Honestly, I was surprised to learn she is the daughter of Harry Blackstone, Jr. Watched his magic shows on TV growing up and thought he was great.


JD

Didn't she appear with her father on an episode of John Byner's "Relatively Speaking"? Either her or he appeared with his son.  I want to say I remember seeing him in an episode as the mystery guest, but I haven't seen all the episodes on streaming yet.

They’re also looking into brand extensions that would focus on kids and families.

When I watched the premiere week and noted that there were tie-ins with a kombucha brand and iHeart and a few other things, I grokked what Seacrest was really bringing to the table. Sure, he's a good pair of hands as a host, but as an on-air steward of pop music & pop culture, he's able to connect to The Young People more than Pat could.

The (re)introduction of special gimmicks have been okay-to-good. The XL wedge has inspired a gimmick I use in my version of Wheel I do at conventions.

The news here is that, like J!, they are looking into finding a streaming partner for same-day or next day streaming. They’re also looking into brand extensions that would focus on kids and families.

https://deadline.com/2024/10/wheel-of-fortune-bellamie-blackstone-showrunner-interview-1236122004/

A J! Live show could work on the college circuit if you open the eligible audience contestant pool to current university students, faculty and alumni.  That would reduce at least the chance for  consistent blank stares from the lesser-educated contestants mentioned above.  Also gives the producers to scout out potential College Tournament contestants when those weeks come up on TV.

This all just came to me in the last few minutes. You honestly wouldn't even have to go that far. When I bought tickets to TPiR Live, I had the option to go as a spectator or a potential contestant. If you wanna be a J! Live contestant, you could take a very brief exam in advance (let's say 15 clues) and if you get at least 10 right you're entered into the pool where your name could be drawn. It could be three columns from an old episode or 15 random clues.

But even that seems a little too formal because I just don't know if this is enjoyable enough to fill the same theater or casino that Wheel or TPiR Live fills. It's just so much more of a niche game.

I know it's come up a few times how so many sellers of giant playing cards only offer a red deck or a blue deck, not both. Well, here's both, packaged together, and a massive 11"x17" size that would make them pretty dang close to what Jim Perry flipped. Reviews point to the cards being fairly heavy and sturdy. The downside is that the card faces aren't especially attractive.

https://a.co/d/061zPRIo

Update on this: The price on Amazon dropped to $34.99 for the two-deck set, the same price as just a single deck. I'm just a man, I can only hold out so long, so I gave in and bought them.

These cards are worth the money. Each deck weighs in at just under seven pounds. The card stock seems pretty thick and durable, and has a glossy coating on both sides. They were packaged well, with both decks wrapped together in thick clear plastic, and the cards wrapped in cellophane inside each box. No damage, quality printing, and the faceless face cards actually work pretty well.

Get 'em if you're into that sort of thing.