After taping last show, Barker offers to fill in as 'Price' host

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After 35 years as host of "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker hung up his microphone for good this week. Or did he?

After taping his last show, the 83-year-old icon said Wednesday that he would happily return to the "Price" stage if a replacement host isn't found by the time the new season starts in the fall.

"They're having trouble finding someone to do the show," Barker told reporters during a post-show press conference. "And I've told members of the staff here that ... if they wanted me to do it for a few more months, I would do it.

"I don't want to walk out on CBS or the company if they're in that position because they've been too good to me."

FremantleMedia North America, which produces "The Price Is Right," did not respond to a call seeking comment Thursday.

Barker taped his last episode — his 6,586th — of the popular CBS game show Wednesday, retiring after five decades on national television. The episode is scheduled to air twice June 15: once at its usual time and again that evening.

The silver-haired host ended his record tenure by blowing kisses and working in the same low-key, genial fashion that made him one of daytime TV's biggest stars. He closed the show with his usual, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody."

Once the cameras stopped rolling, he told the studio audience: "I thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your home for more than 50 years. I'm truly grateful, and I hope that all of you have enjoyed your visit to `The Price Is Right.'"

Reruns of Barker-hosted shows will play throughout the summer.

A new host has yet to be named. Among those reportedly in the running are Todd Newton of the E! network, Mark Steines of "Entertainment Tonight," George Hamilton and John O'Hurley.

Still waiting on the ‘Great Pumpkin’

By JIM BECKERMAN
The Record (Hackensack N.J.)

You'd think that selling "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" to CBS back in 1966 would have been as easy as selling ... well, pumpkins on Halloween. Or Charlie Brown at any time.

Not so, animator Bill Melendez recalls.

"We didn't know whether the network would buy it," Melendez says. "I'd always have to do a sales pitch. And I can really do a pitch. They used to say: ‘Come on, Bill, do a dance for The Man.'"

And this was after "A Charlie Brown Christmas" had been a huge, Peabody- and Emmy-winning hit in 1965, and after the "Peanuts" comic strip mania was well under way.

Friday will mark the 40th anniversary of the TV special, which has now become for some as much of a Halloween tradition as candy corn and soaped windows.

It will be shown at 8 p.m. Friday on ABC (WOLO-25, cable channel 5), in tandem with "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," a later "Peanuts" special with a "Great Pumpkin" subplot.

"We translated the Christmas idea to the pumpkin patch," says Melendez, who had little idea he was creating a small but much-loved new piece of Americana with his yarn of the eternally optimistic Linus, who forgoes trick or treating to spend his night in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arise and bring toys to all the good little children of the world.

Never mind that the other kids laugh at him. Never mind that Linus — otherwise the egghead of the Peanuts bunch — would seem to have rather obviously confused Christmas and Halloween.

Commentators — the kind of people who write books like "The Gospel According to Peanuts" — have seen in Linus a symbol of faith, which endures even in the face of doubts and sneers.

Or, alternately, a symbol of religious delusion — persisting in spite of the efforts of sensible people to talk the sucker out of it.

"We threw everything (into) it," Melendez says.

And viewers responded. To this day, every gardener who discovers an oversize gourd in October feels it a civic duty to phone the local newspaper to report that the Great Pumpkin has arrived in his back yard.

"Believe it or not, that's Charlie Brown, above, happily perched inside our version of the Great Pumpkin (a 125-pound North-ville-grown giant)," reads one newspaper caption below a photograph of a toddler peeping out of a giant jack-o'-lantern, reprinted in the book "Charlie Brown & Charlie Schulz."

More recently, and more cynically, an episode of the quirky animated cable TV series "Robot Chicken" featured a Great Pumpkin summoned by black magic, who kills off all of the "Peanuts" kids except Charlie Brown, before being destroyed by the Kite-Eating Tree.

This year, in honor of the 40th anniversary, there has been a cornucopia of Great Pumpkin-related merchandise, including an "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" domino set from Sababa Toys, a 500-piece "Great Pumpkin" jigsaw puzzle from USAopoly and a 40th anniversary coffee table book about the making of "Great Pumpkin" from HarperCollins.

"I didn't know at the time that this was going to be anything vital," says Melendez, 90.

Originally from Sonora, Mexico, south of Arizona, Melendez had already been in the animation business for years — working for such giants as Disney, Warner Bros. and UPA — when Charlie Brown and fortune came knocking.

By the early 1960s, he had set up his own fledgling animation studio, where among other things he made several Ford TV spots using animated "Peanuts" characters.

