Math and science are wonderful things

It seems appropriate one day after Pi Day that this happens.

As this writer sees it, the only people who really wanted the relocation of the Mississippi University for Women and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science to Mississippi State University, or to have any MSU involvement at all, are the legislators who proposed this. If that’s the case, a polite request to those in North Mississippi: Remember in November.

Based on the chatter I’ve seen and heard in online versions of newscasts from the area, opponents didn’t see how the relocation would save anyone any money. Other opponents also raised the issue of MSMS’s 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old students on the campus of an SEC school — possibly being exposed to a lot of Thursday and Friday night partying and definitely being exposed to big money sports, especially on the weekends.

At a time like this, I wish Geof were still here. My younger brother passed away nearly two years ago. I’m sure he would’ve opposed this proposed move — loudly. If you knew Geof, you knew he spoke fondly of his years at MSMS and Columbus. There are a few MSMS staffers from the late 1990s who remember Geof. He’s that unforgettable.

With that, long may MUW and MSMS live in Columbus. And, if you can spare the dimes, please send a monetary contribution to: Geof Morris Memorial Fund, MSMS Foundation, 1100 College Street W-190, Columbus, MS 39701.

Big money goes around the world

(Hmmm, wonder why I’d go with Rush lyrics in the title for this post?)

It’s been about 24 hours since “that happened” — so I suppose it’s safe to comment on “what happened.”

For the last few months, I’ve been following “La Poule aux œufs d’or” — one of only two lottery TV game shows in production in North America. The other is the long-running “Cash Explosion” in my adopted home state of Ohio, where they still write off the one-year-old “Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich” as if it were a Pam Ewing-style bad dream. #IYKYK

A look at the show’s entry on Wikipedia gives the impression the game show plays like “Treasure Hunt” — both the original series hosted by Jan Murray and the reboot that Chuck Barris bought from Murray. The original version of “La Poule” had a quiz element whereas the current version is luck-based. Seeing as how it’s a lottery show, it has to be to be luck-based.

In recent months, the show’s progressive jackpot (“le gros lot”) already surpassed its own record of $1,075,000, a payoff awarded nearly two decades ago — just after America’s Memorial Day weekend of 2004.

“La Poule aux œufs d’or” had gone more than a year without awarding the jackpot — which reached $1,525,000; as of this writing, that translates to $1,127,000 and change in American currency.

See the historic three-game episode here. You’ll get an idea of how the show works in the first game. “Le gros lot” is awarded in the second game. I wondered if a fresh $150,000 jackpot would go into circulation for the third game with it being randomly placed into one of the remaining eggs (a policy enforced in the 1970s and 1980s versions of “Treasure Hunt”) — but no.

As of this writing, a spot check of Google News indicates many French-speaking Quebec media have reported on this. I’m honestly surprised the English-speaking media in Canada have not followed suit.

U.K.’s in Jeopardy! — baby — just — for one month?

The most recent version of the United Kingdom’s version of “Jeopardy!” has concluded its most recent series (“season” in American terms) after nearly one month.

If ITV commissions another series, I’ve got ideas for improvements. But first, let’s look at the positives.

As the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. The U.K.’s “Jeopardy!” bore a very striking resemblance to ours here in the U.S. The theme music is about one generation old, the opening animation is about the same (with a noticeable emphasis on the host, more about him in a bit), and the game board is nearly the same (props to the U.K. writers for making full uses of the widescreen when writing answers; American scribes are still adhering to the 15-character-per-line rule, instituted since J! returned to the air in 1984). You’d almost think the British invaded Culver City, California to tape the season on American soil — but they didn’t.

The host is Stephen Fry. I confess — I don’t know a lot about him. I’ve seen him on the British “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and I’ve heard about his work on “Quite Interesting” — but that’s about it. From the episodes of “Jeopardy!” I saw, he handled the game well — however — we’ll get to the negatives eventually.

Knowing what I know about British game shows, their hosts have gained just about as much rock star status as, say, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, etc. There is very little syndication in the U.K. So once a game show is commissioned (“sold” in American terms), it goes national rather quickly and can find an audience just about as fast. That is why you saw a lot of Stephen in the opening animation.

