My First Official Tape Date

I was really excited when I woke up this morning. Today was going to be the first actual tape date of the "Jackpot Trivia Bowl." Today, the game show which started out as a project for school would actually be taped for broadcast nationwide. This tape date would be first of many as I began a tour of colleges across the country...giving away college tuition to student contestants who could really use it. Every week I will arrive at a new school, walking onto the stage to the uproarious applause of the many people who have come to see my show in person...and to cheer on the student contestants with me. Considering the number of schools that have requested a visit from my show, I would be taping episodes of the "Jackpot Trivia Bowl" for years. Today, however, I'm going to start at my home school...the Ohio State University...to give a sort of farewell performance to my fellow students before I began my tour.

After taking a shower, shaving, and putting on my suit and tie...I ate some cereal & milk and some dry-roasted peanuts with some orange juice as I reviewed my question cards, all of which I'd made myself. Once I finished breakfast, I grabbed the rest of the props for my show, put on my hat and coat...along with my trusty shoulder pouch (which carries my wallet, keys, cell phone, etc.)...and headed to my car to drive to campus.

When I arrived in the studio, my friends and co-workers all greeted with me with applause. It was very flattering, and I couldn't do much but smile and bow to them. Mr. Fisher, who'd been my teacher ever since I joined BuckeyeTV, came to shake my hand. After I put my hat, coat, and pouch down...he led me to my place behind my podium/game table, from where I would host "Jackpot Trivia Bowl" one last time before traveling across the nation. I arranged my question cards, money envelopes, and "Help" tokens across the table in the usual fashion: the question cards in a row closest to me, the tokens in a smaller row furthest from me, and the envelopes in the between. The computer from which I would be controlling the graphics was to my right, and the video wall which would display those graphics was behind me. After the first contestant and I put on our respective microphones, and Mr. Fisher gave me the signal to proceed...I welcomed the audience and the viewers to the show, and got right to the first game as usual.

My first contestant was Robin, a junior studying Strategic Communications. Though she struggled with her first two questions (resulting in my having a little fun at her expense), she kept her sense of humor and made it to $2,000 with the help of her best friend and S.O.S., Rachel.

Our second contestant was Alyssa, a junior in Finance and Pre-Physical Therapy (I made a lousy attempt at a joke about what came before physical therapy). In addition to winning $100 from the slot machine...she also made it to the $2,000 level with the help of her friend and S.O.S., Colleen…for total of $2,100.

Next up was Heather, a sophomore studying Journalism. We learned that she sings in the "African-American Voices Gospel Choir", and serenaded me and the audience with a few notes...she's a pretty good singer. Not only did she hit a lucky combination on the slot machine to win $700; but with the help of her Jamila, her friend and S.O.S., she made it all the way to $5,000 for a total of $5,700...rocketing her into position as the day's biggest winner up to that point.

Our fourth contestant was another sophomore Journalism major named Robert...he was a very enthusiastic contestant. He wants to work in entertainment news someday, and I was more than happy to help him toward that goal with some tuition money. After breezing through his first four questions, he got stuck on this question for $2,000: "If it's 6 p.m. on a Saturday, what will be the time and day of the week 200 hours later?" That's when I saw the first official case of "math anxiety" on the Jackpot Trivia Bowl. After spending several minutes trying to work it out on paper, he was about to give up and use one of his "Help" tokens...but he changed his mind and continued working. After about 4 minutes, he finally came up with the right answer: Monday at 2 a.m. His perseverance paid off and we were all very happy for him. With some S.O.S. assistance from Heather, who had just won $5,700 herself...Robert ended up winning $5,000 in tuition.

Next up was Caitlyn, a senior majoring in Fashion...with aspirations to work for the "E!" network. She had already interned for them the previous summer. Caitlyn's game, however, was a classic case of "good news, bad news." The good news: the slot machine had given three 7's for the first time in the show, so she was playing for the Double Jackpot worth $23,900 at that point. The bad news: she missed her $600 question, even with the help of her S.O.S. Jen ("According to the Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme 'Hickory, Dickory, Dock', at what time does the mouse run back down the clock?" Answer: One o'clock). She had no problem giving back the $200 she won in order to "Reset" the game. In her second attempt, however, she missed her $1,600 question while leaving both her "Pass" and "S.O.S." on the table...and ended up with a mere $600. It was a rather anti-climactic moment for our first attempt at the Double Jackpot....

