Are Spelling Bees The New Poker?

the2scoops takes a look at the pop culture popularity of spelling bees:

• the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee are, for the first time, airing on a major network in prime time (ABC Thursday 8pm - 10pm)
  
• Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is blogging the Spelling Bee, sharing her spelling bee obsession at the great A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago blog. Scroll down and look for all items with "Posted by Shonda."
  
• adults-only spelling bees are organized regularly in bars and pubs, such as the Williamsburg Spelling hosted by comedian and writer Jennifer Dziura at Pete's Candy Store in New York. I haven't seen them hit Toronto yet, but it's inevitable it'll pop up at The Gladstone or the Cameron House.
  
  

• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hit Broadway musical, having won two 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor.
• Recent spelling bee movies include the 2002 Academy Award-nominated documentary, Spellbound and the Starbucks-endoresed Akeelah and the Bee

I expect it won't be long before Celebrity Spelling Challenge and American Spelling Idol. And the inevetiable Fear Factor Spelling Bee, where you have to spell words while being trapped in a car compactor.