What On Earth?-Column #17, October 2003

Here we are in October. Lots of ghoulish stuff going on here, because of Halloween, but let's start with a bit of some not so ghoulish stuff first.

First off, if you've been following politics lately, we've been hearing about the 6 R's: Republicans, Recount, Recall, Redistricting, Removing, and Replacing. The 2000 Presidential Debacle's Florida Recount, the California Recall election, and the Redistricting plans in Texas and Colorado are all about Republicans REMOVING and REPLACING Democrats, so that they can get more leaders of their party (aka Not, I repeat, NOT the GOP) elected. And that's what's making a lot of Democrats, including me, VERY UNHAPPY. Let me tell you how I, myself, became a Democrat, after voting for that party last year.

In 2000, I was only 17 years old, so I wasn't allowed to vote in the Presidential election. My parents, however were. So, as I waited outside they told me they voted for George W. Bush, then Texas Governor. I was a supporter for Al Gore, the former vice president who recently decided NOT to run again after he lost in 2000. You want to know why I supported Gore? Well, I had heard time and time again that Bush supported capital punishment, which is what many people know as the DEATH PENALTY. He supports capital punishment for MEN, but he also supports it for WOMEN, too. That's what I didn't like. See, women are LESS violent than men, so I decided to vote for a politician who would NEVER use capital punishment on women, and that's why I voted for Gore. That's THIS DEMOCRAT'S (Yours Truly) plan to get into office: I want all WOMEN spared from capital punishment, because, #1. Women are less violent than men, which leads us to believe that they are also SMARTER than men, #2. That's their GENDER, and #3: As the old saying goes: "Happiness is one thing to one person and another thing to another person." I am gonna spare ALL WOMEN from capital punishment, and I'm gonna use ALL these tactics to do so! However, little did I know that Bush was a Republican and Gore was a Democrat, and I was supporting a Democrat! Anyway, since I didn't vote that year, I voted in 2002. We were voting for the smaller offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, Senators, and House Representatives, etc., etc. I voted for the Democratic party as usual, because, we are a DEMOCRACY, NOT A REPUBLIC! Look at China. It's a REPUBLIC, because there are NO Civil Liberties there. That's the thing Democrats are concerned about: Civil Liberties. And plus, they're Liberals. The prefix "Liber-" means FREE. The word LIBERTY means FREEDOM. THAT's what Democrats are worried about, now that the Patriot Act is in effect. The word DEMOCRACY means FREE COUNTRY. Even Bush said he wanted IRAQ to be a FREE COUNTRY, which means he wanted it to be a DEMOCRACY! That's why we need to elect more DEMOCRATS, and boot the REPUBLICANS, and tell them that they're NOT WELCOME HERE!

Speaking of Democrats and Republicans, Arnold "The Terminator" Schwarzenegger, a Republican candidate for California governor, wants to say "HASTA LA VISTA, BABY!" to incumbent Democrat governor Gray Davis. Other than Davis, Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante is also on the ballot. Californians were fed up with how Davis is running the state, turning his back on those who elected him to his second term last year. And that's what sparked the following:

Game Show Network's "Who Wants To Be Governor Of California?: The Debating Game," hosted by Kennedy, host of the GSN Original "Friend Or Foe?". In this show, 6 candidates, out of the more than 130 on the ballot, are vying to become the next governor of California, if Davis gets the boot. They are: Bryan Quinn (R), Gary Coleman (I), Mary Carey (I), Nate Walton (I), Trek Thunder Kelly (I), and Carl A. Mehr (R). They're vying for a pot of $21,200 in campaign cash, that'll go to their campaign if they win. WOW. 4 Independents and 2 Republicans wanting to become California's next governor, and boot Davis.

In addition, I'd like to point this out: Once you're elected, you CANNOT hold any other job. For example, Arnold's only job, if he's elected, will be California Governor. He CANNOT shoot any new Terminator movies at the time!

This month marks the END of Daylight Savings Time. April marked the START, October marks the END. So, this means you should set your clocks back an hour, and that hour equals an extra hour of sleep, for YOU!

If you've been following the WEATHER lately, well, we're getting into fall. We know what THAT means it terms of those leaves, but they do more than just plummet, they CHANGE COLORS. If this is new to you, well, watch for it! And if you've been following those hurricanes and tropical storms, beware, ANYTHING can happen. From stocking up to boarding up, everyone's doing ALL they can to stay safe from heavy rains to heavy winds. It's not pretty, if you ask me.

If you've been following SPORTS lately, well, the baseball season is winding down, and the football season is on a roll. The Cowboys have been doing pretty well with new coach Bill Parcells, in this, his FIRST season as a Cowboys coach. This is also the Cowboys' first season WITHOUT their star running back Emmitt Smith, who is still wearing the ol' #22, and still in the same position, on his new team, the Arizona Cardinals. As for baseball, well, this is World Series month. Last year, the Anaheim Angels won the World Series, and they hope to do it again. But, the New York Yankees want to go there, too. These were the champs that we know.