So, some notes on gameplay. Since “Jeopardy!” in the U.K. ran for an hour each weekday (try saying that three times fast), they played three rounds before Final Jeopardy! Much to the surprise of a couple of podcasters in the U.K., they don’t play regular Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy! and Triple Jeopardy! like we do on “Celebrity Jeopardy!” here in the U.S. In the U.K., there were two rounds of Jeopardy! and a Double Jeopardy!

The “cash amounts,” using Stephen’s terminology, below each category, to be honest, bore some resemblance to the first reboot of “Jeopardy!” here in the States. The one that started in 1984 with Alex Trebek at the helm and continues to the present day with Ken Jennings is the second reboot.

True story: The first “Jeopardy!” reboot debuted in 1978 on NBC the day after Geof was born. No wonder I mistakenly called it “Geofardy!”

In any event, below each category in the U.K. are answers worth £25, £50, £75, £100, and £150; double those amounts, naturally, for Double Jeopardy! In the ’78 reboot, the answer values were $25, $50, $75, $100, and $125 (again, the stakes doubled in DJ!) — two and a half times the original series’ amounts.

Lowball, you say? I agree. But, again, knowing what I know about British game shows, U.K. residents aren’t greedy by nature. They play more for pride than anything else. Yes, I know, this is the nation that gave the rest of the world “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and has at least one other million-pound game show in production. But still, from what I’ve seen, many U.K. games are played for modest stakes.

Geof, once upon a time, was eyeing a move to the U.K. If those plans came to fruition, I told him he should try out for “Countdown” — a long-running game show of letters and numbers. Geof was really good at Scrabble and, given his passion for engineering and science, can be really great at math. I did note a daily winner claimed a custom-made teapot for the show with the overall tournament of champions winner receiving a leatherbound Oxford English Dictionary, which had a value of about £4000 at the time.

So, as I saw it near the end of 2023, U.K. champions on “Jeopardy!” in the month of January would average about £5000 per victory. Eh — I’m not too bad off.

Okay — I’ve held off the negatives enough. Podcasters in the U.K. picked up on this. My fellow Americans picked up on this.

The… pacing… of… the… United… Kingdom’s… latest… version… of… “Jeopardy!”… is… too… durn… slow.

Here in the U.S., a player picks a category and an amount, the host reads the answer, a player buzzes in hopefully with the right question, the moment the host says the questioner’s correct, the questioner picks the next category and amount, lather, rinse, repeat at a rather blazing speed — only to slow down just a smidge when the controlling player finds a magical daily double. The same can be said in just about every foreign version I’ve seen — including at least two previous U.K. “Jeopardy!” incarnations only played for points with the top winner assured of no less than £500.

Same can be said for “Rock & Roll Jeopardy!” on VH1 here in the U.S., which I was quite good at. “Sports Jeopardy!” on Crackle, with one less answer per category in each of the first two rounds, was a little slower in pace to allow for an opening monologue from host Dan Patrick, more chatting with players midway through the show plus a post-game wrap-up. Not too slow, though.

Over in the U.K., a player picks a category and an amount, the host reads the answer, a player buzzes in hopefully with the right question, and the moment the host says the questioner’s correct, the host — then — likely — explains why the question and answer “match” each other — on darn near every answer and question. Think of it as an extra “Jeopardy! Clue for You” — seemingly too many extras just to fill the hour. Commercial breaks, for the curious, are fewer and further between in the U.K. — so that’s why America’s “Celebrity Jeopardy!” plays at the speed of, well, “Jeopardy!”

With memories of 1978’s “Jeopardy!” somewhat fresh, the biggest thing I can think of to help the U.K. “Jeopardy!” going forward is — a bonus round. Don’t groan too loudly, my fellow Americans.

If ITV commissions another series of “Jeopardy!” as an hourlong format, I can see Stephen presiding over three rounds of competition (hopefully a regular J!, Double Jeopardy! and Triple Jeopardy!) with the game-deciding Final Jeopardy! to crown the champion. Along the way — cut down on the jibba-jabba, to use Mr. T’s terminology.

That should save more than enough time for — Super Jeopardy!

Doug’s Place flashback: This YouTube video shows you how Super Jeopardy! worked in the 1978 reboot. Think of it as five-in-a-line American-style bingo before making three mistakes.

