The new host of "Match Game" is...

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Joe Coughlin

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Jun 17, 2008, 10:05:37 PM6/17/08
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According to their posts on the comedy fanboard "A Special Thing", the new host of Fremantle's "Match Game" remake will not be longtime LA live show host (and former "National Lampoon's Funny Money" emcee) Jimmy Pardo, but instead former "Mad TV" cast member Andy Daly.

While I'm sad Jimmy didn't get the gig, I'm glad it went to someone as sharp as Andy.

No official word outside of these posts, however. The AST board is well-known as a hang-out for comedians and both Andy Daly and Jimmy Pardo post there. (AST produces Pardo's podcast "Never Not Funny"...on which Daly has been a guest on a few occasions)

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+++++++++++++++
Joe Coughlin
Happy Accidents
http://inturnaround.vox.com

Mark J.

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Jun 18, 2008, 6:10:25 PM6/18/08
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On Jun 17, 9:05 pm, "Joe Coughlin" <inturnaro...@gmail.com> wrote:
> According to their
> posts<http://aspecialthing.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=o5n1nvi6d20jfdre9ag4...>on
> the comedy fanboard "A Special Thing", the new host of Fremantle's
> "Match
> Game" remake will not be longtime LA live show host (and former "National
> Lampoon's Funny Money" emcee) Jimmy Pardo, but instead former "Mad TV" cast
> member Andy Daly.

And a web listing from audiencemeisters On Camera Audience says that
Sarah Silverman and Norm MacDonald will be the Brett and Charles of
this version:

http://www.ocatv.com/shows/show/210

They tape Thursday at CBS TV City, but not in 33, where the 70s and
sort-lived 1998 incarnations were taped.

Mark J.

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Jun 18, 2008, 6:12:51 PM6/18/08
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On Jun 18, 5:10 pm, "Mark J." <mjeffr...@marcrealty.com> wrote:
> And a web listing from audiencemeisters On Camera Audience says that
> Sarah Silverman and Norm MacDonald will be the Brett and Charles of
> this version:
>
> http://www.ocatv.com/shows/show/210
>
> They tape Thursday at CBS TV City, but not in 33, where the 70s and
> sort-lived 1998 incarnations were taped.

"Short-lived." Geez.

Forgot to mention that it'll be on TBS, with Bill Engvall freezing the
action right before the Head-to-Head Match answer is revealed to plug
his show. :)

stan

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Jun 19, 2008, 12:06:46 AM6/19/08
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Is 33 the "Bob Barker Studio", or does everything just look the same
on camera? Or is it the "Tattletales" studio?

dsi...@yahoo.com

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Jun 19, 2008, 3:33:18 AM6/19/08
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On Jun 18, 3:10 pm, "Mark J." <mjeffr...@marcrealty.com> wrote:

> And a web listing from audiencemeisters On Camera Audience says that
> Sarah Silverman and Norm MacDonald will be the Brett and Charles of
> this version:

Wow. I'm impressed they were able to find someone with even less
talent than Brett.

And who knew MacDonald was gay or wore a toupee?

--Dave Sikula

Joe Hass

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Jun 19, 2008, 10:06:18 AM6/19/08
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My totally blind guesses...

Top Left: Patrick Warburton
Top Center: Sarah Silverman
Top Right: Norm MacDonald
Bottom Left: Jenny McCarthy
Bottom Center: Jim Belushi
Bottom Right: Betty White

Joe Coughlin

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Jun 19, 2008, 11:03:55 AM6/19/08
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Not beyond the realm of possibility. I'd wager, though, that TBS would want to push their own originals, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Jordana Spiro ("My Boys") in either bottom left or right.

Thomas Allen Heald, Esquire

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Jun 19, 2008, 3:14:59 PM6/19/08
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O.J. Simpson

Karla S. Robinson

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Jun 19, 2008, 4:26:37 PM6/19/08
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-----Original Message-----
From: tvor...@googlegroups.com [mailto:tvor...@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of Joe Hass
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 10:06 AM
To: TVorNotTV
Subject: [TV orNotTV] Re: The new host of "Match Game" is...


My totally blind guesses...

Top Left: Patrick Warburton
Top Center: Sarah Silverman
Top Right: Norm MacDonald
Bottom Left: Jenny McCarthy
Bottom Center: Jim Belushi
Bottom Right: Betty White

Karla sez:

If Betty White is there, that's worth the price of admission alone.


Jeremy DeStefano

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Jun 19, 2008, 4:59:40 PM6/19/08
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And where is John O'Hurley in all of this?

