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Monday, May 21, 2007, 5 p.m.  At long last, a Monday without grading final exams and having to meet deadlines. To be candid, on that first Monday after graduation, to have a day to just enjoy the calm of life---including the unabashedly joyous experience of watching game shows---is like stepping into clean air.After nearly two years' hiatus from this region, Family Feud has finally turned up on the MyNetworkTV affiliate in Memphis. Yep, until today, I had never seen John O'Hurley as host of the Feud. To no surprise, he'd do very well with The Price Is Right. However, even though O'Hurley is only 52, if he gets the job and does not relinquish Feud, one has to question the physical wisdom of taping six Price episodes in the format of a major production show and then shifting gears to do five Feuds in the same week. That would be the treadmill if he is the choice. As for last week, I had no doubt the Price special and the Barker sendoff would do strong numbers because the audience sensed this as a final farewell. However, I have to say the Thursday Barker tribute show was a huge disappointment. Yeah, I'm sure all the Price hardcores loved it. They've never seen a Grocery Game they didn't like. What I'm getting at: the way that hour was billed, it should have been a one-hour documentary with far more extensive clips of Truth or Consequences, his earlier life and far more perspective from analysts on Bob's place in television history. I'm fairly certain if that was proposed, Barker nixed it. Too much risk, in his view of dealing with the unpleasantries of the model scandals, etc. In my view, you could have easily done an hour and sidestepped the mud. A good producer could have done a loving tribute to Barker's enduring popularity and the highlights of his life and career. All the Thursday show fizzled into was The Price Is Right as a half-hour format with a little bit of Barker souvenirs sprinkled throughout. Far less than satisfying. As one who enjoys the technical side of television, those high-def, wide-screen backdrops (this week, the night scenes of Broadway) are spectacular on Wheel of Fortune. Sameer Vyas, a graduate student at USC, won $13,050 but missed the bonus puzzle. I could not come up with PARTYGOERS either. I kept thinking PARTTIMERS until I remembered a "T" was already given in the early reveals and you couldn't have a second one. Sameer missed out on $35,000 extra. Some of my closest friends have said they are wearying of the Truth or Consequences or Queen for a Day-style stories with the contestants on Deal or No Deal. I don't agree because I think that is what keeps the show fresh. I, like most of America, just died when national hero Wesley Autrey turned down a sure $305,000 Monday night with $1 million still on the board. He went home with $25 and Howie Mandel had to make a virtual disclaimer twice about how "that's the way the game is played." The entire emotion was comparable to when Smarty Jones lost the Triple Crown right at the finish of the Belmont a few years back. The winning jockey knew most of America was deflated. He understood and said, "I know how everyone feels....but I have a job to do." Chrysler gave Wesley a new Jeep and I'm glad for him because of his heroic rescue but you have to wonder how some of the show's other contestants who came close and blew a bundle feel about that. As usual, I had a great time on Stu Shostak's internet radio show earlier tonight. The two hours passed as if they were 15 minutes. We had a constant flow of calls, including some readers I'd never previously met or heard from and also from the lovely Marie Lazarra and our friend Jason Huhn from Canada, who does a number of show reports for us.....Fox sold a bundle of $1.3 million 30-second spots for the American Idol finale but I have long wearied of padded windup shows. Those Survivor finishes and reunions are always excruciatingly long. While the musical entertainment was solid for Idol, the Golden Idol Awards and Clive Davis's long, long, long segment made me want to yell, "Enough, already!".....I just could not get excited for this finish because I don't feel either of the finalists will become megastars. Jordin Sparks will get the usual big push but I'll take a wait-and-see on her future.....Kelly Clarkson has had steady success since winning the first title but she is not going to have a voice in a decade if she keeps grunting her way through songs such as she did her current hit tonight. James Clark may lose tomorrow but he certainly appears to be a Jeopardy! champion of quality after pulling off his second straight win.....I'm glad CBS is giving Bob Barker a prime time sendoff of Price June 15. If the network wanted to be even more inventive, since sister network TV Land airs Bonanza reruns, CBS ought to license the episode in which Barker guest stars and run it the night before in the 8:00 slot....Don't expect me to watch much of So You Think You Can Dance?, which starts Thursday night. I wasn't a fan of it last year. I received an e-mail from long-time reader David Jackino who expressed the same discontent with Deal or No Deal's frequent milking the emotion from its contestants' personal stories as others, including my friend Shostak, have expressed. Personally, I think the bigger problem for Deal next season will be having to contend with Dancing with the Stars again on Monday night. Dancing has succeeded in slicing about 30 percent of Deal's audience on what was its anchor night and ABC has slotted another head-to-head showdown in the fall, instead of the Tuesday-Wednesday rotation of a year ago.   Miss Francis' gowns by Bonwit Teller © Copyright 2006 TVgameshows.net. All Rights Reserved. |
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