From what I’ve been able to gather, the U.K. uses just one giant monitor to display answers as opposed to a 6×5 display of monitors. So I’d argue they can pull off their own Super Jeopardy!

Further, they wouldn’t have to limit it to five categories with five “level numbers”. They could have 25 categories on the board — with an answer behind each one. Then place a green marker to indicate a correct question or a “life lost” (our strike) for an incorrect question.

Another thing I’ve noticed about British game shows: They prefer the term “lives lost” — something akin to 1980s video arcade games. They’ve used that terminology on “Family Fortunes” (our “Family Feud”) and “Cash Cab”.

If the U.K.’s recent, and just as well-done, adaptation of “Wheel of Fortune” is any indication, Super Jeopardy! in the U.K. doesn’t necessarily have to be played for more money. It can be played for shopping sprees at certain businesses or “a lovely holiday” (in American terms, a nice vacation).

Bottom line: If I were an expatriate American living in the U.K., I’d still watch — but I’d want to watch a fast-paced quiz I’ve grown up with.

Some hope: Stephen will be hosting “Jeopardy!” for Australian television with expatriate Aussies competing on the U.K. set. Don’t know much beyond what’s been reported in the Australian press.

Remembering the founder of TV’s best-known Doug’s Place

When my late brother and I were building Doug Morris dot org, I came up with the name Doug’s Place as a nod to an establishment on “Days of Our Lives”. The Doug in that Doug’s Place was Doug Williams, played by Bill Hayes.

Word came this weekend Hayes passed away at the age of 98. My fellow game show fans and I recall his many visits to “The (Original) Hollywood Squares”; its spinoff, “Storybook Squares”; and “Password Plus” — often with his co-star and real-life wife, now widow, Susan Seaforth Hayes.

Wesley Eure, another game show favorite and DOOL co-star who has Pine Belt ties, posted this tribute on Instagram.

Another one bites the dust?

Belated wishes for a happy new year, everyone. If 2024 is not off to a great start, there is plenty of time for a turnaround.

However, it appears it’s too late for a former nemesis of Doug’s Place. A colleague sent me these photos.

The colleague also called the number listed for Direct Media Services — and got the “number is not in service” response.

Between a dated website format (Adobe Flash support went bye-bye about four years ago; thus making it impossible to display a montage of all-star placements), no sign of good social media links (not even Instagram or the new Threads), an alarming context clue of Paul McCartney’s “new book” (seen in the earlier image; “Each One Believing” was published in 2004; I wouldn’t call that new), and a disconnected phone number, I’m calling it.

DMS has closed its doors for good. If so, when?

To DMS, all I can say is this: In the event you’ve really met your Waterloo, good riddance!

Recall nearly two decades ago, I blogged a Direct Media Services representative wanting to book a live morning satellite interview with a sex therapist on a TV station where I worked at. Due to the content therein and the targeted daypart, citing parents would be embarrassed in front of their children if this went forward, I immediately said no. But — the same rep wouldn’t take no for an answer.

She called and e-mailed me a total of six more times begging and pleading me to change my mind. I still responded in the negative. Further, we narrowed our prerequisites for satellite interviews to the point that DMS and its competitors would have to work hard to get their feet in the door.

I can only hope these standards are still honored long after I’ve left. Leadership changed after I moved on to other work. To be fair, I’m pretty sure they’ve got a “no dice” policy on satellite interviews by now.

If this is the end, what happened? I’ve searched the news section of Google, and nothing has turned up. Know something? Let me know in a reply.

After putting up with DMS’s sex therapist nonsense, I programmed all messages on my work account to have anything from any e-mail address ending in a DMS e-mail domain go straight to junk mail — where it belongs. I basically cut ties with them after that drama in 2004.

Nearly two decades later, I can only wonder if they started shooting themselves in the feet. Did DMS become its own worst enemy? Did other stations around the country balk at this nonsense the way I did? Again, that “new book” by Paul McCartney, “Each One Believing,” was published in 2004 — the same year DMS begged and pleaded to have a sex therapist interview appear on a morning show I produced.

I recall DMS had a secondary website — DMSWire.com. The link will take you to how it looked in, you guessed it, 2004, courtesy of Archive.org. It appears DMSWire.com has had no new updates since 2008; it is since defunct (hence why I’m not hotlinking to the current DMSWire.com). So maybe that’s a clue to when an apparent going away party, with final toasts to each other, was held.