The day's last contestant was Travis, a senior studying Communications. His spin was the most unusual of all of the contestants that day: he won $100 cash from the first reel, the "Wild Card" in the second reel, and a $500 cash bonus attached to the $2,000 question. No 7's, but a veritable bonanza of bonuses. Travis flew through his first 4 questions, but found himself stuck at the $2,000 level. After using his Pass and Wild Card to skip 2 spelling questions ("mnemonic" and "Raleigh"), he found himself stuck on a geometry question: "If one leg of an isosceles right triangle is 10 meters in length, what is the area?" Unfortunately, Travis had no clue how to figure this out...and neither did Amanda, his S.O.S. Eventually, they just started making random guesses: 60, 75, then 90. While I was amused, I had to remind them that Travis could only lock in with one answer. So, finally, Travis guessed and confirmed 50...which happened to be the right answer. I couldn't believe his luck. However, since he'd used everything but the Reset to reach $2,000...he was out of resources when he tried for $5,000. Needless to say, he chose not to Reset the game...and walked away with $2,600 total.

It had been a fun day...my show had given away $18,000 in cash and college tuition, and I knew this would only be the beginning. With only seconds left in the show, I looked toward the camera that takes my close-up shot, and said what I would be saying many times for years to come:

"This is Manny Wilson saying thanks for watching, and join us again for the Jackpot Trivia Bowl! Bye-bye!"

I modeled my sign-off after the late Peter Tomarken (1942 - 2006), one of my all-time favorite game show hosts, as a tribute to him. I hope he'd be proud....

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A Perfect Name for the Subject....

It's always refreshing to see someone who shares my objective questions about drinking and why people do it to excess...or why they do it in the first place. Maria's blog could actually work as a series of public service announcements on the perils of overdoing it at the bar...or anywhere else, for that matter. The images featured in "This Guy needs to control it next time" and the picture with the man slumped over in a man's urinal (January 20, 2008) would ideally work as deterrents. The satirical videos on drinking are humorous and are successful in making excessive drinking look like the stupidity that it is. Unfortunately, we already know that no matter how many such pictures, videos, and actual PSA's there are in the world, people will keep right on drinking, will keep right on drinking excessively, and even worse...drive while drunk. It's one of society's many frustrating problems, and humanity seems bound and determined to keep it that way. Still, Maria gets an "A" for effort if she really is trying to deter future excessive drinking.

And incidentally, will someone please tell me what the attraction is to alcohol in the first place?
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Finding Humor in Every Day Life: "Katelynian"

Katelyn's story about the gas station is probably my favorite part of the blog. Gas station bathrooms (and, often, other public restrooms) is something that many people experience, unfortunately, and is something that many people can likely relate to. Putting this scenario in such a humorous light is something you might see a professional stand-up comic do on a regular basis...and it's just as funny. Those hand-drawn illustrations (very well done, by the way) were a very nice touch, as well...especially the play on words when nature "called" in the first illustration.

I also liked the link to the Youtube video featuring "Super Mario Kart." The stop animation sequences really helped add to the humor and silliness of the whole clip. It seems that Katelyn is also a fan of the old Nintendo games, and doesn't mind watching people poke fun at them, either...that earns a few points in my book.
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A Fellow Intelligent Observer....

It's always nice to meet a fellow "Intelligent Observer."  Sarah Hess' blog "Intelligent Observer" is a very interesting display of her skills as a philosopher, which I can personally relate to.  Her most recent post, "The Earth in the Vast Cosmic Arena", features a "Youtube video" in which Carl Sagan places the world in the most objective perspective...a speck, a dot, a "mote of dust" which is very insignificant compared to vast expanse of space that is the universe.  Carl Sagan talked about how we need start taking care of the one "mote of dust" that we have in this universe, seeing as how it's the only one we know of that is capable of supporting life.  He also talks about all of the blood that has been shed by people against their fellow humans, for as long as humans have inhabited this planet, just to claim to dominion over a small, insignificant fraction of this "mote of dust"...which makes all of the human conflicts in history seems just as silly as they are.  Unfortunately, I don't hold out much hope that this will ever change until it's too late...but I appreciate the opportunity Sarah has given me to look at the world and think about it through this perspective.  I wonder what she thinks about the prospect of humanity waking up and taking care of the only planet we have....
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Even MORE blogs that I dig (Part 3)....

