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So did anyone watch Celebrity Charades? I saw something on the news about it (it was ABC's overnight news), and they had some folks acting out some puzzle (I couldn't tell if it was reporters or clips from the actual show). But for anyone who saw it, how was it? Is it worth checking out for the rest of the week? TIA.
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Well, it's definitely a game-show-for-people-who-don't-like-game-shows. It's highly edited and a little confusing to follow. The set is a very large apartment. Two teams of celebrities play at the SAME TIME--in different rooms down a hall from each other--trying to solve five charades (all of which are movie titles) that are given them by the moderator, who sits in a room between the playing rooms. Once a team has guessed all five charades, they have a chance to guess the theme connecting the five titles.
It's not a bad game, I think, but it's probably an even better party.
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As much as I would have liked to see it, I must admit I'm growing addicted to WWE again, so Celebrity Charades lost out to that.
We need more WWE ques...........ah, screw it. That's not even funny.
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It was produced under the assumption that everybody in the audience has ADD. So many pop-ups that I was wondering if I could somehow get my PC's pop-up controls connected to the TV. Next time I'll take a Xanax and Dramamine before watching.
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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It sounds very much like Running Charades crossed with Password Plus. Which worked beautifully on "Body Language.* What's wrong with having a host, set, music, contestants and prize money?
On that note, the format reminds me of the 'puzzle' format that was used on "Win, Lose or Draw," draw clues for 60 seconds, guess the puzzle for $200. When was that used as round one?
* Yes, I know they weren't exactly alike, but close enough for me.
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I watched the show last night, and it actually wasn't that bad. Way too many pop-ups, as Randy mentioned, and a bit too much talking in between the three rounds. (Like I really care what they were eating for dinner!)
However, the gameplay was fun to watch, and it was entertaining enough
to warrant a second viewing sometime. Less talking, more gameplay (best out of 5, perhaps?).
I call foul on the name "Celebrity" in the title...I mean, any show with Steve Guttenberg...
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[quote name=\'davewalls\' date=\'Jun 21 2005, 01:53 PM\']I call foul on the name "Celebrity" in the title...I mean, any show with Steve Guttenberg...[/quote]
I know this was meant as a joke, but I strongly disagree. Compared to almost any other game show that used "Celebrity" in the title, this had a very interesting collection of predominantly movie actors that you don't typically expect to see doing game shows.
I didn't mind the pace, but personally, I'm a sucker for all-celebrity games anyway (yes, even Password All-Stars) so I went in expecting to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week, and I'm hoping this won't be the last of it.
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On that note, the format reminds me of the 'puzzle' format that was used on "Win, Lose or Draw," draw clues for 60 seconds, guess the puzzle for $200. When was that used as round one?
Beginning sometime in the middle of the 2nd syndie season, around early 89.
Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")
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I saw this last night and immediately set it up on the Tivo when I got home. I enjoyed it a lot, and the popups didn't bother me much at all. I also thought they did a fine job playing to their audience....the associations were ones a serious film buff would know, but I didn't have a prayer in most cases. (Although I did get credit for getting the "Catwoman" one on the first clue...I said "Movies that sucked!" when they were in fact Worst Picture Razzie winners. :))
There are many more offensive ways to spend a half hour. I hope it catches on.
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I turned this on tonight, and this is the first game show I could not last two minutes watching (I even gave Studio 7 two episodes). The pace and editing were too hyper for my taste. I felt like I would get dizzy just by watching it.
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I think the problem a lot of people here are having is that people are watching it expecting it to be a game show. It isn't, any more so than Celebrity Poker Showdown or Hollywood Hold 'Em is. It's people being gathered to play a parlor game, and the event being filmed.
And if you're not a film buff, it's prolly not going to appeal to you either.
But if you like parlor games, or you like movies enough that you recognize F-list names, or can figure out that a list of movies all have female directors, then it's an interesting watch. But it's _not_ a game show.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 22 2005, 10:50 PM\']I think the problem a lot of people here are having is that people are watching it expecting it to be a game show. It isn't, any more so than Celebrity Poker Showdown or Hollywood Hold 'Em is. It's people being gathered to play a parlor game, and the event being filmed.
And if you're not a film buff, it's prolly not going to appeal to you either.
But if you like parlor games, or you like movies enough that you recognize F-list names, or can figure out that a list of movies all have female directors, then it's an interesting watch. But it's _not_ a game show.
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I enjoy watching Celebrity Poker Showdown. And I consider myself to be a film buff. But when the camera can't stay focused on one scene of action for more than ten seconds at a time without an edit, it doesn't suit my tastes, whatever type of show you want to call it. I didn't watch long enough to give a fair review, but I thought I would get a headache if I continued.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 11:56 AM\']I enjoy watching Celebrity Poker Showdown. And I consider myself to be a film buff. But when the camera can't stay focused on one scene of action for more than ten seconds at a time without an edit, it doesn't suit my tastes, whatever type of show you want to call it. I didn't watch long enough to give a fair review, but I thought I would get a headache if I continued.[/quote]
I think you and Chris are both bringing up good points. The rapid pace doesn't happen to bother me, but I easily see how it could. I'll say again that we're a long way from F-list celebrities here, though Tuesday's was a step down from Monday's. The "theme" of the puzzles is their one concession to a play-at-home element, though I'm a pretty good movie buff and I've had a very hard time with them. I don't like the giveaway "hints" they show us; either we're playing along at home or we're not.