Well, Christmas is only 2 months away now, and I've gotten to do a lot more Christmas shopping. When I went shopping at Garden Ridge last month, I saw Halloween stuff as usual, but I also saw some Christmas stuff. This means, if you're in my shoes, as of right now, go out there and get some of your shopping done before the big crowds on the day after Thanksgiving. From lights to decorations, you're ready.

Obviously, October is Halloween month, so I want to talk a little about that. From candy to costumes, this is what this is all about. TRICK-OR-TREATING is the NAME OF THE GAME. Of course, the big rule is when the fun is done, please, PLEASE, PLEASE, inspect your candy. Nothing could be worse than receiving ALREADY-UNWRAPPED CANDY. Even a little hole can kill, I'm sure. From chocolates to fruits, ghosts to goblins, you've got EVERYTHING you need to start up a Halloween party, and give out all the treats and none of the tricks!

Now, I'd love to focus on the game show world. I'll start with the obvious season premieres, with some little twists here and there.

"Jeopardy!"-This is the 20th Anniversary season of America's favorite answer-and-question show, and to commemorate the 20 years we've seen Alex Trebek giving out the answers and the players giving out the questions, the show is now lifting its "5-Time Champs" rule, which means "The Sky's The Limit", and the players can keep accumulating winnings till they lose. There's NO limit to how much money someone can win. And, like last year, there are now consolation cash prizes, $1000 for 3rd place, and $2000 for 2nd place. This is one of TWO shows that, last year, started removing the "Parting Gifts"/"Consolation Prizes" rule for runners-up. So, here the category here is "GAME SHOW RULE CHANGES". So, now the answer is "This is the amount of time JEOPARDY! contestants can stay on as champions." And the question would be "What is IF THEY KEEP WINNING?"

"Wheel Of Fortune"-The show is now in its 21st season. We all saw the new bonus wheel come into play in 2001, and the new Mystery Wedge round come into play in 2002. This year, a BRAND NEW SET comes into play. The gold accents that have adorned the set since the Chuck Woolery years are gone. (Remember, the show debuted in 1975, but most of us are familiar with the Pat Sajak era, which began in 1983.) There's now computerized neon lighting all around the set, from the Wheel to the puzzleboard, this is the FIRST show in America to do this, basing it off of the Australian version. And I LOVE IT! And, just like last year, the parting gifts/consolation prizes are now being replaced with $500 cash for the runners-up who didn't win anything in the front game.

"Pyramid"-The 2002 revival is now in its second season, and Donny Osmond is back as host. The set is even better, and Donny's podium is now to the LEFT of the front game Pyramid, instead of the First Season's RIGHT. In addition, the scoreboards, instead of being shown with the clock, are now on the podiums. There's now a "# TO WIN" graphic at the right of the clock, to show how much they need to go to the Winner's Circle, and the tiebreaker rules are the same as last season, a la the older versions of the show. The "SUPER SIX" is back as usual, and the prizes are great, and the computers used are now INTEGRATED into the podiums. In the Winner's Circle, the contestants NOW have the option to give or receive, unlike last season, when ALL the celebrities gave the clues.

"Family Feud"-In this, Season 5, Richard Karn is back as host, and the horrible "3 Singles and the ONE-STRIKE Triple Round" rule is GONE! This was the rule we remember on the Louie Anderson era. When Richard Karn came in, the rule was still there, but they brought back the "Returning Champs" rule. This season, we get the wish of returning the "300 Points To Win" rule. There are 2 single rounds, one Double, and one Triple. If neither family reaches 300 by the end of the one Triple round, ANOTHER one is played, but with only the NUMBER ONE ANSWER. And it has to be nailed. They'll keep going till SOMEONE gives the Number One Answer. In addition, they're removing the "Add the Stolen Answer Points" rule from the Anderson era, which carried over into Karn's first season. Horrible. I would've kept it, because when you add the stolen answer points, you can still reach 300 and STILL win the game. Even many families in the Anderson and Karn's Season 1 eras managed to reach 300 after stealing, and the stolen answer's points were added to their total. In addition, Fast Money is STILL played for $20,000. It was played for $10,000 during Louie's first 2 seasons, then doubled on the 3rd and final season he'd host. Nothing else has changed for this season, except the classic scoring rules we all know and love are back. Richard Dawson's 1st version began with only 200 points needed to win, and then after those episodes, straight into the Ray Combs and Richard Dawson's 2nd versions, we'd see the 300 points rule. Love it! Richard Dawson's version began with a $5,000 top prize for Fast Money, then carried over into the Ray Combs version, which then doubled the money to $10,000. Then came Bullseye/Bankroll, and from each of their respective versions, whatever amount the winning family had in their bank was what they were going for in Fast Money.

