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Re: Awarding Bonus Points

Messages in this topic: 7 View All
antster1983Mar 3, 2008
 

 
Nigel Rees is the person who hosts the much-maligned "Quote...
Unquote", many a time a target for Just A Minute or the Clue
panellists. :o)

Ant

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

>
> that is true. of course I wish I knew who Nigel Rees was though.

you're certainly correct in labeling him a 'sufficient' straight man,
but only just. because something else that gets up my nose are the
moments when someone has a real go at him because of some verbal slip
that he made or when he's talking and someone uses his own words
against him in a marvelous put down, he'll try and deflect the insult
by pretty much stating that he set himself up for it deliberately,
saying things like 'oh I do give them marvelous cues, don't I.'

>
>
>
> lapsedcat <lapsedcat@...> wrote:
> 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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