Mark J.

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Jun 19, 2008, 6:22:02 PM6/19/08
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On Jun 18, 11:06 pm, stan <sta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is 33 the "Bob Barker Studio", or does everything just look the same
> on camera? Or is it the "Tattletales" studio?

Studio 33 is "The Bob Barker Studio" (although no one calls it that
unless Barker is within earshot of them, which shouldn't be possible
now at TV City). I forget which studio "Tattletales" was shot at, but
I believe it's one of the studios used by "Young and Restless" now and
is one of the original four studios at TV City.

Until the audience seating in that studio was dismantled, the floors
of the seating area were never repainted and continued to show the
three audience section colors of "Tattletales" years after the show
went off--the second time.

Right now, besides "TPIR" 33 is only used regularly for Bill Maher.
He's live Friday nights (although on hiatus now) and "TPIR" tapes
Tuesdays through Thursdays. In recent years, Dennis Miller used the
studio for his HBO show and the revival of "Hollywood Squares" was
taped there.

Jay Lewis

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Jun 19, 2008, 6:41:29 PM6/19/08
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Mark J. wrote:

> Right now, besides "TPIR" 33 is only used regularly for Bill Maher.

I thought Feud taped in 33 as well (since they were "bought out" by
Debmar Mercury).
--
QWIZX.com - A little bit of everything
Call this an unfair generalization if you must, but
old people are no good at everything.
-- Moe Szyslak, "The Simpsons"

Diner

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Jun 19, 2008, 8:59:26 PM6/19/08
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On Jun 19, 6:22 pm, "Mark J." <mjeffr...@marcrealty.com> wrote:
> Studio 33 is "The Bob Barker Studio" (although no one calls it that
> unless Barker is within earshot of them, which shouldn't be possible
> now at TV City). I forget which studio "Tattletales" was shot at, but
> I believe it's one of the studios used by "Young and Restless" now and
> is one of the original four studios at TV City.

"Tattletales" was taped at Studio 31 (according to "The Encyclopedia
of TV Game Shows").

-Tim

M-D November

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Jun 20, 2008, 1:32:15 AM6/20/08
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Getting back on topic, does anyone know (based on the pilot) if there
are any plans to screw with the format, akin to what's been done with
"Million Dollar Password"?

Come to think of it, I guess the better question might be whether the
producers will go back to the original format from the 70s and 80s, or
pick up some of the gameplay changes used in the Ross Schaffer and
(*shudder*) Mike Burger versions?

Diner

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Jun 20, 2008, 10:24:39 AM6/20/08
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According to TVGameShows.net: "A source close to the show says the set
will bear a striking resemblance to the 1970s version and the game
will be played by the classic rules."

-Tim

Mark J.

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Jun 20, 2008, 10:37:59 AM6/20/08
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That's what I've heard from other sources more trustworthy than Steve
"Perfesser" Beverly.

THR article on the Ex-Chief's ticker has the rest of the pilot panel:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080620/tv_nm/matchgame_dc

If you don't want to click, it's Bob "Super Dave Osborne" Einstein
(written as unclear whether he would be as himself or as Super Dave--
considering that some people know him from his recurring role on "Curb
Your Enthusiasm"), Scott Thompson ("Kids in the Hall"--there's your
Charles Nelson Reilly of this version), Rashida Jones ("The Office")
and Niecy Nash ("RENO 911!," "Clean House" on Style Network, that new
Fox sitcom about the hotel).

I'm guessing now that Thompson will be in the Charles seat, Einstein's
in the "new kid on the block" seat if he's doing Super Dave (with
MacDonald in the Dawson seat), Jones in the dewy-eyed ingenue seat and
Nash in the Fannie Flagg/Patti Deutsch/Betty White seat to be sassy.
And Silverman in the Brett seat.

Bryan

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Jun 20, 2008, 2:42:10 PM6/20/08
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Silverman, MacDonald spark to "Match Game" redo

LOS ANGELES (Hollywod Reporter) - Is Sarah Silverman the new Brett Somers? Could Norm
MacDonald be the next Richard Dawson?


The comedians have signed on to be on the panel for TBS' updated "Match Game" pilot, shot
this week in Los Angeles. Also taking seats are Bob Einstein, a.k.a. comic stuntman Super
Dave Osborne, Kids in the Hall trouper Scott Thompson, Rashida Jones ("The Office") and
Niecy Nash ("Reno 911!").

