An Unauthorized Fan

My video of the big Million Dollar Winnner on last week's TPIR Million Dollar Spectacular was taken down by YouTube for copyright infringement. I'm sure this comes directly from CBS, which clearly wants viewers to go to its own online video site that streams episodes of TPIR (including the MDS).

I'm not really upset about CBS's actions but it seems to be short-sighted. Does anyone really think that my video represents an alternative means of viewing TPIR that draws viewers away from CBS's own site? Another way of asking the question is that would anyone who is looking to watch TPIR consider my six-minute video to be a substitute for the real thing?

I'm sure some people will be perfectly happy watching Super Bowl highlights on SportsCenter instead of the real thing. I'm sure some people will just chapter skip to the last ten minutes of No Country For Old Men and consider the movie to have been viewed. I'm sure some people tune into TPIR just watch the Showcase and then turn to something else.

But are these really the kinds of viewers that CBS is looking to attract to its site? Are these the viewers that advertisers pay millions of dollars to reach? Does anyone really believe that anyone who only wants to watch the Showcases is going to sit through an entire hour-long episode?

Rather that view these clips as competition, CBS and other media companies should treat them in a similar way as fan sites, which is to say the are a means to promote the show, galvanize the fan base, and generate buzz and discussion. It may even attract new viewers to the show who may stumble upon these cliips and be interested to see more.

Clearly, I'm just a fan of the show and I'm not looking to make any money or gain recognition by sharing my interests. But since CBS does not want me to post videos of TPIR without authorization, I guess that makes me An Unauthorized Fan. But is that the kind of person CBS really wants to go after for copyright infringement?

The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular

As everyone undoubtedly saw tonight, someone hit the big jackpot on The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular. Check out the Million Dollar Moment. Very exciting!!

These Million Dollar Spectaculars were originally started during the Bob Barker era and were an attempt for TPIR to gain some traction in prime time. It was an uphill struggle, since previous iterations of the show have not translated well into the evening hours (see Doug Davidson). Also, the MDS shows allowed TPIR to compete with other big money game shows. It was tough for a show like TPIR to increase the prize amounts because you can't exactly give away a $100,000 car.

The MDS shows have done a better job over time with how they integrated the million dollars into the show. Tonight's format worked very well -- having a "hidden" million-dollar prize during one of the games is a nice touch. And, offering the million dollars to any Double Showcase Winner really brings the show back to the old days when winning both Showcases was an ENORMOUS deal.

Drew Carey did a better job as host tonight. I think he is slowly getting used to the complexities and nuances of a hosting a show like this. He still needs to do a better job pacing the show. There are situations where he rushes through the games and the show loses a lot of suspense and excitement. There are other times when he tries to build up the moment but it doesn't quite work on TV (e.g., holding hands and "a-la-Kazaam"). Drew also speaks far too quickly, which is a problem when you consider that a big chunk of the viewing audience are senior citizens (hence, those Liberty Medical commericals).

And, Drew needs to show more empathy for the contestants. I'm sure working in television is much less glamorous and exciting (maybe even mundane) than it is for the viewers. But the fans often have an intense personal interest in the show and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the contestants. One way to "connect" with the viewers and contestants is to experience the highs and lows of the game with them, just as some of the best sportscasters cheer and groan along with the fans at home.

I think Drew will find his rhythm as host with time and experience. Being a host is a much tougher job than most people assume (partly because some of the best emcees do it so well and make it look so easy). Drew did a good job tonight and the Million Dollar Moment was everything it should have been.

And check out my fellow TPIR fans on Golden-Road.net for more stuff about TPIR than you ever knew existed :)

'Company' on PBS

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, PBS's Great Performances series will showcase the 2006 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's 'Company' starring Raul Esparza and directed by John Doyle. In what has become John Doyle's signature style, all the actors also served as the orchestra and played all their own instruments. John won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical for employing a similar style in the Broadway revival of 'Sweeney Todd'.

