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August 21, 2006
 Jason:
(hands out cigarettes) Smoke em if you got em.
Chico: By the way, kids, smoking is wrong.
Jason: Yes it is. (drinks a tall glass of ice water)
Chico: Welcome back to WLTI, Ladies drink free!
Gordon: But can they play Higher or Lower?
Chico: If they stick around long enough, yeah.
Gordon: You know how this works, so lets get on with it. First one, Chico?
Chico: First one up...
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Family Feud. New set... New host... New
graphics.. New post-retro goodness... but how much longer does this old warship
have in her? Please go higher or lower than... ONE YEAR. |
Jason: I will go higher. I think John O' Hurley will help it along.
Don: Higher.
Gordon: Higher. Doing all these changes means that the show is thinking for the
long run. Next one...
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In case you missed the Big Brother weekend
special, the Janelle alliance falls apart as George nominates James and Erika.
This leads in James departure, and Mike Boogie uses his Coup d'Etat and is now
the HOH. Janielle pays the price for her idiocy only a few weeks back. How many
more nomination ceremonies can she survive? Higher or Lower than...1.5? |
Chico: I say lower. Mike Boogie's a playa hater.
Jason: She is in deep doo doo. I will say lower.
Don: Lower.
Chico: I think Janelle sawed her last foot off last week. If only for the grace
of a veto go she... out the BB house.
Gordon: Lower. I can't see Boogie keeping Janelle in the game. This leads us to
a Legion of Doom Vs. Chilltown Vs. Floaters Standoff.
Chico: It's a three-way game of chicken. Next...
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We don't have a date for "That's the Question".
We do have plans for the tapings, though, leading us to believe that GSN has the
gears grinding. So give us a release date. Please go higher or lower than... 1
year. |
Jason: I will go lower. They need another hit.
Don: Lower seems logical to me.
Gordon: My spies tell me that GSN, with their new income coming in thanks to
Playmania, now has a budget. They can now get VERY aggressive in trying new
programming - and I suspect that they will do so. Lower.
Chico: Playmania is the cash cow no one expected. Clever, GSN... Very clever.
Almost evil.
Jason: And Playmania actually is good--compared to Txt2win :P
Chico: Sleep is good compared to Txt2win.
Gordon: Text2win may actually be the boost that GSN needs...albeit
inadvertently. Next one...
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The Contender. ESPN Claims its a hit. We claim
it's a miss. Regardless of the claims, the finale episode...high or lower than a
2.0 ratings draw? |
Jason: Lower.
Chico: Lower, but not by much.
Don: I can't really see it being above that. It'll be lower.
Chico: This season's been a lot tighter than last season and ESPN will pull all
the stops to promote what they believe is a big hit. I don't see a 2.0 in the
near future, unless you get serious lead-in from WSOP. ESPN would be wise to go
that route.
Gordon: You could if they put the WSOP Finale and the COntender 2 Finale back to
back. Will they do it?
Jason: That could work.
Chico: They'd be the wiser to do it. And if Tamao Satou is playing again, I'm
watching :)
Jason: They wont do it though.
Gordon: I agree. Next?
Chico: Next...
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Midnight Money Madness is committed to TBS for
eight weeks. Will they last longer or shorter than that? Please go higher or
lower than... duh, 8 weeks. |
Jason: Higher. It's Endemol. They have the
budget.
Chico: And it's all going to hell week of September 18 on NBC! :)
Gordon: I am going to cross my fingers, pray that there can't be anything worse
than Text2Win and go higher. Endemol, with their interactive roots in the UK,
can't possible screw this up...can they?
Don: If they've paid attention and do things right, higher.
Gordon: I guess we all know why Endemol is doing this for TBS. They may NEED the
money after Deal Or No Deal week.
Chico: Remember, this is the company that said that it was the first getting out
of the gate... So a lot of pride is attached. Let's go higher and hope for the
best. Last one.
Gordon: Last one...
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Looking at potential shows left for GSN's Top 50,
there's only one major show that they do not have the rights to. Said show,
however, is the Price is Right, and you can almost guarantee that it will make
the Top 10. You can also guarantee that GSN, which has already put such
'classics' as Hollywood Showdown and 3's A Crowd on their Top 50, will alter
their lineup so that TPIR won't be number one. Higher or lower than...Third? |
Chico: Anything lower than third for the Price is
Right is blasphemy if not straight up broadband urination on the game show
genre. I'm going higher, lest GSN wants to draw the ire of its viewers who are
still miffed that they lost the rights to TPIR in the first place.
Don: If they don't put it at #1, then I'll be hopeful and think they'll put it
at #2, and say higher.
Jason: Lower. They have Jeopardy Wheel and Pyramid. And yes it is Blasphemy.
Gordon: Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Match Game, Pyramid, Millionaire, Let's Make
a Deal, Family Feud. Lower. And watch our mailbox overflow with nasty GSN mail.
Jason: You ain't kidding.
Chico: Remember, hate mail to GSNN is not forwarded to GSN. So don't bother.
Speaking of mail, we only have time for THAT as we go to the Big Finish.. next.
(Brought to you by Rock'em Sock'em Robots: Big Brother Edition. Red Julie
Chen vs. Blue Julie Chen. Who'll win the ultimate battle? That's for you to
decide.)
Chico: Amazing toy, that is.... Everytime you pop your opponent's head off, you
say "But first".
Gordon: I want to play withe the robots. But first...the Big Finish
Chico: We start with this piece of viewer mail from our good friend David
Howell. Thanks, David!
