And the mighty ship sails to sea!
Still riding off the buzz from a great couple of tape days for "Whammy!" Yesterday, we taped six shows and they were fantastic! We're really getting into a nice groove with the tapings. We've got some great, enthusiastic contestants and the studio audience seems to be getting into the show. We've had some "classic" PYL situations happen in the games we've taped so far. I must admit though...this has been the hardest show to put together. There are so many elements and pieces to put together, but when they're all there, it's magic. This is by far, the coolest show I've worked on! Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in the show, that I lose sight of the fact that I'm actually working on a new version of "Press Your Luck!" :-)
And I can't say enough good things about Todd Newton. He is so nice and easy to work with and he's got such an enthusiasm for the show that you gotta love him. He's really been putting 150% effort into making this show good and into getting the word out about the show.
Judging from the reactions of the friends of mine from the game show group who've been to the tapings, we've done "good." And I love how a lot of you seem VERY excited about the show. I've never seen this much buzz about a show before its premiere. And thank you for the kind comments you've said about us in E-mails or newsgroup posts. However, I've already noticed some griping and criticism from postings I've seen on various Internet message boards and newsgroups. Granted, one of the posters said he was at a taping, but that's just one person's opinion. A lot of the other criticism have been from people who've only seen clips from the promos we've done. And those clips aren't even from the series...they're from the PILOT! It's as if people are trying to find negative things to say about the show.
So, lemme address some of the concerns that people have talked about on the 'net:
First of all, the game board...It does look different, but it's essentially the same odds as the 80s show. 18 monitors with three different things in each monitor. A few of you have made complaints about how it looks in the VERY brief split-second clip that pops up in the promos. For one thing, the clip in the promo is from the pilot. As I mentioned on this website before, we have bumped up the size of the monitors on the game board and contestant podium for the series. It has a MUCH grander scale to it. I stood next to board. This sucker is BIG. And it looks that way on camera. There was a complaint of it looking cluttered. That is NOT the case especially with the bigger monitors. It's not quite a rectangle, but there is a bit more symmetry to the board that we had in the pilots we taped.
And speaking of the game board, according a person who said he was at a taping, there is no "Big Bucks" space. That is NOT true. There is a "Big Bucks" space that works just like the old show. And just like the old show, it lies directly UNDER the true big bucks space.
The biggest controversy seems to be about the Double Whammys. I think they're cute and a neat little twist on the old concept of the Whammy animations. And it achieves an important thing...it distinguishes it from the old show and more importantly it's an eye-catching thing for the channel-flipper. It's a new "hook" that will attract the non-game show junkie. Case in point...The time I showed the pilot to a few of my non-game show fan friends, that's what they wanted to see more of...the Double Whammys. One was muttering..."Double Whammy...Double Whammy...Double Whammy..." as the board spun.
Another thing is...it's a unique change, but one that does NOT distract from gameplay. The game is really the same as the old version with the exception of the first round, which I feel injects some excitement in the first round that was lacking in the 80s version.
All I ask you is trust us and reserve judgment until you see the show premiere on April 15th on Game Show Network. It airs at 10 PM Eastern and 7 PM Pacific and reruns at 1 AM Easter and 10 PM Pacific. Trust us...there are a LOT of game show fans working on this and fans of the 80s "Press Your Luck" working on this. We have taken the utmost care to update it to attract a new audience while still keeping the game intact so as not to piss off the die-hard fans of the old show.
And to those of you asking me for pics and copies of the pilot. I'm sorry, but no can do on the copies of the pilot. As to pics, I'll be taking some on the set eventually but I'll wait 'til the show premieres before putting them up so as to leave a little bit of surprise for you guys. :-)
My friend Brad who does the most excellent "Press Your Luck" page and Game Show Central site has started work on a section dedicated to the new version. From what he's told me about the new site, it's gonna be fantastic!
So basically...hang tight, gang. Be patient...April 15th will come sooner than you think and you'll see a show which I think you'll all like!