I thought the "triple-threat" of actor-musician-singer didn't work as well in 'Company' as it did in 'Sweeney Todd'. One of the drawbacks of using actors as musicians is that you reduce the ability to use wind instruments, as the actors need to keep their voices free for singing and speaking. This did not work as well with the music in 'Company' which benefits from having a more complete orchestra (winds included). Also, it was a bit unwieldly to have the actors roam around the stage with their instruments, especially poor Fred Rose who had to roll around with that cello. But I thought this was an excellent revival with outstanding actors. I especially liked the modern, New York-ish set design and lighting.

During the run of the show, the entire company of 'Company' was on hand to promote the cast album and the performed three songs from the show (Barbara Walsh performing "Ladies Who Lunch"; Angel Desai, Elizabeth Stanley, Kelly Jeanne Grant performing "You Could Drive A Person Crazy"; and the great Raul Esparza performing "Marry Me A Little"). You can view those performances on our YouTube site.

$35?! What kind of show do you think this is?

The funny part about the situation with the Jeopardy game is that check out some the reviews of this game. Apparently, the game is more fun when it is broken.

"I'll Take a Piece of Junk for $35, Alex."

We learned the hard way that it doesn't always pay to do your Christmas shopping early.

Last summer, during a walk through a large technology superstore which shall remain nameless, Eric spied a play-at-home version of one of his favorite game shows—Jeopardy! As he inspected the box I could see the wheels grinding in his brain as he fantasized about night after night of "true daily doubles" and answers in the form of questions. After a few minutes we decided that the price was much too high, and as we walked away I saw a little tear in Eric's eye. (No, not really, but it added a little drama to the tale, didn't it?)


In September, after we won a $20 gift card to said large technology superstore, I stopped in to see whether the game had gone on sale. There was one copy left, and it was marked 50% off. I was thrilled! I bought it, wrapped it, and stashed it away where curious eyes couldn't see it.

Fast forward to December, and Eric is so excited about the present that we open it immediately. His joy turned very quickly to disappointment when we discovered how "cheap" the game actually was. It looked of very low quality, and what's worse is that after 45 minutes of setting it up, it didn't even work!

The date of purchase was September 07, 2007, and the store's return policy is 30 days. We went to the store last night to try to make a plea, and one manager was kind enough to say she'd offer us store credit if the game was still in their system. Alas, it was not. "Try to contact the manufacturer," she said. Sadly, that's retail-speak for "tough luck, kid." Should have buzzed in sooner. Or purchased this version:


The moral of the story? Don't shop too early!

Anybody want to buy a broken—er, gently used—Jeopardy! game?

Chili... Yum!

As I type this, I've got one large, chopped onion sauteeing on my stove. I'm making vegetarian chili, minus the beef. The recipe calls for vegetarian beef crumbles, but since the supermarket had only vegetarian sausage crumbles, I'm going to try that. I've made this recipe before, but with fake beef. Hopefully, the sausage will give it a nice variation.


If you want to try it yourself, here's the recipe. Better go before my neighbors call the fire department. :)

Update: Yum! Here's what all my work produced:


I love it. It definitely doesn't taste like traditional chili, but it's a much healthier alternative if you're trying to limit your meat intake or avoid it altogether. Eric gets to test it tomorrow, the lucky bean.

Pity Poor Eric

So sad. Our poor Eric has been fighting a cough for a few weeks now. Earlier today I stopped by to drop off a care package that included fresh mango, low-sugar brownies, cough drops, a get-well card, and two Dark Chocolate Milky Way bars (so much for the low-sugar brownies). Eric (the poor bean) looked terrible, though he managed to muster a smile or three. I didn't stay, because I didn't want to take whatever it was he came down with. But it was nice to see him. :)

If you're so inclined, send Eric some well wishes. Poor thing.

Super Parade for Super Giants

Hello to whoever is actually reading this :)

Today was the ticker-tape parade for the NY Giants to celebrate their incredible victory over the much-maligned New England PatriotsSuper Bowl XLII. This was a big deal here in NY because everyone hates the Patriots around here. Also, there has not been a ticker-tape parade in NY since 2000, when the won the World Series.

I have never been to a ticker-tape parade before, so I was very curious to see what it was like. I was expecting something similar to New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Luckily, my office building is right along the parade route, so I didn’t even have to go outside (and brave the drizzle) to enjoy the festivities. Here are some of the pictures I took today.