October 23, 2006

Gordon: This is Gordon Pepper, and I'm here to make a toast.
Chico: *raises piece of toast*
Jason: (raises glass of oj)
Gordon: To the end of the insipid show known as Midnight Money Madness and the soon to be end of Play2Win.
Chico: Sa-LUTE.
Gordon: Complete this phrase for $1,500...Pot _____
Jason: luck
Chico: belly.
Gordon: Good guesses. Their answer? Pot to Piss In.
Jason: huh?
Chico: I GOT AN ANSWER! SMOKING!
Gordon: Let's try this one, for $2,000. Moon_____
Jason: patrol
Chico: over Miami
Gordon: Going for the obscure 80's video game reference there, eh?
Jason: yes.
Gordon: No, no, no. The correct answer was...mooning.
Chico: SMOKING! Okay, here's one for free... From somewhere in America, _______.
Gordon: Anna Nicole Smith is naked?
Chico: ... I will accept that, Gordon :-)
Jason: WLTI IS ON!!!!!!!!!
Chico: Yay!
Gordon: And we accept our guest for this week, Mr. Jason Block.
Jason: Thank you.
Gordon: And we also accept that 2 fill in the blanks previously mentioned were reason enough to get rid of Midnight Money Madness, which appears did not get a renewal after it's initial 8 week run.
Chico: Oh, boo. I'm sure Danny and CJ will get presenting jobs elsewhere. As for Jerilee...what about joining Hans the Cliffhanger as a body on an episode of CSI?
Gordon: Endemol has not made a lot of mistakes this year. This however, appears to be one of them. What happened here?
Chico: Presentation. You break a game board, it's all over.
Jason: Execution.
Chico: So Playmania... still the undisputed champ of interactive quiz. Something for GSN to be proud of.
Gordon: Which is like saying that 3 month old cheese is still the best sort of moldy cheese around. May I have a Big Board please?

Gordon: The subject: Midnight Money Mistake. If WLTI was to make a big money call-in game, what would we do differently so we would last longer than 8 weeks?
Chico: 1) Legitimate games instead of vague puzzles with more than one answers.
Gordon: During the first week, MMM had a fill in the blank with this: P_T. It could have been pat, pet, pit, pot OR put. That's when I strictly chalked up the show for laughs and didn't want to give them any money.
Jason: Exactly.
Chico: 2) Better presentation. It's called a video screen, guys. Look into it.
Gordon: Even with that, the backdrop looked liked one of the old Street Smart sets. Great if you like your game shows on a 5 year cultural delay.
Jason:  3) Pre-screen answers. Radio stations do it all the time.
Gordon: You mean you don't like it when the contestants give the same wrong answer for 4 straight shows?
Chico: (ANGRY GLARE)
Gordon: Guess not.
Jason: 4) Better hosts.
Gordon: Would you bring back any of MMM's hosts?
Jason: Nope. I don't think one interactive game host of any show...Mel and Shandi included does me good.
Chico: I would. Craig Jackson. Underrated hosting talent. For that type of game... in that hour.
Gordon: I agree. I thought Craig was incredibly funny, and was someone who did a lot with what he had. Is he prime time game show host material?
Chico: I'd say so. Give him a format created for a niche market and let's see what he can do. Oh wait... We did that already. Remember 30 Seconds to Fame?
Gordon: That was Craig Jackson?
Chico: That was Craig Jackson.
Gordon: 30 seconds did last a few seasons. What has he been doing since?
Chico: ... Beats me.
Jason: Don't know
Gordon: I will say something that I did like - the special guests. MMM did know how to use the 'C' level guests that they did bring in, and they all seemed to have fun doing it.
Chico: Oh yeah.
Jason: That was...OK
Chico: But then again, you have a game show... you expect a game. MMM just seemed to pad it out with C-list antics.
Gordon: The biggest problem is, of course, the game. Set up a format with real answers. Make is quicker for callers to call in. If you have to, make the games a bit harder - or maybe create games that force people to (gasp) think!
Chico: People don't think at midnight!
Gordon: People don't think at any part of the day. How is midnight any different?
Jason: Hold on a minute. That is underestimating the public.
Chico: You think at midnight, J?
Jason: I can.
Chico: You're better than me. On any non-work night, I'm thinking of one thing at midnight. Sleep.
Gordon: I do agree with Jason. You have enough people out there who play Goldpocket and Gold Rush at all hours of the morning. I think you could make an intelligent call in and win show.
Chico: And he may just get his chance, as it just keeps exploding.
Jason: Yeah baby. Bring me the money.
Gordon: That also leads me to this...would it hurt that much to get a sponsor for a game? Then you could make additional money off the side.
Chico: Worked for Shop 'til you Drop. Sort of. You have to be subtle about it... Sly, as it were. The Nissan clock on Iron Chef. The Kraft tale of the tape... on Iron Chef...
Gordon: It stuck around for many a season. So to MMM - improve the pacing, get us GOOD puzzles, and give us something better to look at alongside Craig Jackson.
Chico: Just so long as you provide an alternate free means of entry, because if you don't... well you get in trouble for that. So cool... A moment for MMM, please?

