HOTTER THAN EVER
As much as fans love America's longest running game show, all of us at "The Price Is Right - Live" love making merry as we make winners. It's a perfect attraction for Las Vegas - a town where everyone comes to get wild and win! And look at excerpts of the review from LasVegas.com: Before entering the theater you need to register your name for a chance to be called on stage. At this time you are also given a name tag just in case you forget your name amidst all of the excitement - at least that's how the first host, Randy West, explains it. West, former host of popular television game show “Supermarket Sweep,” starts the show with a few jokes to get everyone in the mood for a fun time. He greets the audience and introduces everyone to some facts about the show. If you were unfamiliar with The Price Is Right when you walked in, you’ll feel like a seasoned player by the time West is done. Part of his explanation includes showing clips from the actual show on two large screens that are hanging on each side of the stage. He lets everyone in the audience know that they too will have a chance at being on the big screen during the show. He creates a clever and humorous spin on the ever popular “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” slogan when he says, “What happens in Las Vegas stays on our video tape.” He also encourages the audience to really let loose and show their enthusiasm about participating in the show. West says, “I’m gonna be loud and you're gonna be proud,” while explaining that he will be the person calling people’s names out to “Come on down!” “When I call your name, I want you to pop up like you just had three Viagras,” says West. Apart from getting everyone excited, West also does a brief coaching session on audience response where he has everyone demonstrate their best oohs, aahs, and fake laughter. By the time the main host, Todd Newton, takes the stage, everyone is warmed up and ready to start playing and yelling out prices whether they are called on stage or still sitting in their seat. If you enjoy the rush of emotions experienced while watching the show on television, just imagine the possibilities if you were actually in the audience watching it live. The prizes are big and so is the fun. The Price Is Right - Live is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in everything you've ever loved about the show and maybe even win a prize." |
SPIN CITY!
Giving the "Big Spin" wheel a fresh spin this season is producer Sharon Lord who has taken over the reigns and instantly added some fresh new production elements. They include behind the scenes interview sound bites with contestants as well as some nifty camera angles and camera moves. Also on the set during taping is an interesting and friendly former professional clarinet player who almost brought me into the Goodson family a decade ago for the 1990s syndicated "Price Is Right". Alan Solomon spent many years as Director of Development with Mark Goodson, and has been a supporter since I auditioned for that version of "Price". It's great we finally teamed up. The show's previous Producer, Joel McGee, recently moved on to a programming position at Discovery Networks. A dozen years ago Joel was a student at LA Valley College moonlighting as audience page on Wink Martindale's "Trivial Pursuit". Joel good-naturedly played the foil for a number of my warm-up jokes on that show, his first job in the business. Watching Joel's rise through the ranks, I'm convinced that good luck isn't totally fickle; it often visits those good people with talent and passion. With several $3,000,000 winners already this year, I've seen some huge money go out the "Big Spin" doors. I love delivering my standard closing announce line, "Today's 'Big Spin' players won a total of..." when it sounds like the national debt of a small country. |
THE GAME IS RIGHT!
Sometimes it seems as though Las Vegas is a giant "Price Is Right" audience... filled with people who love to play and win. Fill the giant Jubilee Showroom with close to 1,000 of these fun folks who will gladly shed their inhibitions to get caught up in the excitement, and the room rocks! Stop by and say "Hi"; maybe we'll share a drink with Todd Newton ("Hollywood Showdown", "Whammy"), Mark Walberg ("Russian Roulette", "Temptation Island"), David Ruprecht ("Supermarket Sweep"), Chris Harrison ("The Bachelor"), J.D. Roberto ("Shop 'Til You Drop"), Roger Lodge ("Blind Date"), Michael Burger ("Match Game") or one of the surprise hosts who will soon join the roster. |
WE HONOR OUR OWN
The awards luncheon started with The Ceramic Dalmations playing wonderfully orchestrated live versions of everybody's favorite game show themes. I was honored to offer welcoming comments and set the stage for the afternoon's festivities . Both honorees spoke eloquently of their careers, sharing fabulously entertaining anecdotes.