In 1965, Coca-Cola approached the late "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz and independent movie producer Lee Mendelson about doing a "Peanuts" Christmas TV special. Mendelson and Schulz got Melendez onboard, and they proceeded to create a 30-minute show that turned all the rules upside-down.

Instead of professional adult actors, they recorded kid voices. Instead of brassy humor, they kept the warm, whimsical tone of the original comic strip. Instead of standard "cartoony" music, they used jazz.

"I was at that time doing a lot of work out of San Francisco," Melendez recalls. "That's where I met Vince Guaraldi. He was a very popular musician in the Bay area. You could go into a bar where he would be playing piano. I said, ‘We gotta use him.'"

"Linus and Lucy" and the other tunes Guaraldi wrote for the "Peanuts" specials have since become classic. But when Melendez and his colleagues first screened "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for CBS executives, they weren't having any of it.

"Too slow ... the kids don't sound pro ... the music is all wrong ... the story kind of wanders" are some of the comments Mendelson recalled hearing from the CBS brass.

"They questioned it for a simple reason: They wanted something that would be guaranteed to succeed," Melendez says.

They needn't have worried. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was such a hit that the network went ahead with plans for other "Charlie Brown" specials. Of the six earliest ones, only "Christmas" and "Great Pumpkin" are regularly revived — probably because unlike, say, "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown," they revolve around holidays.

"If it was tied up to Happy Dog Day, that would be something," Melendez says. "But that show and the others don't have a strong link-up to anything. We don't have any means or chance to expose them."

By now, Melendez has done 50 Charlie Brown specials, and four Charlie Brown feature-length movies. And he's ready to do more.

Even if he has to dance, once again, for The Man.

"Even now, we always go job to job," he says. "I have things, stories, and I'd sure like to do some more. But it depends. First, I have to get a network to agree with the idea."

Joel Stein: Elmo Is an Evildoer

The self-obsessed Sesame Street Muppet is destroying all that is holy on children's TV.

Joel Stein
Los Angeles Times

ELMO REFUSED to be interviewed for this column. I consider this to be a supreme act of cowardice. And it doesn't surprise me one bit. Elmo is an annoying tool.

Yes, I know that children love Elmo. But children are idiots. That's why we don't let them have jobs. Could you imagine an office full of children? They'd spend all day telling dumb jokes and talking about their poop. It would be like it was before women entered the workplace.

"Sesame Street" — which still has sharp, funny writing — is being destroyed by idiot cuteness. Not only is the patronizing, baby-talking Elmo usurping most of the hour, but "Sesame Street" — which debuted its 37th season Monday — added its first new female Muppet in 13 years: the sparkly haired, tutu-wearing, button-nosed, pink-skinned fairy goddaughter Abby Cadabby. Her shaky magic skills get her in situations she needs to get bailed out of, like the anti-"Bewitched."

Plus, she's got that creepy, throaty, little-girl Lindsay Lohan kind of voice, and a Paris Hilton-esque catchphrase: "That's so magic." When I watched "Sesame Street" in the '70s, the human cast and the Muppets were quirky adults who didn't talk down to me with baby voices. Now the human cast gets almost no airtime, and the show is dominated by Elmo, Baby Bear and, now, Abby Cadabby — preschoolers enamored by their own adorable stupidity.

The lesson they teach — in opposition to Oscar, Big Bird, Grover or Bert — is that bland neediness gets you stuff much more easily than character. We are breeding a nation of Anna Nicole Smiths.

I am not the only one who hates Elmo. Vernon Chatman and John Lee, the creators of MTV2's dark "Sesame Street" parody, "Wonder Showzen," think the evil red one is destroying the show.

"Elmo doesn't grow. People show him something and he laughs. He doesn't learn a lesson," says Lee. "It's the exact opposite of what old 'Sesame Street' used to do. Elmo has been learning the same lesson his whole life, which is that Elmo likes Elmo."

Chatman, who refers to Elmo as the Jar Jar Binks of "Sesame Street," worries that Elmo teaches kids to care only about themselves.

"Elmo is just a baby-voiced, self-obsessed character who is only concerned with Elmo," says Lee. "He just passively observes things: 'Elmo is looking at a sandwich. Elmo is eating a sandwich. Elmo is crapping out the sandwich and writing his name on the wall with it.' " The last celebrity to so obsessively refer to himself in the third person was Richard Nixon.

