Iranian Porn, Game Shows, and Pirates: Thoughts for the Waning Moments of 5766.

Before we get to today’s stuff.. I just wanted to comment about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Ahmad in Ejad is the title of a porn movie by the way!) and his recent trip to the UN.  It reminded me of the Rabbi at the Edison Hanukah candle-lighting ceremony last year who asked the participants to pray that Mahmoud drop dead.… yet amazingly a guy wrote a letter to the late and lamented Jewish State criticizing The Rabbi for doing that and saying that we should instead teach this Holocaust revisionist about what really happened in WW II.
 
After seeing Mahmoud's interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, it is obvious that this guy is pretty smart and he knows the Holocaust really happened… All this Genocide Minimalist wants to do is downplay its relevance so he can borrow from Hitler’s playbook and start another one. Every Cooper question about the Holocaust was deflected to comments about Post WW II Jews moving to Israel when it became Israel in 1948. It’s ironic that he goes on and on about the “horrible plight” of the Palestinians,.. I betcha these Palestinians, especially the women,  would rather live in Israel than Iran! Heck, when they started paying tax money to Arafat and the Palestinian authority, notice how virtually nothing went to infra-structure and all of it went to Arafat’s pockets.  The reason the terrorist groups did so well in the elections is they exploited the government’s corrupt embezzlement, and drove home to voters the images that the politicians were filthy rich while the Palestinians were dirt poor.
 
Cooper had the line of the night at the end of the chat… After basically giving up on the Holocaust questions, he said he was moving on to another topic.. The lowlife flashed him a sleazy smile and asked… “Did you hear the answer you wanted about the Holocaust?”… Cooper who seemed a bit surprised that Mahmoud would have even cared, told him he had a lot of other stuff to cover with only a limited amount of time allowed for the interview, and was about to start his next topic when Mahmoud cut in again with “Are you asking the questions on your mind, or the ones given to you by “others“?..

And without missing a beat, Cooper responded to the “others” implication with the line of the year… “In America…. WE have a free press…. unlike IRAN!” 

I’ll take Anderson Cooper for the block!

Speaking of Hollywood Squares, I haven't watched a lot of non sports TV during baseball season, and I’m really not going to be into the new season until after the World Series.. But I did catch the much hyped “The Wire” on HBO. Trophy Wife and I also saw Alfred Hitchcock’s mid ’60’s rare off-movie “Marnie” a few weeks ago. (Sean Connery’s character’s reaction to catching Marnie stealing from him requires a huge suspension of disbelief.) The Baltimore rowhouse that the kids live in on “The Wire” is the exact same Baltimore rowhouse that was used for the house Marnie’s mother lived in! Still recycling soundstages 40 years later? Wow.

Over the summer, Game Show Network ran a series of specials about The Top 50 Game Shows. I wanted to address their rankings because I had also ranked the Top 14 in a series of columns earlier this year. (See the archives in Feb.) Interestingly enough we agree on 11 of the 14, of which only 2 finished in the same spots. We both have Match Game and The Price is Right at #1 and #4 respectively… but aside from that we didn't agree too much. The three NWOW shows that didn’t crack their Top 14 were my #3 Password - which they ranked 15th (!)… To Tell the Truth which I had at #10 and they ranked 19th; and The Bobby Van version of Make Me Laugh… which I ranked 14th but did not make their list. Their 3 which didn’t crack my list were #7 Lets Make a Deal… a show I never really got into… #9 The Newlywed Game which just missed the Top 14, and #14 What’s My Line which was before my time.

The Game Show Forum (and thanks to the Buzzer Blog for this info)… also ranked their Top 100... And Make Me Laugh made their list at 98. They also oddly ranked Match Game 5th and put The Price Is Right at #1. Three of their Top 14 also didn’t make my list…Concentration (9), Card Sharks (13) and What’s My Line (14). Card Sharks? Hmmm.. That’s a bit odd.

When GSN ran their Top 50 list, they showed episodes of all the ranked shows that they had legal rights to… (They are not allowed to show The Price is Right and Name That Tune due to licensing legalities.) It’s good to know we both agreed on Match Game as Number 1... But I’m surprised my 2nd rated Hollywood Squares didn’t make their list till the 11 slot. Likewise ranking Password (#3 for me) in the 15 slot was strange too. We both had the Gong Show on the list.. I had it 9th and they had it 12th.. We also went the Chuck Barris route with The Dating Game making both lists.. #13 for me,.. No. 10 for GSN. I thought they had Family Feud a bit overrated with #3... while I had it 11th.

Here are the Top 14s from my blog and GSN…

NWOW 1. Match Game; 2. Hollywood Squares; 3. Password; 4. The Price Is Right; 5. Jeopardy; 6. Pyramid (not the Donny Osmond version); 7. Press Your Luck; 8. Who Wants to be a Millionaire; 9. The Gong Show; 10. To Tell The Truth; 11. Family Feud; 12. Wheel of Fortune; 13. The Dating Game; 14. Make Me Laugh.

GSN 1. MG; 2. Jeopardy; 3. FF; 4. TPIR; 5. WWTBAM; 6. WOF; 7. Lets Make a Deal; 8. Pyramid; 9. The Newlywed Game; 10. The Dating Game; 11. HS; 12. The Gong Show; 13. PYL; 14. WML


Now on to the football picks… Last week we bounced back from the disastrous opening wknd with a 9-7 record to bring us to a rather lame 13-19. Here are the wkly predictions...The spread is from Friday's Star Ledger; home teams are noted with an "x".

x-Bills 5 faves over the Jets - Thanks NFL for making the Giants the late game on Rosh Hashanah!

Giants 3 1/2 doggies over x-Seattle - The Giants can take revenge on the Seahawks and then Andrew can take revenge on Bree on the Season Premiere of Desperate Housewives! (I will of course tape the family guy)

Packers 7 doggies over x-Detroit - The Lions will win.. but won't cover.

Redskins 4 faves over x-Texans - I hope Daniel Snyder does a little extra praying for the Skins to salvage the season this wknd.

x-Colts 7 faves over Jaguars - Can the Jags beat the Steelers and Colts back to back and belly to belly? I doubt it.

x-Steelers 2 faves over Cincy - The Bengals look great and Roethslisberger looked pretty lame on MNF... plus Cincy beat 'em in Pitt last wk...Despite that.. Ill take the Steelers.

Panthers 3 faves over x-Tampa Bay - Are the Bucs really that bad? See Pumpstradamus's prediction below.

Titans 11 doggies over x-Miami - Dolphins not good enough to deserve that many points. They will win but not cover.

Bears 3 faves over x-Minnesota - Vikings Shmikings... This is Twins country... (Take that Derek Jeter.. Joe Mauer's gonna win the batting title!)

Ravens 6 1/2 faves over x-Cleveland - Ravens 3-0? Hmmm

Rams 4 1/2 doggies over x-Arizona - St. Louis fans can boo the Cardinals this week in the NFL and next wk when they get swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Eagles 6 faves over x-49ers - Y'think the Eagles are a bit annoyed after last weeks collosal choke against the Giants? Or was that just a birthday present for me?

x-Patriots 7 faves over Denver - That's a big spread against a damn good Bronco team.

x-Saints 4 doggies over Atlanta - The first post Katrina game to be played at a sold out Superdome. And they're home dogs on Monday Night to boot! Huge win for the Saints!

And the Pumpstradamus Pick of the Week - Time to rebound from last weeks loss which dropped us to 1-1.… Since this past week, we celebrated “Talk Like a Pirate Day”… and spent it questioning why Jeromy Burnitz is still on the team… this weeks pick is the Buccaneers over Carolina!