The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: steveleb on January 06, 2011, 11:33:18 AM
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Good morning all,
I rarely post (my bad), but I wanted to get this forum's feedback on what I believe may be a fantastic opportunity for all parties concerned.
Probably many of you have already seen the story on Ted Williams, the homeless man in Columbus, Ohio who turned out to have a "golden voice", as well as a one-time promising radio career that was derailed by his self-professed drug abuse and subsequent fallout. For those who haven't, there are undoubtedly numerous links via YouTube. The viral video has gotten several million hits and the attention of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, who have offered Ted an announcing job as well as housing, as well as NFL Films, whose management is determined to give him a shot in that field.
Well...let's see--what other famous ex-Cleveland resident, currently a prominent daytime TV personality, works for a program that is currently offering on-air tryouts for guest announcers?
And do we think this would be a GREAT idea for the show, Mr. Williams and, for that matter, CBS Daytime?
I would welcome your most respected thoughts.
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They are not auditioning for announcers, but comedians. They had an announcer, but now they want a comedian to be Drew's sidekick.
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Not a bad idea actually, but I don't know if he could read such a large volume of copy flawlessly. He does have the perfect voice for it though.
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[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'254075\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 08:57 AM\']He does have the perfect voice for it though.[/quote]
I question that. He's got a "boss jock" voice, unsurprising considering when he went to broadcasting school for training. He'd be great on a MOYL-type format, but honestly, the market for that type of voice is literally dying out. I'm not sure he would be a good announcer for a high-energy show like TPiR even if they *were* looking for a straight voice.
I wish him all the luck in the world with the Cavs gig, but I have to wonder whether the Cavs are just exploiting him for a little pub considering how much they need it after the Lebron James fiasco and subsequent on-court performance.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254086\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 01:18 PM\']I wish him all the luck in the world with the Cavs gig, but I have to wonder whether the Cavs are just exploiting him for a little pub considering how much they need it after the Lebron James fiasco and subsequent on-court performance.[/quote]
Exploiting him implies that he's not being properly compensated.
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[quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'254089\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 12:12 PM\']Exploiting him implies that he's not being properly compensated.[/quote]
Yes it does. I hope his salary is competitive to others working in his new field and that his job security and long-term prospects are the same as any other candidate's would have been.
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[quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'254089\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 03:12 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254086\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 01:18 PM\']I wish him all the luck in the world with the Cavs gig, but I have to wonder whether the Cavs are just exploiting him for a little pub considering how much they need it after the Lebron James fiasco and subsequent on-court performance.[/quote]
Exploiting him implies that he's not being properly compensated.[/quote]
I thought I saw the phrase "housing assistance" mentioned somewhere. IMO, this is about as exploitative as an episode of Ellen's talk show ie "We've brought you and your sob story on the show, so here's all this free stuff to make you feel better."
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[quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'254110\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 07:47 PM\'][quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'254089\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 03:12 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254086\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 01:18 PM\']I wish him all the luck in the world with the Cavs gig, but I have to wonder whether the Cavs are just exploiting him for a little pub considering how much they need it after the Lebron James fiasco and subsequent on-court performance.[/quote]
Exploiting him implies that he's not being properly compensated.[/quote]
I thought I saw the phrase "housing assistance" mentioned somewhere.
[/quote]
The Cavs provided him with a house, mortgage-free. I'm guessing with the sponsor of their arena being Quicken Loans, that was a pretty easy situation.
If I were a game show producer, I'd definitely love to get him behind the mic, as I could listen to him read the phone book. :-) But I think Price would be a little too much for him, esp. as he's trying to regain his footing.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'254133\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 11:31 PM\']If I were a game show producer, I'd definitely love to get him behind the mic, as I could listen to him read the phone book. :-)[/quote]
"Tonight's winning SPINID belongs to..."
I'd be for it. Hell, if he can sing, he could be the next Thurl Ravenscroft. I'd be for that, too.
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His voice doesn't seem to fit Price, in my opinion. Wheel and/or Jeopardy, on the other hand....
/NFL Flims apparently has also contacted him
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'254133\' date=\'Jan 6 2011, 11:31 PM\']The Cavs provided him with a house, mortgage-free. I'm guessing with the sponsor of their arena being Quicken Loans, that was a pretty easy situation.[/quote]
Because Mark Odor's favorite owner, Dan Gilbert, also owns Quicken Loans.
