Game shows used to flood the dial of my TV back in the 1980s and '90s. And that was when my TV could only pick up eight channels, three depending on the weather.

Back then, almost everything from daytime fare to the occasional prime time bit of airtime starred game show hosts. Their purpose on television was solely to wear smart suits, make sure their teeth reached the optimum level of whiteness and keep the game moving but entertaining.

Now that game shows are making a slow but steady return to television, it seems the traditional role of "host" has turned away from the traditional "game" emcee like Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Bob Barker and Art Fleming and more towards lively hosting personalities from other walks of entertainment life like Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Howie Mandel and Guy Fieri. Does this mean that the role of the traditional TV game show has gone to that great big "Curtain No. 2" in the sky?

Is there anything Neil Patrick Harris can't do? The other night he was positively stellar on American Idol as a guest judge, stealing the spotlight from Simon by being a fair but stern discerner of the talented and the talentless. You could really see him as a permanent replacement for Simon Cowell and doing a damn, good job. Then there was Dr. Horrible, Emmy host, Tony host and, naturally, Barney on How I Met Your Mother. Neil is a jack of all trade and a master of most!

Now we can add game show host to the list of accomplishments. The British competition show The Cube is coming to CBS and Neil Patrick Harris will be the host. You may recall that Fox attempted to get The Cube to America. After spending a few months developing it, the network dropped it in December.

Terry Kniess, the Double Showcase winner on The Price is Right who got his bid right on the money, may have been a "dark day" for Drew Carey, but he's no cheater.

In fact, there have been more egregious and blatant attempts to guarantee a win in a pricing game by skewing the odds in their favor, sometimes right in front of the host's eyes.

For instance, here's a "Shell Game" contestant who does something so outrageous, so ballsy, so completely devious that Bob Barker can't help but rip her to verbal shreds in front of the entire nation. And not only does she get away with it, but she actually wins the game!

Game show fanatics will be pleased to learn that network game shows are returning to daytime television. Finally, people who take actual sick days will have something else to look forward to other than another mind-bending dose of NyQuil.

CBS has confirmed they are replacing the outgoing Guiding Light with a remake of the classic Let's Make a Deal.

The ex-Tiffany network has already shot a test pilot of the updated show with smiling crooner Wayne Brady in the host's chair. Brady hasn't officially won the job, but he's the front-running favorite. CBS executives are expected to make Brady's deal official later today at the Television Critics Association hoedown, unless, of course, he chooses to go for what's behind Door Number Two. Don't do it Wayne! It's just a lifetime supply of goat feed!

There are some forces in the universe that should never be messed with: the sun, black holes and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. Take it from someone who knows.

The man has the unholy ability to make ANYONE look stupid on national television. He can make an Ivy League PhD appear as though he went to city college. He can turn a Midwestern elementary school teacher into someone no parent would entrust their child with for eight hours a day. His trademark "Oh, sorry" alone can make a world renowned neurosurgeon look like a jabbering mental patient who doesn't know the name of the bone that houses the human brain.

So it's no wonder that politicians are scared to be seen in the same camera shot with the man.

Let's give Dennis Miller credit: the man isn't afraid to try new things. He's been a comedian, an actor, a sports announcer, a political pundit (of sorts), a talk show host, and a radio show host.

Now, he's going to host a game show.

On August 7, Miller will host Grand Slam on the Game Show Network, a new series that will test players' knowledge in math, verbal skills and current events. The twist is that all of the contestants were big winners on other game shows. Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings will appear on the new game show, along with past winners of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

CBS is not only broadcasting a send-off to game show legend Bob Barker, they're asking fans to upload their own tributes to the soon-to-be-former Price is Right host.

That's why, in honor of his well-known pleas to help control the pet population, I'll be uploading footage of myself castrating a dachshund.

Anyway, on May 16 at 8:00 p.m., folks can tune in to a special nighttime showing of The Price is Right in which the winner will walk away with one million dollars. The following night, May 17, fans can catch the hour-long retrospective Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television. Some user-submitted videos will be featured during the special, and others will air during the final week of Bob's stint as host of the long-running program (no date has been given yet for Barker's departure).

You'll notice the date on the press release I'm linking to is November 20. Sorry about the late post, but I got a little sidetracked by the holidays and then got sick, so just GET OFF MY CASE ALREADY!

Sorry about that, I must have some kind of chemical imbalance or something. I'll try not to lash out so much. Anyway, GSN is airing a special about Chuck Barris on December 10 at 8 pm titled Chuck Barris: My Life on the Edge. Many of us remember Barris as the host of the Gong Show, but he was also a producer for the show, not to mention for shows such as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game. In his own way, Barris pioneered what would eventually become a television staple: real people making asses of themselves for the amusement of both the home and studio audience. Barris also wrote a book, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he claimed to be a CIA assassin while also working on his game shows. The documentary will feature an interview with the man himself, as well as George Clooney, who directed the film adaptation of Barris' book, and celebs such as Jamie Farr and Phyllis Diller.

In an interview with Marketwatch media critic Jon Friedman, Aaron Brown talks about how things are going since he was unceremoniously dumped by CNN last fall. He tells Friedman that he's content, teaching journalism at Arizona State and working on his memoirs, but he and his reps are always on the lookout for new projects. Ideally, he'd like to do a talk show that's a hybrid of Charlie Rose and Larry King Live, but his agent is in discussion to do anything... including a gig as a game show host.

Boy, would I love to see that, at least for one episode. Why? Because I'd love to see Brown ruminate over why there have to be winners and losers in life, bringing in references to Buddha and Mark Twain, while the contestant patiently sits and waits for him to ask the next trivia question. It would be unintentional comedy at his finest.

[via Mediabistro]