panel. What will the panel be about?
Kevin: These are industry "insiders" who will have a panel discussion of what's
going on, what's coming up, what NOT coming up, etc., in the game show world.
That is then followed by a session on Game Show Music.
Jason: Oh yeah.
Rob: So far it sounds like loads of fun.
Gordon: We all know that a set of 2 game show music cd's have been released.
What game show song that has yet to be released would you be more than happy to
spend money to buy?
Jason: Oh wow... I don't know.
Chico: The Amazing Race theme. John M. Keane is love.
Rob: Easy, the 2nd version of the Sale of the Century theme. Or the Bruce
Forsyth's Hot Streak theme.
Gordon: They had (and I'm serious about it) a club version of the song
'Survivor'. I wouldn't mind getting that or the Press Your Luck theme.
Chico: I have the club version. It's exactly what you think it is.
Kevin: Some British themes would be good.
Gordon: The Challengers was had a nice theme.
Kevin: Winning Lines theme was good.
Gordon: True. Moving on, we get to the Career Award Luncheon. Who are the
special honorees for this year?
Kevin: The recipient of the Ralph Edwards Award for Lifetime Service is none
other than TV's Big Dealer himself, Monty Hall.
Jason: (applause) For his Variety Charities.
Rob: Deserving.
Chico: *applause* Go Monty.
Kevin: The recipients of the Bill Cullen award for Lifetime achievement as a
host are the brothers Jack Narz and Tom Kennedy.
Jason: Bring your boiled eggs :-)
Rob: Why Jason?
Jason: There is a rumor that he MIGHT be doing some schtick there.
Rob: Personally Kennedy was better than Narz, but both are worthy of the title.
Kevin: I'm writing up a thing for the program on the "Monty Hall Problem" in
probability theory.
Chico: Explain that. In as few words as possible if you can :-)
Kevin: A contestant is presented with three doors, one with car behind it, two
with zonks. Contestant picks, say, door number 1. Monty then reveals that door
number 3 had a zonk. He then gives the contestant the chance to switch to door
number 2. The question is, should he, and why. The answer is, yes, because he
doubles his odds of winning. This is counterintuitive, and has confused
mathematicians and Marilyn Vos Savant. But, it works out.
Chico: Hey, I'm all for confusing Marilyn Idiot Savant.
Gordon: lol
Kevin: Actually, she did an explanation in the 1990s that confused people. I
have something I hope is clearer, that I'm also giving as a speech this coming
week.
Gordon: After that are various game show demonstrations as we wind down the
conference.
Kevin: Yes. I think we'll have Ken Jennings' new game to try out, among others.
Gordon: There will be many things to do. The final question - how much will it
cost to attend the convention?
Kevin: I think the fee starts at $100, but if one takes a room at the Glendale
Hilton, the fee comes down. For details on the fee and the discounts, go to
www.gameshowcongress.com
Gordon: $100 for all of the action, symposiums, and a chance to play in both
past and future games may be the biggest bargain of them all.
Jason: It's going to be a blast.
Kevin: The hotel has a block of rooms at a reasonable rate as well for Thursday
through Sunday.
Gordon: And that's not counting the other extra-curricular stuff planned...but
that will be for another time. Special thanks to Kevin for helping out with this
segment
Jason: Thanks, Kevin.
Gordon: And with that, we break before wrapping this one up.
Chico: Yeah, right now we have a break before the Big Finish. Thanks, Kevin!
Kevin: I enjoyed it very much.
Rob: Thank You Kevin
(Brought to you by GSC4. You've heard everything that's going on. There's no
reason for you not to go. So come, dammit!)
Jason: Exactly.
Chico: Gordon's our publicity ho, by the way. You can either have a big ugly
gray banner or one Gordon in a big ugly gray shirt (we have the pictures...
trust us).
Gordon: Thanks Chico. Anyways, we now go to the...Big Finish!
Jason: Let's do it...
Gordon: What's Your impression of...Rockstar?
Chico: I can dig that. You have drama, and performance, but that can work
against you.
Rob: It's got Burnett's name on it, so you know it's gonna be a quality product.
Chico: This is why you have to act in the utmost of concern over building drama
and, hopefully, not influencing the outcome.
Gordon: Sing and sing well.
Rob: Can we expect another Chaos theory out of you Gordon?
Gordon: We most certainly can - and will =) What about Iron Chef America 2
(which also debuts this week)?
Chico: You know I dig that.
Jason: The same, which is great stuff.
Rob: One of Food Network's main cash cows, it is great stuff.
Jason: I love all versions of Iron Chef...except the Shatner version.
Chico: Correct, Rob. Speaking of which, the first challenger of season 2: Todd
English.
Rob: WOW
Chico: He takes on Batali.
Jason: Oh wow
Rob: Now that will be a great match.
Chico: We have a faux IC versus the real deal.
Rob: I'm giving the win to Todd English, but it will be close.
Jason: Depends on the ingredient on the table.
Chico: That we don't know yet. But we do know this... We have some viewer mail!
Jason: Alright!
Gordon: Lets get to that mail. Who do we have?
Chico: First one is from Lisa8030. Thanks for writing, Lisa!
Gordon: Thanks, Lisa! |