It still begs the question: If DMS is no longer in business, why is the main Direct Media Services website still active, as of this writing?

Suppose that champagne jam/last call for DMS happened less than two decades ago. In that case, I hope those who left DMS went on to rewarding careers — jobs that don’t involve pestering local TV producers about satellite interviews with little or no local value — or, horror of horrors, interviews about shows on other networks or streaming services such as NetFlix.

Finally, to the satellite interview universe at large (a spot check of Google indicates at least one of DMS’s competitors is still in business; another, apparently, has diversified and not included SMTs among its services; I recognize the names), I can tell you the TV industry at the local level is becoming less and less dependent on satellite interviews. A producer’s need to fill three minutes in a local newscast can now be done more constructively.

Long ago, I suggested you should pitch SMTs with a regional twist instead of a national one. As much as DMS continued to beg to book this sex therapist interview, I begged for more interviews with regional and statewide interest. They didn’t listen. Did they pay the consequences? Judge for yourself.

One of DMS’s competitors, who shall remain nameless, wanted to book a satellite interview on behalf of Meijer, the retail chain primarily based in the Midwest, on school meal prep. I immediately rejected since there’s no Meijer store here in Mississippi. The Meijer rep begged — citing an online component. If there was an online component, the original press release should’ve listed the web address for said online component (apps weren’t a thing yet); it didn’t, I had to Google the address and show said address to the rep. I still rejected; local nutritionists were ready to pick up the slack anyway. The rep would’ve had better luck in the states where Meijer has brick and mortar stores.

So if producers are saying “no dice” to SMTs for whatever reason, it’s time to change your strategy — lest you meet your Waterloo.

Apparently — like Direct Media Services.

Who can you trust?: Part IV

Okay, I’ll concede waiting for “the writer” to correct a mistake that is more than 12 months old is like leaving the porch light on for Jimmy Hoffa.

So, the Kristen Welker era of “Meet the Press” is underway. It started with an in-depth interview with — the 45th President of the United States, Donald John Trump.

Ohhhh — kayyyy. I am just going to say this diplomatically. He wouldn’t have been my first choice if I were booking MTP guests. A Week 3 or 4 guest, perhaps, in the Welker era — but not Week 1.

Usually, when a major national news program (i.e. “one of the Sunday shows,” an evening newscast, etc.) changes anchors, it’s a good idea to book an interview with the incumbent POTUS instead of a predecessor — even if the predecessor (a) makes headlines for better or worse and/or (b) makes another run for The White House — and have that interview air during the anchor’s first broadcast. With that, let’s hope we see President Joe Biden as a guest really soon. The AP reported Thursday, September 14, an invite’s out to the incumbent; Welker echoed the same in the introduction to the pre-taped Trump interview.

After the Trump interview and the usual roundtable segment, we see Welker in a closing monologue — expressing gratitude to viewers; mentors; all the direct MTP competitors, which are now moderated or co-moderated by women; NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who, as Welker noted, started blazing her trail in the male-dominated world of all-news radio in Philadelphia (Welker is a Philly native); and the late Martha Rountree, the original MTP moderator and co-creator of what has become the longest running television program of any genre.

Parts of Rountree’s Peabody Award acceptance speech from 1952 were the focus of the MTP Minute, the weekly flashback segment of the program.

So, to summarize the hour, while one could have wished for a better guest to start the Welker era, one could not have hoped for a better punctuation to that hour.

Now for another view. After all, it is only fair I bring up — “the writer.” Let’s see what he wrote about Welker’s maiden voyage…

[Checks his site and skims over these stories dated September 18, 2023: Female anchor in Philly goes bald, takes on certain media companies CEOs, an update on Nexstar and DirecTV, the dismissal of a Pittsburgh anchor, a consumer reporter’s social media claim she was robbed, “the writer’s” fall collection for ’23, an “all about me” story from Scranton (considering its positioning near the fall collection, oh the irony), an on-air blooper from New Orleans, readers’ reactions to Friday’s Danelo Cavalcante story (story itself is serious — so I’m surprised this is positioned this low), a fashion police story out of Nashville (to put it mildly), an oops award contender from Atlanta (again, to put it mildly), a mismatch in an online story out of Virginia (it was about student athletes at Hampton University being anything but students; a “National Night Out Against Crime” logo was somehow attached to the story, hence the mismatch), apparent goofing off in NYC, NewsNation hiring a meteorologist, and Miami’s mayor’s confrontation with a reporter from The Miami Herald.]