1) “Rachel Maddow’s Blog”: http://www.airamerica.com/maddow/blog

Rachel Maddow is one of my favorite hosts on AirAmerica radio…though I don’t get to listen to her much anymore. I love her biting, sarcastic humor…particularly in the face of the big mess that’s growing around us in the United States and abroad. It’s also nice to see her talk about things other than politics, though I don’t really care much for the blogs that talk about cocktail recipes or anything that relates to how she likes to have a good drink every so often…as I don’t drink myself. Several years back, I often thought about how nice it would be to go out with her sometime…until I learned she doesn’t swing that way. Shot down again….

2) “SamSederShow.com”: http://www.samsedershow.com/

Sam Seder is another of my favorite AirAmerica radio hosts…although I don’t hear him much these day ever since he lost his daily show and moved to Sundays. He’s basically a comedian who’s serious about the state of affairs in America and abroad…making it easy for me to relate to him on so many levels. Lately, he’s been paying close attention to the Presidential primaries…and, like me, he’s less than impressed by what he’s seeing. Admittedly, I have no interest in following the primaries that closely…because in my mind, every candidate is saying the exact same thing: whatever it takes to get him/her elected. In any event, I would love to meet and chat with Sam someday…we’d probably have a lot to talk and joke about.

3) “The Lionel Show”: http://www.airamerica.com/lionel/blog

Another of my favorite AirAmerica hosts (even though I liked Lionel well before he officially joined the AirAmerica family), Lionel is the consummate intellectual…and I guess that’s why I relate to him so well. He likes to think and discuss objectively, and encourages critical thinking from his listeners…though it seems many are either unwilling to do it, incapable of doing it, or both. Like many other AirAmerica hosts, I’ve considered calling Lionel so I could talk to him…although since we’re pretty much on the same wavelength, I probably wouldn’t have much more to add to his show other than to keep up the good work. I’d enjoy having a conversation with him sometime as well…I’ve always gravitated toward older people, particularly those I perceive as particularly mentally sharp…it probably stems from my desire to find those I perceive as equals, though I know my chances of actually being able to befriend Lionel, Sam, Rachel, or any other AirAmerica host is pretty slim for me right now. Oh, well…I can still dream, right? Incidentally, I’m a little surprised to learn about what’s going on with Dr. Phil lately (Friday, January 18th, 2008)….
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Blog Evaluation: Kara Hemsworth

Blog in question: http://thelaughingdonkey.blogspot.com/

Kara's blog, apparently, is a sort of showcase for her artwork...particularly those that are "works in progress" that she wishes to share with those who view her page. Kara begins this blog by describing who she is and how she thinks, emphasizing that she is "a random and crazy person." Considering the artwork she has posted on her blog up to this point, it's not surprising to learn that she wants to create art professionally someday...she specifically would like to work in animation. Something else she shares with the viewer(s) is that her "art is a reflection of how she feels and her emotions" that she tries to convey to the viewer(s), which is written at the top of the artwork she has posted for her title: a winter scene featuring a barren tree standing in the center of a fenced-in grassy field, with snow scattered around in the foreground and background.