Andrew Daly ("Semi-Pro") hosted the pilot for the cable channel.

"Match Game," in which contestants try to match missing words in a given phrase with a
panel of celebrity guests, originally debuted in 1962. Several incarnations followed, and
the format reached its naughty heyday with the Gene Rayburn-hosted version in the 1970s --
once the questions were tweaked to allow for a generous amount of double-entendre humor.

The game is played by two contestants and a panel of six celebrities. Each contestant
attempts to match the most celebrities in a series of fill-in-the-blank questions, such as
"Sam is so short, he makes _____ look tall."

Along with Somers and Dawson, Charles Nelson Reilly was another longtime regular on the
show. Other panelists over the years included Vicki Lawrence, McLean Stevenson, Betty
White, Orson Bean, Fannie Flagg and Nipsey Russell.

The most recent version of "Match Game" ended its run in 1999. Reruns air regularly on
cable network GSN, effectively exposing younger audiences to the format.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Mark J.

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Jun 20, 2008, 5:52:36 PM6/20/08
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On Jun 20, 1:42 pm, "Bryan" <munki...@pacbell.net> wrote:
> Silverman, MacDonald spark to "Match Game" redo
>
> LOS ANGELES (Hollywod Reporter) - Is Sarah Silverman the new Brett Somers? Could Norm
> MacDonald be the next Richard Dawson?
>
> The comedians have signed on to be on the panel for TBS' updated "Match Game" pilot, shot
> this week in Los Angeles. Also taking seats are Bob Einstein, a.k.a. comic stuntman Super
> Dave Osborne, Kids in the Hall trouper Scott Thompson, Rashida Jones ("The Office") and
> Niecy Nash ("Reno 911!").

This cut-down Reuters version of the THR story leaves out an
interesting item: Robert Smigel is showrunner.

Keith Privett

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Jun 20, 2008, 5:54:56 PM6/20/08
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The "Game Show Marathon" one-time edition last year used these equivalencies

Host = Ricki Lake
"New Kid" Male Guest = George Foreman
"Brett" (Woman who banters with Gay Man) = Kathy Griffin
"Charles" (Witty Gay Man) = Bruce Vilanch
"Dewey Eyed Ingenue" = Adrienne Curry
"Richard" = Adam Corolla
"Fanny/Betty/Marcia" = Betty White

(Only after looking up Betty's wiki did I realize that all three women had links to NE Illinois: Betty and Kathy were born and Kathy also raised in Oak Park; Adrienne was born and raised in Joliet...)

The biggest problem for reviving Match Game, as the 90's remake found, is that so much of the humor in the 70's edition derived from what you couldn't say on TV, and the innuendo to get around that. Such "racy" stuff without triggering the censors.  In thed 90's edition, Coolio, Vicki Lawrence and Nell Carter's answers were frequently censored. Ms. "I'm F***ing Matt Damon" would seem to get have the same problem. And maybe that's why it can't work in this day and age

The other bulk of it was how Gene Rayburn as Ms. White once said "was just as crazy as the rest of us." He was sly and a bit of a letch, and even had a bit of that Kovacs-Allen-NBC Letterman-sometimes O'Brien looseness with the structure of the show and the 4th wall.

Michael Burger was more in the traditionally detached role, and nothing I've seen of Andy Daly's work would suggest that he wouldn't veer toward an arch, mock detachment.  I think Bob Saget would be a much better fit if they are trying to replicate the old style; Tom Bergeron likewise based on his Hollywood Squares work. Even among those named for the pilot, Norm would be more interesting...

However, as Tom or Peter Marshall would say when a contestant made a wrong choice... "But this may work out"


--- On Fri, 6/20/08, Mark J. <mjef...@marcrealty.com> wrote:
From: Mark J. <mjef...@marcrealty.com>
Subject: [TV orNotTV] Re: The new host of "Match Game" is...

John Edwards

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Jun 20, 2008, 6:12:35 PM6/20/08
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On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 5:54 PM, Keith Privett <pri...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> The biggest problem for reviving Match Game, as the 90's remake found, is
> that so much of the humor in the 70's edition derived from what you couldn't
> say on TV, and the innuendo to get around that. Such "racy" stuff without
> triggering the censors. In thed 90's edition, Coolio, Vicki Lawrence and
> Nell Carter's answers were frequently censored. Ms. "I'm F***ing Matt Damon"
> would seem to get have the same problem. And maybe that's why it can't work
> in this day and age.

