Hollywood Game Night

After watching the first episode, I found Jane Lynch to be a surprisingly good host. She interacts with the contestants with humor and keeps the celebrity egos in check so they are not talking over each other too much.

The six celebrity competitors were great. I hope they can continue to get panels this talented. The first show included Matthew Perry, Kristen Bell, Martin Short and Lisa Kudrow, for example. They looked like they were having a great time. With people this funny, it is the humor--not the actual competition--that is the best aspect of the show.

The scoring is weighted toward the end of the show, keeping the gameplay relevant. This is a game convention (see Jeopardy! or Family Feud).

They use various games, rather than just one type of game, keeping it interesting.

I have one criticism: when the game involves a visual puzzle, I like to play along with the contestants. It is annoying when they cut away from the puzzle after a brief shot, not giving me time to solve it. Wheel of Fortune does the same thing.

I will watch this show again.

Based on the first episode, Hollywood Game Night looks like it will not live up to its potential. Although its premise, celebrities getting together to play party games, had promise, the execution is flawed.

For starters, the show based much of its marketing on the appeal of Jane Lynch, leading viewers to expect the acidic humor she uses on Glee. However, Lynch keeps the sarcasm to a minimum, depriving the show of some much needed biting wit.

Furthermore, the show is heavily reliant on the ability of the guest celebrities to engage in improv banter for its entertainment value. In the first episode, only Martin Short seemed to bring any real spark. This may improve with future episodes, as the guest list seems heavy with SNL alumni.

Finally, the scoring in some of the games seems arbitrary, with the last two games made top heavy through multiplication of points.

If you love playing game shows or board games at home, this is fun. As one reviewer commented, the celebrities seem to having a good time, as we all do when we play games with our families. They seem cool to be around and interact well, and are just regular people.

The games vary and create excitement. It's hard to multi-task at home when this show is on.

The only thing I don't like is when they lose and have to go to the bar. I swear some actors came back buzzed. Maybe they can go to a Juice Bar or go to the Workout Room?

The host keeps the excitement going and knows her job well.

The band is great and so are the singers. Love that there's live music.

Also, there are celebrities that I don't know and some that I do. I like that.

Grant Taylor the man behind the curtain. Comedic genius hustlers harder than Pete Rose. Raises everyone to his level. Boston stand up legend. Ask Cross. Ask Lawrence. Ask me. As Generous as Benny. Never cheap. Funnier than a man who is on first. What's on second? Who cares I want to see what's next!

Finally, in addition to all the talk shows where celebrities gush over celebrities, comes Hollywood Game Night. Yet another opportunity to witness arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic celebutants overact to see who can get the most attention. As if we need another forum to demonstrate that it does not take intelligence to become famous. As a matter of fact, it seems that it only takes a great lack of self respect and a limited amount of self awareness. It also shows how unfunny these people are when their writers aren't there to prop them up. I think we should create another award show so we can even further celebrate those in the spotlight willing to sink to the lowest level for the sake of self-promotion. Watching the "celebrities" on this show reminds me of how adults might act to try to get a crying child to quiet down. I guess they think of the audience as a bunch of crying babies. After watching this show, I can't imagine they are far from reality.