What is...In the Media?

[SoMuchTV]

7 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Apparently James Holzhauer is.

I don't normally follow all the links that people post, but in this case I made an exception.  From the article:

Quote

 

Amid the news that Richards would no longer be serving as the show's executive producer, the prolific "Jeopardy!" contestant posted two tweets on Tuesday that could each serve as valid answers for, "What is shade?" 

First he tweeted, "Do I think Mike Richards's podcast comments were appropriate for polite society? No. But did he deserve the benefit of the doubt for the job he did running Jeopardy? Also no." 

He followed that tweet up with a GIF of the munchkins from "The Wizard of Oz" singing, "Ding! Dong! The witch is dead!" after a tornado had swept Dorothy's home all the way to Oz and dropped it on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. 

 

Seems pretty on-brand for James.  Maybe he's still in "Chaser" mode.

[dcalley]

This "note to staff from Suzanne Prete, Sony EVP, Business and Strategy" image is from here.

"We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened." I am not impressed with this letter at all and still don't feel confident that the show is in good hands (Sony). But I am glad MR is gone.

[junemeatcleaver]

55 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

Apparently James Holzhauer is.

Richards burned bridges so bad I wonder if he wasn't really well-liked at all.

[cambridgeguy]

16 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I am not impressed with this letter at all and still don't feel confident that the show is in good hands (Sony). But I am glad MR is gone.

What did you expect them to say?  Wow, we really screwed all of this up because we're a bunch of idiots?  No company would ever display that level of candidness so close to the event.  This is standard boilerplate that every company probably has on file in case of emergency.

[possibilities]

Bye, Felicia!

[zoey1996]

57 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Bye, Felicia!

Who is Felicia?

[HyeChaps]

Don't mess with the Clue Crew.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, zoey1996 said:

Who is Felicia?

It's from Friday, and became a meme.

 

[zoey1996]

45 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It's from Friday, and became a meme.

 

Thanks. Never heard of it.

[shoregirl]

James really does not like Richards. 

[Bulldog]

1 hour ago, shoregirl said:

James really does not like Richards. 

Maybe Holzhauer should have said something before this debacle took place.  Seems low hanging fruit to pile on now.  I think there's a reason James hasn't been mentioned along side Ken & Buzzy as a possible replacement. 

[Prevailing Wind]

33 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

 I think there's a reason James hasn't been mentioned along side Ken & Buzzy as a possible replacement. 

Of course there is. Perhaps he's too laconic, perhaps he doesn't want it, perhaps everyone involved knows he'd stink at it.  Just because you can play the game, it doesn't mean you're host material.

[mtlchick]

7 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Maybe Holzhauer should have said something before this debacle took place.  Seems low hanging fruit to pile on now.  I think there's a reason James hasn't been mentioned along side Ken & Buzzy as a possible replacement. 

My guess is he didn’t want to say anything in order to maintain some sort of relationship with the show if Richards was still there and avoid more grief for the staff and now that he’s gone, he’s fully expressing himself.  James is certainly not host material, he probably knows it so it’s more “so… I won’t miss him” 

[Good Queen Jane]

James played more games with Richards as EP than anyone else. He certainly had the opportunity to observe his behind the scenes behavior.

[opus]

Of Ken, Brad, and James, I'd say James is definitely the one least comfortable in front of the camera.

[3 is enough]

I don't think James was ever even considered as host.  He just doesn't have the right personality.  

I do believe he saw a lot backstage during his time on the show.  And while he probably couldn't come right out and say anything until Richards was dumped, some of his tweets before that alluded to the fact that he was definitely not a fan. 

I have also noticed that Ken, Brad, and Buzzy have been silent. Wonder if they will say anything now that Richards is gone?

[Trey]

3 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

I have also noticed that Ken, Brad, and Buzzy have been silent. Wonder if they will say anything now that Richards is gone?

I think they should just keep their thoughts to themselves. As they probably will.

[shapeshifter]

13 minutes ago, Trey said:

I think they should just keep their thoughts to themselves. As they probably will.

James can be their de facto spokesperson so they don’t have to comment. 
 

Edited September 1, 2021 by shapeshifter

[chitowngirl]

I would think that since Ken is a producer, working for Sony, that we will hear nada from him.

[dcalley]

56 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I would think that since Ken is a producer, working for Sony, that we will hear nada from him.

Ken is a self-described "company man."

[Bastet]

The Hollywood Reporter article James responded to by saying, "Some judged Mike Richards solely on his podcast comments and formed a negative opinion, but I judged him by the way he treated people backstage at Jeopardy and formed a much stronger negative opinion," is the result of interviewing more than a dozen former staffers on The Price Is Right about its workplace culture during Richards's decade as executive producer, and it is not a pretty picture:

Quote

The portrait that emerged from these sources — many of whom declined to speak publicly out of fear of retribution in the industry — was of a manager who was more interested in being a host, who ushered out veteran on-set leaders, was the subject of at least two HR complaints to CBS and Fremantle, and presided over budget cuts and loss of benefits to staffers.