"Hollywood Squares"-Tom Bergeron is back as host, but this may be the show's FINAL season, as you're about to find out. As you know, this version has been using the usual "Building Pots and Awarding Money for Leftover Squares when time runs out" rules that we all know and loved from the Marshall era to the Davidson era to the Bergeron era, the current era. Now, they're using the rules of the EARLY Marshall era shows, and these are the rules that have been used on such game shows as "CARD SHARKS," "BLOCKBUSTERS," and "HOT POTATO." The rules say that now a "Best 2-out-of 3" match is played to determine who goes onto the bonus round, and this time it's different. Last year, the first prize was a car, the second was $25,000 in cash, and the third was a trip. No one even got to the 4th and 5th levels. This year, the trip comes first, $10,000 in cash is second, and the car is third. And, EACH time they go to the bonus round, they NO LONGER take away a key each time you're champ. They go ahead and count up the squares you won, and that equals the number of keys they take off. This means the "carry-over" element is in place. I don't like "carry-overs." "Carry-overs" are just like cliff-hangers. You DON'T know what's gonna happen until you tune in next time. So, don't expect this rule change to help the show CARRY OVER into another season. This one's gonna be shown the door soon. By the way, John Moschitta, Jr. of Micro Machines is the new announcer, replacing the unlikeable Jeffrey Tambor. Having Henry Winkler, one of the show's new executive producers, sit in the announcer's booth was nice. He had a great voice, better than 1998-2002 announcer Shadoe Stevens.

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"-This is the syndicated version I'm talking about, and it's back for Season 2, and Meredith Vieira of "The View" is back as host. There's a new sponsor this time. We all know how AT&T sponsors the Phone-A-Friend lifeline, but not this season. Capital One is the new sponsor, and it's sponsoring all the checks given out. Should be fun.

"The Price Is Right"-Bob Barker is back as host, and nothing else is changing. The new turntable colors are expected to stay. Only time will tell where those holiday decorations go. As usual, some new pricing games are slated to premiere. What they are, well, I won't even go there. I don't want to spoil the fun. Plus, this year, Bob turns 80 years old. Yep, he was born Robert William Barker on December 12, 1923 in Darrington, Washingon. That's 13 days before Christmas. We all watched as he took the reins as host of this long-running daytime game show on September 4, 1972. For 32 years, we've watched him give away hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes to lucky contestants. I hope to meet him soon. He is truly the grand-daddy of game show hosts.

Speaking of "Millionaire," the ABC version is headed to GSN, just like the NBC version of "Weakest Link" did at the start of this year. Should be fun. The daytime version of "Weakest Link" hosted by George Gray is now in reruns in syndication and on PAX, due to low ratings and overnight time slots. Should be interesting to see how GSN does "Millionaire."

Speaking of PAX, the game block is in jeopardy. The 2002 revival of "Beat The Clock" is gone for good, and, "Supermarket Sweep", the game show that makes viewers happy by watching people go around the market stuffing those carts, may not make any new shows, according to host David Ruprecht and announcer Randy West. The show started on Lifetime back in 1990, and Johnny Gilbert was the announcer back then. It took a 3-year hiatus in 1997, and returned on PAX in 2000, with Randy West coming into the announcer's booth. We've watched for 14 years straight, as 3 teams, consisting of 2 people each, would use their grocery products' knowledge to build seconds onto their 1:30 of Big Sweep time, then use that time to go around the market filling the carts with groceries and bonuses that added up to hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars in cash. We also watched for 14 years, many winning teams running around the market to find 3 products in the bonus round, managing to pick up $5,000 more cash when finding the 3rd product, and being awarded $200 for each product if they couldn't pick up the big money. I actually watched this show on Lifetime back in the Spring of 1994, and I grew up to love it. Nothing could be better than putting your knowledge of grocery products to the ultimate test, and then putting your strategies to the test about what to fill up the cart with in the Big Sweep.

I'd also like to commemorate this column on the 20th Anniversary of the hit CBS game show PRESS YOUR LUCK, which debuted 20 years ago on September 19, 1983. On that very day, we heard the following words from the show's announcer Rod Roddy:

"These 3 contestants are about to play the most exciting game of their lives, which only ONE of them can win! Player #1 is Lana Jones, and she plans on taking her winnings home today to New Orleans, Louisiana. Linda Epstein is Player #2. She also plans to win today, so she can return tomorrow to play again. Player #3 is Phil Thompson, an attorney from Los Angeles, California; who knows today's game represents the chance of a lifetime, for HIM. From Television City in Hollywood, it's time to PRESS YOUR LUCK! And now, here's your host, the star of Press Your Luck, Peter Tomarken!"

