Rich DiPirrio is my new hero!!! Great directing today, even if the jib cam suddenly being behind the players when Drew announces the ARP is a big giveaway as to what's about to be played. And was it my imagination, or were there jib shots today that make it look as if a SECOND jib is now in use? (Also: NICE work on the closed-captioning plug shots, they were VERY cool). Don't tomato me for this, but I was sorta hoping they'd be using the jib during the Showdown itself to catch the wheel like they did on the Davidson show. (Why not, it was used pretty much everywhere else today?)
I barely noticed there weren't spinning titles during the intro, but the light border just looks wrong with the squares *inside* the light bulbs. Hopefully they'll fix that, and soon. One thing that WAS conspicuously absent: "...the first show of our 38th year on CBS!" And am I imagining things, or did the opening feel even more rushed than usual? (i.e. Rich F calls a name, contestant fights their way to the aisle, and then they move on to the next one without even letting them get down to the 'Row; seemed like today they could barely get into the aisle before the next name was called)
Door #5 (and yes, that IS what it's called if you're Rich DiPirrio, or "home base" if you're Drew Carey). Well, I have to say it actually doesn't look quite so bad on the show, at least if it's shot with a floor cam; with the jib it just looks weird. As for the wall behind Drew, I can't stand that red-purple color but the darker blues look TERRIFIC.
So there it is, boys: ME with three plasma screens instead of using the three doors. That's just WRONG. Three-trip ME should also be three-door ME.
As for the lineup, just...wow. We did get Plinko, but where was Golden Road? Where was 3 Strikes? Where was Triple Play? I knew Lucky $even was going to be one of today's car games, but surely they could've come up with something more engaging than That's Too Much as the other. I was out of the room when Drew did his price reveal for this, it sounds as though something odd happened so 'twill be something to look for on Innertube tonight. And one final note: why all the tough setups? Season starters are supposed to be happy shows, but today's felt like anything but with so many uses of the losing horns and the buzzer.
After seeing Drew banging on the turntable on Friday, seeing his enthusiasm about the new set today was quite nice. I have to admit his excitement about it was infectious, but it wasn't necessary to keep calling attention to it after the opening. (At least he didn't bang on anything today!). Gotta give the man props though because he DID compliment Bente on-air about her work, and that's always nice to see.
As much as I like the new Contestants' Row displays, the thicker borders are something that just don't look right to me. I see what you guys were talking about with the identical interference pattern on each display, but to me it just looks like what you'd expect shooting an HD camera at an LCD (or is it LED? I've lost track) display. And on the subject of things that just don't look right, let's talk about those showcase podiums. Alright, on the one hand it's nice to see that they used a simple and straightforward font for us that I don't have to stare at to read; on the other, the bottoms are just too thin (yes, they DO look like coffins), and the fronts just look too plain. Bid row I think I can live with, eventually, since the podiums there look cartoony and just slightly exaggerated (perfect for the show as a whole). The showcase podiums...not so much.
And then there's good ol' Craig Ferguson. Having a familiar face from The Drew Carey Show appear was a nice touch, but there should've been more logic to it. Bob's appearance may have had that overly-staged, forced feel to it that can ruin even the best TV, but at least his appearance made sense. Craig's appearance left me going, "Was there a greater purpose at work here or was this just an excuse to have him on the show?" They did let him do "Carey, YOU'RE FIRED," which is an absolute must, so it wasn't a total waste.
I will say I was relieved that no one showed up to make a speech (the last few seasons it seems like every opener was an excuse for Syd or Les or Lucy to deliver a treatise about the show's longevity). It's nice to have said longevity acknowledged of course, but there's only so many times you can do it without it getting old. Next good time to do it is year #40--if we make it that far.