Bob Stewart's incredible wit and tell-it-like-it-is style are on par with his career accomplishments as the creator of "The Price Is Right", Password",
I've enjoyed working with the event organizers over the past 5 years to make the annual GSC an unforgettable day for the growing family of game show fans. More panel discussions and game show re-creations are already in the planning for 2008. |
LAS VEGAS, BABY!
For details about our run in Vegas, click: |
DREAMS COME TRUE!
What a "trip" in every sense of the word. From being encouraged as a teenager and mentored through a career in radio by Johnny Olson to pursue my seemingly impossible career goals, to standing at Johnny's podium (wearing the same CBS ID badge that he wore 17 years ago as a lucky charm). There I am doing warm-up to the most enthusiastic audiences on Earth, introducing the World's Greatest MC Bob Barker, and bellowing Johnny's phrase "Come on Down" to an audience full of contestant hopefuls in the same studio where John first did 32 years ago. It was cooler than cool to do those honors for about 50 daytime and prime-time episodes during an 11 month transition period for the show. From learning the business from Johnny and the old scripts that he would save and give to me, to practicing and honing the skills on a bevy of game shows since 1990, to finally realizing the dream that Johnny first inspired was a thrill that defies description. There's a psychic symmetry to the journey that brings me from watching Johnny to standing in his footsteps so many years later. Equal to the joy is the sadness of knowing that the opportunity was only made possible by Rod's unfortunate illness. The passing of this long-time friend and gifted performer in October, 2003 was a terrible loss. (Please see the "Tribute to Rod" on this site). My deepest appreciation to Bob Barker, Roger Dobkowitz, Phil Rossi, Kathy Greco, Sue MacIntyre, Syd Vinnedge and all the members of "The Price Is Right" family for their tremendous help and support in allowing me the opportunity to work to honor their standards of excellence. And thanks for bringing me into the larger Freemantle family for work on their new pilots, presentations and “The Price Is Right Live”. Continued success to all on the show; I’ll see you on the reruns! |
NATPE NEWS
No panel could have been more knowledgeable and insightful:
Just when I thought I knew most of the story behind "Deal or No Deal" from having done audience warm-up at the tapings of it's very first US episodes for NBC, and just when I thought I'd heard most of Bob Stewart's and Bob Boden's best stories, I was enthralled by more great TV history. A great hunk of game show history can be found by searching wikipedia for more on these panelists. More of their stories can be rehashed over a drink when you visit "TPiR-Live" in Vegas! |
LIVE FROM 8H...!
It's the most famous television studio in the world. From having watched the game shows "What's My Line?","The Match Game" and "Snap Judgement" tape there as a kid, to now having the chance to work on that stage 30+ years later, it's another surreal dream-come-true experience.
Since 1975, studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza has been the home of I recently had the honor of working in that historic studio, co-hosting "The Battle of the Brands". It was the second annual event sponsored by The Association of National Advertisers and The Association of Independent Commercial Producers. This year the ad agencies for Nike, Cadillac, Audi and other TV advertisers presented their nominated campaigns, battling for votes from the assembled bigwigs from the world of media and advertising. There's no word yet on who might air the awards ceremony, but in a 500 channel universe it's likely to find a home. One less poker show would certainly not disrupt the Earth's orbit! |
<<<CLICK LOGO FOR VIDEO The lifeblood of most radio and TV personalities is comedy. As a morning DJ and from work with talented broadcasters like Joey Reynolds and movie director Betty Thomas (back when she was a comic contributing syndicated radio bits) I must have learned something about delivery and timing. Recently I've had a few chances to contribute to produced comedy bits on Andy Dick's M-TV show and on ABC-TV's live Jimmy Kimmel show. Jimmy is another former radio personality, and his tasty bits have a familiar flavor. Writer Jonathan Bines brought this bit to life and chose me to voice "Saddam Alive!" Just click the Jimmy Kimmel logo and enjoy. (VIDEO IS 1.76MB AND NEEDS REAL PLAYER) |
While my face is only familiar to the uber-fans who bought the plastic toy, my plastic voice is unmistakably familiar. Watch and hear me come to life with the cheesiest game show clips, prizes and stunts on five great episodes of "Game Show Moments Gone Bananas!" Say what you want about the popularity of reality shows eclipsing TV game shows, the public's thirst for great game show moments seems unquenchable. NBC produced three specials last year that presented some truly funny clips from the Fremantle and Sony vaults. They ran on the network and played numerous times on VH-1. The specials were then even re-re-purposed back to NBC for another rerun.