When I first heard the story, I thought it was a headline from The Onion. It sounds like something they'd create.
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My problem with the chain of events is that Ted went from Guy on Off-Ramp to V/O guy for The Today Show. Nothing in between. He didn't work at a local radio station, didn't start on the bottom rung of the ladder and work his way up, just >zip!< he's got a Fast Forward Pass because he's got a great story to tell and anyone who wants to can grab him and get some publicity for helping out the homeless guy. What about all the people who are pulling long shifts in the industry, trying to move up and making a living out of it, and hoping for a career? Oh no, their story isn't compelling enough, gotta go with the homeless guy. And that's to say nothing about giving this sort of gig to a guy with an awesome mug shot collection. It is terrific that he's sober and trying to get his ducks arranged, but I really don't like any of it.
I would happily listen to him tell me when Family Guy is on next, or introduce the anchors on a local TV news show, but I really don't think he has the kind of voice for a copy-heavy show such as TPIR.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'254241\' date=\'Jan 8 2011, 12:21 PM\']My problem with the chain of events is that Ted went from Guy on Off-Ramp to V/O guy for The Today Show. Nothing in between. He didn't work at a local radio station, didn't start on the bottom rung of the ladder and work his way up[/quote]
To be fair, we don't know that. Dude went to broadcasting school, and I would wager he did some of that small-market stuff in the '80s before he ran into the problems he did.
He didn't *re*start at the bottom, that's definitely true. And I can definitely see where some folks might find that frustrating, and certainly it doesn't teach the life lesson we would like it to, but that's fine because that lesson is a false one anyhow.
One of the unspoken lessons (because it's being glossed over by all of the feelgood-isn't-it-great-we're-all-helping-the-bum stuff the media is trumping, because that's the story that gets ratings) it DOES teach us is: life isn't always fair, not by a long shot, and you can do everything right and someone could still jump over you on the career ladder for all the wrong reasons. And we need to learn to deal with that because shiat happens. And I'm fine with that; in my opinion, that is sometimes a good lesson to teach.
/and Hulk Hogan got the American Gladiators gig over Mike Adamle, so we already knew all of this
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I've had beef with Youtube for making so many people celebrities for the craziest reasons (see Dodson, Antoine). Ted has a great hard luck story, and it's not like he was asking to be thrust into the spotlight; he just wanted a second chance after admitting he screwed up. And although he's been all over the place the last few days, he does seem genuinely humbled by what has happened. I'm rooting for him.
Granted, Antoine didn't ask someone to make a song called Bed Intruder, and only wanted to confront his sister's would-be attacker, but it's still somewhat different, given how animated he was on the news report.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'254246\' date=\'Jan 8 2011, 12:56 PM\']Ted has a great hard luck story, and it's not like he was asking to be thrust into the spotlight; he just wanted a second chance after admitting he screwed up. And although he's been all over the place the last few days, he does seem genuinely humbled by what has happened. I'm rooting for him.[/quote]That's my problem; it isn't a great hard-luck story. You don't become homeless by random chance, most of the time. He did some bad things, and now he's paying for them, and I don't like that companies are tripping over themselves to cash in.
Chris is right, life isn't fair, and sometimes things like this happen. But I'd also want to teach my kids to look beyond the story that the media wants to portray and to ask questions and to look for deeper meaning, and not just say "That sounds good, I'm going to run with that," and to actually work hard when things get tough, and not hang your hopes on becoming a Youtube sensation, or becoming the Next American Idol, or hoping that some game show will pick you because your story fits into their agenda and they'll snow you with cash and prizes. And if you do grab that brass ring, hold on for dear life, because it could take you to places you never dreamed.
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[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'254246\' date=\'Jan 8 2011, 12:56 PM\']And although he's been all over the place the last few days, he does seem genuinely humbled by what has happened. I'm rooting for him.[/quote]
I got nothing against Ted. There are two types of people in the world: people who would take advantage of every opportunity thrown their way in a situation like that, and filthy liars. Good on him.
