| Todd Newton | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Todd Newton May 5, 1970 St.Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television/radio personality Game show host |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Todd Newton (born May 5, 1970 as James Todd Newton) is an entertainment personality and a three-time game show host.
Newton has hosted Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, both on Game Show Network; and Coming Attractions on E!, as well as occasional episodes of Wild On... He is known for occasionally wearing a black leather blazer while hosting Whammy! On April 1, 2003, he guest hosted Russian Roulette while regular host Mark L. Walberg guest hosted Friend or Foe for Kennedy. During this episode, the Whammy! mascot could be seen in the audience.
Newton has hosted Powerball Instant Millionaire, the syndicated weekly television show tied to the popular multi-state lottery, and Performing As..., a short-lived series in 2003 on Fox, in addition to serving as Leonard Maltin's co-host for the first season of the movie review show Hot Ticket.
He has also hosted several versions of a live-on-stage edition of The Price Is Right, which has been staged at various casinos in the Harrah's Entertainment corporate family. According to Reuters, Newton was one of the final 4 contenders to replace Bob Barker as host of Price, alongside George Hamilton, Mark Steines, and eventual choice Drew Carey.[1] He also "hosts" the DVD game of the show produced by Endless Games, as well as voicing over the DVD version of Press Your Luck, Match Game, and the 2006 Family Feud game for the PS2 and PC.
In late November 2001, he appeared as a contestant on Hollywood Squares as part of a two-episode special featuring media personalities playing for charity. He won his game, defeating Stacey Gualandi of Inside Edition.
From April to September 2003, he was an on-air personality for New York radio station WNEW during their brief stint as "Blink 102.7", broadcasting live from Los Angeles; his shift was originally middays, then later moved to primetime before the station cleaned house in a format change that fall. Newton also hosted the short lived Performing As... on the Fox Network in 2003.[2]
He was also host to the "Prize Delivery" segments on CBS' Gameshow Marathon, in which he appeared at the winners' homes to present the prizes they won.
He is a correspondent on Reality Remix, one of the original shows featured on the Fox Reality channel, and has hosted the "Reunion" specials for their show Solitary.
Outside of his work, Newton supports environmental causes, particularly the fight against global warming. He is also a life coach. [3]
Newton's voice is also heard on WMS Gaming's Press Your Luck slot machine, part of its "Big Event" line of community gaming machines.
In 2008, Newton became a host on Home Shopping Network.
Currently, Newton's new show, "Are You Game", features him competing on game shows worldwide. It premiered on June 17, 2009 and currently airs on the Travel Channel Wednesday nights.
In October 2010, he began hosting a game show on "The Hub" called Family Game Night.
In the 1990s, Newton was an on-air radio personality at Hot 97.1, and then on Q-106.5, both FM radio stations in St. Louis. Newton (aka Rick Idol) was on weekday evenings and played a mainstream music format.