Trashword

The won't even leave the classics alone:

Everything old is new again. And we're not just talking about Indiana Jones and the raiders of the movie box office or that remake of "Get Smart."

Coming to the small screen this summer are "Million Dollar Password" and "Celebrity Family Feud," updated versions of vintage game shows.

The original "Password" started on CBS in 1961 with Alan Ludden as host. It eventually ran on ABC and NBC and was on and off in daytime through the 1970s.

I caught the premiere of "Million Dollar Password" last night, and it was: bad, terrible, awful. I was trying to get you to think of "atrocious." With the word "millionaire" in the title and Philbin as the host, the show was about what you would expect -- lots of flashing lights and swelling music and sweeping camera shots, plus lots of giggles and bantering from the "celebrities" Rachel Ray and Neal Patrick Harris.

Watching the old "Password" was like being in a library -- you wanted to be quiet and respectful, even if there wasn't a librarian going, "Shhh." There was Ludden with his glasses, the static and boring set, the announcer actually whispering the word so we'd know the contestants couldn't hear. The classiest of game shows, and now they want to trash it up.