The Rocca Files
August 21, 2009 5:04 PM

Mo Rocca: Steve Nash Owes Me

Last night I appeared on the 10th anniversary primetime edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, hosted by Regis Philbin.

I’ve never understood why the show's title doesn't have a question mark at the end. Even if it's a rhetorical question, it at least calls for an exclamation point, a la the 1970s series What's Happening!! (With all due respect to Raj and Rerun, I'm not sure that show deserved two exclamation points. The far superior Good Times didn’t even have one.)

What Who Wants to Be A Millionaire really needs is an interrobang: a question mark followed by an exclamation point.

In any case I was on the show as the expert lifeline, an innovation of the syndicated version of the show hosted by the luscious and creamy Meredith Vieira. I appeared from my apartment via Skype, an increasingly popular and cheap way of including guests remotely. (Soon everything will be done via Skype: Meet The Press, jury duty, weddings.) The most stressful part of pre-production was cleaning my apartment and arranging the background to impress the 7 million visitors "dropping in." I hope everyone appreciated the photo of my father, the plant, and the giant bust of President Grover Cleveland.

I was called upon by three of the four contestants over the course of the episode. The first was about Shakespeare and the second about Jules Verne. These were pretty straightforward. I am lucky that I wasn't called upon to name Bernie Madoff’s two sons. ( Um … Uday and Qusay?)

Finally NBA (National Basketball Association) star Steve Nash (he's a basketball player) called for an assist (that's something that happens in basketball). Here’s how it went down:



If I do say so myself I was quite good in the clutch (that's a sports metaphor).
Tags:
Mo Rocca ,
Steve Nash
Topics:
Mo Moments, Mo Problems
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by Lauren_Bo_Bauren September 28, 2009 1:29 AM EDT
Grover Cleveland in the background was a smart move. I loved that Regis put the jersey on backwards...is that a basketball thing?
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by Booka62 September 16, 2009 12:40 AM EDT
Oh, MO!! So glad to stalk you again!

As for yours and Steve's interaction....that was a drive and dish!

You should have been carried on Steve Nash's shoulders after that one! Wait...would that be weird?

As if we've ever let that stop us! :)

Glad to have you back around, Mr. Rocca. Where are the Roccats?
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by flagwavrblue August 31, 2009 12:46 PM EDT
This is funny and he got the answer right!? Is Mo Rocca becomging the new Andy Rooney or is Andy Rooney the old Mo Rocca?!
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by lans13 August 22, 2009 11:46 PM EDT
It was the first time I've seen you on that show and you simply crack me up:-)) Good job!
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by trrish August 21, 2009 11:25 PM EDT
Mo, you were the most entertaining and accurate expert in the whole run. You do that expert thing so well :-)
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by sirpigeon August 21, 2009 7:20 PM EDT
Well done Mo, your assist to Steve was definitely a Slam Dunk!(another sports metaphor)
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Tomorrow Show host and Sunday Morning Contributor Mo Rocca shares his opinions on a range of topics that concern him. This is the place to meet Mo, get to know him, share your thoughts, and maybe even establish a long-term relationship with him.

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