Every post that Kara has made to her blog resembles what I can only describe as "stream of consciousness." There doesn't seem to be any pretense or forethought in her posts...she just lets you know what she's thinking when she thinks it. For example, in her opening post, Kara describes her goals for this blog...including how she plans to make posts of her work twice a day, and how she hopes viewers will develop a good sense of who she is (as a person, presumably). She wants people to see her artistic capabilities flourish in this blog, like a gradual evolution of her ideas and work. She also mentions the "upcoming comics" she is working on, featuring herself and her roommates, as well as character development. After all of this explanation, she says: "See how technical I'm being? I'm doing a good job- setting a good goal for myself. Go Kara! alright.. i'll post some stuff.." This set of remarks seems completely spontaneous, or "random", and seems to give the viewer a picture of how Kara's mind operates. We see further examples of her mind's inner workings in the each of the pictures and the posts that go with them. One prominent example of this is found in her series of drawings featuring, presumably, a sort of rock band. Kara describes that while she likes the series with the different appearances of the same image (different backgrounds, lighter vs. darker lines, cropping part of the image vs. leaving the image in its entirety), she's not quite sure if she wants to use every single picture in the series for her eventual paining of said picture. This indicates, at least to me, that this picture might have started out as just one drawing, and Kara thought to herself: "I wonder what this picture would look like with a darker background...or lighter lines...or if I cut off some the image...or if I use different shading?" Maybe the resulting series is not what Kara had in mind when she started, but when she sees the images together...the result seems to be more powerful than any of the images individually. This post alone not only reveals Kara's artistic process, but also her thought process as she creates this art: she just follows the flow of her creativity, perhaps not knowing where it will end at first, and just keeps following that flow until she comes up with something that really works for her...even if she has to leave it alone and come back to it later when she comes up with another idea, as she indicates in her "Screaming Birds" post. Of course, people in general seem to come up with new ideas for a project more easily when they've turned their attention to something else (myself included)...so this is quite easy to relate to.

Kara indicates from the beginning that she wants to convey her thoughts and feelings through her artwork, and when combined with the posts that come with her artwork...the viewer gets a very clear picture of just who Kara is as an artist and how her mind works, and perhaps even a few hints about who she is as a person. I'm personally impressed with Kara's artwork, and the spontaneity that seems to go with them...I doubt she'll have any trouble finding an audience for her artwork. However, I'm also impressed by her posts. As I said before, no pretense, no forethought...just Kara. It's almost like I'm actually talking to her...and laughing with her as she seems to have no problem poking fun at herself. After all, her profile does say she loves to laugh...and I do, too. I think it will be very interesting to continue following this blog....

As for implications, I think "The Laughing Donkey" seems to indicate that we can all be happiest and can best relate to people if we just be ourselves. Kara has no problem being herself, indicating that she's very comfortable with who she is. Perhaps the world could be a better place if more people learned to be comfortable with who they are, and learned to be more accepting of who other people are. Of course, that's just my opinion....

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More of my Favorite Art/Blog Sites (Part 2)

1) “YouTube”: http://www.youtube.com/

This website has literally opened a whole new world to me: clips of game shows I haven’t seen since childhood; watching footage of someone playing video games that I’ve been curious to see the endings of; even humorous reviews of old video games. I also get a kick out of the comments from other YouTube users on these videos.

2) “Game Show Central”: http://gscentral.net/

The website of a fellow game show enthusiast. Not only do I have Brad Francini to thank for introducing me to classic game show clips, as well as for helping me find a computer version of the classic “Press Your Luck” game; but I also have a little inspiration for my own blog. For example, his opinion of GSN’s latest game show “How Much is Enough?” actually mirrors my own…though I disagree with his opinion on the cancelled “Friend or Foe.”

3) “Games that Don’t Suck”: http://www.gtds.net/

One of several websites that I know that features homemade video games made with Macromedia Flash, quite often based on popular video game characters, game shows, or even pop culture “icons” (Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, for instance). I like reading what other people have to say about the games I end up liking or don’t liking…particularly about “Solingo”, one of my favorite games.

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Some of my Favorite Blog/Art Websites (Part 1)

1) “Jump The Shark”: http://www.jumptheshark.com/

This is a great chance for me to find out what people thought about other game shows, past and present…including what the host of the site himself thought, though I can’t seem to find his comments anymore.

2) “Mario Chat”: http://themushroomkingdom.net/board/index.php?board=500.0

I’m a huge fan of Mario and his games. The opportunity to read about what people thought of the various power-ups, theme music pieces, even the appearance of the coins…they all bring me back. Ah, memories….

3) “Newgrounds”: http://www.newgrounds.com/

Often I like to read the comments made about the Macromedia Flash animations made by Newgrounds users. A lot of times they are quite amusing to read, such as the responses for “Sonic’s Quest for Power 3-End” and “Troubles on Angel Island 3.”
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