The fastest game show on TV, "Celebrity Name Game" pits two teams of two players against each other in trying (mostly) to name celebrities from clues given, mostly verbal. Along the way, they are assisted by two celebrities and by the host, Craig Ferguson, himself.The pace is so lively, they manage to squeeze four rounds into a half hour. In round one, teams get $100 for each correct answer. The stakes double in round two. In round three, Craig supplies the clues while the teams compete simultaneously. The team that wins moves on to round four where they can win $20,000 if they guess all ten names (and other things) correctly.The contestants are obviously chosen for their enthusiasm and aptitude. The celebrities are usually good players themselves. And Craig is his wacky self, though somewhat constrained by the structure of the show.Where I live, they play two episodes back to back every weekday evening before primetime, where there is little competition.

This show is vapid and dares you to change the channel. Besides the fact that the game itself is boring and uneventful, the goal of the game is even worse, to name celebrities, as if we aren't exposed to their sorry identities enough as it is. I can think of ways to make the show interesting, but not without a paycheck. Let's just say guessing the names of burnt-out TV celebrities of the last decade isn't engaging.David Arquette is a parasite on entertainment. He's actually less interesting than Keanu Reeves, though, fine, not as stiff, but is this really the best concept he could come up with? This show is a poor rehash of the 10k Pyramid, set in a cheap cozy studio that makes it seem like a group of pals playing in a cabin. I'm feeling dizzy.Arquette just will not grow beyond the sixth grade. He's actually stunted BEFORE high school. I suppose he's at least smart enough to cater to the lowest common denominator - the dregs of the US TV audience.I'm an adoring fan of Craig Ferguson, and I'd like to support this show, but all it screams to me is an utter waste of his considerable talents AND brains. I can't believe he couldn't rework the show given a chance, but David Arquette is somehow a TV producer now, prob because no one's crazier than he is at blowing his ex-wife's Friends money. The entire spectacle is an atrocity.

Celebrity Name Game comes across as a rather obvious cash in on Hollywood Game Night, with minor celebrities paired up with contestants in a name guessing game. Craig Ferguson brings a bit of charisma to the proceedings, but not enough to save the show.One major problem is that the same game is played over and over, with little variation in how the game is played or in the challenge level. The only difference between games is who is giving clues and who is trying to guess the celebrity. There is no real sense of suspense, as the names are often easy to guess for anyone remotely good at this type of game.Moreover, in terms of its guests, the show uses the term "celebrity" very loosely. In the two shows I watched, one featured two B-list actresses from the late 1990s, while the other featured a television actor I'd never heard of. (Although I was surprised to see they got Sheryl Crow-I think she's friends with Courtney Cox, who's an executive producer of the show.) Craig Ferguson does his best to make the proceedings interesting, bringing the same sense of humor he had on The Late Late Show. However, there is only so much he can do with something as dull as this. At one point, he was reduced to openly feeding a contestant an answer when they got stuck on a name.

Let me say up front: I don't care for game shows. They're just not my thing. But a game show hosted by Craig Ferguson? Now that had promise! His love of rule-bending (or breaking), and the easygoing sense of fun he brings to everything he does -- not to mention the fact he's just hilarious -- had me more than ready to give this show a try.Craig has said in interviews that it was the flexibility of this show's format and the room for improv that drew him in, and that shows. He's clearly having a great time chatting with guests, and enjoying the general silliness of the game itself. For the round where he gives the clues (rather than a contestant or celebrity doing it), he seems to take special pleasure in toying with the format and going for the unexpected as much as possible. (Example: when the round was "upper lipholstery," - all names of people with mustaches - he started every "clue" by giving a thorough critique on the quality of the mustache, and only THEN actually hinted at the identity of the person!) With only a few episodes broadcast so far, odds are good this show is still finding its feet. Already, though, it's tremendous fun. And with Craig Ferguson as host, I fully expect it to get more gloriously chaotic and un-game-show-like as it goes along. Here's hoping! In the meantime: already quite awesome, and I will certainly continue to watch.Edit: I've watched quite a few episodes now. The show's main weakness probably is simply the repetition, especially as two episodes are played back to back in my area. One gets pretty tired of hearing those same rules yet again. The general silliness and air of improv, though, are still great.