|
|
“WHAT THE BLANK!”
But what about exploiting some of the elements that made it so great? The next TV generation also has a sense of humor. It’s a different time and different things are funny, but certainly some of what made “Match Game” so entertaining is timeless. There is clearly viability in that format of well crafted, open-ended “questions” with each suggesting a few humorous responses, while laying the foundation for free-wheeling banter among a half-dozen well cast funny-folk. It has seemed that the magic just can’t been re-captured... but... In sound stage 12 on the historic CBS-Radford lot last spring some great game minds and great comedy minds came together and just may have done the seemingly impossible. Fred Willard is simply phenomenal in balancing the triad of his humor, the game mechanics, and setting-up the celebs to hit comedy home runs. Added to the format are funny new ways to present the “questions”, and (dig these adjectives) hilarious hi-jinx from Fred’s wacky relationship with his zany announcer. (You knew there’d have to be something self-serving in all this!) A talented crew, a beautiful set and some great celeb panelists helped to make this a pilot that must be seen. In fact, one of the celeb panelists actually HAS a beautiful set, but I digress. With the prevailing winds steering most programmers away from traditional games these days, this pilot seems destined to join the dozens of other great TV ideas that languish in tape vaults, never to be unspooled on-air. It may be quite a while before a new "Match Game" gives us the chance to laugh our (blank)s off! |
than usual, thanks to the action at "The Price Is Right - Live" at Bally's . Over 300,000 fun folks have enjoyed the show since the Vegas debut in early 2006, & the crowds still pack the magnificent Jubilee Theater. In fact, the show's popular matinee performances have made TPiR-Live the #1 afternoon show in Vegas! 
During the months that I announced "The Price Is Right" on CBS I saw the wild, energetic audiences explode with excitement as they entered studio 33 at Television City. It's a thrill to see that same kind of enthusiasm at the live stage version. And it's a special thrill to have the chance to meet and talk with game show fans from all across the country who have loved America's favorite game show for decades, but have never before had the chance to participate.
The sold out crowds in Reno, Kansas City, Shreveport, Atlantic City and now Las Vegas are testaments to the goodwill Bob and the CBS-TV show have created in the 34+ years on the air. Roger Dobkowitz and Bente Christianson were among the creative folks from the CBS-TV "Price" to join forces with Andy Felsher, Cathy Dawson, Mandel Ilagen and an all-star team at FremantleMedia to devise this immensely entertaining live version of the longest running and most beloved game show in television history.
"To Tell The Truth", "Pyramid" and other classic formats. Wink Martindale is an American television icon who has worked steadily in broadcasting since the 1950s. He has hosted more game shows than any other living emcee, in addition to producing TV's first interactive game shows.
Fans attending GSC in recent years have seen assemblies of game show greats that may never again be duplicated. While I've introduced many of these icons individually before, it's been a thrill to welcome and introduce Bob Barker, Tom Kennedy, Jack Narz, Dick Clark, Betty White, Jayne Meadows, Sande Stewart, Betsy Palmer, Barbara Feldon, Florence Henderson, Theresa Ganzel, Don Pardo, Johnny Gilbert, Charlie O'Donnell, Geoff Edwards, Earl Holliman and Henry Polic III to the annual GSC events where they have had the opportunity to feel the love from their peers and fans.
