Comedian and actor Cedric the Entertainer is the new host of the long-running game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”. My pal Regis Philbin re-ignited his career as emcee of the primetime version on ABC from 1999-2002 (he won an Emmy in 2001), and came back for brief runs in 2004 and 2009. Then Meredith Vieira took over as host of the daytime edition beginning in 2002, and ended her impressive 11-year run (for which she won two Emmys) earlier this year.
Cedric, best known for his work on “The Steve Harvey Show” and as King Julien’s Lemur assistant Maurice in the “Madagascar” movies, previously hosted the 2011 NBC series “It’s Worth What?” – a pricing game show co-created by “Good Morning America”‘s Lara Spencer. Recently Cedric was seen on the big screen in the horror spoof comedy “A Haunted House” and as the voice of an old cropduster in Disney’s “Planes”. Currently, he’s also the star of the TV Land sitcom, “The Soul Man”, which airs Wednesdays at 11pm.
After viewing the first few shows, Cedric seems comfortable enough taking on one of the most popular game shows of all-time. His slick, upbeat personality (hat and all) and jokes based on the questions and answers add some liveliness to the atmosphere. He’ll surely loosen up even more when he gets the rules and format of the show down pat. He’s got a lot to live-up to, but it appears that Cedric the Entertainer will keep “Millionaire”‘s hot streak going, without needing a lifeline or to phone a friend.