Tetris vs. Drew Carey

VS.





Yes, portly prime-time funnyman Drew Carey is back and tackling the late morning game show crowd: those senior citizens retired and propped like plants in front of the bright lights of the T.V. sets, or college kids hung over and stoned, watching the T.V. in lieu of moving from the cold embrace of the couch, or those of us who at home on a weekday, turn the T.V. on over a bowl of cereal to be entertained for a short period of time.

This is Bob Barker's crowd and while part of me wishes that he could still stay on the air, it is a wish to have the Bob Barker of 15 years ago, the sexual harassment Barker, propositioning his models and doling out kisses to the cute girls who guess their way on stage.

In the recent past, it has been scary to watch him, worrying that the same young girls he once philandered might break him in half in an embrace.

Yet, his replacement leaves me skeptical. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Drew Carey. My late night T.V. schedule used to include his sitcom in perpetual syndication...back when Ryan Stiles wasn't doing lame commercials and while actress Christa Miller was still cute and lovable "Kate," rather than Scrub's bitchtastic "Jordan."

And while the format of Price is Right suits Carey more than the short lived: Who's Line is it Anyway, where his improvisational skills were painful to watch, the show still has nothing of his personality. Save for changing the entire set to a livingroom in Cleveland, he is little more than a talking head, delivering one-liners on Bob Barker's out-dated 1970's themed set.

Is this the best that we as Americans can offer? Shouldn't game shows challenge the contestants and amuse the audience. Thanks to the discovery of brazen explorer Ellen Degeneres and my roommate passing on his second-hand knowledge, I've discovered that there can be a better way. Once again, Japan has proven that it is far superior to the U.S., not just in terms of Cars, or Comics, or Anime, or Video Games, or Electronics, but now in terms of television shows aswell.

The T.V. show, aptly called: "Human Tetris," in the YouTube postings is clever, interactive and ridiculous. It thrills in the same way that Sabado Gigante thrills on the spanish language channels, by putting contestants in ridiculous situations where all we can do is laugh at them. Sure, Drew Carey can make jokes and ridicule the contestants on The Price is Right, but he won't. And the contestants won't fall into a pool of water either. Their are no consequences and so there is no excitement as viewers.

So what is the point of this rant? Should American Gladiators move to the morning hours? Do we need to mimic the Japanese to be successful? What other alternatives should there be, to face off against the drudgery of courtroom dramas and soap operas?

The unfortunate answer is: I don't know, nor am I in a position to do anything but gripe and kvetch, but as soon as the writer's strike settles, I'm hoping someone will put an ounce of creativity toward finding a solution. And maybe, just maybe, through clever uses of humor, physicality and humiliation, America can claw its way to the top once more.