TVSquad

It's hard to imagine that anyone would consider TV's sweet-natured grandma Betty White as their "sworn enemy." Except, of course for maybe Mom from Futurama and the bizarro version of Bea Arthur.

But apparently that's the label that Price is Right host Bob Barker has bestowed upon the Golden Girl. It turns out the two aren't pals or confidants. Buzzer Blog reported that Barker threatened not to show up to GSN's 2009 Game Show Awards where he accepted a lifetime achievement award along with Mark Goodson and Monty Hall if White was there.

It gets weirder. The whole thing was caused by an elephant. This is starting to sound less like Hollywood gossip and more like a job for Mythbusters.

This clip is from 1993, but it's worth seeing again (or for the first time - I'm a huge Price Is Right fan and I don't remember this at all). A woman spins the wheel and gets 75 cents. She spins again and gets 25 cents, so that's a dollar, which means she gets $1000 and a bonus spin. Nope. Bob doesn't realize she got a buck and thinks its only 95 cents. They just go on with the show and no one says anything about it (though it's possible someone is tries to say something to Bob at one point but the sound isn't clear). Scandal!



[thanks to reader Bob for the tip]

If you didn't watch today's episode of The Price is Right, you missed a woman wearing a "Substitute Teachers Need Random Sets Too" t-shirt (which I'm still not sure I understand), a woman winning a set of Star Trek Pez dispensers (!),Drew Carey showing what the price card looks like inside that envelope used on Contestants Row (not sure if we've ever seen that before), and a woman flapping her arms up and down like a bird in excitement, even though she didn't win a car in the Lucky 7 game (side note: that game is impossible to win now). Oh, and you also missed Bob Barker return to the show he hosted for over 30 years.

Barker made his first appearance on the show since his retirement to promote his new memoir, Priceless Memories. He showed up during the showcases. After the jump, his appearance (along with interviews and some behind the scenes footage).

Television icon Bob Barker will be returning to the game show that made him famous for a cameo appearance on April 16 alongside regular host Drew Carey. The appearance is serving as a promotion for his upcoming autobiography Priceless Memories.

Granted, I haven't watched the show since the 1970's (although I hear Drew Carey is doing a good job), but I think his appearance is going to somewhat overshadow Carey (for example, the studio in which The Price Is Right is filmed is now called the Bob Barker Studio). There are a myriad of people who still associate Barker with that show. It would be like when Johnny Carson stopped by Letterman's CBS show. As an analogy, who do people remember most as the host of Family Feud, Richard Dawson or Richard Karn?

More power to Barker for taking on a grueling schedule like a promotional tour at his age. Price-enthusiasts, mark your calendar.

It's more than a little ironic (or tragic, depending on how much you give a rat's ass) that the most successful game show in the history of American television has never had a truly worthy home game. One worthy enough to give to loser contestants so they can win against their own friends and family at home because God is a cruel comedian.

Seriously, God should get his own Mark Twain Prize.

Now after more than 35 years on the air, there is such a game: The Price is Right video game. And it's so well done and fun that it could crush the soul of a 300-pound linebacker from Obetz, Ohio who lost out on his chance to be the only guy in town who owns a Chrysler Crossfire.

There seems to be an inordinate amount of lawsuits involving The Price Is Right: sexual harassment, wrongful termination, etc. Now one of those lawsuits is going forward but with one key member no longer involved.

A judge in Los Angeles has dismissed allegations against Bob Barker in the lawsuit involving a former production assistant who says she was demoted because she testified in one of the other cases. The reason for the dismissal? Barker wasn't her boss. The judge also dismissed claims that the woman made against Fremantle Media, but those could be reinstated later if the judge is convinced by her attorney that they should be.

Ah, another day, another list. This one is from PopCrunch, and it lists the 25 Best Game Shows of All-Time. And yes, it will provoke discussion and hair-pulling.

It's not a bad list actually, as these things go. It's a little predictable (and I certainly wouldn't have included Love Connection, Deal or No Deal, or Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?), but there are some good choices here. Press Your Luck was a great show (though it should be higher on the list), and it's hard to argue with how high shows like Jeopardy and The Price is Right are. I also like that they included The Mole (the first two Anderson Cooper-hosted seasons) and Remote Control.

So, did you hear that they did a poll they did to determine which presidential candidate people would like to hang out with at a barbecue? Obama won 52 to 45 percent over McCain, which may not mean very much in the long run, but the day before July 4th it made news.