…annnnd — nothing at all about Week 1 of the Welker era? To be fair, in a Friday, September 15, article, he did acknowledge Welker’s first guest as MTP moderator would be Trump.

Also to be fair, “the writer’s” top story about Aziza Shuler (the aforementioned female anchor in Philly going bald) is actually a good read. “Shuler’s parents struggled with drug addiction,” he reported in the top story. This meant Shuler was not born in a hospital but in a woman’s jail. By the age of five, he reports, Shuler, “was forced into the foster care system, where she was abused physically and sexually.” Just before her teenage years, Shuler found out she had alopecia.

The article’s so good I will go ahead and link it here.

But back to Welker, Trump, and Rountree. Not even the slightest of critiques of Sunday’s program in today’s (9/18/23) update? I wish I were surprised. I’m not. If “the writer” watched Sunday’s MTP and saw the aforementioned MTP Minute, he must’ve realized, to borrow one of his favorite phrases, he still has toothpaste to place back in the tube.

Here’s the sad thing. Last month, in a YouTube video, he openly admitted he made a mistake. Just not that one. I’m linking the admission at the end of this paragraph instead of embedding it. Content warning: In the background, there’s an image of a nude woman and a snake. The image appears to be Richard Avedon’s classic photo of Nastassja Kinski; the female model’s private parts are strategically out of the camera’s view. Still, if you’re easily offended by that, don’t click on the following sentence. Otherwise, click here for the mea culpa.

So he goes on for ten minutes about how he goofed on a story on Scripps. Yet still — no admission about who the first female MTP moderator really is? As of this writing, this mistake is more than one year old.

You know what’s sad? When would there be a correction from that mistake from late August of 2022? I asked that question in the comments to the YouTube video — and, of course, my question got deleted. Gosh, was it something I said?

Let’s consider another video if “the writer” labels me a hater. Content warning: The nude woman/snake image is visible again; also, “the writer” uses adult language. So again, I hotlink here instead of embed.

Doug’s Place’s final take on this entire MTP matter (or so I hope; if you see a Part V, I was pushed into writing it): There’s a fine line between “hater” and “critic.” Read the definitions of both words in the dictionary for yourself. “The writer” would have to write more factual errors and fail to correct them before I hate him. Any further typos, subject-verb disagreements, etc., are things we just may have to live with. To be fair, however, spot-checks of recent posts indicate his writing is getting better.

So if he is improving his writing, should I stop calling him “the writer” and start calling him the writer or use another noun? For failing to correct a year-plus-old mistake, of course not. “The writer” is still “the writer.”

Wait, wait! Let’s go back to the Shuler story for a moment. Near the end of it, he writes, “As shallow as TV news has gotten, it is great to see someone with such dept.” Dept? I think he left off an “h” — and the “h” is still off as of Monday around 10 a.m. Central. Maybe his writing is not improving?

Regardless of your writings, if you’re going to be a one-person truth squad, make sure your facts are straight. “If NBC puts Guthrie on MTP, it gives the show a female host, which would be a first,” he wrote in late August of 2022. Guthrie being Savannah Guthrie. We know by now Guthrie’s still on “The Today Show” — and that’s never been part of the quibble. We also know by now who the first “female host” really was.

Doug’s Place has attempted to correct the record more than once — in public posts here, in two e-mails to the one-man truth squad, the aforementioned YouTube comment, and even this Instagram post pinned @dougmorrisgames.

Results: Not even the slightest “whoops!” from “the writer” as of this writing. Going forward, if there ever comes a day when “the writer” needs my reaction to a development in the media industry or a quote from me for any of his stories on his website, I promise you my response will boil down to two simple words.

“No comment.”

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (that Geof approved)

If you knew Geof, you knew he loved hockey. You knew he loved his Boston Bruins. But closer to home, he loved his UAH Chargers.

When he was color commentator on the radio, it was great to see him be big brother to many players on the team. Many players came from Canada and other faraway places to play in Huntsville.