Whereas Count Von Count markets math and Oscar markets the acceptability of negative emotions, Elmo, brilliantly, just markets Elmo, leading him to be the show's cash cow, or whatever misshapen animal he's supposed to be.

I question not only Abby Cadabby but all of Elmo's associates. You may recall that Elmo testified before Congress about music education. But you may not remember who requested Elmo's appearance: Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in jail for taking at least $2.4 million in bribes. I'm not implying that Elmo has taken dirty money, but these are the kind of people Elmo surrounds himself with.

I understand that "Sesame Street" has to compete in a Nickelodeon-Disney Channel-Wiggles-Pixar universe. In fact, the new episodes start with " 'Sesame Street' is brought to you by the following … " and then, instead of gently mocking consumerism by listing letters and numbers, they actually show real spots for McDonald's, Beaches resorts, Pampers and EverydayKidz.com — the last of which apparently helps children spell only if they want to be rappers.

I desperately don't want the show to go away, so I know they can't afford to run the "Elmo accidentally drank bleach and died" episode. Instead, they need to simply take Elmo and his buddies and give them their own hourlong show for the idiot spawn. Then put Luis, Gordon and the cool Muppets on their own half-hour "Classic Sesame" for the kids who will one day actually contribute to our society.

Whichever of the two shows you watched would serve as a convenient litmus test for the rest of your life. "Which 'Sesame Street' did you watch?" will be code on college applications, Internet dating and job applications. Blue and red states will be divided not by presidential choices, but by Grover and Elmo.

If we can't save all the kids, let's at least save the ones who can master speaking in first-person. The rest we'll use for reality TV stars.

Abby Cadabby Moves to 'Sesame Street'

by Michele Norris
All Things Considered, August 11, 2006

Sesame Street's got a new girl on the block: Abby Cadabby. The 3-year-old muppet fairy will be the long-running PBS children's show first leading female character.

With her pink-and-purple pigtails, pink body and pink dragonfly wings, it's not hard to figure out Abby is a little girl.

Abby discusses learning how to use her magic wand (she's only 3, after all) and meeting the other residents of Sesame Street.

The show's executive producer, Carol-Lynn Parente, says adding Abby to the cast will give the show another way to teach about diversity.

It's also a chance to provide a strong role model for girls.

Creating characters for girls is the "challenge of trying to write so that they're reflective of girls and their character, but also are strong and smart and funny," Parente says.

10 great things about "The Price is Right"

The cast of the CBS game show 'The Price is Right' from the late '70s/early '80s era. Clockwise from top: host Bob Barker, presenters Dian Parkinson, Janice Pennington, and Holly Hallstrom. Not pictured: announcer Johnny Olson (http://www.curtalliaume.com/tpir.html)

These are in no particular order, by the way.

1. The music. Simply the coolest suite of music on a game show ever! The theme alone is killer! Even when they add new songs, they still blend into the perfect goofy '70s soundtrack that has stood the test of time. It's rumored that professional musicians used to wastch the show for the soundtrack alone! There's a great MP3 download page with a lot of the songs on the show.
2. The set. I'm not a fan of some of the latest updates, but the set has definately carved out its own place in TV history. It's one of my favorite parts of watching TPiR, unchanged in spirit since the mid-'70s. No one would dare put that combination of colors and design elements on a TV set ever again! When I was younger, I used to pretend the automatic doors at Tanglewood Mall were my 'set' and I would walk out of them by myself to get that proper Bob Barker feeling. Keep in mind Tanglewood looked a lot like the TPiR set at that time!
3. Johnny Olson. Much respect to the late, great Rod Roddy, but Johnny Olson was THE best TPiR announcer. Not only did J.O. participate in the action and help keep things lively, he gave the show its most distinctive signatures. What would daytime television be without "COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT ON 'THE PRICE IS RIGHT!!!' " or "A NEW CAR!!!!"?
4. The classic Barker's Beauties. Though they were largely objectified, Janice, Dian, Holly, Anitra and Kathleen MADE the show. What good are fabulous prizes without the proper sexy presentation? Sue Bee Honey and Galaxy Carpet never looked hotter!
5. The pricing games. Plinko rules, but it's not as fun as Temptation, The Bump Game, Hole In One (or Two) , The Shell Game, or the game with that yodeling mountain climber!
6. The Showcase Showdown. Three words: BIG GIANT WHEEL. No lie: I learned a lot about addition and counting money as a toddler from watching people spin for a dollar on TPiR.
7. The showcases. The various iterations of the goofy podiums are pretty awesome by themselves, but the showcases rock. No one in their right minds would put a jet ski, a popcorn cart, a sewing machine, Broyhill furniture and a trip to Argentina together into a cohesive whole, but TPiR's been making it work for years. "And it can all be yours if the price is right!" I found a webpage based on "Splendido!," aka the second Furniture Showcase music, with tribute lyrics that will make you laugh your ass off.
8. The actual retail price. Along with "You've all overbid. Erase the bids please," they are some of the most unlikely catchphrases ever, but anyone who's watched the show can recognize them anywhere.
9. Bob Barker. He's definately goten more cranky, and creepy (and a little pervy) with age, but he remains the consumate host. You'd have to have a good attitude to put up with 'The Grocery Game' for over 3 decades.
10. Sue Bee honey. It's a TPiR staple. When I saw it at Kroger one time when I was six, I freaked out. Any show that can make natural sweeteners sound good to a six-year -old is doing something right!

