Ben Williams

Courtesy of gameshowman....

1) Okay, I have to admit, I've heard one or two Swing-Out Sister songs. What's your favorite?
Forever Blue and After Hours are probably my favorite songs by them. Interestingly enough, I've always envisioned them as a trio (ala it's better to travel), when I recently learned that most of their euro/japan hits have been as a duo.

2) I'm just getting into trying different beers as a hobby. Name some of your favorites.
Sam Adams (yes, I know) and there's this awesome English Cherry Lager I had once at Winking Lizard in Penninsula. Honestly, I'm not a huge beer person, more of a mixed drink-rum-vodka man.

3) Don't you just wish TMZ would leave poor Claudia Jordan alone already?
Yes. Let me bother her a little :-) JK. Honestly, I wish TMZ would just go away. Forever.

4) If Caesar's Challenge was revived, what changes would you like to see made to it?
I would keep the basic main game, end game, and theme. Ditch the shopping element (which made NO sense to me), and potentially the strictly-caesars theme. I would keep the Las vegas slot idea, but I think the Caesar's theme kinda pigeon-holes it.  

5) Pick me out a good spot in Pittsburgh (no chains, please) to get a good slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza.
Easy. Fiori's and Pittzarella.

If you ask for five questions, I'll give you five to answer!

I'm the DJ...the Trivia question should be a dead giveaway.

if you've ever looked at the busiest busybody on the comics page...this will make you laugh...

...Because I'm going to be an Uncle.

More later- I swear. Including pics from my trip to NYC.

Somehow, I dreamed about 227. 

Explain that one.  

 1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is/was an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
8a. Had more than 5,000 books in your childhood home [I added this one]
9. Were read children's books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
23. You and your family lived in a single family house.
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in High School.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
31. (What happened to #31???)
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

This is what you get when you don't fund the public schools correctly!

I used to think the shells in Shell Game once contained some kind of meat in them. I remember my mouth watering every time I saw this game being played. Even today, they still look tasty!

 1990 Ford Tempo, recieved in 2003.. Yes, it was a kinda lame, boring car. But she was mine. Later, when she almost died, I got a 1989 Taurus that i drove for about a year until the brakes went out (as I was driving down the Copley Road Hill). I drove mom and Dad's minivan for like 6 months, then in Nov 2006, I got the 99 Grand Prix.

How can NBC cancel Journeyman now?

Is Bionic Woman as bad as I keep hearing?

Ladies and gentlemen...The exact moment I stopped liking Rap.

 Description: It's Sale lite people!

The format is basically, in theory the same:

-:30 speed round
-Instant Bargain
-Fame Game
-Knock Off (ie. Wipeout)
-Instant Bargain
-:30 speed round (Pick one of two answers)
-Instant Cash
-:30 speed round (for $10)
-Super Knock-off bonus round

Notes: 
This version of Sale basically puts more emphasis on shopping than TemptationAUS or Sale ever did...as much as I hate that, I can understand because this is aimed at a daytime audience, and because people are much stupider than ever before (it's also the same reason why we'll NEVER see a Password revival again). Once I got past that, it was pretty enjoyable.
The set/props/open and most graphics are similar to the Australian version.
Rolanda Watts is the announcer-unseen, though.

What works:
The format is surprisingly quick
Rossi was good with the Instant bargains
The bonus game will be nice- when played with actual contestants
The new fame game
About 75% of the presentation is good and spot on- the set looks like a Saks or Nordstrom store.

What doesn't work:
Not enough questions- however I think this may also be better with real contestants
No chance to win the lot
Knock-off: the first one.
Missing an additional on-air personality

What should change:
Drop the first Knock-off. Change the final speed round to 60 seconds, and add a second Fame Game before it. If they REALLY want to spice it up, start the value of the FG at $20-25, and let the dollars tic away as letters are revealed. Drop the words in the theme song (or just have them say "You can't fight the Temptation" ONCE.)
And please, let the contestants win all the prizes.

In conclusion:
I feel that this show has potential to be really, really good. (I just hope that, unlike Feud it won't take 7 years to get it right) Going in, I KNEW it wasn't going to be a souped-up remake of Sale (or TemptationAUS, for that matter) because it's aiming at a different audience. If this were a direct competitor to Wheel, J! or WWTBAM, I would expect something more to TemptationAUS. Regardless, I took it for what it was, and enjoyed myself. And Mikalah.

Grade: 7.0 out of 10.  

After I show y'all WHY I love 30 Rock so much...

The worst website in the world...

http://www.jeremy-545.piczo.com

Edit-This is one of the people I was mentioning that is complaining about the new TPIR set.