NBC (Wed., May 12, 8 p.m. ET)
So an unknown named Gerry McCambridge got into the head of NBC President Jeff Zucker and whispered, "Make me a star." Well, that's not exactly what happened, but the network says Zucker was so wowed by the mentalist's performance at a party that he gave him this special.
All the closeups of McCambridge's eyes may have hypnotized me, but I found his act diverting and, on occasion, moderately amazing. Three shoppers enter a vast warehouse store and are told to buy one item each. McCambridge correctly predicts the purchases and the total bill. This dude would freak Bob Barker out.
It must be said that McCambridge's charisma quotient is rather low. Some will see his act as tame compared with the endurance stunts of David Blaine. But mind games are McCambridge's forte, not physical stuff. The show's supposed big finish, in which he travels blindfolded down New York City's Broadway on a motorized scooter, is less entertaining than watching him make a man think water tastes like clam chowder.