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'254281\' date=\'Jan 8 2011, 06:21 PM\']But I'd also want to teach my kids to look beyond the story that the media wants to portray and to ask questions and to look for deeper meaning, and not just say "That sounds good, I'm going to run with that," and to actually work hard when things get tough, and not hang your hopes on becoming a Youtube sensation, or becoming the Next American Idol, or hoping that some game show will pick you because your story fits into their agenda and they'll snow you with cash and prizes.[/quote]
Without question. I think that is what we're all saying here, in fact. What I said doesn't imply that said kids shouldn't work hard or throw up their hands when faced with adversity, just that sometimes you can do everything right and things *still* don't work out. Being a hard and diligent worker *maximizes* your chances for success. It does not guarantee it. That's all.
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If I required the services of an announcer I would stay the heck away from this guy. Take a look at his rap sheet:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/cel...on-golden-voice (http://\"http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/meet-felon-golden-voice\")
Not exactly a model employee. Not someone I would expect to be dependable. There is other voice talent available.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254300\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 04:29 AM\']http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/cel...on-golden-voice (http://\"http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/meet-felon-golden-voice\")[/quote]
I think they're trying to smear this guy. I mean, he DID say drugs and alcohol took over his life, and he WAS homeless...he said in no uncertain words where he was coming from, so anyone who knows this guy's story knows that part of it going in. Why are his mug shots and rap sheet being presented like some sort of revelation?
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'254307\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 12:05 PM\']I think they're trying to smear this guy. I mean, he DID say drugs and alcohol took over his life, and he WAS homeless...he said in no uncertain words where he was coming from, so anyone who knows this guy's story knows that part of it going in. Why are his mug shots and rap sheet being presented like some sort of revelation?[/quote]
In the first place, that's all Smoking Gun does is dig up dirt on people, he's certainly not being singled out. Secondly, "drugs and alcohol" is a familiar stanza in a redemption story like this, so familiar that the media is choosing to gloss over the "theft, robbery, escape, forgery" part because that doesn't play as well.
It's safe to say that there's no way Oprah, Kraft, the Cavs, ET and who knows who else would have hired this guy under normal circumstances, since "golden voices" aren't really all that rare and the most cursory of background checks would have exposed his very shady background. This story makes me uncomfortable, for most of the reasons Chris and Travis have already mentioned. This is a guy who probably had some bad breaks, but who also made a string of extremely bad choices, and essentially he's now being rewarded for them big time.
Still, I think the only way the media now turns on this guy is if it comes out that the whole thing was manipulated in some way, and everything about the story appears legit. Chalk it up to a life lesson (i.e. "not always fair"), and move on.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254312\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 09:26 AM\']Still, I think the only way the media now turns on this guy is if it comes out that the whole thing was manipulated in some way[/quote]
Does it make me a bastard that I've at least, briefly, internally, entertained the possibility that this whole thing is a hoax?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254361\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 09:56 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254312\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 09:26 AM\']Still, I think the only way the media now turns on this guy is if it comes out that the whole thing was manipulated in some way[/quote]Does it make me a bastard that I've at least, briefly, internally, entertained the possibility that this whole thing is a hoax?[/quote]I don't think so. Not a bit.
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Does it make me a bastard that I've at least, briefly, internally, entertained the possibility that this whole thing is a hoax?
It's not a hoax but I have to wonder about the rapidity of this guy's rise. One day he's working a freeway underpass; 24 hours later he's a media sensation, he's got a free house and VO gigs that would be the envy of many established voice artists. Did he even audition for these gigs as everyone else has to do? I sense the heavy hand of the Hollywood publicity machine in this.
WRT doing TPIR, I wouldn't go near this guy. The announcer of TPIR has to show up at the studio Johnny on the spot, ready to rehearse. I'd be worried that this guy might call in needing to be bailed out of the hoosegow, an unacceptable risk.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254361\' date=\'Jan 10 2011, 01:56 AM\']Does it make me a bastard that I've at least, briefly, internally, entertained the possibility that this whole thing is a hoax?[/quote]
Nah, but you're still a bastard for a host of other reasons. :)
[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254367\' date=\'Jan 10 2011, 07:56 AM\']The announcer of TPIR has to show up at the studio Johnny on the spot...[/quote]
I thought Johnny died 25 years ago.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'254362\' date=\'Jan 10 2011, 01:01 AM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254361\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 09:56 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254312\' date=\'Jan 9 2011, 09:26 AM\']Still, I think the only way the media now turns on this guy is if it comes out that the whole thing was manipulated in some way[/quote]Does it make me a bastard that I've at least, briefly, internally, entertained the possibility that this whole thing is a hoax?[/quote]I don't think so. Not a bit.
