Category Archives: Television

Get Ready to Match the Stars!

Leave a reply

February is my least favorite month for writing a blog post, because it’s the shortest—month, not post. I know what I want to write about: a current obsession. The current obsession: the 1970s version of the TV program Match Game. But what angle should I take? If you write without a point, that’s journaling, and I hate journaling. Apparently, however, I’m a fan of stream-of-consciousness blogging.

What I’d really like to know is why watching grainy YouTube videos of this forty-year-old comedy/game show makes me so happy. (I launched a similar inquiry into Christmas music several winters ago, and again the following holiday season.) I won’t belabor the precise format of Match Game, but contestants try to anticipate answers given by celebrities to fill-in-the-blank-style questions. Originally, in the 1960s, the questions were straightforward: “Name something you pour gravy on.” They evolved to be more suggestive: “Mary likes to pour gravy on John’s _____.” (The shift was a ratings boon.)

Why do I love 1970s Match Game?

a. The campy host, Gene Rayburn

b. The big-name panelists, including regulars Richard Dawson, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Betty White

c. The irreverent, off-the-cuff humor

d. The party atmosphere

e. All of the above

But “all of the above,” in this case, isn’t everything. If it was, I would have the same warm fuzzies for the latest incarnation of the show, hosted by a quick-witted Alec Baldwin and frequented by funny people such as Jason Alexander, Cheryl Hines, Tim Meadows, Jane Krakowski, and Jenna Fischer.

What does 1978 Match Game have that 2018 Match Game lacks? Charm, I think.

What makes 1970s Match Game charming?

a. The retro (then au courant) hair and clothing styles

b. The need to tailor answers to get past the censors

c. The lack of political correctness

d. The low-tech set (relative to today’s standards)

e. All of the above

I (barely) remember watching Match Game as a kid; I’m sure I didn’t understand much of the banter. My clearest recollection is of the audience saying, for example, “How dumb is she?” in response to a question that started, “Dumb Dora is so dumb . . . .” Seeing the show now gives me self-perspective: “I was six, or eight, when this was filmed. The dated references reflect the world in which I grew up, and of which I was just beginning to become aware. I am a product of this time.”

At the very least, I think my heavy exposure to Match Game’s ad-libbed comedy has improved my cartoon captions!

Carrie Bradshaw by the Numbers

2 Replies
Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City

According to numerologist Glynis McCants (and Greek mathematician Pythagoras), numbers possess a vibrational energy that forms the foundation of the universe. In numerology, the numbers associated with a person’s name and birthdate reveal his or her strengths, weaknesses, goals, and gifts. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have considered using numerology as an aid in character development. So I was curious whether the qualities of successful fictional characters did, in fact, reflect their “numbers.”

I chose to examine Carrie Bradshaw, from HBO’s Sex and the City. Bravo ranked her eleventh on their list of the 100 greatest TV characters, and she came in second among TV Guide’s 25 greatest TV characters of all time. So I think it can safely be argued that she is an effective character. I located her birthdate on an infographic of fictional characters’ birthdays. Based on this date and her name, I calculated her basic numerology blueprint, below. (For an explanation of how the computations are made, please check out Glynis Has Your Number.)

Carrie Bradshaw, born 6/15/1966

Life path: 7

Birth day: 6

Attitude: 3

Soul: 8

Personality: 5

Power name: 4

So what do all these numbers mean?

Your life path number indicates the course your life must take in order for you to be satisfied. The 7 vibration is a truth-seeker, always asking, “Who am I?” In life and in her column, Carrie constantly tries to get to the truth about people. For example:

Later that day, I got to thinking about fairy tales. What if Prince Charming had never shown up? Would Snow White have lain in that glass box forever? I couldn’t help but wonder: inside every confident, driven, single woman, is there a delicate, fragile princess just waiting to be saved? Was Charlotte right? Do women just want to be rescued?

A recent article has compiled everything Carrie ever wondered about, season by season.

Your birth day number signifies how others see you. Someone born on a 6 day, like Carrie, “craves love, friends, and companionship.” Carrie’s character and the entire show are centered around this idea; the four protagonists remain inseparable. As Big observes, “You three know her better than anyone; you’re the loves of her life. And a guy’s just lucky to come in fourth.”

Your attitude number reflects your basic outlook on life. Carrie, as a 3 vibration, “values communication and creative energy”; her job as a writer is a perfect reflection of this aspect. A person with a 3 attitude “tends to be the joker. They have a sense of humor.” Indeed, Carrie uses self-deprecating humor to confront the issues in her life.

Your soul number represents what you feel inside. The 8 soul, like Carrie’s, is happy when it has “financial freedom, job security, and a nice home.” Accordingly, Carrie is very connected to her job and her apartment. She also lives on the dark side of the number 8, as shown in her lack of financial freedom: dismayed that she can’t afford to buy her apartment because of her excessive acquisition of expensive footwear, she laments that she will “literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes.”

Your personality number denotes what you show the world. The 5 personality “has an air of fun and energy” and “wants to know where the party is.” Indeed, Carrie has made appearances at countless parties—the Fleet Week party, the purse party, the party where someone steals her shoes, the all-couples party, and the black and white ball, to name a tiny fraction. The 5 personality is also known for having an addictive streak; Carrie is an on-again, off-again smoker who may have a dangerous shopping habit.

Your power name number represents the strength of your name. Carrie’s 4 vibration signifies “The Teacher.” And she really has made her name in the world by educating and enlightening others through her column and books. The people she meets often refer to her as their relationship guru.

Carrie Bradshaw seems to embody her numerology quite convincingly. Yet I can’t help but wonder: could I have made the numerology of any fictional character work? Am I just that good at twisting information for my own purposes?