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Talk TV with Gail
Join Post-Dispatch TV critic Gail Pennington for a live discussion about all things TV -- what's great, what's new, what's dead.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 01:00 PM CDT
Gail: Hi, everybody. Thanks for all the good questions today. (No, really: good questions today.) So I'll jump right in.

The Soap Goddess: I know you tend to ignore daytime (what with no coverage of the Daytime Emmys and blowing off One Life to Live's 40th anniversary presentation *smile*), but I have a daytime question that might have been addressed on your recent TCA tour.

I heard through the grapevine that The Price is Right is set for a grand makeover. I have also heard that long-timer producers, and even short-time host Drew Carey, are not happy with this "modernization" changes.

Have you heard anything? I say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
Gail: Oh, be nice. I covered the Daytime Emmys on Tube Talk, didn't I? And I was actually kind of sorry to miss that "OLTL" session.

We asked CBS boss Nina Tassler about Drew Carey and "Price," and she said those rumors are untrue, that no more major changes are planned, just cosmetic stuff. When I watch, I don't find it much changed, do you? I actually think Carey is doing a nice job.

majigail: Did you see Phylis while in Hollywood (maybe some antiquing?) I saw an interview where she said she was going to try to sneak a Cardinal on her desk as a shout out to her STL friends.
Gail: Phyllis got back into LA just a couple of hours before NBC's party, so I saw her there, but we didn't get to go on any jaunts because I left a few days later. BTW, I gave her that Cardinal -- it's a little stuffed Fredbird I had -- and told her to try to sneak it onto Phyllis' desk as a shoutout to me, Diane and Jeff, who always have lunch when she's home.

John H.: GP;

I've been watching the complete Arrested Development (AD) series on DVD the past couple of weeks and I can only think...the World according to Jim is still on the Air.

First off, was Liza Minelli nominated for an Emmy as Lucille2 (one of those guest star emmy's)? If not...for shame!

Small cameo - during a bluth board room scene our Phyllis (Phyllis from the Office) is in the scene. I laughed when I saw that one.

One of the funniest moments in TV history (It's time lucille ball and the candy factory was retired, right?) When G.O.B. is performing at his father's wake and he does his "dance" moves to "Final Countdown" with Buster behind the coffin mimicking him in his phony soldier/stripper outfit and G.O.B. keeps trying to slap him to get him to stop dancing...I laugh out loud each time I see that...

Totally let's pretend question; HBO comes along and says we want to pick up that AD torch and we're interested in running new episodes, do you think it would be possible now? Would all the principles (actors and production folks) be willing to return (Bateman's got a pretty good movie career going now).

Goodness, that was a funny show!
Gail: "Arrested Development" may be -- to me and you -- one of the funniest sitcoms ever. I praised it so much during its run that people got mad and sent me hate mail, saying it was stupid and why did I keep harping on it. They all keep talking up an "AD" movie -- I just saw Jessica Walter, and she said they would all love to do it if it worked out. Jason Bateman (one of the nicest guys in Hollywood) is a big booster. But yes, they're all busy, including creator Mitch Hurwitz, so even in the pie-in-the-sky chance that another network wanted to resurrect it, that would be very difficult.

Joe D.: Are you watching Wipeout on ABC? I watch with my five-year-old son and he gets the biggest kick out of it.
Gail: One of my colleagues was telling me lately that she and her son, 5, also love "Wipeout," so that's clearly the show's demographic. It's the most popular thing on TV this summer, so it won't matter if I tell you I don't/can't/won't watch. However, I watch enough other mindless TV to make up for it.