"The Price is Right - Live" has played to over 100,000 guests in the gaming and entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas. Over 5,000 of those audience members in Bally's fabulous Jubilee Theater have won cars, cash, trips and hundreds of other fun prizes playing their favorite games from America's most beloved game show.
I'm proud to have opened the Vegas show on what the City of Las Vegas officially proclaimed as "The Price Is Right Live Day", April 25th. And I continue as the announcer and sidekick, having called thousands of "Price" fans visiting Las Vegas to "Come On Down!" to play their favorite games, including "Plinko", "Race Game", "Hole in One" and "Cliffhangers", or to spin the big Showcase Showdown wheel.
Baseball
players hope to some day pitch a world series win for the Yankees. Vaudevillians
aimed to play The Palace. Comedians hope for their own sitcom. Entrepreneurs
work to start the next Microsoft. Game show announcers dream of "The
Price Is Right".
Every January the TV business holds its annual star-studded programming convention. New shows are sold and old favorites are renewed for the season ahead, while programming and production execs meet to discuss the changing business. With all the talk of "media convergence", "new platforms", and "viral marketing" a new session began with this year's NATPE. It's called "Think Tank: How We Got Here".
The think tank series began with a fascinating look at game shows - from "I've Got a Secret" to "Deal or No Deal". The panel was moderated by one of my mentors during the 1980s, Mark Itkin. A great friend of the game show genre, Mark is the superstar dealmaker who has risen to the lofty position of Executive Vice President, Worldwide Co-Head of Television, at the William Morris Agency. With co-moderator Bruce David Klein, the President of Atlas Media Corporation, those of us in attendance were treated to stories that ran the gamut from the creation and development of the original 1956 format of "The Price is Right", to the latest news and views in the world of game show formats and production.
Michael Davies started his work in game shows under the tutelage of Monty Hall on "Let's Make a Deal" and is now the Executive Producer of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". And Scott St John is the guiding force behind Endemol's smash hits "Deal or No Deal" and "1 vs 100". 
Gene Rayburn talked about his days at a page at NBC in the 1930s, standing in the doorway of 8H, watching in awe as Arturo Toscanini conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra. In the early 1950s the facility was converted for television broadcasting. In the 1960s, 8H was upgraded for color TV and dubbed the "Peacock Studio". In addition to the origination of countless classic, live hours of entertainment programming, news coverage of presidential elections and NASA space missions originated here. Al Howard remembers staging "Sale of the Century" in that huge studio on the first two-story-tall game show set. A show that required cars to be cut in half to fit in the freight elevator, and then re-welded on the 8th floor. I first met Johnny Olson in 8H; an event that ultimately led me to my career choice.
"Saturday Night Live". The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Billy Joel, The Grateful Dead and Elton John played on that stage. The massive 8H is the largest studio ever built specifically for radio/TV broadcasting.
"Hi, I'm 'Mr. Game Show'! Ben Stein and I have the party in high gear on VH-1".
Now VH-1 reaps the sweet fruit from the Mark Goodson vaults with five one-hour specials entitled "Game Show Moments Gone Bananas!" Our friends at Fremantle have picked some of the juiciest clips from "The Price Is Right", "Match Game", "Family Feud", and heaping helping of other classics. Ben Stein plays head chef cooking-up a delicious treat by combining live audience participation games, contributions from a few celeb guests, and yours truly as the voice behind the prizes. The sweet treat was concocted at CBS TV City and is being served up on VH-1. It's enough to make your banana cream!
There have been a number of attempts to re-capture the special magic of Gene Rayburn’s fabulously successful “Match Game”. It’s arguably the most entertaining game show ever, and even 30 years after it’s heyday the reruns remain top rated on GSN. It’s simply a classic that can never be re-created.