The game show 'Jeopardy!' has announced the semi-finalists for its Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Tournament, in which celebrities compete for $1 Million to go to the charity of their choice. The list of celebrities and the charities they will sponsor is as follows:

May 3
Pat Sajak (Vietnam Veterans of America)
Jane Curtin (U.S. Fund for UNICEF)
Harry Shearer (Common Ground Relief)

May 4
Michael McKean (International Myeloma Foundation)
Charles Shaughnessy (1736 Family Crisis Center)
Isaac Mizrahi (Good Shepherd Services)

May 5
Neil Patrick Harris (Food on Foot)
Jane Kaczmarek (Clothes Off Our Back)
Cheech Marin (Hispanic Scholarship Fund)

The winners of each round will move on to the 2-day finals, on May 6th and 7th.

It must have been easy for the studio to get Pat Sajak since both 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' are produced by Sony Pictures Studios. The line-up on May 4th isn't as interesting as the other two dates (Andy Richter had to drop out for that day due to his appearances on Conan O'Brien's tour), but the other two days pretty much rock, celebrity-wise. I'm secretly hoping that NPH wins it all but I have no idea how good each of the contestants are at 'Jeopardy!'.

Tell us: Who do you think will win?

The dynamic duo of gameshows, 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' have been renewed through 2014.

According to The Wrap, ABC-owned stations have reached a two-year renewal deal with CBS Television Distribution to keep the shows on Disney TV stations through the 2013-14 season. 'Wheel' host Pat Sajak and 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek have also extended their contracts with Sony Pictures Television, the producer of the two shows.

However, CBS Television Distribution also needs to renew 'Wheel' and 'Jeopardy!' to many non-ABC stations that air the show.

Hosting a game show is something of an art. You've got to be amiable but authoritative, and you've got to make it look easy. You've got to look happy when a contestant walks away with thousands of dollars (or even millions, at this point) and you've got to look contrite when a contestant loses -- especially if due to a bad answer. You've got to project warmth, seem approachable and always appear ready for fun, even when enforcing the rules.

Since the first quiz shows of the late 1940s, through the infamous scandals of the 1950s, up until the present day of huge cash prizes, game-show hosting has been an amazing long-term gig for the people -- almost always men -- who get the job. Who, then, are the 10 greatest game-show hosts in history? Check out our after the jump.

Oh, the humanity! Wheel of Fortune is not all frivolity and fun. Merv Griffin knew what he was doing when he created this venerable game show. Drama, ensues! You think it's so easy spinning the wheel, buying a vowel, laughing at Pat Sajak's jokes and ogling Vanna's gorgeous gait? Well, it's not. Under all that pressure you'd be surprised -- or maybe you wouldn't -- to see how some people simply come up short in the solution department. The letters all float together and instead of spelling a word you know as well as your own name, you pick the wrong consonant and you're WAH-WAHed in shame and regret. The fortune goes to the next player and you're left with egg on your face.

Watch these great examples and you'll see what I mean (a sample is after the jump). Like Jay Leno's simple "man in the street" questions about common knowledge, you see that there's no telling how stupid people can be, especially with a camera and microphone in their face.

[via digg]

With the popularity of shows like Deal or No Deal and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader it has become clear that the days of Ken Jennings are over. It is no longer necessary to be educated to be on a gameshow. All you need is a personality or at least the appearance of one.

Time was, ratings for a gameshow spiked considerably whenever someone got on a winning streak. Now all producers have to do is manufacture a load of tension and viewers become glued to the set, even when the tension stems from whether or not they should open a briefcase.

Now, I am the first to admit that I love seeing idiots blow their big chance on a gameshow. One of the best parts of Beat the Geeks was being able to laugh out loud when a contestant missed an easy question, but some of these contestants are so stupid that I can't see how they even made it on the show in the first place.

What probably comes as no surprise to anyone, both Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have been renewed for two more years. That means that the two top-ranked syndicated game shows will remain on the air through the 2011-2012 season.

Currently, Wheel is the number one show in syndication, averaging 8.3 million households. Jeopardy is number three with an average viewing audience of 6.5 million households. By the time the 2012 season ends Wheel will have been on the air for an impressive 29 seasons while Jeopardy will have been on for an equally impressive 28.

One can only assume that Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak and Vanna White will remain with their respective shows. Then again, assuming is a bad thing. Heck, for all I know Howard Stern could be hosting the final two seasons of Jeopardy. Ratings may pick up then if the 'Daily Double' features half-naked lesbians giving out answers.