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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2007)
and Full Bar The Church of Bob Six Intimate {heaters Coming on down from a giddy experience D The Best in Foreign and Independent Film •..« f/" LIVING RHilM 4 Has Come to ts Senses I H I A I t R S 341 SW 10th Ave at the corner of Stark X' www.livingroonitheatres.com I 971.222.2010 MORGAN FINANCIAL, INC M ortgage L ending & I nvestments Custom Financing that fits your Needs! It i* Hur jjoal to fit ewrv borrower with the rm'rtt;age th.it beM *uit* their interest* and goal*. It i* of the utmo*t importance that vitu unJcr*tanJ all of the potential option* vou have, and make the right decision. ude, I hope I get picked as a contest ant. I’m gonna bid $420 on everything. Heh-heh.” “No respect," I grumbled to myself while listening to the stoner standing in line beside me for a taping of The Price Is Right. Well, we weren’t exactly standing. More like huddling—on a chilly Hollywood sidewalk camped outside CBS Television City. The endurance test was all for the love of Bob—Barker, that is, the iconic game show host who’s calling it quits at the end of the season after 50 years in television, 35 of which were spent on TPIR. In other words, my entire life. Talk about a fixture. And unlike Johnny Carson—Bob’s late- night equivalent—I didn’t have to wait until I was older to get hooked on his show. Bob represents the happiest times in my childhood: vegging at home in the middle of a lazy summer, while being thor oughly entertained by a randy charmer with a dis dain for overbids and a passion for homeless pets. It i* important to u* that sou are comfortable with the financing from the minute vou till out an application to the Jav vou move into your new home. Pauline Hines Branch Manager pauline@morfi.com • 503-515-8761 Mobile Kristen Roland kroland@morfi.com • 503-679-1299 Mobile 503-542-7894 Office • 503-542-7895 Fax • 935 NW 19th • Portland, Oregon 97209 HOLLYWOOD VINTAGE BOOTCAMP PDX alternative greeting cards vintage eyewear clothing rhinestone jewelry COMMUNITY OUTDOOR FITNESS - 6 A.M. - "’.«•A.M. WEEKDAYS IN IRVING PARK ("TH AND FREMONT) BE IN YOUR BEST SHAPE EVER COMBINATION TRAINING OF STRENGTH AND CARDIO. SMAI L GROUP CLASS. ALL I'H NESS LEVELS WELCOME. SESSION BEGINS MONDAY JUNE 4. 2007. WWW.BOOTCAMPPDN.COM . RESERVE YOUR SPOT 503 72 |.2~87 My rapturous moment at the altar. I picked up the habit again last September. At the time 1 was bummed and busy and barely had the time for television. But something told me to make an exception for TPIR; after all, it’s the only show on TV that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to my face—and often tears to my eyes, when a lucky contestant wins a car against all odds. A month later, Bob announced the dreaded news. Considering he’s 83, it doesn’t come as a sur prise that he’s retiring. But for a fanatic like me, this is going to be like coming down from a strong drug. I love TPIR. Everything about the show is delightful: Barker’s Beauties (one who sued for sex ism, one who sued for sizism, one who claimed her missing husband was a CIA spy, one who was stu pid enough to marry Ian Ziering)...the variety of games (my favorite being the easy “Clock Game,” my least favorite being the overrated “Plinko”)...the interactive aspect (the audience is encouraged to “<x)h,” “ahh” and offer loud advice)... the random prizes (a golf cart—for a crowd full of college students?!). But most of all, there’s Bob. When he goes off the air, game shows will never be the same. As it stands, all that’s left on daytime television is a weak Family Feud hosted by John O’Hurley, aka J. Peterman from Seinfeld, who is one of several candidates under consideration to (shudder) replace Bob. The others include Saved by the Bell’s Mario Lopez, The Young and the Restless’ Doug Davidson and George Fucking Hamilton. (I know!) Jim's Closet BY JIM RADOSTA Rosie O’Donnell has also expressed interest in the position. Wouldn’t that be something. Anyway, now that I’ve made a case for my obsession, you might be able to understand how 1 ended up shivering on the comer of Beverly and Fairfax with a few modest goals in mind: • To hear the words “J immy Radosta, come on down! You’re the next contest ant on The Price Is Right!” • To kick ass, after years of obsessive price memorization. (For example, the sunflower seeds are always $1.09, and the yellow Mustangs are always around $20,000.) • To be Bob’s most beloved contestant ever, after charming him with stories about how I used to impersonate him with my Mr. Microphone...how I used to write letters to the producers, beg ging them to bend the rule ban ning minors from attending tap ings. . .how 1 used to draw pictures of myself walking “The Golden Road” (actually, that’s my favorite game)...how 1 hammed it up in a sketch at YMCA summer camp as a nauseated game show host named “Bob Barfer.” Whoa, did I just put that into print for public consumption? Am 1 crazy or something? Crazy about Bob. Damn straight. And I was surrounded by hundreds of other devotees who felt the same way. In line, wearing a customized T-shirt emblazoned with the procla mation “35: Bom to Come on Down,” I befriended a fun group of women who met at college in Fargo, N.D., one of whom ended up winning $100 playing “Punch-a-Bunch.” As for me, even though my name wasn’t called, I enjoyed myself immensely. It’s probably the closest this atheist will ever come to feeling the “Holy Ghost Power!” I learned later that New York Times reporter Edward Wyatt was at the same taping, according to his May 15 article, which beautifully stated the special appeal of Bob: “His great strength, and certainly the key to his longevity, is that, whatever happens to the contestants, he is able to have them leave happy, feeling unjudged and appreciated.” Amen. © T he P rice I s R ight airs 10 a.m. weekdays on CBS. Catch it while you can. Arts and Culture Editor J IM R adosta needs your feedback. Write to jhn@justout.com.
