It’s Memorial Day weekend and not only does that mark the unofficial start of summer, but it’s also my SEASON PREMIERE!   This is my 141stblogumn (plus 6 for Fierce Anticipation) and kicks off my fourth year on F & N.  To start the new season off right, I want to update some of the great things we’ve talked about over the past three years.   THE SMURFS MOVIE Fierce Anticipation: The Jersey Joe Edition V – May 21, 2010 In my fifth fill in outing for Fierce Anticipation, I reviewed the live action Smurfs Movie.  Now, fast forward to 2013 and The Smurfs 2 will hit theatres on July 31.  While the first movie was set in New York City, this sequel is set in Paris as the gang tries to find a kidnapped Smurfette. I will probably skip this one.   THE BURGER KING RIBS EDITION Blogumn #2 – June 6, 2010 In my second official blogumn, I reviewed how Burger King went completely in a different direction by adding BBQ ribs to their menu.  While they tasted pretty good and sold out fast, the slow preparation time doomed them from future sales. But, Burger King hasn’t given up on ribs.  This summer, they are serving up the new Burger King Rib Sandwich to rival McDonald’s mega-popular McRib.  The sandwich is being served for a limited time only.   I SURVIVED THE BURGER KING WHOPPER PIZZA Blogumn #16 – October 1, 2010 Another discussion of a wacky Burger King product: their spin-off franchise Whopper Bar in New York City’s Times Square was serving up a $12 Whopper Pizza known as The New York Pizza Burger. The New York City Whopper Bar location closed last year.  However, locations are still open in other cities....

Long before David Letterman became the king of late night, he was just another struggling Hollywood comedian. During the 1970’s, Dave was a fixture as a celebrity panelist on many game shows until he finally got a chance to host one of his own. Fortunately, that video has made it online and is hilarious! David Letterman grew up in Indianapolis and eventually worked as a weatherman in local television. He would eventually head to Hollywood, where he worked the comedy circuit and appeared as a game show celebrity panelist. Dave hosted a short lived morning show for NBC that led to his late night gig, Late Night with David Letterman. After a dispute over hosting duties of The Tonight Show, he moved on to CBS in 1993 and has been hosting his Late Show with David Letterman, since. One of Dave’s rarer TV projects was hosting the game show pilot, The Riddlers in 1977. Now a copy has been made available online. The Riddlers placed two teams, one made of five celebrities and one made of contestants with a common theme (five dance instructors were seen in this pilot). One player would read a clue and their partner would have to finish the answer to the hilarious riddle. Solving nine riddles wins $500 and a chance to play the Crazy Quotes bonus game. Missing a riddle, passed play to the other team. In the Crazy Quotes bonus game, players hilariously arranged themselves by intellectual ability to solve a series of more difficult riddles for a jackpot of $2,000. This pilot also features 1970’s celebrity guests Jo Anne Worley, Robert Urich, Joyce Builifant, Michael McKeon, and Debralee Scott. Take a look at the show that could have been, The Riddlers. Too bad – the game was just awful. The...

Would you go on national TV looking for a date? How about a game show where old fashioned romance met modern (well, 1980’s) technology? We all tuned in to see couples air their dirty laundry about their first blind date. The ratings proved we loved it! So, why isn’t Love Connection still on the air? Love Connection, hosted by Chuck Woolery, aired in syndication on local television stations from September 19, 1983 through July 1, 1994, for over 2,000 shows. A one season revival hosted by Pat Bullard aired from September 21, 1998 – June 4, 1999. An updated version of The Dating Game, Love Connection producers would pick the three potential date candidates to choose from and a single guy or girl would have to choose a blind date from those three eligible bachelors or bachelorettes. The contestant would see a videotaped presentation on each, pick their favorite and immediately go on a blind date. After the date, they were not permitted any further contact until their episode was taped in front of a studio audience. The entire panel would return to tape the episode. The audience was shown a short snippet of the three potential date candidates and they would vote on who they think would make the best choice to date the contestant. The contestant would then reveal who they had picked and details of the date were discussed, while the other person was hidden backstage off camera and could only interact through a screen on the set. If the date went well, host Woolery would reunite the couple on the set, completing the “Love Connection.”  If not, that person would remain backstage. Whatever the outcome, the audience vote was then revealed and the contestant was offered a date with the audience’s pick, but they had...

There was a game show from the 70’s that everyone was talking about. A simple fill in the blank game that could land contestants big money. It was their party and we were all invited. Now, Canadian television is trying to recapture the magic and bring back The Match Game! The original black and white version of The Match Game premiered on NBC December 21, 1962.  Most of the episodes taped back then were deleted by network executives almost immediately after airing.  At the time, videotape was expensive and the powers that be at the peacock network did not think that there would ever be a reason to re-run these shows. (They also lost the first Super Bowl and a lot of episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson thanks to this practice.) This first version of the show had little resemblance to the more popular update which premiered on CBS, July 2, 1973 under the title Match Game ’73. The game is simple. Host Gene Rayburn would read a short story or phrase and the contestant had to fill in the blank.  Gene would then go to a panel of six celebrities who would give their answer to earn a match. Six matches won the game. Here’s a typical question: Dumb Dora was so dumb, she went to a hamburger joint and ordered a (blank)! A bonus round known as “The Big Money Supermatch” was then played. It was just one short phrase the contestant filled in the blank to match an audience survey. (This round surfaced as the premise for a spin-off. Family Feud debuted in 1976.) The contestant could then play for ten times his winnings by completing one final, exact match, with a celebrity. The magic of the 70’s version was the very loose format on...