No, seriously. The man, in his own quiet goofy way, is raking in more cash than Bill Gates. Today comes the announcement that he has gotten clearance in 65% of the country for his new game show, LET’S PLAY CROSSWORDS. He’s managed to turn hangman into a game show that has run profitably for over 30 years (WHEEL OF FORTUNE) by simply adding a spokesmodel and a roulette wheel. He managed to take a simple quiz show format and gimmick it up by giving the answers and having contestants supply the right questions (JEOPARDY).

Now he’s going to eat steak every night because it occurred to him that people will watch crossword puzzles. I presume the crossword puzzles will be in a numbered suitcase or something. Whatever.

What’s really frustrating is that the Griffin Empire doesn’t need the money. He’s still got a comfortable nest egg from his long running talk show. He runs a few hotels. And his only expense is that blackmail stipend to Denny Terrio! (Just kiddin’ Denny. We know you’re all paid off now. ) And all the while Merv puts out the appearance of a mild-mannered, slightly dingy, ex-celebrity. As he points out in his ghost-written autobiography, MERV, he’s one of the few people who has bested Donald Trump in a real-estate deal.

Don’t be fooled by Merv Griffin. He’s dangerous.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 3:38 am and is filed under General, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.