Geof also shared that passion and love of the Chargers through a website he founded — UAHHockey.com. He was so passionate, he was part of the reason the Chargers stayed in existence in 2011.

But fast forward to the pandemic. In 2020, UAH announced the end of the men’s hockey program and the men’s and women’s tennis programs. After a short comeback, another announced closure due to funding issues and the lack of conference membership.

Today, the UAH hockey team lives on as a club organization. It’s easy to say it’s better than nothing. But there is always hope the Chargers can return to D1 competition.

Geof’s UAHHockey.com has evolved as well — into ChargerHockeyJournal.com. When his professional responsibility became too much, fellow Charger fans picked up where Geof left off. Those UAH fans proposed the change in branding from UAHHockey.com to ChargerHockeyJournal.com. Geof not only blessed those plans, he secured the domain.

It’s still hard to imagine life with Geof. He was the life of our party. As of this writing, his next birthday would be less than one month from now. A present would’ve been bought with delivery plans made by now.

To all at ChargerHockeyJournal.com, please take care of the website and the best of luck in your future endeavors. May the Chargers return to D1 competition someday. Even from The Perfect Place, Geof wants to see UAH defeat Bemidji State.

Some insight on “Insight”

A particular episode of a classic weekly series was recommended by YouTube recently. I’ll get to that in a moment. But first, some notes about the series itself.

“Insight” was a religious-themed anthology that aired in syndication for more than two decades. Its host and creator was Father Ellwood E. “Bud” Kieser. The 71-year-old priest, who also worked on movie projects, passed away in 2000.

“Insight” had a list of guest stars which read like a who’s who of Hollywood. Ed Asner was in four episodes. Other guests: Mark Hamill, Nichelle Nichols, Jack Klugman, June Lockhart (I’m typing this on her 98th birthday), Martin Sheen (from? Dayton!), John Astin, just to name a few.

I specifically remember watching this episode not long after its original airing…

…in which the aforementioned Astin guest-starred as a one-armed man struggling with loneliness. I can remember Astin’s character’s smoking and his conversations with the kid like it was yesterday. (Scary I can remember that particular episode and I can’t remember what I had for lunch last Tuesday.) Also among the guest stars in this episode: Astin’s then-wife, the remarkable Patty Duke, who passed away in 2016.

But — that’s not the episode YouTube recommended I watch. YouTube and you likely know I’m a game show fan. So YouTube recommended I watch the “Insight” episode which was a parody of a game show. It was a darkly-themed game show.

The faux game show was titled “All Out!” and starred Johnny Mitchell. The show put four contestants in a series of three challenges. Each new challenge is darker than the previous one and, obviously, played for higher stakes leading to the top prize of $100,000 in cash — a staggering amount for the mid-1970s.

CONTENT WARNING: Because the challenges get darker and darker, I’d recommend not watching if you’re not in the right headspace. To be fair to Paulist Productions, this episode was brilliantly written, edited, produced, and acted. Still, at the end of this post, I’m providing a hotlink instead of an embed to be on the safe side. Okay? We good? Onward.

Some notes…

\ Johnny Mitchell was played by Bob Hastings, who hosted a real-life game show. Hastings was the original host of the Las Vegas-based, nationally syndicated “Dealer’s Choice” — until a reported controversial on-air comment resulted in his dismissal. Further, Hastings’ over-the-top hosting style on “Dealer’s” wasn’t much different than Mitchell’s hosting style on “All Out!” Fans of “Dealer’s” point out Hastings was “playing the part” of a game show host — which may have also contributed to his dismissal. In any event, TV favorite Jack Clark hosted the rest of “Dealer’s” run.

\ “Room 222” and “St. Elsewhere” fans, watch for Eric Laneuville, who — mild spoiler alert related to the above content warning — played the part of a son of a contestant struggling on whether or not to go for the darkest challenge of them all.

\ “All Out!”, as was the case of many other episodes of “Insight”, was recorded in the famed CBS Television City — the same former home of “The Price is Right” (the game show recently vacated the premises for Glendale), “The Carol Burnett Show,” the first reboots of “Family Feud” and “Card Sharks” plus many other television favorites.