[/quote]
I hope not. Because I had the same thought!
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And so it begins...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/t...1_n_807400.html (http://\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/ted-williams-goldenvoiced_1_n_807400.html\")
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254445\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 10:26 AM\']And so it begins...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/t...1_n_807400.html (http://\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/ted-williams-goldenvoiced_1_n_807400.html\")[/quote]
I hate to be an "I told you so", but ...
He's "radioactive".
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254461\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 08:08 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254445\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 10:26 AM\']And so it begins...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/t...1_n_807400.html (http://\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/ted-williams-goldenvoiced_1_n_807400.html\")[/quote]
I hate to be an "I told you so", but ...
He's "radioactive".
[/quote]
A father having a heated argument with his daughter? What is this world coming to?
When he holds up a 7-11 at gunpoint or something of that nature, then you can tell us so.
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[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'254463\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 04:19 PM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254461\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 08:08 PM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'254445\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 10:26 AM\']And so it begins...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/t...1_n_807400.html (http://\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/ted-williams-goldenvoiced_1_n_807400.html\")[/quote]
I hate to be an "I told you so", but ...
He's "radioactive".
[/quote]
A father having a heated argument with his daughter? What is this world coming to?
When he holds up a 7-11 at gunpoint or something of that nature, then you can tell us so.[/quote]
Read a little, learn a lot. He has a bit of a rap sheet:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/cel...on-golden-voice (http://\"http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/meet-felon-golden-voice\")
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254464\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 08:22 PM\']Read a little, learn a lot. He has a bit of a rap sheet:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/cel...on-golden-voice (http://\"http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/meet-felon-golden-voice\")[/quote]
Oh, I was aware of his rap sheet. I thought we were going for new offenses.
And before anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm in the group that believes it's a shame that other, more qualified voice artists are getting looked over because of his insta-celebrity.
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[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'254466\' date=\'Jan 11 2011, 07:27 PM\']...before anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm in the group that believes it's a shame that other, more qualified voice artists are getting looked over because of his insta-celebrity.[/quote]
Since my V/O work is all for under-the-radar in-house safety videos, etc., he hasn't hurt my work opportunities any.
((Just to make sure, Travis S. and the rest, you haven't replaced me with him for Ineligible Productions announcer, have you?))
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http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/sto...s-canceled.html (http://\"http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2011/01/12/story-columbus-ted-williams-events-canceled.html\")
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Smart move, since the media clearly isn't gonna give this guy a break.
Here's hoping that the downtime gives him what he needs to get centered and to deal with this major life change.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254611\' date=\'Jan 13 2011, 11:17 AM\']Here's hoping that the downtime gives him what he needs to get centered and to deal with this major life change.[/quote]
Forget the VO career for the time being. If he can stay out of the slammer and kick the drugs and booze he'll be ahead of the game.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'254615\' date=\'Jan 13 2011, 12:18 PM\']Forget the VO career for the time being. If he can stay out of the slammer and kick the drugs and booze he'll be ahead of the game.[/quote]
Yes, and maybe some time out of public scrutiny will give him a chance to make sure he's done that.
/but most importantly, don't get hacked
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'254611\' date=\'Jan 13 2011, 02:17 PM\']Smart move, since the media clearly isn't gonna give this guy a break.
Here's hoping that the downtime gives him what he needs to get centered and to deal with this major life change.[/quote]
Agreed. It looked like he was willing to enjoy the week of fame he had, before moving on, not counting the Dr. Phil appearance.
I think the argument he had with his daughter was a non-story, but that's the media for you. I'm rooting for you, but I think he needs to keep a low profile.
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It continues. (http://\"http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/24/ted-williams-golden-voice-leaves-rehab-origins-early-recovery-center-texas-drugs-alcohol-radio/\")
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'255498\' date=\'Jan 24 2011, 04:05 PM\']It continues. (http://\"http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/24/ted-williams-golden-voice-leaves-rehab-origins-early-recovery-center-texas-drugs-alcohol-radio/\")[/quote]
I'm sure he had a good reason to flee... Perhaps Chris Parnell decided to pursue other interests and the good people at Hamburger Helper needed a voice for the Helping Hand.