(quick silence)

Chico: Thank you. But Endemol isn't really hurting as of late, especially with two hit games on NBC network. If I can do my play-by-play impression for a bit to ANOTHER Endemol production. DOWN GOES JENNINGS! DOWN GOES JENNINGS! DOWN GOES JENNINGS! DOWN GOES JENNINGS!
Jason: Over Roulette no yes.
Chico: If you missed 1 vs. 100 on Friday, you missed Ken Jennings lose... again.
Gordon: The question, sir?
Jason: What color is the 1 on a roulette wheel. Red, Green, Black
Gordon: I would say Red
Chico: I would also say red.
Jason: You would be right. Jennings said Black. He went B.
Chico: Chazz Hale, the contestant at the time, also said red. He wins $74,000 from that question alone and ends up taking home $159,600
Gordon: Good for Chazz. Bad for Ken. Also bad for the contestant squeezed between that win and a $200,000+ win to start off the show.
Jason: The man has the question, who is "Baby Jessica": Jessica McClure, Jessica Lynch, or Jessica Sierra?
Chico: The first Mobline he uses to ask about Jessica Lynch. Only 4 people selected the answer. He uses his second Mobline to eliminate Sierra. Right answer lady says "Jessica McClure". Wrong answer lady says "Jessica Lynch."  He listens to wrong answer lady, and 49 mobsters win $35,000.
Gorodn: No offense, but the guy was a moron. The SAME person who he selected for the first Mobline is there for the second one, and he instead of thinking that there's no way that only 5 people got it right, he's hoping that only 5 people did to score a lot of money, Wrong. As a result, a no-brainer turns into a big loss for him.
Jason: What is $35,000 an average of?
Chico: That's $714 roughly.
Jason: Ken gets another $714.
Chico: Bringing his total game show take to $2,500,714. Give or take a couple of thousand.
Gordon: Jessica Lynch was the private rescued in the Middle East. Jessica Sierra was a singer in American Idol.
Jason: Exactly.
Chico: So did we see a better show this week? I'd like to think so, yeah.
Gordon: But 1 Vs. 100 was not the only place that had limited money potential. We have another week of bad decisions on Deal or No Deal, including once again someone selling a million dollar case.
Chico: Oops.
Jason: Our Jets Fan had the million, but left with $158,000 I think?
Chico: Set us up, G.
Gordon: That's correct. Then right after her, we see someone selling a $400,000 case for much, much less.
Jason: But we ended the week with a $53,000 deal with a case of $1,000. The husband's next number would have blown the $400,000 case.
Chico: That's called... Wait for it...  Wait for it... Timing. And in the end... PROFIT.
Gordon: And the contestant before her took $174,000. He had...the penny case.
Chico: PROFIT.
Jason: Now that's major PROFIT.
Chico: Speaking of, NBC's hoping to capitalize its gains on these two by the end of 2007. And here's how they're going to do it.
Gordon: Chop off 700 jobs?
Chico: For one.
Jason: Lop $750M off the operating budget?
Chico: For another.
Jason: And end a lot of dramas and sitcoms.
Chico: Jason... no.
Gordon: Put game shows back on both 8-9pm and daytime syndication?
Chico: Gordon... yes. Here's what went down. NBC chief Jeff Zucker said that the network will not plan any more high-budget scripted shows around the 8p hour. It didn't say anything about killing off the ones they have in the hour already, just that they wouldn't plan any more.
Jason: Right.
Chico: So again, fans of "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" (myself included)... we're good for now. Meanwhile, internal damage control in the form of NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly... "You can't be exclusive with reality at 8. You have to be in the scripted business. It's not an absolute."
Chico: Now there are two schools of thought. I need a Vs. Board.

