Today was Wednesday market (again). Rather than take just another shot of the market, I decided to share this - a picture of something we bought. Some of you who have done hoity-toity farmers markets on the coast may have seen artichokes like these, but I haven't. Kim made a couple for dinner - these are the 8 remaining. We bought produce from the local guys we always go to, then hopped a bus to head up to the big supermarket at the mall to get the harder-to-find stuff.

I decided I ought to provide an installment about Italian TV, and I've decided to start with my favorite subject, game shows. I mentioned Passaparola last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?). Anyway, last week's Top 10 TV ratings in Italy included 3 game shows. I 'll start with those, then mention some others.

Ranked third last week was "Heredity." The show airs at 6:50 p.m. 6 nights/week. It's a quiz show that starts out looking kind of like "Weakest Link, with the host in the center at a rotating podium asking questions of contestants positioned around him. Two incorrect responses end you up on the "hot seat," and you challenge a competitor to answer a question. If the player answers correctly, you're out. Right, you remain. The game continues until they get down to two, and they compete. It's called heredity because you "inherit" the winnings of whoever you knock out. If you watch the clip, you'll immediately noticed the four women who "assist" the male host. A staple of most Italian game shows, the women are part dancers, part co-hosts, part eye candy. Lots of other clips exist online but each season the show makes some minor changes, as do most.

The Usual Suspects came in 5th place last week. The show pretty much follows the same format as the American game "Identity," hosted by Penn Gillette. It's regularly Thursday nights but has been aired more frequently of recent. One significant difference in the US version is the contestants never get a chance to take the money and leave. They have to go for all 9 contestants. No getting out. A wrong answer takes you to Zero Euros. So, if you screw up the last one, anything you got right before really doesn't matter. This clip is almost the start of the show.

Tenth place overall goes to my favorite, Passaparola. It used to be six nights per week when we were here in 2002, but now it's only Sunday nights. Mon-Sat, Gerry hosts Millionaire, then Sunday he does Passaparola. I couldn't find a current clip - this one is from a different version in 2005. I think if you watch all the clips in this blog, even if you don't understand Italian, you can immediately see he may not be the best looking, but he has the most charisma. He received a special award last night, similar to an Italian Emmy. Here's the story, in Italian.

Not in the top ten, but I want to mention one more. "Affari Tuoi" loosely translates as "It's Up to You." The show is a version of "Deal or No Deal." What I find tremendously ironic is that the US version uses scantily-clad models while, in Italy, the 20 "packages" (not 26 cases) are tended by other people. Last night's special edition had a family theme, so all the packages were kept by family members and friends. This clip is from last fall. The host has a thick accent and, unlike most of the other game show hosts, I find difficult to understand.

I will leave for another time the discussion of Wheel of Fortune, still on here with a new host. The "dean" of TV hosts, who had done the show for years, no longer hosts. It's late.