Remember to help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody!

guess which children's character is gay now?

First it was Bert and Ernie, then Tinky-Winky from The Teletubbies. Not content to go fag-hunting on PBS daytime, The New York Times reported yesterday that an influential conservative Christian group claims that lovable cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is gay as well, as allegedly evidenced in a video distributed by the We Are Family Foundation.

The Times reoprts:
Dr. James C. Dobson, head of The American Family Association, claims that SpongeBob's creators had enlisted him in a "pro-homosexual video," in which he appeared alongside children's television colleagues like Barney and Jimmy Neutron, among many others. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity."

The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit "We Are Family," said Mr. Dobson's objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.

Mr. Rodgers suggested that Dr. Dobson and the American Family Association, the conservative Christian group that first sounded the alarm, might have been confused because of an unrelated Web site belonging to another group called "We Are Family," which supports gay youth.

"The fact that some people may be upset with each other peoples' lifestyles, that is O.K.," Mr. Rodgers said. "We are just talking about respect."

Mark Barondess, the foundation's lawyer, said the critics "need medication."

On Wednesday however, Paul Batura, assistant to Mr. Dobson at Focus on the Family, said the group stood by its accusation.

"We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids," he said. "It is a classic bait and switch."

I've never seen this show though I've been unable to escape the promotion of the full-length animated movie starring SpongeBob and company. My impression of the show is that it is decent children's entertainment without a sexual agenda.

I didn't know until I read the article that SpongeBob has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."

Even if gay men love a cartoon character, that doesn't automatically the cartoon gay. At least not in my estimation. Little kids (which SopngeBob and his starfish sidekick are portrayed as) have distinct gender identities, but watching goofy TV shows and holding hands doesn't seal the deal on their sexuality.

Aren't sponges and starfish in real life asexual anyway?



The SpongeBob controversey reminds me of the flap over Bert and Ernie on 'Sesame Street' that turns up every few years. Just because two Muppets are roommates doesn't mean that thy're banging each other. In their case, Muppets have no genitals so that makes sex largely impossible. Great, now I'm analizing this crap like the hate-mongers at the AFA

Maybe if these Christian groups would spread the Word and lead people into salvation through Christ instead of laciviously watching children's programming looking for gay Muppets and sponges, we could clear up some of the evil in this world.

come on down!

Bob Barker -- proof positive that 80 is the new 70 -- in fact celebrated his 81st birthday last month. And he's just agreed to do season 34 of "The Price is Right." Although Bob is in the fourth year of a five-year-contract with CBS, he has the option at the end of each year to call it quits. But not only is he not quitting, he's also agreed to host and produce three more $1 million "Price is Right" prime time specials for May sweeps.

"I have been considering hanging it up for years now," admits Barker. "My brother, who is younger than I am, is retired and he would like someone to play with. But then I say, ?Well, I'll do another year. I do have fun. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."

Barker reports that he's in talks with three different Las Vegas hotels for possible shooting of the "Price is Right" specials.

He ascribes his vitality to "exercise and nutrition. Particularly as you get older, they're terribly important. I'm a vegetarian and I work out six days a week" Maybe he's also helped by his own sort of energizer bunnies to keep going and going.

Long-time animal advocate Barker is sharing his home nowadays with a pair of (neutered) rabbits -- that's Mr. Rabbit and Honey Bunny to friends. His housekeeper found one of the critters out on his lawn one day, and after attempts to locate the owner failed, he kept it and brought in a companion for it. Now the pair has their own room, he says, and they rush to greet him like pups when he arrives home at the end of the day.