Friday, August 8, 2008

10 Ways To Make The Price Is Right More “Hip”

By Alex Blagg

da-prizzo-is-rizzy_2.jpgThis week Variety announced that The Price Is Right has hired Beauty and the Geek host Mike Richards as co-executive producer in an effort to “attract a younger audience”. If The Price Is Right wanted to bring in an audience other than the blue hairs, they didn’t need to hire some reality dude - they could have just asked. Here are our ten suggestions for hipping up the show for the kids:

10. Change the Logo and Title of the Show To Something A Little More “Now” - See the suggested logo to your right. As you will undoubtedly notice, the more “urban” and “edgy” logo design - and the new title, which has been updated to reflect the more “street” slang of the kids these days - all lend themselves to a younger, hipper daytime gameshow viewer.

9. Instead of “Come On Down”, Have The Voice of Scorpion Yell “Get Over Here!” While The Mortal Kombat Music Plays - I know it’s a trademark of the show or whatever, but the whole “Come On Down” thing is so played out. How much cooler and more youthful would it be if a classic video game fighting character unleashed a blood-curdling “Get Over Here!!!” along with intense techno music and strobe lights. Who wants to see some old grandad tripping over himself cause he’s the next contestant on the Price Is Right when he could make a more dramatic and triumphant entrance to the show like he’s about to wrestle for the motherf*cking WWE title of mid-level consumer products?

8. Less “Plinko”, More “Guitar Hero” - Who gives a sh*t about watching an air hockey puck bounce its way down some game board from the 70’s? I’d rather watch housewives shred face to Slayer songs to see whether or not they’re gonna be going home with that dinette set. And if they want “A New Car!”, they’re going to have to kill everyone in the building to get it, Grand Theft Auto-stizz.

7. Introduce A New Game Called “Giving Bob Barker Lap-dances For Cash” - What better way to combine the legacy of Price Is Right past with the racier demands of Price Is Right future than by wheeling out beloved old Bob Barker and watching the beauties writhe around all over his body and oxygen tank while contestants try to guess how many dollar bills he’s tipping them?

Read the rest, after the jump!

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6. Drew Carey’s Glasses: Thicker, Blacker, Nerdier - Sure, Drew Carey has long pioneered the “thick black nerdy glasses” the cool kids are so crazy about these days. But the thing is, they can never really be thick, black and nerdy enough. In fact, why don’t we just slap some Ali G frames on the guy and call it a day, for real.

5. Put A Starbucks In Contestants Row - What are all the other contestants doing the whole time they’re waiting for their next chance to make it to the main stage anyway? Well, I’ll tell you what they could be doing - having double macchiatos, working on their failed screenplays and talking about that amazing new Coldplay record.

4. Sex Up The Product Placements - Instead of having contestants bid on the price of boring household items like fabric softener and snack crackers, have them guess the current eBay market value of bedazzled cell phone cases, blingy mouth jewelry and 12-packs of Miller Chill.

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3. Replace That Weenie Climber Guy In The Cliffhanger Game With Badass Sylvester Stallone From “Cliffhanger” - It’s the Y2K’s, guys. I think it’s time we upgrade Lederhausen McPusswad with a kick-ass heat-packed action star who kills people with icicles.

2. When College Kids Show Up In The Audience, Make Them “Go Wild” - You know when those big groups of kids show up in the audience wearing their adorable matching “University of Wherever” sweatshirts? During the commercial breaks, there should be some wacky guy in the audience who goes over and pours malt beverages all over them while they lift up the sweatshirts and waggle their boobies around. The resulting footage should then be sold in a series of direct mail videos called “Price Is Right: Too Hot For TV!”.

1. Determine the Showcase Showdown With Mixed Martial Arts Ultimate Fighting Cage Matches - Forget the stupid spinning wheel (or at least put some rims with spinners on it). What could speak more to America’s youth than watching two soccer moms have it out in an unmerciful bloody-knuckled battle to the death to see who will walk away with a new camper trailer and a pair of matching jet skis?

FREE BONUS SUGGESTIONS:

Create A Sh*tty Spin-Off Reality Show Hosted By Tila Tequila Where Strippers Try To Out-Slut Each Other In Order To Become Barker’s Beauties or Carey’s Cuties or Whatever The Hell They’re Calling Them These Days

Anytime Someone Loses A Challenge, Have Some Frat Guy Come Out And Punch Them, Then Go “The Price Is WRONG, Bitch!”

More texting!

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Jay-Z Debuts New Song from Blueprint III

By Henry Adaso

Kanye West surprised his New York fans at the Madison Square Garden leg of his Glow in the Dark tour by bringing out Jay-Z to close out the show. Concertgoers probably expected a memorable performance, but what they didn't expect was Jay-Z's announcement of his upcoming album, Blueprint III, his last album on Def Jam.