Still riding off the buzz from a great couple of tape days for "Whammy!" Yesterday, we taped six shows and they were fantastic! We're really getting into a nice groove with the tapings. We've got some great, enthusiastic contestants and the studio audience seems to be getting into the show. We've had some "classic" PYL situations happen in the games we've taped so far. I must admit though...this has been the hardest show to put together. There are so many elements and pieces to put together, but when they're all there, it's magic. This is by far, the coolest show I've worked on! Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in the show, that I lose sight of the fact that I'm actually working on a new version of "Press Your Luck!" :-)
And I can't say enough good things about Todd Newton. He is so nice and easy to work with and he's got such an enthusiasm for the show that you gotta love him. He's really been putting 150% effort into making this show good and into getting the word out about the show.
Judging from the reactions of the friends of mine from the game show group who've been to the tapings, we've done "good." And I love how a lot of you seem VERY excited about the show. I've never seen this much buzz about a show before its premiere. And thank you for the kind comments you've said about us in E-mails or newsgroup posts. However, I've already noticed some griping and criticism from postings I've seen on various Internet message boards and newsgroups. Granted, one of the posters said he was at a taping, but that's just one person's opinion. A lot of the other criticism have been from people who've only seen clips from the promos we've done. And those clips aren't even from the series...they're from the PILOT! It's as if people are trying to find negative things to say about the show.
So, lemme address some of the concerns that people have talked about on the 'net:
First of all, the game board...It does look different, but it's essentially the same odds as the 80s show. 18 monitors with three different things in each monitor. A few of you have made complaints about how it looks in the VERY brief split-second clip that pops up in the promos. For one thing, the clip in the promo is from the pilot. As I mentioned on this website before, we have bumped up the size of the monitors on the game board and contestant podium for the series. It has a MUCH grander scale to it. I stood next to board. This sucker is BIG. And it looks that way on camera. There was a complaint of it looking cluttered. That is NOT the case especially with the bigger monitors. It's not quite a rectangle, but there is a bit more symmetry to the board that we had in the pilots we taped.
And speaking of the game board, according a person who said he was at a taping, there is no "Big Bucks" space. That is NOT true. There is a "Big Bucks" space that works just like the old show. And just like the old show, it lies directly UNDER the true big bucks space.
The biggest controversy seems to be about the Double Whammys. I think they're cute and a neat little twist on the old concept of the Whammy animations. And it achieves an important thing...it distinguishes it from the old show and more importantly it's an eye-catching thing for the channel-flipper. It's a new "hook" that will attract the non-game show junkie. Case in point...The time I showed the pilot to a few of my non-game show fan friends, that's what they wanted to see more of...the Double Whammys. One was muttering..."Double Whammy...Double Whammy...Double Whammy..." as the board spun.
Another thing is...it's a unique change, but one that does NOT distract from gameplay. The game is really the same as the old version with the exception of the first round, which I feel injects some excitement in the first round that was lacking in the 80s version.
All I ask you is trust us and reserve judgment until you see the show premiere on April 15th on Game Show Network. It airs at 10 PM Eastern and 7 PM Pacific and reruns at 1 AM Easter and 10 PM Pacific. Trust us...there are a LOT of game show fans working on this and fans of the 80s "Press Your Luck" working on this. We have taken the utmost care to update it to attract a new audience while still keeping the game intact so as not to piss off the die-hard fans of the old show.
And to those of you asking me for pics and copies of the pilot. I'm sorry, but no can do on the copies of the pilot. As to pics, I'll be taking some on the set eventually but I'll wait 'til the show premieres before putting them up so as to leave a little bit of surprise for you guys. :-)
My friend Brad who does the most excellent "Press Your Luck" page and Game Show Central site has started work on a section dedicated to the new version. From what he's told me about the new site, it's gonna be fantastic!
So basically...hang tight, gang. Be patient...April 15th will come sooner than you think and you'll see a show which I think you'll all like!
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