Chico: On one side, you have NBC who says that this is a return to their roots, as they cite the golden age variety shows at the family hour. They also say they're doing this to expand revenue on the digital front.
Jason: NBCi and all that.
Chico: On the other, many TV observers say that this is basically NBC throwing the towel on failed scripts.
Gordon: This GREATLY concerns me. Everything that you do right is done in...magic word here...MODERATION. Just like you can't not have game shows on, there's now a peril of having TOO MANY Game shows on at one time, which will burn the genre out faster than Bobby Flay flambéing a Louisiana Crawfish.
Chico: Agreed. We all remember when we were "expanding revenue" in the late 90s, early 2000s.
Jason: And we ate ourselves to death.
Chico: We had every network trying to churn out their own Millionaire, they're own Survivor, they're own American Idol... and they did end up saving a lot of money in the long run.. only because a handful actually made it. All the cream rose to the top, while the bottom dwellers were left to feed on whatever there was left.
Gordon:  We could all make a ton of examples of going that one step too far. Witness Midnight Money Madness, Play2win, et al. And then all of the executives pull a 180 and say that well, the public doesn't want game shows anymore. No. The public doesn't want poorly executed game shows.
Chico: Public doesn't want second-rate knockoffs. Public wants quality. I believe there is room for quality dramas, quality comedies, and quality games on the air all at once. NBC... obviously doesn't believe that.
Jason: I agree. I don't want ALL of the dramas to be on cable.
Chico: But I guess that's why they get paid the big bucks and I actually work for a living. =p
Gordon: We'll see what NBC does. Could you see from 8-9pm on Monday through Friday, the following - Deal Or No Deal, 1 Vs. 100, The Biggest Loser, America's Got Talent, and Deal or No Deal, with America's Got Talent: Results and The Apprentice as the shows replacing Football when the season ends?
Jason: Yes I could. easily.
Chico: If only for that little project they're still working on, Identity... Still don't know if that's a given.
Gordon: But what I am saying is that NBC already has enough in their library to make Jeff Zucker's statement sound not as far-fetched as it originally sounds.
Chico: But you know, seasons come and go. You only have two shows there that can last an entire season without really being run to death (i.e. Biggest Loser) This of course is provided that NBC actually do their homework for a change.
Jason: I agree with Gordon, this could be a dangerous precedent. Do you see other networks doing this though?
Chico: Ummmm.. no. Right now, the other three nets are golden. NBC is falling on hard times.
Gordon: CBS and ABC already have enough 8-9pm shows that they wouldn't need to do it. FOX has Idol, and quite frankly, that's all they need.
Chico: I think there's a little show called House you neglected to mention?
Gordon: As I was saying. Fox has American Idol. That's all they need. Cranky British Judge > Cranky American Quack.
Chico: Bad Gordon! No home game!
Jason: LOL
Chico: Right, and what do they have the OTHER four months of the TV season... =p
Jason: Geez, fanboy much? =p
Gordon: Based on on the fact that the ratings for House plummets when Idol isn't there to suckle upon, you could have the Yule Log there, for all I care.
Chico: Sorry. That's a myth. It was in the top 20 this season before baseball.
Gordon: Is it? The ratings for House are down 14% from last year.
Chico: But it's still potent.
Gordon: And if you want to watch FOX shows that aren't American Idol, I'll take 24.
Chico: Again, starts in January.
Gordon: Yep
Jason: Which is what Prison Break is place holding for
Chico: So really for you, the fall season starts in January.
Gordon: Think about January - Idol, America's Got Talent, The Apprentice, Poker After Dark, and I'm sure more shows that we are not aware of yet. Not a bad time, eh?
Chico: Not at all. I believe it time to keep it real. (plays bridge of "Take Me Out")
Chico: Birthday presents! =p
Jason: (announcer voice) It's now to time to KEEP IT REAL with Gordon Pepper. Gordon give us our reality roundup.
Chico: Okay, keeping it real this week is Jeffrey Sibelia, who was cleared of cheating to win Project Runway. Which means that Jason was right. HOW?
Gordon: Easy. It almost seemed like he was the leader from the get go. He was the favorite to win and they overlooked the little fact that he cheated in the final event.
Chico: But now credibility takes a hit. You said so yourself.
Jason: You said it last week.
Gordon: The credibility, in my mind, takes a HUGE hit, because it seemed like the decision was made even without the fashion show.
Jason: From what I read from the NY Fashion critics...his show bombed.
Chico: Don't you hate it when that happens?
Gordon: I do. The reasons why Michael (not enough experience) and Laura (not well rounded) were told that they didn't win had NOTHING to do with the Fashion Show, which, in my mind, should have been what was critiqued. It seemed like the decision was made on the past performance, with the judges assuming that everything was going to stay the course during Fashion Week, Of course, that didn't happen, and the judges come off looking like biased morons. From what you read in the critics, Jay, who should have won?
Jason: Laura, because she had the more classic lines.
Gordon: I agree with that. Laura should have won, and any show that sets it up so that an accused cheater wins is not going to bring good things in the next series.
Jason: Could this be a jump the shark moment?
Gordon: It very well could be.
Chico: Possibly.
Gordon: In this series, there were cheating accusations all over the place. It will be VERY interesting to see how they play this to the media. But yes, there were shows other than Project Runway.
Chico: Who else won and lost this week, Gordon?
Gordon: In the Survivor Double-Elimination episode, Anh-Tuan and Cristina were sent packing, while A.J. leaves America's Next Top Model. The Coal Miner couple were last in The Amazing Race...but it's a non-elimination lap. Still, should they not finish in first on the next lap, they will get a 30 minute time penalty.
Chico: That's harsh. Hey Phil.. Bitter much?
Gordon: I actually like it. It's a much better penalty than lose all of your money. This forces you to validate yourself to stay in the race.
Jason: It's a fresh twist on the game.
Gordon: Yep. And speaking of which, it's time to race those hamsters.
Jason: Jackets, Mice and all that
Chico: Gordon, sell it.
Gordon: Roll that Beautiful Brain Footage.
Chico: Thank you...

