Sorry, I’ve been busy Seven-upping my computer today and likely a bit of tomorrow as well so there’s not much to say.
Except that is that The Cube US films tomorrow night with Neil Patrick Harris. Unfortunately I don’t have a ticket, but I know several of you who do so I’ve set aside this post just for you – what did you think?
Also the Saudi version has been filming. Has anyone been to see that?
That being said, I’m intrigued to find out what was cut from the first episode of Solitary 4.0, as my problems with it (entertaining as it still was) went a bit deeper than what may or may not have been cut out by rubbish channel execs. Namely that the make-yourself-sweat task shouldn’t have eliminated someone, because Solitary isn’t about elimination by workload, it’s about elimination by giving up. Also whilst I approve of the strategy element (and indeed, Solitary‘s increasing strategy elements) of the unappetizing drinks treatment (contestants picked at random to combine two foodstuffs to form a drink but have to drink it themselves before everybody else has to do the same), my gut feeling is that strong stomach treatments should come mid-series, when you can play on the contestants’ hunger. Series opening treatment should be something more visual, I think.
In opther news, it is very important to take a minute to note that TV Ark have the titles for top army gameshow Combat, with Emelyn Hughes and Anneka Rice up right now.
Mission 2110:
Enquiring minds need to know.
Bonus question for D Peake or G Male: In the title sequence of Accumulate! there’s a round of Speculate to Accumulate going on with the answers shown as ‘Floods’, ‘November’, and finally ‘Accumulate’. What was the question? Also please use “you lost, you chost” next series please thanks.
Via two lines on Broadcast, then better via Quizzlestick, via The Independent, on shows Channel 4 have lined up to replace Big Brother:
Bellamy talks often of “the national conversation”. He hopes it will be reflected in The Drop, the first commission from the newly-appointed Channel 4 head of entertainment Justin Gorman. Ironically, this is a show made by Endemol, the production company synonymous with Big Brother. Bellamy plans to screen the hour-long show across six nights of the week. “It is live event meets game show,” he says. “I’m very interested in taking different genres and colliding them.” Contestants are given £1m, but must answer 10 questions or watch it all disappear through a series of trap doors.
The format, untried in international television markets, contains “a whole bunch of smart interactive thoughts, twists and turns” and allows viewers to be rewarded for questions which fool the contestants.
So it’s a live million quid quiz, not seen since the glory days of The Vault all those years ago, with added physical set element and where the people set the questions like The People Versus. I’m not generally speaking a fan of shows where you get a top prize that gets reduced as a penalty, because it gives people the opportunity to switch off if it’s not going so well – it doesn’t feel like risk even if they dress it up to look like risk. We’ll see.
Excitement!
And don’t forget that next Sunday is the first event of the Bother Series of Poker 2010.
I’ve updated the Specials Board for your delectation and delight with Alta Tensione, Blokken and what represented your best chance of watching Solitary years ago.
Not much today, but Total Wipeout‘s new series sort of starts this evening on BBC1 at 5:30, and Solitary 4.0 is on tonight in the US as well. I’m out this evening, but hope to have some fascinating opinions for you all tomorrow, alongside the Board of Excitement and some new old features.