My turn on the soapbox:
Not trying to step on anyone's toes and I mean no offense to anyone...but if you seriously think the answer to all three questions is a big "yes," please re-read them and really take the time to THINK about your answer. Let's say 'Price' was canceled. Does that really affect your welfare in the grand scheme of things? Seriously. I've been a fan of the show since before many of you were even born. It has always been a big tradition in my life. But you know, things change and we have to deal with it.
One of the best friends I've ever had is moving to the other side of the country in six days. I'm sure I'll see him again some day...I may even work up the nerve to fly out there some time. But he's not going to be here in town so we can catch lunch. He's not going to be around so we can hang out. Sure, he'll still be a phone call or an email away, but it won't be the same. The grief -- yeah, actual grief..who would have thought -- I feel over seeing him and his family move so far away is about a thousand times more intense a feeling than what I felt when Barker signed off for the last time and about a million times more intense a feeling than what I felt about the possibility of a video wall or a purple wheel.
My point in bringing that up is this: I'm a LF&T. Always have been. But folks, 'Price' is a television show: if this show is more important -- really more important -- to you than your family or your friends, or your job, or the rest of your life, then I urge you to stop and rethink things. Your priorities are out of whack. And I mean that in the nicest way possible, because even though we always find new things to disagree about, we're all united for the same reason here, and we ought to be able to be a little honest with each other once in a while.
I'll miss 'Price' when it goes away...and I hope that won't be for many more years to come. But one day it'll happen. And it's not going to be the day my whole world ends. I genuinely hope for all of you, those I've gotten to know well over the years and those I've never had an exchange with at all, that it isn't the day yours ends, either.
Now that I think about it, I'd like a turn on the soapbox, too. I was going to blow it off. I then changed my mind and had a far more hostile post ready to go. But, I'll try this instead...
Promoman, and everyone else discussing priorities, perspective and cooler heads are absolutely right here.
A month ago, I would've been worked up beyond all belief. In fact, I was. Then I ended up getting my priorities re-arranged in the most painful way possible. It's a little hard to get worked up, or scream "THE SKY IS FALLING!", or feeling like the world is about to end over a game show after that.
A month ago, I was steamed over Roger's firing, and the rumors (or future plans) for the show. Now? Quite frankly, the only thing I'm upset over is that Roger poured 36 years of his heart and soul into the show, only to be rewarded with a boot to the ass that has "Fremantle North America" written on the sole. Roger deserved better, and I feel for him, definitely.
But purple wheels? New door/turntable patterns? They didn't change the giant price tag to match? 3 Strikes is no longer one of the big three?! A little hard to run around, screaming and waving your hands over that when there is an enormous hole in your heart and void in your life because of a REAL person.
Did Bob's farewell hurt? Yeah. And, of course, I miss seeing him host the show. But I would go through that hurt 1,000,000 times if it meant August 9th, as I know it, never happened. Because, not only is that pain not even 1/1,000,000th as bad as the pain I've lived with for the last two weeks, but Bob is still with us. Still capable of smelling the roses. Still able to pet his dogs. Still a physical part of this world.
Truth be told, for many years, I thought of how fun it would be to sit down and have lunch with Bob, and ask him all sorts of questions about the show and his career. Now? The first question I would ask him is "How have you coped with the pain of losing Dorothy Jo over the last 27 years?", followed by "How do you keep going? Was it TPIR? Is it finding something different everyday? Is it carrying on her spirit with your animal rights work? Or, is it something as dark and morbid as thinking each day brings you closer to dying, and being reunited with her?" I doubt I'd even discuss the show with him if that ever happened, because times like this make you realize a game show is not the end-all, be-all of planet Earth.
The more I have thought about it over the last two weeks, the more I have realized what made my eight trips to LA special wasn't Vipers and Cadillacs and DSW's. It was the people. It was TALKING to Roger. It was having my two notable moments with Bob (the first being stumping him over the meme on my blog about "Bidding on Bob's pants"). It was making a difference (even a small one) in Chuck Dukas' life. It was congratulating people who had their big moment, and thanking a contestant who works with Alzheimer's patients for doing her part to help those poor people. It was hearing the wit and wisdom of Stan Blits, and getting reactions out of Kathy, or Jeff, or even Marty. It was getting laughs out of Rich when I'd tell him he was 22 during his warmups.
Because, ultimately, people should mean more than changing the prize distribution in Punch A Bunch, or making Check Game harder.
<clipped a bunch of inflammatory stuff at the poster's request - I'm leaving the rest in because I really do think it's all good stuff - Army>Some things are more important than a television show, folks. If you can't grasp that, then I'm afraid you're going to be in for a rough, rough life. (And I'm older than most of you, so you'll just have to trust me on that.) Sometimes, it's okay to turn the TV off and go live your life.
Preach on, Brother Promoman.
TV can be great, and TV can be fun, but there is more to life than TV - yes, even TPIR. If the biggest worry in your world today is what happened in that meeting, well, I'm sorry to say your priorities are out of whack, and when that wakeup call comes, it's really not going to be pleasant.
There are things in this world more important than changing Barker's Markers.
There are things in this world more important than who might host the show in season 38.
There are things in this world more important than what's going on with Wheel Of Fortune.
And, yes, there are things in this world more important than poor Bill Rafferty being underappreciated for Blockbusters.
Just like how at this moment, I could genuinely care less about Madonna's plastic surgery and baseball players and crummy album. I could care less about football and Steven Jackson's holdout. I could care less about Dark Knight. You know why? Because one day, you wake up and realize, in the immortal words of Dennis DeYoung, that it's "all just a bunch of BS."