Thursday, November 18, 1999

'Millionaire' lets us see them sweat

There once was a guy on a game show/What a limerick was, he said, "Don't know"/His lifelines were shot/His I.Q., not so hot/Big applause as Reege gave him the heave-ho.
   Sheesh. Watching "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," it's obvious bein' smart ain't what it used to be. A guy with a Ph.D. tripped up on the meaning of "as the crow flies." Another contestant breezed along to the $125,000 level before mistakenly guessing that Franz Schubert wrote "The Blue Danube Waltz."
   Doesn't everybody know (sing along here) "The Blue Danube Waltz/By Strauss/By Strauss"?
   Dozens of brainiacs - mostly tax attorneys and computer programmers, it seems - have made it to the hotseat on the ABC game show (airing again at 7:30 tonight), only to get that bunny-in-headlights look on common sense or common knowledge pop culture questions.
   It's one thing not to know that Toni Morrison wrote "Tar Baby." But how about the guy who didn't know that Aretha Franklin was the singer known as "the Queen of Soul"? Or the smarty-puss who had no idea how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? (Answer: three.)
   Look, this is the fun of "Millionaire." We play along. We handicap the contestants. We make sport of their comb-overs and goofy sweaters. From the comfort of our couches, the game looks as easy as falling off: (a) the wagon; (b) Mount Rushmore; (c) a log.
   "Look at that guy," a friend said on the phone the other night as we watched yet another twitchy nerd break into flopsweat. "He's praying for a question about Mr. Sulu."
   "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is the TV phenomenon of 1999. It's so successful, ABC has extended its current run for three additional nights. The show was supposed to end with Sunday's episode, but will now air at 7 p.m. next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
   "Viewer response to this show has been overwhelming, so we've decided to give them an early holiday present," said Stu Bloomberg, co-chairman of ABC Entertainment. "When your audience is this passionate, you do whatever it takes to give them what they want."
   That means more opportunities for tax attorneys and computer programmers to get on the show. The prospective contestants' toll-free hotline - (877) 258-5808- is staying open an extra day, through 2 a.m. tonight (early Friday). You must be 18 or older to call in.
   Babs bags two big ones
   In his first TV interview since falling ill with a debilitating brain disease, Dudley Moore talks to Barbara Walters about the years he spent looking for a diagnosis and treatment. The interview airs on this week's "20/20 Friday" (9 p.m., ABC).
   Moore shares his frustration at giving up his career as an actor and concert pianist due to the effects of Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy, or PSP. Walters also talks to "10" co-star, Bo Derek, and the film's director, Blake Edwards, who had no idea when they were working with Moore that he was already exhibiting early signs of the disease.
   On a Nov. 30 special, Walters will chat up Monica Lewinsky as part of an hour revealing the year's "Ten Most Fascinating People." It will be the first U.S. interview for the 60-pounds-lighter Lewinsky since her two-hour sitdown with Walters last March.
   Channel chatter
   AT&T Cable (formerly TCI) has made some changes on its digital lineup. The children's network Noggin is now on channel 120. VH1-Country is on digital channel 471. VH1-Classic Rock is on 473. And Listening Room DMX is at channel 900.
   What's with "Amigos X Siempre," the Televisa telenovela that's been shooting scenes around town this week, not paying its extras? American TV shows shooting on location pay extras between $40 and $80 a day, plus lunch.
   KIII reporter Gene Apodaca is leaving the ABC affiliate fora new job at a station in West Palm Beach, Fla. Also, looks like Michele Silva, host of KIII's "Good Morning South Texas," might leave if the station doesn't offer her a better deal on her next contract.
   Radio waves
   KRAD-FM/105.5 has a new show, "Rad Radio," hosted by J.J. Thomas, at 6 p.m., Sundays.
   Roxie Waters no longer does mornings on KBSO-FM/94.7. She's been replaced by Joseph Valdez. Brandie Albrecht has taken the assistant program director spot at that station.
   Berney Seal's show has been off the airwaves at KTKY-FM/106.1 for weeks now, so why are they still running spots saying "Coming up next, Berney Seal"?
   And speaking of the Sealmeister, Berney's son Mark, a busy freelance writer in Dallas, has a big story in the December issue of Vanity Fair. It looks into the mystery of missing jewels in the oil-rich Skelly family. Another Seal offspring, Eddie, hosts a darned fine radio show of his own, "Blues Cafe with Eddie Seal," from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturdays on KEDT-FM/90.3.
   KEYS-AM/1440 is running lots of local TV spots plugging its talk show lineup, with shots of Jim Lago, Eric Von Wade and the big kahuna himself, Rush Limbaugh. But the ads leave out Suzi Camacho, who co-hosts daily with Lago, occasionally sits in with Wade and provides KEYS with news headlines throughout the day.
   National Public Radio's Saturday afternoon "Texaco Metropolitan Opera" broadcasts return Dec. 4 with live performances from the big stage in New York City.
  
  
  

 
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