The problem for me is that the items that interest me now are getting harder and harder to come by. I've had GSN for over a decade now, and anything they've aired I've either seen already, recorded already, or am not really interested in. Unfortunately, their library of classics continues to shrink as they attempt to save money by reducing licensing fees.

In addition, as time goes on, the likelihood of "surprising" rare finds dries up. There's still a few people out there who had a VCR in the early 80s, recorded some since-destroyed show, and will uncover it while cleaning out the attic. If you're one of those people, by all means send me a note. In addition, there are probably some full sets of shows gathering dust in production warehouses somewhere (such as the original CBS run of The Joker's Wild a few years back) that may be uncovered. If such a find crops up, I'll be happy to see it.

But if all that remains to be added to the growing list of tape collections going forward is current programming or whatever GSN is showing, I will probably be sitting on the sidelines of trading. I've got 4000+ episodes on tape and DVD already, spanning six decades and six continents. As of now, it's going to take something eye-popping to drive my interest. The good news is, I'm not the only trader out there. :)

I felt like coming out of semi-retirement to talk about the new Let's Make a Deal. First off, how surprising is it to see a new network game show in daytime? Caesar's Challenge was, IIRC, the last new game show to premiere in network daytime, and that was 15+ years ago. Crazy.

I am bummed about a few things with the new LMAD, but overall I'm pleased. First, the bad. I really feel like this shouldn't be an hour long show. The reality of TV these days is that everything is an hour. It's just cheaper that way I guess. Nearly every show gets stripped as an hour long format, even if it means airing two thirty minute shows back to back. It's just lazy programming in my opinion.

I'm not blown away by the set or music cues, but I'm glad they kept the original logo. I guess the biggest disappointment is Wayne Brady. Is it me or does he seem like he's going at 50% speed? The Wayne Brady that became famous as on Whose Line is it Anyway? was a bundle of energy who never stopped, sometimes to the point of annoyance. But hosting LMAD Wayne has for some reason decided to play the role of a debonair smooth talking dealer, who throws in the occasional "holler!" moment when a contestant says something funny. He does a good job of moving the show along (the pace could be faster, but it's an hour, so who can fault them?) and he doesn't seem to fumble much given the considerably hard task of managing the various permutations of the deal. Still, I was expecting more from him.

What's good? Well the format has been maintained practically to a T, which should sit well with viewers put off by the 2003 NBC debacle. I don't mind the abandonment of the 2nd dealer in the Big Deal, because it practically almost guaranteed a winner every show and I don't think the format requires that. The supporting cast is surprisingly good; I like the announcer and especially the foxy assistant who was carrying the tray table out with surprising ease. The games on the episodes I've watched seem like they're taken right out of the original format, which is refreshing. And I think the biggest surprise has been the contestants. The contestant coordinators have done a great job of picking some really good players on the first week, and their enthusiasm more than makes up for Wayne's half-speed performance.

All in all, it's a solid B, and it's found a place on my DVR. The true test will be the ratings. I'm admittedly worried about this show's success. It's getting decent, albeit inconsistent timeslots across the country (9am out here in LA, 3pm in most places back East), and I can see CBS (and its affiliates) having a quick trigger finger to get that prime real estate back.