(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: Thanks Doug. First up..

Wheel is about to get Wild. Starting Monday, Wheel of Fortune will implement its new wrinkle on the game, the Wild Card.

Jason: This could break the budget if played right.
Chico: If you remember, it allows a player to take another letter at his or her choosing. So if they spin out $5000, and get a letter... they can call another. And if they make it to the bonus round... they can call another letter!
Jason: and have the WC with them.
Gordon: Should the $5,000 be hit, you could theoretically, with a hot contestant, now have someone who wins $100,000 on the main game alone.
Jason: This could be very interesting to watch.
Chico: Granted, there aren't enough letters in the latter rounds for that to happen, but oh would it be nice. Next?
Gordon: Next up...You know all about the ballyhooed new season of syndication stars with Rachael Ray, Megan Mullaly, etc.?
Jason: Yeah.
Chico: We love Rachael Ray.
Jason: Oh yeah.

Well, there's a reason why the 'Back to Game Shows' rumors persist on syndication...the new strips are tanking. Rachael Ray is the leader with only a 2.0. No one else is clearing a 1.5.

Jason: Rachael with get season 2...the rest...not so much
Chico: And Who Wants to Be a Millionaire... 3.1. A season high and the only show to build its audience from the year before. I'm guessing Meredith on Today has something to do with that.
Gordon: Meanwhile, Millionaire is at a 3.1, Jeopardy and Wheel are doing their usual numbers, and speculation is abounding that should the new shows in 2007 pull anything close to decent numbers, that this could be a whole new syndicated game show era, because money talks.
Jason: Fall 2007 is going to be huge.
Chico: Let's see... Deal (which should be taping soon)... Joker's Wild... Combination Lock... and I'm guessing that isn't the END of it.
Gordon: It's definitely going to be a litmus test, and the fact that ALL of the prime time game shows are doing well may be a very strong indicator that the genre is very much in demand.
Jason: We are on the upswing of the rollercoaster
Gordon: Even (Chico, cover your ears) the Bachelor
Chico: AAAAAAHHHHH *runs head first into wall* I'm okay.
Jason: Holy smoke. The show that will never die.
Chico: Grrr... next! Let's Go Global.

Noel Edmonds is up for two British TV awards for his work on Deal... or No Deal.

Jason: Cool.
Chico: He's competing against Jonathan Ross, Paul O'Grady, Davina McCall and Ant and Dec for most popular host.
Gordon: Noel has his work cut out for him against Ant and Dec.
Jason: Yes he does.
Chico: I think he's a favorite. May not beat Ant & Dec... but he'll kick the TAR out of Davina McCall. He'll be like, "Yeah.. You know who I am? I'm Noel Fricking Edmonds. You think you can get with the deal? Bring it (^_^)... BRING IT?
Gordon: True, and we'll stay in the UK for this week's Haterade.

This week's Haterade goes to Gordon Ramsay, who was voted the scariest celebrity in the UK. Boo.