To: WLTI
From: David Howell
1. AI6 songwriting contest: fabulous idea, and I wasn't surprised to read
WLTI and hear you and Gordon plot your ideas to enter. One thing has sprung
to mind though: it's obvious the songs will be written weeks in advance with
many diverse singers still in the competition. Besides ensuring that the
song is in a reasonably manageable range so you don't depend on getting a
Mariah Carey/Daniel Bedingfield clone in the final two for the song to be
performed, writing a song knowing any of half a dozen totally different
singers could be performing it seems... odd, and not a great idea.
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Chico: I have to agree there, David... I mean, we
all saw season 1 and four different people singing "A Moment Like This".. Which
was actually tabula rasa for whatever it is you could do with it. I guess that's
the point of the coronation single. Make it ideal so that anyone can sing it.
Gordon: I would imagine that for the song contest, they would pick one song for
each singer and the 2 singers who make the finals get the song.
Chico: And in the end, that's what's wrong with it.
Jason: I cant wait to see the rules for it.
Chico: It's not tailored to any one person, meaning that it's not going to
either help or hurt. And you want to see the advantages, the tailor-made songs
and what not. That's what you want to see. That's why season 2 remains the
benchmark. Although Flying Without Wings wasn't written for Ruben, it was
arranged with him in mind.
Gordon: Just keep in mind that Taylor Hicks won this competition last year
because he made the song his own. The person who wins Idol this year will
probably do the same.
Jason: And auditions are still going on as we speak.
Chico: Right. David goes on...
To: WLTI
From: David Howell
But then, I suppose they have to do that for the actual coronation
singles... certainly, if memory serves, they've always used the same
coronation single
for both finalists on our Pop Idol and its offspring The X-Factor.
Incidentally, Chico... your namesake didn't win. He came about sixth - still
a remarkable run on the anti-Idol vote alone without an equivalent of VFTW
here that I know though. The winner of that series was Shayne Ward, which
given the fact he had the highest voice and the prettiest face of all the
guys was damned near inevitable.
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Chico: Someone's been reading my blog! =p
Gordon: It's Chico Time!
Chico: But I digress. He continues...
To: WLTI
From: David Howell
2. 1 v 100 final ruleset: easily the least-worst they've used, and I love
the flat million-dollar prize for beating all 100. I reckon the UK version
is going to be almost exactly the same, and would even suggest that the UK
rules were finalized first and someone at Endemol suggested the US version
used the same scaled up a bit. Would explain our rumoured fixed top prize of
£250,000 (hilariously, there was a separate rumor that Noel Edmonds would be
hosting, and it's September 2005 pre-DoND all over again here).
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Chico: If only I knew what the timbre of pre-DoND
was...Then maybe I could make an accurate assessment. Anyway, he concludes...
To: WLTI
From: David Howell
3. The prospect of Bianca, or indeed anyone under 16, winning America's Got
Talent. Firstly, I presume that if, as seems likely, Bianca wins the
million, that would make her the youngest millionaire in a game, reality or
talent show of any type in the US. Secondly, it wouldn't be the biggest win
by an under-18 in the world ever... that honour is held by Mary Swain, who
won £704,900 on UK quiz The Vault in August 2003 when she was 17. That's
$1.33m at current exchange rates. Tax-free, too.I think I've said enough
now. *whew*
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Chico: That brings up another sticky situation
altogether... that mill that Bianca won... that's going to be taxed, isn't it?
Jason: Of course. It's earned income.
Gordon: Yep. Save some of that money for the IRS
Chico: So it's not at all like she won the million. It's more like...
$600,000... and I would think that a minor couldn't even file. All this tax talk
is making my head hurt. So Bianca is going to learn a life-lesson early: two
things you can't avoid... death and taxes...
Gordon: Still...not a bad problem to have
Jason: Not at all.
Chico: You got any mail?
Gordon: I got some mail. This one from Brad Hasbrouck. Thanks Brad!
To: WLTI
From: Brad Hasbrouck
Do you think "The Price Is Right" should be Number 1 on the list of GSN's 50
Greatest Game Shows Of All-Time?
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Chico: See the last question on Higher/Lower.
Jason: Pretty much.
Don: Yep.
Gordon: But the question is do you think it should be. I think it should be,
Yes.
Jason: so do I.
Chico: It's quintessential.
Don: Same here.
Chico: It has to be #1. Doesn't mean GSN's going to miraculously show it just
because it is... although that would be nice.
Jason: It would. But I don't think it will happen.
Chico: I'm just saying it's fun to dream.
Gordon: Thanks for the e-mail,. Brad. Anything else, Chico?
Chico: Quick reminder, if you have any game show question, just e-mail us at
wlti@gameshownewsnet.com. No job
too small. That... and a good three hour nap before I have to go to work. Big
thanks to Michelle L'Amour for hanging out and making Gordon's day...
Jason: Whoo hoo!
Gordon: I'mmmmm dreaming of a Whiiiite Chriistmaaaaaasssss...
Chico: His day is so made. Also thanks to Don and Jason... thank you, gents.
Jason: Not a problem.
Don: No prob.
Chico: For Gordon Pepper and everyone else at Game Show Newsnet, I'm Chico
Alexander, and as always... and we mean it this time... spread the love :)
Jason: Hug It Out.
Gordon: And get out those pasties! WHoo ho!
Chico: No pasties for you, Gordon. That's just wrong.
Jason: Way wrong.
Chico: That's up there with Man-Faye =p
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