The 98 version had a bunch of problems. The biggest one, to me, is
that it went to the racy well far too often, and that they went too
far over the line. There was guaranteed to be some version of a Monica
Lewinsky question every show. It got old very, very quickly,
especially for a show that was meant for daytime.

I think the key is the interaction of the panel and the host. The
combination they found in the 70s worked. Since then, the revivals
have tried to tick all the boxes (cranky female? check. witty gay man?
check. ditzy blonde? check.) but I don't know that they've necessarily
found the same chemistry.

> Michael Burger was more in the traditionally detached role, and nothing I've
> seen of Andy Daly's work would suggest that he wouldn't veer toward an arch,
> mock detachment. I think Bob Saget would be a much better fit if they are
> trying to replicate the old style; Tom Bergeron likewise based on his
> Hollywood Squares work.

I seem to remember the comment being made around that time that
Bergeron and Burger should really have switched shows.

That said, even the detachment wouldn't seem that innovative now. 20+
years of Letterman, Conan and other shows that have broken the fourth
wall make that conceit seem routine now. It can be funny if it's done
right, but merely doing it isn't enough now.

> However, as Tom or Peter Marshall would say when a contestant made a wrong
> choice... "But this may work out"

I hope so.

John

--
John Edwards
I used to put quotes here.

Wrecks

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Jun 21, 2008, 10:00:19 AM6/21/08
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> "Brett" (Woman who banters with Gay Man) = Kathy Griffin

You can go ahead an say Fag Hag. It's not an offensive term.

-Rex

Kevin M.

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Jun 21, 2008, 12:35:14 PM6/21/08
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On Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 7:00 AM, Wrecks <LandO...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> "Brett" (Woman who banters with Gay Man) = Kathy Griffin
>
> You can go ahead an say Fag Hag. It's not an offensive term.

I believe the more modern term is Fruit Fly.

--
Kevin M. (RPCV)

Diner

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Jun 21, 2008, 2:19:43 PM6/21/08
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On Jun 20, 5:52 pm, "Mark J." <mjeffr...@marcrealty.com> wrote:

> This cut-down Reuters version of the THR story leaves out an
> interesting item: Robert Smigel is showrunner.

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in
the number one position. So to speak.

-Tim

Jim Ellwanger

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Jun 21, 2008, 2:37:08 PM6/21/08
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It's no problem for puppets to appear on "Hollywood Squares," but for
"Match Game," I don't think Triumph would be able to handle the vital
tasks of writing down an answer and then holding up the blue card
without a substantial redesign. As of now, when he needs to have an
arm, it's in the form of an arm-on-a-stick that's separate from the
body, and it's fairly immobile (for example, when he holds up a
microphone, the mike is taped to the arm).

--
Jim Ellwanger <trai...@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv>


Ben Scripps

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Jun 21, 2008, 3:39:55 PM6/21/08
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2008/6/21 Jim Ellwanger <trai...@ellwanger.tv>:

> It's no problem for puppets to appear on "Hollywood Squares," but for
> "Match Game," I don't think Triumph would be able to handle the vital
> tasks of writing down an answer and then holding up the blue card
> without a substantial redesign.

It worked okay for Cuckoo and Ollie...

--
--
Ben Scripps
bensc...@gmail.com

Diner

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Jun 21, 2008, 11:56:21 PM6/21/08
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On Jun 21, 3:39 pm, "Ben Scripps" <benscri...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 2008/6/21 Jim Ellwanger <train...@ellwanger.tv>:
>
> > It's no problem for puppets to appear on "Hollywood Squares," but for
> > "Match Game," I don't think Triumph would be able to handle the vital
> > tasks of writing down an answer and then holding up the blue card
> > without a substantial redesign.
>
> It worked okay for Cuckoo and Ollie...

That's Cuckoo, FRIEND and Ollie!!

-Tim

Thomas Allen Heald, Esquire

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Jun 23, 2008, 9:11:54 PM6/23/08
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2 pager on Smigel in the July GEEK Magazine which mentions both the
Match Game and Norm MacD's involvement ...

Diner

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Jul 1, 2008, 6:10:56 AM7/1/08
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From Rush & Molloy's column in this morning's NY Daily News:

Comic Sarah Silverman is helping bring "The Match Game" back to TV,
but insiders tell us she appeared on the pilot as a favor and has no
plans to join the series as a regular. Said a source: "She's a massive
fan of the original show and friends with the producer of this new
pilot, so she wanted to help out."

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/07/01/2008-07-01_celebrity_side_dish.html

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