Jason: AH!
Chico: With such luminaries as Anne Robinson and Simon Cowell? How is that possible?
Gordon: Simon doesn't throw food at you. Anne's alter ego does shoot teleportation beams at you to send you off against Daleks, but that's in a parallel universe.
Chico: Where Billie Piper helps would-be Time Lords. And I would be hitting that =p
Gordon: And then afterwards, you'd be fully loaded?
Chico: Maybe even before!
Jason: HIC
Chico: This week, it's Play2Win.

Play2Win, a new television game show, is using 900 numbers and text messages as a way to involve its audience to participate in its live program.

Chico: Now, umm... this is a national show, but it's only airing in so many markets... what the heck?
Gordon: Maybe because after seeing the show, most station directors decided that it would be much more entertaining to show an hour of static.
Chico: Or Kevin Trudeau in another infomercial.
Jason: Lord no. He is a dangerous man...my opinion only.
Chico: What was this Play2Win?
Gordon: I was in the NYC area and was unfortunate enough to cover the first time it showed up. Now I am just as unfortunate to have caught the second week of this dreck.
Chico: It's THAT bad?
Gordon: At least there are more games. 5 instead of 4. Goodie. And the money is partially up. Now the bad news - Tara is just as vapid, and now she has an equally vapid co-host. AND to add it off, instead of a guaranteed amount of money, you pick 3 boxes. So the numbers of 600, 800, 1,000, etc. that they advertise when a contestant call in is actually only around $200-300. If any of the hosts become famous through this, then this could be one of the signs of the apocalypse.
Chico: As if we needed any more.
Gordon: We need no more. But, it is our duty to Luda it up, so...
Chico: But we do, because it's Media Ho time!
Jason: (dances to Area Codes)
Chico: That's... scary.
Gordon: In this week's Hodometer,

Simon Cowell goes after Charlotte Church for her career choice and Sara Evans does the media tour on her choice to leave Dancing With the Stars. Willa Ford, according to realitytvnews.com, chooses to decline to be on the show. Ruben Studdard albums gets good reviews and Ken Jennings visits the Escondido library to promote Brainiac.

Gordon: As for the Hoes of the week, we have...All Star hoes!
Jason: "Hey Now...You're An All-Star"
Gordon: According to tvgasm.com, the 11th season of The Amazing Race will be an 'All-Star' edition, featuring teams such as Colin and Christie and Charla and Mirna.
Jason: Uh oh.
Gordon: And as most all-star shows, you can expect those ratings to take a dip.
Chico: Have we learned nothing from the Big Brother debacle of last summer?
Jason: Or the Family edition?
Gordon: How much do you want to bet that one of those teams will be a Boston Gambler and a Survivor All-Star Winner?
Jason: That's a sucker's bet.
Gordon: Well, the scary thing is that they have probably earned that right to be on the All-Star show.
Jason: Yes they have. And they even would be the favorites.
Gordon: It makes sense. Usually by now, you would have CBS putting up advertisements for the next season of Amazing Race. The fact that they don't could lead you to believe that they don't need to do it because they already have the contestants picked.
Jason: And no casting apps on the CBS.com page.
Chico: Excuse me while I shake my head in disgust...I mean, here it is, our favorite reality show of all time... and then THIS has to happen. Let's see... Normal people, perhaps? But then again, I may be just bitter.
Gordon: Actually, the one big difference about this and All-Star versions of Survivor or Big Brother is that you would have no advantage of playing the game, socially. Any sort of alliances of friendships you make in the outside world would not help you as much or change the game. This is one show where an all-star edition could actually work.
Chico: I'll hold you to that. I'm still saying we don't want to see media-hoes take on each other again is all.
Gordon: From a 'they have their time on TV, what are they doing there' perspective, I agree with you. However, from a game-play perspective, the fact that these people have been here before does not alter the fabric of playing the game.
Chico: Guess we'll have to agree to disagree then.
Gordon: It also depends on who they bring in. We only know 2 of the teams. If TAR brings in the 'All-Stars', then this should be a great series. If TAR brings in the 'Well, they should come in because the public liked them, damn their actual playing skills', then this will be just as painful as Big Brother All-Stars, if not moreso.
Chico: Guess we'll see.
Jason: Yes we will.
Chico: Okay, Brainvision's done. Shut'er down. During the break, we're going to assemble a jury...
Jason: (shutting down...feeding animals...the whole nine). You have a docket full of suspects?
Chico: A jury of your peers, and then later, we're going Full Circle. This is WLTI, doing to game show news as J. Keith van Straaten is doing to Best Week Ever.
Gordon: Yay, J Keith!
Jason: Yes.

(Brainvision News is brought to you by 1 vs. 300 million. One haggardly person will take on an entire nation... Scary?)

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