Love your work for TV Guide ...

Question: Love your work for TV Guide and have read your stuff religiously dating back to USA Today. Small question in the grand landscape of television: What the heck is going on with Million Dollar Password? The show is a hit and started off with some strong celebrities: Rachael Ray, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosie O'Donnell and Betty White. But now, after just a few short weeks, it's already scraping the bottom of the barrel with "celebs" like Shanna Moakler, Susie Essman, Monique Coleman and Damien Fahey. I honestly had no idea who any of them were (and I follow pop culture), and the Damien guy was the single worst player I have ever seen in the many incarnations of the show. I love the game, but seeing actual famous people playing is at least part of the appeal. What gives?
Answer: I blame cable for making a lot of people believe they're celebrities when they really, really aren't. But to address your specific gripe, I would imagine that Monique Coleman (who at least did appear in the hugely popular High School Musical movies) and Damien whosiz were chosen to appeal to a younger demographic, although it's kind of laughable to think that CBS was hoping to skew anything but old with this surprising hit (which I came to enjoy more and more, although I chose to skip the Shanna Moakler week myself). Now that the show has proven itself in the ratings, I bet CBS will be able to attract a wider range of recognizable stars — and perhaps fewer from the CBS-Viacom gene pool.