Still, it's a fun way to watch famous and semi-famous folks kicking back and having a good time, the true test of any celebrity "game show". Balaban has a Ben Stein quality to him, and he seems willing to play the part of the pompous know-it-all. I loved the bit Tuesday where he was elaborately describing to us how he'd do a tricky one like "Indecent Proposal." Meanwhile the player got down on one knee to mime "proposal" and got the charade in about three seconds.
Have you noticed that they make sure to tell us what charity each of the stars are representing, but they make no mention at all of what prize structure there may or may not be?
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I saw the last ten minutes of Thursday's show, and I still don't like the frentic pace of the show, but it wasn't as bad as my initial viewing made it seem. The celebrities are actually recognizable to be, unlike celebrities that appeared on the latest version of Pyramid for instance.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 09:22 PM\']I saw the last ten minutes of Thursday's show, and I still don't like the frentic pace of the show, but it wasn't as bad as my initial viewing made it seem. The celebrities are actually recognizable to be, unlike celebrities that appeared on the latest version of Pyramid for instance.
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What? You didn't recognize the lady from the Pine-Sol commercial?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 22 2005, 10:50 PM\']But if you like parlor games, or you like movies enough that you recognize F-list names, or can figure out that a list of movies all have female directors, then it's an interesting watch. But it's _not_ a game show.
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I just wish the parlor game was Password.
I do enjoy guessing the theme, but some of the movie titles, let alone the themes, are really obscure. Not necessarily old but good, often they're recent and mediocre. "Mystery, Alaska" was one such spellbinder, then someone mentioned that one of the celebrities was in it!
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 08:44 PM\']"Mystery, Alaska" was one such spellbinder
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One, it didn't do THAT badly in theatres, and two, it really wasn't that bad of a movie.
Though your point is well taken. One of my fellow viewers is quite the movie buff and he didn't recognize some of the titles. I do think, though, that much of AMC's viewership would at least smile at some of the titles they chose.
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Let me also agree with you or Matt's praise of Bob Balaban. Somehow he can give really smug hints to amusingly impossible themes and it comes off hilariously. Maybe he should host a Pyramid revival. I'd love to see him offer the perfect clue that, say, Vicki Lawrence couldn't come up with.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 08:59 PM\']Let me also agree with you or Matt's praise of Bob Balaban. Somehow he can give really smug hints to amusingly impossible themes and it comes off hilariously. Maybe he should host a Pyramid revival.
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Wow.
The sad thing is, this isn't the most agnonizingly horribly completely and utterly awful idea that I've seen posted here.
But, wow.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 12:35 PM\']I don't like the giveaway "hints" they show us; either we're playing along at home or we're not.
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Well, then just tape a piece of cardboard to your TV.... like you'd do for Password.
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[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' date=\'Jun 24 2005, 08:39 AM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 12:35 PM\']I don't like the giveaway "hints" they show us; either we're playing along at home or we're not.[/quote]
Well, then just tape a piece of cardboard to your TV.... like you'd do for Password.[/quote]
Thought of that...problem is that I DO like most of the other information they put down there. Besides, most of the time it's more fun to know the title and see the players struggle with it -- that was the fun behind any of the old panel games.
I'm just saying that if they WANT us to not know the charade and play along, the "hints" that they give are so obvious as to make the whole exercise a waste. On the first charade of one of the rounds Tuesday, just as they're getting started, up comes "Hint: STELLA!" That's not a "hint", it's either a giveaway to those who know it or it's pointless to those who don't. Therefore it's useless.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 23 2005, 11:41 PM\']
Wow.
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Well, okay, let me amend that. Maybe if Pyramid came back in a Manhattan loft with movie actors and no civilians, and with a folded-up piece of paper rather than monitors and trilons, then he might be an amusing host, if only when compared to John Davidson.
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No, it would still bite. Which is a shame, because it seems really hard to screw up Pyramid.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 26 2005, 06:00 PM\']No, it would still bite. Which is a shame, because it seems really hard to screw up Pyramid.
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And yet, it was done for two years in syndication recently.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Jun 26 2005, 07:22 PM\'][quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jun 26 2005, 06:00 PM\']No, it would still bite. Which is a shame, because it seems really hard to screw up Pyramid.
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And yet, it was done for two years in syndication recently.
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That's true, but it took a lot of people working long hours at high rates of pay to mess it up.
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Final thoughts on "Celeb Charades":
Diverting, but it does need to be cleaned up a little. I don't mind if they keep it as a party in an apartment, but there still needs to be some sort of an authority figure at the center. In the other recent attempt to provide an alternative to host-as-providing-through-line, "Studio 7"'s use of reality-show-style confessionals (and the video bios instead of "tell us about yourself") worked. Those graphics at the bottom of the screen didn't (and the fact that they were standard AMC font was equally distracting). "Celeb Charades" needs a host and Balaban would be it, in this instance, if only because he made the most gestures towards being a host in the shows I saw.
Also, I would like to see them include the players for the night in the titles sequence, just we so have an idea right off the top who's playing (and doing a red/blue background color scheme would help us figure out which team they're on). Also, I'd have after the establishing shot of the loft Balaban turning to the camera and doing an intro to the show and then the rules, just to keep things grounded.
Otherwise, I wouldn't mind seeing more eps--but the silence from AMC's corner gives me the feeling that the numbers weren't good enough to even spin in their favor.