December 5, 2006

• Tuesday, December 5
• 11am and again at 2pm
• MacAlister Hall, Room 2032
• (Open to all Drexel Community)

Chuck Barris has always been a man ahead of his time. Before today's world of reality television, YouTube.com and AMERICAN IDOL, there was Barris creating a slew of hit television shows that put ordinary people front and center on the often hilarious and sometimes outrageous GONG SHOW. Barris' other hit shows, including THE DATING GAME and THE NEWLYWED GAME capitalized on a simple phenomenon - lots of people will do anything to get on television and millions will want to watch them. Barris then revolutionized the television business when NBC dropped his show THE PARENT GAME. He bought the show back from NBC and sold it to local stations all over the country giving birth to first-run syndication, now a multibillion dollar business.

Barris is a Philadelphia native who graduated from Drexel in 1953. Among his early jobs was a stint working on Dick Clark's AMERICAN BANDSTAND and he wrote the 1962 Freddie Cannon hit single 'Palisades Park' which rose to number 3 on the music charts. He's authored several books including "You and Me, Babe" and two autobiographies "The Game Show King: A Confession" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography" which was turned into a major motion picture starring George Clooney.

Students and faculty will have two opportunities to meet this legendary television producer and personality. He'll be speaking on December 5th at 11am and 2pm in MacAlister Room 2032. While both talks are being offered during regularly scheduled classes of the Music Industry and Entertainment & Arts Management programs, all members of the Drexel community are welcome to attend.

This event is being organized by the Kal and Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design.