August 7, 2006

Chico:  *suddenly wakes up.* Wow! That was an exciting commercial!
Gordon: spellbinding, wasn't it?
Chico:  A little.
Jason:  What effects do you have>?
Chico:  Well, there's "Someone's talking about you in the kitchen"... there's "Blockbusters losing cue"... and your personal favorite and mine... "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!"
Gordon: I turned my clock off, because we are back on this very lazy day, and we bring in our Canadian Correspondent Ryan Vickers..
Ryan:   hey hey hey! I have arrived with newly found game show experience :)
Chico:  Do share.
Ryan:   Well this past Sunday I got a call to tape a show on Monday (as in a 24 hour turnaround!)
Chico:  Yipes. I'd get a good night's sleep then :)
Ryan:   The show is called "Inside the Box" and it is all about TV trivia, for the Canadian channel TVTropolis (formerly Prime) It is an off shoot of the parlor game of 20 questions, with a bonus round for $10,000!!! Not bad for a Canadian show eh?
Chico:  Not bad indeed. You mean like TV trivia with the whole "Is it bigger than a breadbox" line of questioning?
Ryan:   Not really... one person is "Inside the box" and they have a bank of questions to ask the other two.  The other two give yes/no answers based on their knowledge.  If the answerers answer wrong, they get penalized.
Chico:  Ah. Gotcha.
Ryan:   "Inside the box" means you have to try to guess a character, actor or series (you're given the character). After each five "yesses" you accumulate, you get to guess :). So for example, if the clues were "debuted in the 90's", "mostly female cast", "set in the city", "aired on a cable network" it might be... (it's a series)
Chico:  Sex & The City.
Ryan:   Bingo.
Chico:  Q has the box set :)
Ryan:   "inside the box" you have 2 minutes, and when you guess correctly, you bank that time
Chico:  Ah. Very creative.
Ryan:   Outside the box you can't bank, but you get dinged 5 seconds every time you answer wrong. Very tense show playing on set though!
Chico:  One of those high pressure negotiations?
Ryan:   I arrived at 11.20 and didn't tape until 4... didn't finish until about 5.30
Chico:  That's pretty tight compared to ... well, I wrote about this last week, but 90 minutes... Very good.
Ryan:   the nice thing was that the three of us that were on the show agreed to not try to slow the show down for the person inside the box (ie. not stalling on giving yes/no answers)
Chico:  Cool.
Ryan:   I'm episode 54 so it's going to be a while.
Chico:  Ah. Could you demonstrate a practice run right now?
Ryan:   Sure
Chico:  Like you can be the player, and I can be the mark.
Ryan:   You want me to be inside the box then?
Chico:  Yeah.
Ryan:   Ok. What's my category? Male actor, male character, female actor, female character, TV series, reality TV series.
Chico:  Alright. Thinking of a male character.
Ryan:   Ok
Ryan:   Did his show debut in the 70's?
Chico:  No.
Ryan:   80's?
Chico:  No.
Ryan:   90's?
Chico:  No
Ryan:   2000's?
Chico:  No.
Ryan:   60's?
Chico:  Yes.
Ryan:   Ok. Was it on a comedy?
Chico:  Yes.
Ryan:   Is his character's name in the name of the show title?
Chico:  His last name is.
Ryan:   So that's a yes then.
Chico:  Yes.
Ryan:   Was the show mostly male?
Chico:  Yes.
Ryan:   Was he married in the show?
Chico:  Yes.

*ding*

Ryan:   That's five yesses... now you have to recap and then give a clue :)
Chico:  60s... comedy... married... character's name in the title... cast is mostly male. Male character.
Ryan:   yes... but now I get an additional clue :)
Chico:  Okay.... additional clue... a family sitcom.
Ryan:   hmmm...Dick van Dyke show?
Chico:  No.
Ryan:   ah...
Chico:  It was Herman Munster :)
Ryan:   Ah. Ok. Then what happens is when you go back to the bank of questions, they're all new - for example, if you saw the question "is it a spin off?" and you didn't ask it, you couldn't go ask that now - you can only ask what's on the screen
Chico:  Ah. Coolie.
Ryan:   So there is definitely strategy involved
Chico:  Me likey.
Ryan:   But it goes SO fast... I just concentrated on getting out as many questions as I could until I got five yesses
Gordon: So based on what you saw Ryan, is it going to be a hit?
Ryan:   Hit... not sure... but a solid game with additional seasons :)
Chico:  Cool.
Ryan:   it's hard to make a "hit" in the Canadian Cable universe - something like Idol is huge, so is Hockey Night in Canada, but nothing on Comedy network is a hit as an example (read: rating wise)
Chico:  Can wait for it to hit YouTube somewhere :) Are we ready for Trios?
Gordon: Yep. Let's get going. First Trio, Chico?
Chico:  First up... oh, this is a fun one...

CHEETARA

CHUPACABRA

PEANUT BUTTER & GINELLI

Chico: Question: all these were teams on the first World Series of Pop Culture. Which one had the coolest name?
Jason:  Cheetara. Anybody who names themselves after a Thundercat rocks my world.
Ryan:   Well I didn't see it up here, but defintely Peanut butter and Ginelli.
Gordon: Peanut Butter and Ginelli, if just only because you can make it into a Family Guy Reference. It's Peanut Butter and Ginelli time!
Chico:  And he says I watch too much Family Guy.
Gordon: You do.
Chico:  For the record, the correct answer is Cheetara :)
Gordon: I figured it would be Chupacabra, since they won the whole thing.
Chico:  As a sub-Trio...