The thought of barbecues and July 4th parties got me thinking about which TV characters with whom I'd like to spend Independence Day. I wouldn't want them here at my place, though, I want to go to their places. I have high expectations, too, and a vivid imagination.

Here's the six TV characters who could expect me to join them to watch the rockets red glare -- if only they were real live folks and not just my fictional faves.

If anyone thought Bob Barker was going to miss being on stage at The Price is Right, then they'd be wrong. At least if you listen to Bob; he not only thinks he left "at just the right time," but is keeping himself extremely busy.

Barker spoke to the Long Beach, CA Press-Telegram recently, and he explained that "I enjoyed the show right up to the last minute of the last show. But, I don't miss it so much that I want to go back and do it again. I think I'm going to be very happy in retirement." He's currently working with various animal-rights organizations and is writing an autobiography, which he expects to be out late this year (ah, the publishing world moves quickly when they have to, know what I mean?).

Pioneers of Television (in stores today) is a pretty big title for a documentary series, especially one that lasts only four episodes. You wonder, what are they going to mention and what are they going to leave out? This PBS show isn't the most comprehensive look I've seen on each of its subjects, but for one miniseries in one package, it's actually well put together, and you're going to see some TV footage, photos, and interviews I bet you've never seen before.

Jason's post earlier today about The Price Is Right reminded me of something I've been thinking about for years: what are the best and worst prizes you can win on the show?

This is all personal opinion, of course. Where I might frown or shrug at a prize I might win another person will scream and jump down about. But I think there are certainly some prizes we can all agree are pretty lame. Below are the six that come to mind. Five of them you'll probably agree with, but I bet several of you will have a problem with number six.

While CBS pulled Bob Barker up from daytime into the prime time spotlight a few times the past few years, they've yet to do so since Drew Carey took over as host of The Price is Right this season. But that's all about to change. For six weeks, starting February 22, CBS is shifting Ghost Whisperer back an hour so they can squeeze in all new episodes of The Price is Right at 8pm/7pm Central. Possibly to avoid double-Drew confusion, The Power of 10, also hosted by Carey, has been pulled from the schedule effective immediately, though it will likely return in the summer.

We've talked a lot here at TV Squad about how Drew is doing on TPiR this year and, while the jury may still be out, I think he's settled into a nice groove. No, he's not Bob Barker but do we really want someone who would go up there and act just like Bob did? They kept all the crazy games that make the show a classic, so I say let Drew be himself, and we'll get used to it. And if you haven't given him a try, here's a chance to curl up at home on a Friday night and see for yourself.

About three months ago -- October 15th, 2007, to be exact -- the face of daytime television changed, and some say not good. It was the day that the first Drew Carey-hosted The Price is Right aired on CBS' daytime schedule. Reviews of that first performance (which was actually the seventh show taped) were mixed. Some said that the first show was good, but there were obviously things that Drew needed to improve on. Others didn't even give him the benefit of the doubt and were already calling for his replacement. Still others used the word "disgusting" in expressing their opinion of Carey as a host and a person.

Well, about 92 days have passed since that initial show and Drew is still the host of TPIR. People are still filling the audience, bidding on items, playing games, and spinning the Showcase Showdown wheel. The question then is if Drew has improved since he first took the microphone? In my opinion, yes. But, he still has a little bit to go.

The year 2007 was definitely one of great change for television. The award-winning The Sopranos faded to black on HBO, Rosie O'Donnell left yenta-talk show The View to the relief of many, and there was nary a mention about Joey. Well, at least no mention except from me, that is.

However, none of those events paled in comparison than to what took place June 15th on the CBS television network. That's the day when Bob Barker took his microphone, his spayed and neutered pets, and his sexual harassment suits and left the hosting job of The Price is Right after 35 years. And, as he kissed his last contestant and waved his last good-bye, fans of the show thought a replacement host would never be found.

Here's another way that Drew Carey is different from Bob Barker: Carey defends the use of medical marijuana.

Of course, I have no idea what Bob Barker's thoughts are on the subject, but I guess I just can't imagine Barker speaking out in favor of it the way he speaks out in favor of spaying and neutering animals. As for Carey, he's actually made an online pitch for medical marijuana, but surprisingly, it hasn't caused much controversy at all (though I haven't heard anything about it other than online). It's part of a series of videos Carey has made for The Reason Foundation, which is described as a libertarian-minded think tank.

All I know is that I'll never watch The Clock Game on The Price Is Right the same way again. When Carey keeps saying "higher, higher!" over and over again, it's going to take on a whole new meaning.