GSN brings Lingo back from the grave

Verdict: 3.0 out of 5

No love for Chuck Woolery? Such is the state of game shows in the 2010s, an era in which game show hosts get by not on their polished presentation skills but on their resumes as comedians or C-list personalities. Classic-era host Chuck Woolery helmed GSN's 2002-2007 revival of Lingo, a relatively obscure format that had a single syndicated season in the late 1980s, and it is somewhat surprisingly back (given that GSN seems to think tawdry relationship shows is now its bread and butter) in a slightly tweaked version now helmed by "blue-collar comedian" Bill Engvall. Illogical a pick as the new host may be, he has brought some appreciable deadpan wit to the format, a combination of word game and Bingo in which teams try to guess five-letter words to earn the right to draw a couple of balls which can help them score a Lingo on a numbered field set up like a Bingo card. Adding insult to Woolery's exit is that the show has now added a clue for each word in a style ripped from NBC's Scrabble, hosted by Woolery for the duration of its exceptionally enjoyable run of 1,300-plus episodes from 1984 to 1990 and again briefly in 1993. While the new, genreric rock music theme is another dubious move, GSN deserves kudos for making some overdue changes — correct guesses and Lingos now earn cash rather than points for the winning team, and the cable network has finally made the obvious move of including prize balls amongst the drawing lot, as well as a wild ball that, when selected, can be used to fill any open slot on the Lingo card. I'd also suggest a progressive jackpot ball — those side elements can break the monotony of a highly repetitive format (think Super Password's always-fun Cash Word). GSN has remade Lingo's end game in a way that boringly excises the Bingo element; the teams just try to breeze through five words in 90 seconds to collect $100,000 — an awful lot of loot for a simple, if compelling, word game. And, unfortunately, the game has stripped away a level of Woolery-era  class by wallowing in inuendo. It needs "enema" as one of its five-letter words (I'm not making that up) as much as it needs Big Money Syndrome.

Lingo airs at 7 p.m. (Central) weekdays on GSN

First impressions: Lady Gaga's Born This Way

I'm still getting to know Born This Way, but here are some initial impressions of some of this Event Album's tracks (using the special edition):

Born This Way // While I don't agree with the lazy comparisons to Madonna's "Express Yourself," the lead single didn't particularly excite me. Not to say I don't like it — it has grown on me and I especially admire the positivity — but it feels a bit overcooked, and, in the long run, I don't think it's a song I'll revisit often. I actually prefer the earthy Country Road Version to the hyper album and single mix.

Government Hooker // Gaga has said she's awfully fond of this one, but I'm inclined to skip it.

Judas // Insistent, addictive and deserving of better than its chart performance thus far. If we could fix the first half of the bridge, it would be Gaga/RedOne perfection and possibly a bigger radio hit.

Scheibe // Annoying; a likely skip.

Bad Kids / Fashion of His Love // I'm finding I like the latter stretch of the album better, starting with these two.

Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) // Apart from "Judas," this is the one that really grabs me right out of the gate … if I had to choose one favorite at the moment, this is it. That "we can be strong / we can be strong" refrain really digs in.

Yoü and I // This rock-ish, Queen-assisted ballad feels like a future hit, even if it's easy to imagine Shania Twain doing it on her Come on Over album (hello, Mutt Lange! Didn't expect to see you here!). I would have flipped its position with "The Edge of Glory" and made this the album closer.

Granted, the special edition throws in several extra tracks, but can we agree that the album is too long? Chopping three or four tracks could make this a better listen … think of how powerful The Fame Monster is in its brevity. Some free advice: With no single really asserting itself after "Born This Way," I'd make a big push for "Yoü and I."