BEING A HUMAN PIÑATA

BEING PAT KIERNAN'S UNDERSTUDY

BEING FORCED TO WATCH "FLAVOR OF LOVE 2"

Chico: Question: Which fate do we condemn VH1's promo department (who insist on revealing the ending before the show finishes) with?
Ryan:   Flava!!!
Jason:  Forced to Watch Flavor of Love 2
Gordon: Human Pinata. You'd only wind up falling asleep if you selected the other 2 choices.
Chico:  And I was hoping for pinata, too... But you have to admit.. Watching Flavor 1 was torturous enough. So VH1, get ready to reap what you sow.
Ryan:   Why is it that a Canadian network picks up flava but no WSoPC???
Chico:  No clue. Next Trio?
Gordon: Next one....

KAT McPHEE MISSING CONCERT DATES BECAUSE OF A BROKEN FOOT

DYLAN LANE MISSING THREE WEEKS OF TAPINGS BECAUSE OF A BROKEN BODY IN AN ACCIDENT

DAVID SMITH BROKEN OFF FROM AMERICA'S GOT TALENT DESPITE A BROKEN CEMENT BLOCK

Gordon: Question: Which is the unkindest break of all?
Jason:  The Concert dates...Katherine McPhee is not endearing herself to her fans.
Chico:  Broken cement block. David Smith literally went through hell for his audience.
Gordon: I'll go with the majority. At least the other two people got to go back to gigs. David Smith got the boot. Did you at least like the singing?
Jason:  Yes.
Chico:  I thought it was quite entertaining. In fact.. *breaks bottle upside own head*
Gordon: Actually, Chico, that makes your face look even sexier.
Chico:  Chicks dig scars.
Gordon: Was David Smith More entertaining than Celtic Spring?
Jason:  No.
Chico:  Yes. But then again, I'm sick like that :) Next...

JOSH BLUE ON "LAST COMIC STANDING"

JACK BARRY ON "THE JOKER'S WILD"

JON & OWEN THE PASSING ZONE ON "AMERICA'S GOT TALENT"

Chico: Question: Over the last week, we saw these three play joker (and not in the way you're thinking of). Who's the funniest?
Jason:  Jack Barry. Josh Blue and Jon and Owen aren't.
Chico:  Jack's joke: "A man walks up to me and says 'I haven't had a bite to eat in days', so I bit him."  Just imagine him saying THAT in his trademark stoic voice.
Gordon: Josh Blue. I'm not a Joker's Wild fan and the Passing Zone didn't do it for me.
Chico:  Bad Gordon. No home game.
Ryan:   What's this about home games? I'm at home... this is sort of a game...
Chico:  Just another phrase, Ryan. Try not to think too much into it. You'll make your brain hurt :)
Gordon: Next one...

DAVID HASSELHOFF

HEIDI KLUM

PIERS MORGAN

Gordon: Question:   Which one has been the best foreign import this summer?
Ryan:   THE HOFF by far.
Jason:  The Hoff. Done and Done.
Chico:  Can I split my favor between the Hoff and Heidi Klum?
Gordon: No splitting allowed.
Chico:  In that case, the Hoff... he's been fun to watch when he's completely out of it. :)
Gordon: I will go with Heidi Klum. I would love to see her get a shot at a Big 3 show.
Chico:  "How YOU doin'?" Alrighty, next up...

THE UNITED STATES

GREAT BRITAIN

AUSTRALIA

Chico: Question: By the time you read this next year, you'll find versions of "America's Got Talent" in all three of these countries. Who's got more talent?
Jason:  Great Britain.
Ryan:   I don't want to choose from a trio that doesn't include my country (just cause it won't have its own version!)
Chico:  Have time, Ryan.. your time will come soon enough.
Gordon: oh. Sorry then, Ryan. Well, if the best we can do is a Rapping Granny, a 12 year old kid and an Irish Group that only gets in due to a sympathy vote, I'll have to say the UK.
Chico:  But I'm just saying... If they sold the Idols series, they'll sell this. I'm actually going to go against the panel and say "Australia." INXS was pretty cool before Mark Burnett came in and ruined everything. I'm one of the nine male fans of Savage Garden. I think Ryan is #6.
Ryan:   Oooh... I love Savage Garden
Chico:  Word.
Gordon: Last one...

INXS

SUPERNOVA

THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS

Gordon: Question: Who would you rather be singing for?
Jason:  INXS. I am a fat lazy Garfield :)
Chico:  If it means I get to have one, the Pussycat... oh, you mean in the group. INXS.
Gordon: The Pussycat Dolls have a new TV show coming out for people to audition to join their group. I'm guessing none of us are anatomically allowed.
Chico:  Nope.
Ryan:   INXS
Gordon: No one wants to be the first male member of the Pussycat Dolls?
Chico:  LOL Sorry, just had another impure thought. Read what you just wrote, Gordon.
Gordon: I did. Don't you wish your strap on was hot like me?
Chico:  COMMERCIAL! GO TO BLACK! GO TO BLACK!
Jason:  (calling for control room)
Ryan:   *rolls eyes*
Chico:  But seriously, we get to go gambling after the break on WLTI.
Jason:  HELP!
Chico:  GO TO BLACK!
Gordon: No home game for me?
Everyone:   NO!

(Brought to you by Josie and the Pussycat Dolls. The dolls do need a backup band behind them, so why not?)

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