The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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coverstory Star-studded gaming The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 2, 2013 NBC lets loose with 'Hollywood Game Night' By Kyla Brewer TV Media T here are very few triedand-true recipes for prime-time success, but high-stakes game shows have made a comeback in recent years. The thrill of watching an average Joe or Jane play for money and prizes has kept TV viewers on the edge of their seats for decades in daytime, but add a little star power and — voila! — a prime-time hit is born. NBC offers TV audiences a taste of the celebrity lifestyle with its new series "Hollywood Game Night," which airs both Tuesday and Thursday, Aug. 6 and 8. Featuring a cocktail party atmosphere and a rotating roster of stars, the show features various games that test a team's ability to work together to win a $25,000 prize. Each team is composed of a contestant and three A-list celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics and more. The series was cooked up by actor/producer Sean Hayes, who's best known for his rise to fame as Jack McFarland in the defunct NBC sitcom "Will & Grace," and more recently for his recurring role as Terrence Falls in NBC's musical "Smash." "We are proud to be in business with Sean Hayes, who creatively brings so many good ideas, such as this new game show romp that will be raucous and entertaining," said NBC executive Paul Telegdy when the series was announced. "Our audience will feel as if they are part of the party as we pull back the curtain on how today's Hollywood stars play at home while our contestants can earn big money." The show features unique games, such as How Do You Jane Lynch and a contestant in "Hollywood Game Night" Doo, in which a contestant must sing a melody using only the world "doo" in the hopes their teammates can guess the song. A show in which participants get to rub elbows with the rich and famous in goofy games harkens back to the game show heydays of the 1950s and '60s when celebrities routinely tried to help contestants win cash and prizes. In those early days of television, game shows featuring Hollywood stars reigned supreme, with such hits as "To Tell the Truth" and "What's My Line" featuring the likes of Johnny Carson and Steve Allen. However, appearing on a game show had been out of vogue among the A-list crowd for many years, save for a few special celebrity editions of shows such as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Leave it to someone like Hayes to bring it back into fashion. The multi-talented performer has been a force to be reckoned with since he became the talk of Tinseltown thanks to his role in the indie film "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" (1998). Shortly thereafter he was cast in "Will & Grace," charming audiences with his antics and earning seven consecutive Emmy nominations, winning the first. During this time, he appeared on the big screen in "Cats & Dogs" (2001), "Pieces of April" (2003) and "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" (2004). The actor was also memorable as iconic comedian Jerry Lewis in the 2002 TV movie "Martin and Lewis." As talented as he may be on screen, it wasn't long before Hayes branched out behind the scenes. In 2005, he took the reins as executive producer for Bravo's reality TV series "Situation: Comedy," and went on to form a production company with Todd Milliner called Hazy Mills. He's also a co-executive producer for both TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland" and NBC's "Grimm." He's poised to become an on-screen fixture in prime time once again as the star of "Sean Saves the World," a comedy set to premiere in October. Until then, fans can enjoy the fruits of his latest labor. In the trailer for "Hollywood Game Night" (found at nbc. com/hollywood-game-night), host Jane Lynch claims the creator throws "terrific, notorious game nights at his Hollywood home," so it isn't such a stretch to bring that format to TV. While Hayes would have been more than qualified to host the series, the busy actor and producer handed the hosting duties over to Lynch, best known for her Emmy and Golden Globewinning role as ruthless cheerleading coach Sue Syl- vester in Fox's hit musicalcomedy hybrid "Glee." Lynch's film credits include "Best in Show" (2000), "A Mighty Wind" (2003), "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005) and "Julie and Julia" (2009), and has appeared in such television series as "Desperate Housewives," "Weeds" and "Two and a Half Men." However, she has some hefty hosting experience, too. Her first foray into awards show hosting was VH1's 2010 DoSomething Awards. She also hosted the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2011. It's a good thing she's a hostess with the mostest — corralling A-listers is surely no easy task, especially when coupled with the excitement of an anxious contestant. She'll have to be quick, and evidence suggests she is. In the official preview, Lynch chides star Matthew Perry, but he doesn't let her goodnatured ribbing get him down. The former "Friend" is just one of many celebrities to sign up for the show's debut season. Other bigwigs include Amy Poehler, Kristin Bell, Jason Bateman, Martin Short, Minnie Driver and Molly Shannon, among others. Like any good party, there's plenty of laughter and camaraderie, which only add to the excitement of possibly winning $25,000. Watch contestants party with the stars in "Hollywood Game Night," Tuesdays and Thursdays on NBC. Chirstopher's Coins 2x2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Is it true the actress who plays Ziva has left "NCIS"? A: Not exactly, and if CBS's hit procedural drama has taught us anything, it's that precision is important. Series co-star Cote de Pablo, who has played Ziva David since the third of the show's impressive 10 seasons so far, has announced that she's leaving the show, but she will return for an unnamed number of episodes this fall to wrap things up. "I've had eight great years with 'NCIS' and Ziva David," she said in an official statement in July. "I look forward to finishing Ziva's story." She'll start the finishing-up process on Sept. 24, when the show returns for Season 11. The writers certainly left things open to allow for de Pablo's departure — her character resigned from the team at the end of last season. Of course, season finales are usually designed to leave their characters in a jam, only to have them set things right in the next season premiere — no one actually expects them not to. This news also suggests there will finally be an end to the constant will-they-or-won't-they speculation about a romance between Ziva and Tony. If Ziva leaves the team for good, a relationship seems pretty unlikely, unless it's a very long-distance one. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. A/Krazy Tom's B/State FarmMelisa Manikas 2x3