Ever since that time, it's been the talk of many game show fans, old and new, and when we saw the reruns on USA Network and GSN, we would watch as 3 contestants answer questions to rack up spins (3 on a buzz-in, 1 for a multiple choice; The answer the player buzzed in with was one of 3 choices for the other 2 players; and if no answer was given within 5 seconds, the multiple choice format was used for ALL 3 players), which they would use to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes on an big electronic game board, avoiding those devilish red Whammies, who'd take away all the goodies if they landed on them, 4 of them knocking them out of the game, and the player with the highest score won, kept all their cash and prizes, and returned the next day. But of course, let's realize the board was the popular reason for the show's 3-year run, as the show culminated in 1986. But of course, the man who made the show famous was MICHAEL LARSEN, who took the show for $110,237 in cash and prizes, just by memorizing the board's patterns, which after his appearance, were totally randomized. By doing so, he defeated 1-day champ Ed Long ($11,516), and the other challenger, Janie Litras. And we can thank the show's Executive Producer Bill Carruthers, and his partner Bill Mitchell for their work. And because this show was successful, it spawned a revival one year ago titled "Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck," with Gary Kroeger as announcer, and Todd Newton as host. Since then, the whammies are now 3-dimensional and are updated to reflect today. The prizes and cash have grown with the times as well, and so have the rules. And we can also thank the show for doing a Larsen rematch, with James Larsen in the place of his late brother, who died 4 years ago, and the younger Larsen would go on to win a Digital Grand Piano worth $6,695; and as usual, like his brother before him, HE managed to beat Ed and Janie. And that's the proof of how popular the show has become: THE PRIZES AND CASH HAVE GOTTEN BIGGER! But I love the show. I love the board. And it doesn't matter if I like Whammy over the Classic PYL, I loved the show, and I could play along well, answering those questions, and routing on the players, as they take on the board, while trying to avoid those whammies. It's painful to see someone hit a whammy, but it's even more painful for them to hit FOUR, eliminating them from the game. It's really depressing to see that happen. But the main objective here is to have fun, and most importantly, to WIN! Because ONLY the WINNER gets to keep all the cash and prizes they've won, it always pays to win! Unfortunately, on March 2, we'd lose Bill Carruthers, as he died of a stroke at age 72.

Well, on a more light hearted note, we lost 2 more celebrities last month. Johnny Cash, the godfather of country music, died after suffering diabetes, at the age of 71. His wife and soulmate of more than 30 years, June Carter Cash, died in May, at the age of 81 from a heart attack. Together the whole world watched as Johnny and June lit up of the hearts of many country music fans, old and new, from the baby boomers to the old timers. Because he dressed in black at all his concerts, he was pinned "The Man In Black." Nothing could be better than to listen to Johnny intro his concerts with "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." Well, a hello and a goodbye from me to you, Johnny. May your legacy and music live on. I tip my hat off to you.

The entertainment world also bid a fond farewell to John Ritter. The actor known best for his roles on Three's Company and the current sitcom "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter" died at 54 from an aortic tear, which is kinda like an injury in the artery. He had apparently COLLAPSED on the set of the hit ABC sitcom, which is now in its second season. Word has it that the show plans to go on without him, even though his character on the show also dies. Godspeed to both. I tip my hat off to both.

Well, Halloween is the main objective in October. Usually, the candy and costumes head in a few weeks before October, so that the people can get those ready for those trick-or-treaters out there. Please inspect the candy, and also inspect the costumes. As I stated before, not every candy is germ-proof, and not every costume is fire-proof. Safety is important when it comes to both of these. I know all you kiddies out there get excited about the candy and all that good stuff, but it must be inspected by your parents BEFORE you eat it! Also, make sure the costumes are fire-proof. Even one flicker will kill or injure your child. So, whether you're a ghost or a goblin, a witch or a devil, and whether or not you like chocolates or fruit candies, please, take it safe this Halloween.

This month, Neiman Marcus rolled out its annual Golden Book Christmas Catalog for the upcoming holiday season. There are a lot of unusual gifts in there, like, a plane you could buy for, get this, $8 MILLION! EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS! Imagine having one of THOSE in your backyard this holiday season! There's even a BMW worth $400,000! Wow! Stuff those pockets you early holiday shoppers! You'll want to take a lot of cash with you this holiday season!

Speaking of Holiday gifts, one of my favorite traditions, is the usual gift-giving time of year. So, in my next column, I'll talk about the many gift ideas for the people on your list!

So, until then, this is John Lee saying, "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" And no, I don't have any candy to give out, so "Go HOME!"