Vanna White-related stories
Posted Sep 16th 2009 5:08PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Game Show, Reality-Free
The new seasons of both
Wheel of Fortune and
Jeopardy started this week, and while most of the games are exactly the same, both shows debuted a couple of new things that might have hardcore game show fans talking.
First,
WOF. They're in Las Vegas this week, and the game hasn't changed except for one thing: they've gotten rid of the "Free Spin" card! This doesn't have the same impact as Darrin being replaced on
Bewitched or William Petersen leaving
CSI, but when you take something away from hardcore game show fans, they can get pretty rowdy. I don't know if that will happen here since "Free Spin" has been replaced by a "Free Play" space on the wheel. If you land on this spot, you get to do anything you want: choose a consonant, ask for a vowel, etc, and if you're wrong it's OK, you don't lose your turn.
Continue reading What do you think of the changes on Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy?
Posted Apr 17th 2009 1:16PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Game Show, Awards, Reality-Free
If you go by all of the various stories in the media, it would seem that TV viewers just aren't into award shows anymore. The ratings are often down year to year, and if people are tuning in it seems to be more for the fashions, the red carpet, and maybe to see a particular category/performance by someone on the show.
So it's interesting that there are so many new genre award shows popping up. TV Land has had their own awards (
The TV Land Awards) for a number of years now (the latest airs next week with Neil Patrick Harris hosting), and Bravo has
The A-List Awards, whatever they are (it aired earlier this week). Now
GSN is getting into the game (no pun intended) with
The Game Show Awards, a show dedicated to giving awards to game shows, game show hosts, even game show sponsors!
Continue reading Will you watch the Game Show Awards?
Posted Mar 19th 2009 6:07PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Video, Game Show, Reality-Free
OK, so this is juvenile, but being juvenile is fun, isn't it?
I've often wondered why we don't see more of what happens in the video after the jump. It's a clip from a
Wheel of Fortune episode from Sea World. The contestants are spinning the wheel and picking letters for the puzzle, and during the game, the last word in the puzzle is revealed to have the letters S, H, I, and T in it. Of course, there's a letter in between those letters so it's not like the show has gone scatological all of the sudden, but for a few moments, the biggest game show in the world had that word on its puzzle board for all to see. Pat and Vanna and the players don't say anything about it (though I'm sure it was in their minds), and if anyone in the audience laughed you can't hear it.
Funny that the category is "Before & After." I guess that word would be the "after."
Continue reading Wheel of Fortune goes to S H * T - VIDEO
Posted Jan 31st 2009 10:02AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Game Show, Reality-Free
The way that game show fans feel about
Wheel of Fortune is so well-documented it has sort of become a cliche.
Wheel of Fortune is for a certain type of person, and shows like
Jeopardy are for another type. I don't know if I agree with that.
There's something for game show fans in each show, whether you're solving a letter puzzle or trying to answer a question about ancient Rome or literature, though I can certainly see why one would appeal to a person and the other wouldn't. But I have to admit that I
drifted away from
Wheel of Fortune for many years because of contestants such as the one from last night's episode.
Continue reading Wheel of Fortune contestants make me sad/crazy
Posted Feb 17th 2008 12:13PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Video, Celebrities, Game Show
Oh, the humanity!
Wheel of Fortune is not all frivolity and fun.
Merv Griffin knew what he was doing when he created this venerable game show. Drama, ensues! You think it's so easy spinning the wheel, buying a vowel, laughing at Pat Sajak's jokes and ogling Vanna's gorgeous gait? Well, it's not. Under all that pressure you'd be surprised -- or maybe you wouldn't -- to see how some people simply come up short in the solution department. The letters all float together and instead of spelling a word you know as well as your own name, you pick the wrong consonant and you're WAH-WAHed in shame and regret. The fortune goes to the next player and you're left with egg on your face.
Watch
these great examples and you'll see what I mean (a sample is after the jump). Like Jay Leno's simple "man in the street" questions about common knowledge, you see that there's no telling how stupid people can be, especially with a camera and microphone in their face.
[via
digg]
Continue reading Some Wheel of mis-Fortune - VIDEO
Posted Aug 14th 2007 3:51PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities
The Game Show Network will have a special tribute to Merv Griffin, who died earlier this week of cancer at age 82.
On Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, GSN will run two different Griffin marathons, from 10am to 3pm. The shows included in the marathons will include a Chuck Woolery-hosted episode of Wheel Of Fortune and the first episode that featured Vanna White. We'll also see the first NYC-based episode of Wheel (not sure why this is so special, but I guess I'll wait and see) and a Jeopardy Masters Tournament of Champions. On Sunday night we'll see a 1960 episode of Play Your Hunch, a game show Griffin hosted, and then at 3:30am we'll see a To Tell The Truth episode that Griffin guest hosted.
That's a lot better than their tribute to Kitty Carlisle earlier this year, when they ran her game show appearances in the wee hours of the morning and that was it.
Posted Apr 20th 2007 10:01AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Web, Celebrities
Do you like TV shows and movies? Do you like to eat? Well, I've got a site for you, but fair warning: it will consume all of your time today.
It's Frank DeCaro's site. He's not on The Daily Show anymore, but he's got quite a site, including this section where you can find a massive list of recipes from celebs! You can try Bitter and Booze from The Dick Van Dyke Show's Richard Deacon, which mixes semi-sweet chocolate chips, whipped cream and brandy (your teeth will ache but you'll be too drunk to care). Or how about Wheel of Fortune star Vanna White's Layered Pea Salad? Martha Stewart loves Bourbon Balls (and check out the pics in her section too). Jim Nabors makes a mean Alabama Chili, and the original Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner's contribution is a Tabbouleh Salad. Then there's the aforementioned Turkey Potpie recipe from Oprah.
There's a ton more too, and you can search by name or type of food.
Posted Feb 7th 2007 9:39AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Web, Celebrities
Posted Jan 2nd 2007 3:30PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Syndicated, Game Show, Pickups and Renewals
What probably comes as no surprise to anyone, both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have been renewed for two more years. That means that the two top-ranked syndicated game shows will remain on the air through the 2011-2012 season.
Currently, Wheel is the number one show in syndication, averaging 8.3 million households. Jeopardy is number three with an average viewing audience of 6.5 million households. By the time the 2012 season ends Wheel will have been on the air for an impressive 29 seasons while Jeopardy will have been on for an equally impressive 28.
One can only assume that Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak and Vanna White will remain with their respective shows. Then again, assuming is a bad thing. Heck, for all I know Howard Stern could be hosting the final two seasons of Jeopardy. Ratings may pick up then if the 'Daily Double' features half-naked lesbians giving out answers.
Posted Aug 19th 2006 12:31PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: TV Royalty, Talent, Celebrities, Talk Show
Now, before you get mad at me, those are his words, not mine.
I'm a fan of Esquire's monthly "What I've Learned" feature, where they have celebrities, politicians, and other people of note explain what they've learned in life. Griffin, the creator of both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, starts off by saying he's "just plain nosy," and goes on to explain, among other things, that he smokes, he drinks, doesn't exercise, why he'll never retire, what he thinks of American Idol, and what diet doctors he has outlived.
He also names the only guest he had on his talk show that intimidated him.
Posted Aug 10th 2006 8:08PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, HDTV, Syndicated, Game Show
Alex Tebek and Pat Sajak in Hi-Def. That's a scary thought, isn't it? Well, if you think it is, then don't bother to watch
Jeopardy! and
Wheel of Fortune this season, because both will be offered in HD for the first time ever.
According to TV Week, the sets of both shows have undergone extensive renovations in preparation, making them wider, more detailed, and more colorful, and episodes for fall have begun to be shot by both King World-distributed shows. Also, the signature
J! gameboard of individual video screens has been replaced by a video wall, similar to what's used when the show goes on the road. They are both the first syndicated and first game shows to go HD.
I still think they should follow
Ken Jennings' suggestion and add physical challenges to
J! But that's just a personal preference. Oh, and what are the odds Vanna White had some "work" done in preparation for the more-detailed broadcast this season?
Posted Apr 21st 2006 8:43AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Music and Variety, Syndicated, Celebrities
I can't believe Vanna White didn't already
have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I mean, her star power used to be pretty strong back there in the 1980s when
she got to do that goddess movie. Now, all of a sudden, she gets a star? Even
Pooh got one before her.
Vanna White by
the Numbers:
- Vanna began turning letters on Wheel of Fortune in 1982;
- Her star
is the 2,309th in Hollywood;
- Vanna is 49.
Reason magazine took a nasty (and inaccurate) 
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