I can name that tune in 1.42 seconds

Just watched the debut of Beat Shazam, Fox's computerized reincarnation of Name That Tune.

To kill the suspense, I liked the show more than I thought I would. Sad confession: I was never a big Name That Tune fan, because I'm not the most musical guy on the planet. In fact, my singing voice can neuter dogs from thirty feet away. But Beat Shazam kept up such a brisk pace of song-guessing that I got into the swing (couldn't resist) of things. Of course, the older the song, the better my chance of guessing it. I'm a certified old person.

Three teams of two contestants competed. They were gradually whittled down to a final pair who faced off against the dreaded Shazam itself. I'll spoil things a little by revealing that the final pair didn't take it to the limit but walked away from the last song, which could have doubled their winnings. Turns out they knew the tune. Cue the sorrowful irony.

Jamie Foxx hosted in an enthusiastic manner. I got a little annoyed when he indulged in some mildly racial banter with one team of contestants, but he didn't push it too far. A while back there was a rumor that Meghan Trainor was "in talks" to co-host. The talks apparently didn't progress, because October Gonzalez showed up in the role. She provided some eye candy and a bit of dancing and otherwise didn't get in the way.

Empire's Terrence Howard also turned up briefly in a plug for the Fox show. The network has to do some business here. Next week I'll take in Fox's Love Connection and blather about that remake.

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