\ The contestants’ desk, as a YouTuber points out in comments, were used in the unsold game show pilot “Countdown.” No, we’re not talking about the legendary UK letters/numbers game show, which would start about seven years after this episode aired. USGameShows.net called it “an intriguing mix of ‘Name That Tune’ and ‘High Rollers.'”

…so — with that, here’s the link to “All Out!”

Who can you trust?: Part III

Time for a follow-up to this original post.

I’m only hotlinking this time because of recent developments and to, hopefully, help “the writer” see the error of his ways.

First, let’s revisit this erroneous post. It’s bad enough “the writer” based this article on rumors and not a lot of facts. At least he called the rumors as search. It would be nice of “the writer” to include actual ratings data in the story.

To the best of my knowledge, “the writer” never corrected this misstatement from late August of 2022: “If NBC puts Guthrie on MTP, it gives the show a female host, which would be a first.” In the months since, I’ve googled his website domain and the proper noun Martha Rountree. As noted before, Rountree was not only the first female host of “Meet the Press”; she was the first MTP moderator. Nothing turns up in the Google searches of “the writer’s” domain address and Martha Rountree. Thus it’s concluded his website issued no public retraction — and that’s a shame.

Fast forward to this weekend. On the June 4th, 2023, edition of “Meet the Press”, Chuck Todd announced he was leaving the program but staying with NBC. While Todd is not immediately leaving MTP, his eventual successor will be Kristen Welker, who will become the second female moderator in MTP history — not counting any interim or substitute female moderators.

So — how does “the writer” report this? Well, for starters, dare I say, he buried the lede. The top story is unrelated bait to his Patreon (less said the better, apparently) — followed by some nonsense in Houston, some online cruelty on the Mississippi coast, modern-day letters to the editor, a meteorologist’s relocation from Buffalo to the aforementioned Houston, a typo out of Nashville, “raucous cheering for winning an Emmy for coverage of a mass shooting” (words from “the writer”, not me), and the story of a young news network dropping the ball on coverage of a separate mass shooting. All of this is more important than the upcoming end of the Chuck Todd era at MTP? Really?

In any event, we finally get to the Todd story. I’ll give “the writer” points for the punny headline. But I also have to give the writer deductions for burying the lede and not correcting the major mistake from late August of 2022. Would it kill “the writer” to write something like this?

“As this website continues to hold the world of journalism accountable, accountability is a two-way street.

In late August of 2022, this website published the following erroneous statement. ‘If NBC puts Guthrie on MTP, it gives the show a female host, which would be a first.’ This website has since been proven wrong on more than one count.

Obviously, Savannah Guthrie is staying put at the weekday ‘Today’ show while Welker moves on from weekend ‘Today’ to ‘Meet the Press’. Moreover, this website has since realized Welker will become the second female moderator in the long and storied history of ‘Meet the Press’.

Martha Rountree was not only the first female moderator in ‘Meet the Press’ history but also a creator of the program, which debuted in 1947 on the NBC television network. Rountree, who served as moderator of ‘Meet the Press’ for its first six years on NBC, died in 1999 at the age of 87.

This website deeply regrets the errors and apologizes to the staffs of ‘Today’ and ‘Meet the Press’. This website also apologizes to the family of Martha Rountree.

This website owes you, the reader, an apology. All of you deserve better. The strive for better starts now.”

Now, will we get this kind of an apology from “the writer”? A typo out of Nashville and a weather anchor’s relocation from one market to another seem more important in “the writer’s” world than anything related to MTP. So, I’m not going to hold my breath on this one.

ADDENDUM 06/06/23: To be fair, “the writer” was on his job the day Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon were dismissed from Fox News and CNN, respectively. He provided breaking coverage and followed up with more coverage in the aftermath. Noticeably, that hasn’t happened since news broke Todd is leaving.

ADDENDUM 06/07/23: Presented without further editorial comment.

You’re a fake, baby. You can’t conceal it. Part V.

(Update on Esther Bea from Part IV. As of this writing, no response from her or the real lady who’s been victimized by Esther’s swiping.

I’m kinda wondering when this series will end myself. ‘Til then…)

Fake profiles aren’t limited to Facebook. Against my better judgment, I returned to online dating late last month. I will not name the app. It’s one you’ve probably never heard of.

I thought this app would lead to a different, better experience. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced a lot of the same nonsense on this app that I have on the apps you have heard of (Match, Bumble, Tinder, eHarmony, etc.).