A video posted on Kanye's blog last night shows the two rap greats performing a song Kanye produced for Jay-Z's new album, Blueprint III. The song which is stacked atop an SUV-friendly bass will surely set clubs ablaze this summer.

Jay-Z kicked off his verse by touching on the Glastonbury controversy that led Oasis singer Noah Gallagher to criticize his inclusion at the festival. Gallagher stated that rap had no place at Glastonbury, a traditionally guitar-heavy event. In response, Jay-Z put on a show by launching his Glastonbury set with a mock performance of Oasis' "Wonderwall," guitar in hand.

"That bloke from Oasis said I couldn’t play guitar. Somebody shoulda told ‘em I’m a fucking Roc star," raps Jay-Z on his new Blueprint III song. Kanye repeatedly chanted a hook that sounded like "Jockin' Jay-Z, jockin' Jay-Z."

Ask any Jay-Z fan and they'll tell you that his 2001 CD, The Blueprint, remains one of his greatest albums ever. Jay has been trying to recapture the magic of that album to no avail. The first Blueprint follow-up, 2002's Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse, marked a low point in Jay-Z's catalog, as the album suffered from excessive filler material and forced collaborations. Let's hope he can deliver the goods this time.

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Ozzy Osbourne dishes on 'Guitar Hero' and technology

The latest artist announced to join Guitar Hero World Tour? Ozzy Osbourne. He and guitarist Zakk Wylde will appear in the game, due this fall, as will songs such as Crazy Train and Mr. Crowley. Those songs will be playable in a virtual Ozzfest venue. Osbourne chatted on the phone — just days before this year's Ozzfest Saturday in Dallas — with me about video games and technology.

Q: So you are going to be in a video game?

A: Yeah. I've been involved with it for quite a while. They (Activision) liked my music and I have a big young following, I've been told. I'm from the old school. I don't own a computer. I just got an iPod that I've organized. I have got to learn how to turn it on. That's about it, you know. I can't download. I can't do any load.

Q: So it's really you in the game, right?

A: I had to put on this black suit with all these little ping-pong ball-like things all over me, motion capture. I had to dance around like I'm on stage when one of my songs are on. I don't really know how it works, but I have seen a run of it. It is really interesting. The image of me, I wish I had the energy it has. The graphics are really, really good.

Q: What do you think of these video games as a way for music lovers to interact with music?

A: The music thing is OK, but there are so many other video games. Like I went "wow" at the one with carjacking and all of that. Some desensitize kids, you know. It's a changing time. Of course, I used to see horror films when I was a kid and to lie that you were over 16 to get in.

My son Jack, he won't return your call. You have to text him. I have a cellphone, but I can't say I'm in love with the thing. You have to be pretty bright to keep up with the changes, and just when you learn something, it's time to learn something else.

Q: Do you see video games as a good way for musicians to get their music heard?

A: I guess it is. The download epidemic has killed record sales. It's kind of like the new thing to do, I suppose, because it's one way of getting your music to kids and keeps the tours going. I used to make a record, and more or less it would sell a million and it would go a while, you know. Now, it's like you get 750,000 or 800,000 and it slows down. For every one you sell, 10 get downloaded. But it's technology. You ain't gonna stop it now.

Q: Anything new you can tell me about your upcoming Osbournes' TV project (a six-episode hourlong variety show on Fox)?

A: There's a word that scares me a little (used to describe the new show), the word "variety." If we do a Christmas show, believe me, I'm not going to be sitting at a cozy fire with a scarf on and singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." I'm making that perfectly clear right now. I'm not singing any (crappy) little f—-ing Christmas songs.

It's kind of like an unscripted (thing). I hope it turns out because Mama, Sharon, is kind of the TV person. She said it would be great if we could all get back together and put this thing on. You know what? OK. We nearly lost her a few years ago when she had cancer. So her passion is for TV. She loves it, so we all love it with her, you know. But I'm not going to become the weatherman or the next Larry King. I'm just going to check it out.

Q: Can you say anything about next year's Ozzfest? (This year's is a one-off concert with Metallica and System of a Down Saturday in Dallas).

A: I guess my wife has a plan up her sleeve. There will be something next year. I think it will be the Ozzfest again, back to normal (a multi-date tour). But I don't know at this point.

Q: Anything else in the works?

A: I am recording another album soon. I've got a Pro Tools machine downstairs in my house now, which I record from home now. I can't turn the f——ing thing on. (Laughs). It's like the brain of the house. But when you have somebody who knows what they are doing, it's so easy to make records now, it's not even funny.

The art of making records is somewhat diminishing. It's taking the passion out of it. But I will try to give it as much real me as I can. There's so many tricks I can use.

I want to make two albums. Make one and go out on that one, and make another one and go out on that. Time is very valuable to me now. I'm 60 this December. It does not seem 10 years since I was 50. It really doesn't. My mission now is to do as much as I can.

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