That B-52 Album

Well, apparently the cat's out of the bag...but I'll get to that part later...

Last night, Ted, Larry, Matt, his roommate, and I went to see "Fools" a Neil Simon play that's running in Hollywood and that's being directed by Henry Polic II! Some of you might remember Henry from "Webster" as Uncle Jerry and the game show fans out there will know Henry from his numerous appearances on "Pyramid." Anyhoo, Matt is one of two connections I have to Henry. Matt was a former student of his and was able to get us seats to a preview performance of the show. Another friend of ours, Tim, also knows him as well. What a small world this is...Anyhoo, Ted, Larry, and I got a chance to meet and talk with Henry before the show. He's a very sweet and funny guy. And apparently Tim had told him about the game show parties we have because after the show, Henry said, "Let me know when the next game show party is." Needless to say, that rocked! On top the that, the tickets were free to the play and the play was pretty good. I'd never heard of it before, but it's a cute show. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the Hollywood area...

Now...to the big news. "Broadcasting and Cable" has broken the news about "Project: Nipple." However, most of the game show newsgroupies who read this page didn't even need that story to figure it out. "Project Nipple" is indeed the "New Press Your Luck." Take those initials "N.P.Y.L." and you've got "nipple." And "nipple" is also derived from the fact that this project has really felt most like my baby. I've been pushing this for over a year now ever since I started my position as a manager of development at Pearson/Fremantle. It's been kicking around in development for a while. Game Show Network called us up around October asking to see a presentation of a new version fo the game. We showed it to them...they liked it and we got the go-ahead for a pilot. The two pilots taped last Wednesday, February 13th. We knew from the beginning of the pilot process that we'd do two pilots each with different hosts. We did one with a "veteran," none other than Peter Tomarken and another with a newbie, Todd Newton.

Both were excellent and they were sent out for testing to get feedback. I gotta say....after watching both edited pilots, it wasn't a matter of who was better at hosting...it was a matter of which personality you liked and whether you were going for nostalgia or new blood. They were that good. On Tuesday, we got word from GSN that they were going to green-light 13 weeks for shows for premiere in April and that they decided upon Todd Newton for the host. I have a feeling this was a tough decision for everybody involved. I'd go as far to say there were Tomarken and Newton supporters in BOTH the Fremantle and GSN ranks. I was personally rooting for Peter, but honestly, it was more due to nostalgia and the "Press Your Luck" fan in me. As I alluded to in the earlier post, based on his pilot performance Todd will do a fantastic job.

And there were so many factors to weigh in. After working with both, I will say I was able to get to know Todd better than Peter. Not that I couldn't talk to Peter or anything like that, but Todd seemed more approachable...I'd even say, Todd's the nicest of the all the hosts I've worked with. There's been a lot of hubbub and grumbling about Todd getting the gig, but please...give the guy a chance. He really has put in a LOT of effort into learning this game (which isn't the easiest game to host). He really wanted this job and it showed in his pilot. The fact that he improved tremendously between his first audition and his pilot taping says a lot and shows the potential he has for the series. I would say his performance on the pilot falls somewhere in between Ray Combs taking over of "Feud" and Tom Bergeron's taking over of "Squares." And I'll say that that ain't a bad place to be starting...Trust me, you will be surprised in a good way...

For those of you wondering about the format...don't worry. I have done everything in my power to make sure the game has remained relatively untouched. The few changes and bonuses we've incorporated are very organic to the game. And if the board values remain untouched between pilot and series, die-hard fans will see a good number of familiar dollar spaces on the board including one signature odd-ball figure.

To those of you who have sent me E-mails and posted about my site through the newsgroup and message boards, thank you for your support. It means a lot to be having a major role in bringing this show back, especially one that is so beloved. To those who have criticized or brought me to task on the newsgroup, I hear what you're saying, but please try to keep some perspective. I am only ONE person amongst many in a production involving two very big companies. You have to understand that there is a delicate balance nowadays in getting game shows on the air. Many stations see game shows as one of the lowest forms of entertainment. The days of getting a game that strong on pure gameplay are pretty much done...You need a gimmick, a celebrity name attached, or a hook...

Given that, I will say that working with Game Show Network as the buyers has made getting some of the more traditional elements and keeping the game intact a bit easier. There are several key people at GSN who are game show fans like you and me. I think having game show fans on both the buyers' and producers' sides helped immensely in getting this revival done the way it should be done. That doesn't happen a lot especially in syndication when there are NUMEROUS buyers from different parts of the country with different agendas that you have to appeal to. But that's another lesson in TV production and development that I'll save for another time...

In any case, this ain't the end...Now, we have a show to put together and have ready by April! Again, to those of you who have sent along kind words, I thank you for your support. It is duly noted! To those of you who are poo-poo-ing this without seeing it...just give it a chance. Save judgment for when it hits the air and if you want to berate me again afterwards...fine. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Remember though...while you have a true game show fan here, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye than just working with formats and whatnot...