That said, on this app, a lady from, supposedly, the town of Pickens liked my profile just today. She immediately wanted to move the discussion to Instagram — since she claimed she’s there more often.

The lady’s face is adorable and I let her know that. With a beautiful face, you’d think her IG page would be filled with selfies, right? WRONG! Just one photo, one profile pic, one fresh IG story, an archived story and that was about it for content. Alarms started sounding — but onward with conversation.

Erica Butler claimed to be in her mid-20s and an assistant principal at St. Joseph Prep in Pickens, Mississippi, located in Holmes County. She also claimed to relocate to her present position from Houston, Texas. Smart cookie, you say? Not when you consider she expressed the school’s name as “st Joseph prep” in chat. Alarms sounded louder.

During a lull, apparently because Erica had to take care of business, I pulled out the iPad to google “St. Joseph Prep” in Pickens. I found one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, easily. But nothing turned up for a St. Joseph Prep in Pickens. Alarms sounded louder.

When the conversation resumed after her supposed break, Erica told me she was stressed out. “Our students are having a fundraiser and the deadline is at 3 so we’re desperately trying to find a buyer for our last shirt,” Erica messaged me on Instagram. Every last shirt must go?

She sent me this image…

…and she told me proceeds benefit the school’s special education department.

I asked if there’s a website for this fundraiser (while conveniently hiding the fact I googled this school and couldn’t find it).

“No, it’s just a little fundraiser the kids wanted to do at the beginning of the year,” Erica messaged me on Instagram.

Beginning of the year?!?!?! When did this fundraiser start? Just after January 1, 2023? Just after the first day of the academic year — going back to 2022? Either way, you’re down to one shirt and you’re sweating bullets over it? Really?

As the alarms sounded louder, I just went with it — just to see how much more nonsense Erica would spew. After further discussion, I flat out asked how I could order.

“All orders go through my boss,” Erica messaged me. She later gave me her boss’s number in the Instagram chat. Knowing Pickens is in the 662 area code, I was anticipating her boss’s digits starting with said 662 area code.

Nope. Erica gave me a number that started with an 832 area code — one of four area codes for the aforementioned city of Houston. Yup, I thought, we’ve got a falsehood here somewhere.

“832 area code? That’s Pickens?” I asked.

“Give me a second let me get his office number,” Erica messaged. And — moments later — Erica’s meager Instagram presence — is no more. She self-destructed her profile. #AnotherOneBitesTheDust

Circling back to the image, what’s alarming is there was no contact information for the school (“662-###-####”). What’s also troubling is, to put it in TV graphics terms, the “Upper Lower” of “Please Help Our Special Education department.” Notice how the first letter in each word of the phrase is capitalized — but “department” is all lowercase. The “Upper Lower” of “ST. Joseph k-12 Shirt Raffle” across the top is just as alarming as “st Joseph prep” in online messaging. Neatness counts, as any good educator would point out.

There’s also no secure web address listed. Per Erica, “All orders go through my boss.” Well, if that’s really the case, what if the boss is out of the office due to illness, a possible business trip, or even a family emergency? Do T-shirt sales suddenly halt in the boss’s absence? Her story, to be fair, would’ve made a bit more sense if we could order shirts through — wait for it — the aforementioned special education department. The public, myself included, would need a phone number starting with a 662 area code, instead of someone’s cell number that didn’t start 662, to order a T-shirt in this fundraiser.

In this writer’s opinion, it was obvious Erica was after me for more than “only $35”. As for Erica, the lady in her mid-20s, was she genuine? Were her selfies and Instagram stories original work or did she steal them from someone else? Since I only saw them for just a few hours and conversed with her in the span of only two hours, I can only assume the images and videos were of her making. One of her selfies had a big monitor reading “Welcome to 9th Grade English” — an apparent upgrade from my days in the classroom with chalkboards. If the image is legit, maybe she’s really a teacher and not the second in command of a school. And if she’s really working for a school district in Houston as a teacher, did she just commit violations of the acceptable internet use policy? If she’s really in the 832, no wonder she closed her IG account after my area code question.

Sometimes, you don’t need to be tech savvy. Just a little common sense, detection of context clues, and the right questions win the day.