It's no surprise the J! gang hated him, too; he's a shitty manager, and surrounds himself with sycophants:

Quote

 

Insiders who worked under Richards observed a pattern during his Price regime. “The staff he replaced the older staff with were all under 27 and we called ourselves the Brat Pack,” says a source who was hired by Richards. “We loved our jobs and loved our mentors and when they became disillusioned, we became disillusioned. When people would leave, they’d replace them with people who were loyal to Mike. It became a vicious cycle.”

Others claim Richards micromanaged the staff and, by asking to approve of every decision, created longer daily hours for the staff. “Mike Richards changed the taping schedule so he and people who don’t do a lot of work could come in later and leave early but the people who did a lot of work expanded their schedules because they had to wait for them to come in. I worked extra hours, he asked me in front of the whole staff what I thought about it and I said it screwed everyone. He said I was being demoralizing,” says Claire Dawidziak, who worked as a staging supervisor on Price from 2011-2015. “He’s one of the reasons I left.”

 

[Prevailing Wind]

I wonder how the folks at WoF are taking this. Seems like MR is truly an asshole with an ego the size of Alaska.

[possibilities]

I imagine WoF people are happy to see him gone. Didn't he get canned from both shows?

[Prevailing Wind]

Yes, both shows. Stick a fork in him. He's done.

[kassandra8286]

What's depressing is that he would likely still be there, presiding over the toxic work environment he created, if not for his overreach in the wake of Alex's passing.

Typical narcissistic behavior. They can't resist.

Edited September 2, 2021 by kassandra8286
Missing period. Aren't we all a little OCD in this forum?

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, kassandra8286 said:

What's depressing is that he would likely still be there, presiding over the toxic work environment he created, if not for his overreach in the wake of Alex's passing.

Typical narcissistic behavior. They can't resist  

Playing Devil's Advocate for just a brief moment:
Maybe the other Sony and Jeopardy! Powers That Be were instrumental to MR's elevation?
I'm tempted to compare this to Hitler's rise, and maybe I should, just to point out the MR's shortcomings are relatively benign compared to many others'.
Anyway, if malignantly diseased Powers That Be of Sony worked behind the scenes of Jeopardy! to install MR, it  only matters now if they are still there and pulling the strings.

I recently read beloved USO entertainer Bob Hope's Wikipedia page when looking for an answer for a NY Times crossword puzzle and discovered that Bob Hope was quite the "cad," as they would have described him back in his day--perhaps more akin to Harvey Weinstein than MR. This made me think that MR should never have gone into producing, but I suppose he did so because he didn't have enough charisma to attract an audience. 

Alex did have charisma. I especially notice it on reruns of Classic Concentration.

And the Jeopardy! Powers That Be seem to have broken charisma-mometers.

[possibilities]

I have no doubt that the higher ups were happy with Richards. That's why they promoted him and gave him supervision of flagship shows. I am guessing he kissed their asses, and cut costs, and they're probably just like him. 

But the people who worked on the shows below that level seem to have plenty of complaints and issues with his way of doing things, so that's why I thought the would be happy he was gone. 

I don't think anything we're seeing amounts to "they saw the light!" It's surely more like "they felt the pressure!"

[shapeshifter]

Today’s (September 11, 2021) NY Times “Mini Crossword” puzzle:

[shapeshifter]

 

[ProudMary]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Today’s (September 11, 2021) NY Times “Mini Crossword” puzzle:

I can't decide if I want to 😅 or 😔 at that crossword clue. Perhaps 😡 would be the best choice because I am truly angry at Mike Richards for causing this tempest that has sullied the image of the greatest quiz show in television history. While I believe the show can return to a semblance of normalcy, there will always be a black mark left on the show's otherwise stellar history.

[HyeChaps]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/matt-amodio-jeopardy-premiere/2021/09/12/666f5c08-13e2-11ec-9589-31ac3173c2e5_story.html

 

[possibilities]

I hit a paywall with the WaPo, so I haven't read the above-linked article, but this one from Newsweek says they are airing a promo for the new season that features Matt, and does not show Mike:

https://www.newsweek.com/new-jeopardy-promo-airs-without-host-features-champ-matt-amodio-star-show-1627066

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/matt-amodio-jeopardy-premiere/2021/09/12/666f5c08-13e2-11ec-9589-31ac3173c2e5_story.html

I posted about this (with excerpts) in the Season 37 thread here:
forums.primetimer.com/topic/111452-jeopardy-season-37-2020-2021/?do=findComment&comment=7002328
for now.

