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Re: Awarding Bonus Points

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lapsedcatMar 2, 2008
 

 
While I agree with much of what you say, Robert, I think that JAM
needs a chairman like NP. I couldn't imagine it chaired by Humphrey
Lyttleton for example, as the secret of his success on Clue is
largely down to playing the "old curmudgeon"-card and simulating
naivity over the double-entendres. He would be competing too much
against the panellists on JAM for the audience laughs, whereas
Parsons is not in himself amusing enough to outshine the players.
He's a sufficient straight-man. Anyway, who would be the altrnative?
Nigel effing Rees?



--- In just-a-minute@..., "Robert L. Torres"
<bobbyshaddoe3004@...> wrote:

>
> This is something that I feel is close to my heart, being a fan of
> the series, and listening to it grow and evolve over the years, and
> going through episodes from the late 60's to today, and the one

thing

> that has both amused me and also irritated me are those occasions
> when Nicholas awards people bonus points.
>
> This would be something he rarely did during the early years of the
> show, and even then it would be very rare occasions indeed. but
> those occasions usually entailed a clever interpretation of the
> challenges on the violation of the rules or for making a very

amusing

> comment. But during those early days, there would be plent y of
> people that would make those sorts of clever challenges or humorous
> interruptions, and wouldn't receive a thing, except a lot of stick
> from Schoolmaster Nick, who couldn't see past the rules to

appreciate

> the contribution. During those occasions, no points would be

awarded

> at all, which very often got on my nerves, especially since he

would

> later say that its the contribution that matters, the points are
> secondary, and yet would make this entire display about how someone
> can speak for 58 seconds, not get any points, and someone

interrupts

> them and they are the ones who get the bloody points.
>
> as the series progressed, it seemed like he would dole out bonus
> points to those who deserved them, sometimes they'd be given to
> people who never deserved them.
>
> Then there came a point where he would give bonus points for

amusing

> joke challenges or for just the overall sense of amusing the

audience

> as a whole.
>
> but, nowadays, the whole notion of awarding bonus points has

reached

> a level of complete and utter ludicrousness. this can be traced

back

> to an episode from 2004 or 2005, I think the panelists were Linda
> Smith, Tim Rice, Tony Hawks and Chris Neil. Chris began to develop

a

> niche for himself, by which he was able to garner loads of bonus
> points for his joke challenges, since he pretty much admitted that
> he'd never be able to get any points for actually talking on the
> subject.
>
> then something happens at one point to which Tim challenges

someone,

> I forget who, he makes a humorous comment, then asks

Nicholas: 'Bonus

> point?' and he gets one. But here's the bit that really irks me,

by

> Nicholas' own admission, he gave Tim the bonus point NOT for his
> challenge, but for the fact that he said 'bonus point'.
>
> In another episode he gave Graham Norton a point for 'having a

face',

> in another show he gave a bonus point to Pauline McLynn because
> he 'felt sorry for her'.
>
> and this is just something that really gets up my nose, because it
> seems like you don't even need to be clever or amusing to get bonus
> points anymore. It seems like nowadays all you have to do is

sneeze

> and you get a bonus point. meanwhile the panelists on the show

bust

> their asses actually being funny, clever and amusing don't get any
> bonus points, because Nicholas is 'resisting the temptation' or

that

> he 'can't afford to give anymore bonus points', like he's on some
> sort of budget.
>
> And the way he even says it, that he 'can't' give someone anymore
> bonus points, I mean come on. Is someone holding a gun to his head
> saying, 'if you give out any more bonus points I'll blow your

brains

> out?'
>
> its part of the reason why I think there should be another regular
> pisstaker on the show to point these things out. Peter Jones was a
> master of this, because it pointed out all of Nicholas'
> inconsistencies and even the way he would say things. Linda Smith
> was fantastic at this as well, even Rob Brydon during his brief
> stint.
>
> I know if I were on the show I'd interrupt during each round by
> making up something incongrous like 'I've got cancer, gimme a bonus
> point' 'My mother passed away, gimme a bonus point' 'I had Chinese
> takeaway last night, gimme a bonus point', and so on.
>
> even people who try to be clever on the program nowadays aren't
> recognized for their cleverness, why? Because Nicholas has to
> be 'fair within the rules of the game'.
>
> THe man would rather be fair to a set of abstract concepts than to
> actual flesh and blood human beings. that's the sort of chairman
> this show has.
>

 
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