Edited September 13, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Mario500]

" ‘Jeopardy!’ begins season with already-ousted Richards" (article)

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Mario500 said:

" ‘Jeopardy!’ begins season with already-ousted Richards" (article)

Regarding:

Quote

Richards was introduced as host Monday by a downcast-sounding announcer, Johnny Gilbert. 

I just replayed Johnny Gilbert's introduction of MR (it's still on YouTube) and thought "subdued" was more how he sounded when he spoke MR's name, rather that "downcast." 
But definitely, the enthusiasm we have come to expect when the name of the host--or even guest host--is announced, was not there.

Interesting that this was recorded when Johnny Gilbert likely expected to be announcing MR for the rest of his tenure as an announcer.

[SoMuchTV]

31 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Regarding:

I just replayed Johnny Gilbert's introduction of MR (it's still on YouTube) and thought "subdued" was more how he sounded when he spoke MR's name, rather that "downcast." 
But definitely, the enthusiasm we have come to expect when the name of the host--or even guest host--is announced, was not there.

Interesting that this was recorded when Johnny Gilbert likely expected to be announcing MR for the rest of his tenure as an announcer.

Hmm, I had assumed they would have re-recorded the announcer parts to fit the current situation (and edited out MR's "happy to be here" speech that I have to think he would have made).  I would have thought the original announcements would have included bits about "the new host" and so on. 

"Subdued" seems like a good description to me as well.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

mm, I had assumed they would have re-recorded the announcer parts to fit the current situation (and edited out MR's "happy to be here" speech that I have to think he would have made).  I would have thought the original announcements would have included bits about "the new host" and so on. 

There was a cut - between when MR thanked Johnny and he talked about Mat I could tell there was a cut. That would be the most likely place he would comment on being the new permanent host.

[Mario500]

 

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

  8 hours ago, Mario500 said:

" ‘Jeopardy!’ begins season with already-ousted Richards" (article)

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Regarding:

Quote

Richards was introduced as host Monday by a downcast-sounding announcer, Johnny Gilbert. 

(remembers having had found this part of the article to had been very unobjective)

[Cherpumple]

I thought Johnny Gilbert sounded perfectly fine.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I thought Johnny Gilbert sounded perfectly fine.

For 38.2 Johnny Gilbert announced MR’s name with the usual gusto. Perhaps for 38.1 Johnny was just feeling sad after the Stage renaming that he wasn’t able to then announce Alex as host —like it would have been nice for Alex to have been alive for the dedication? IDK. 😟

[Mario500]

" 'Jeopardy!' Will Go with Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings as Hosts Rest of Season" (article)

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Mario500 said:

" 'Jeopardy!' Will Go with Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings as Hosts Rest of Season" (article)

Quote

...Similarly, while former champ Jennings is still guest hosting, we're told he's not seen as a real contender for the permanent gig ... due to past controversial tweets.

Meanwhile, LeVar Burton's still out there ... but Sony honchos already decided he's not their guy.

We've reached out to Sony, so far, no word back.
[TMZ]

Whew!?

[Mario500]

 

2 hours ago, Mario500 said:

" 'Jeopardy!' Will Go with Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings as Hosts Rest of Season" (article)

Quote

'Jeopardy!' Will Go with Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings as Hosts Rest of Year

(note: possible correction to the article)

[Irlandesa]

TMZ is really sticking with their "past tweets" angle. 

I think they're looking for some stability.  They'll re-evaluate ratings...etc. and then decide if the permanent host will be one of those two or if they'll have someone else do a long term guest host.

Mayim likely won't know the fate of her show until May of next year.  It looks like season 2 premieres midseason.

[Trey]

I really don't know why it is so hard for them to pick a new permanent host.  They have some very well qualified people who did well on the "auditions".  Maybe those people just aren't interested in the hosting gig.

[shapeshifter]

From Variety: "...However, the search for a final, permanent host is still ongoing" (Sept. 16, 8:45am PDT, variety.com/2021/tv/news/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-host-mike-richards-1235066317). 

[deemac]

Bialik or Burton are enough for me to quit watching.  This whole debacle has soured me on what used to be one of my favorite shows.  There are just too many subjects I know almost nothing about anymore anyway.

[rcc]

5 minutes ago, deemac said:

Bialik or Burton are enough for me to quit watching.  This whole debacle has soured me on what used to be one of my favorite shows.  There are just too many subjects I know almost nothing about anymore anyway.

I agree. This debacle is just too much. Bad enough we miss Alex and all the drama makes it worse.

[ProudMary]

It's not exactly Jeopardy! in the media, but it might be interesting to hear what LeVar Burton has to say. I'd think it's a given that his guest hosting stint will be a topic of conversation.

 

[rcc]

10 hours ago, ProudMary said:

It's not exactly Jeopardy! in the media, but it might be interesting to hear what LeVar Burton has to say. I'd think it's a given that his guest hosting stint will be a topic of conversation.

 

He might not win as the host but he does win as the self promoter.