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First, a little reminder: Starting Tuesday, January 3rd, GSN is going to air Jeopardy! every. Single. Day. It's anybody's guess what episodes will be shown. It's on at 1 a.m. Central.
By the way, I'm still taking your questions for Stefan Goodreau.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of watching the show at my mom and dad's. Today, they were at my place when we watched! Today's contestants:
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| Dave Leach |
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| Tom Vanderbilt |
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| Lisa Spardel-Krol |
Lisa's expression pretty much illustrates how her day went. Check this one out, from Jeopardy!'s official site:
Dave, who unseated Jason Keller yesterday, looked like he was having a great time throughout, smiling or even laughing. At the first break, he had 5400, Lisa had -800, and Tom had 1400.
This was a tale of two rounds, for me and all three contestants. I did well in the Jeopardy round, sweeping Complete the Movie Quote and "A"natomy. I was pleased to see the latter, as I am an RN. I was also happy to see Museums of Germany, because I've been there a couple times. I went 4/5 in that category, and my dad got this last one in the round: " This city's Bavarian National Museum was created in 1855 by Maximilian II to preserve Bavaria's artistic treasures." (We were just in this city this fall!) Lisa found the Daily Double in that category, after answering two in a row. She had 200, Dave had 6400, and Tom had 3800. She wagered 1000 on this clue: "A Mainz museum honoring this most famous son traces the history of printing & has a replica of his press on display." Lisa misspoke, responding "Nuremberg." At the end of the round, she had 200, Dave had 9200, and Tom had 3800.
There were two quadruple-stumpers in the Jeopardy round, both in Silent Letters. I got 24 right in the round, with no negs. As for Double Jeopardy...Wow. For kicks (and because I answered 6 right in the round), I kept track of how many each contestant answered. (My Coryat today was 14800. And I think I described yesterday as "disappointing.") Here's how it looks:
Dave: 10 right, 2 negs
Lisa: 1 right, 0 negs
Tom: 4 right, 2 negs (not counting an incorrect response on his Daily Double)
I count 10 quadruple-stumpers in the round, including this first clue, in Think of the Children!: "Victoria & Albert: Alice, Alfred, Arthur, Beatrice, Helena, Louise, Leopold, Victoria Adelaide, & this king." No one rang in on this one, but I negged. The next one was a quaduple-stumper, too, in the same category. Who knew this, I'd like to know: "Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd: Edward, Willie, Tad, and this boy, the only one to survive to adulthood."
Poor Tom did the right thing by wagering all of his 4200 on the Daily Double in On Deck. Dave had 9200 and Lisa had 200. Too bad Tom missed it, though. The clue: " A type of walk, or an upper deck on a passenger ship where folks can stroll." My mom said the right response, but I still thought it was wrong, what she said, til Mr. Trebek revealed the correct response!
Dave was outright laughing when he found his Daily Double in National Parks of the World. He had...wait for it...18800 while Lisa had 1800 and Tom had 0. Dave wagered "just" 3000 on this clue: "The largest national park lies on this island; At 375,000 square miles, it occupies about 45% of the island's area." Dave and my dad got it right. Mr. Trebek announced that there was a minute left to go. Four clues were left covered. Dave ended with 19800, Lisa with 1800, and Tom with 400. (Hopefully he sold some of his book about traffic.) The Final Jeopardy category was Rock Icons. This was the clue: "While he's had 12 top 10 hits on Billboard, including 7 from a 1984 album, he's never had a no. 1 single." My mom got this right, but no one else did. Tom lost everything. Lisa lost 10 dollars. Dave lost 716.
I said to my mom I knew what I was going to title this blog entry (a reference to the final) and she goes, "'Mother knows all'?" Noooo...but she had a better day than the contestants!
I've gotten some excellent suggestions for questions to ask Stefan Goodreau when I interview him. Do you have any ideas? (Not that I'm hurtin' for 'em!)
Today's contestants:
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| Jason Keller |
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| Dave Leach |
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| Jennifer Green |
Jennifer mixed up the Hatfields with the intended response to this clue in Kentucky Kernels: "Half of a deadly feud, this family lived primarily in Kentucky; their rivals, in West Virginia." (I waited until someone answered incorrectly before I responded!) Dave looked pleased to pick that one up.
Does anyone else mix up Davy Crockett with the subject of this clue in Kentucky Kernels?: "In 1775, he blazed a trail through Kentucky that became known as the Wilderness Road."
The contestants appeared evenly matched by the first break, or at least everyone was responding. Jason had 2000, Jennifer had 600, and Dave had 2600.
I swept That Smells...Like a Celebrity! Dave committed a sin when he mixed up A-Rod with the subject of this clue in that category: "Everyone nose this Yankee shortstop is 'Driven'; Now no one can ever say he stinks."
Then Dave mixed up (what he called ) "Alice in Wonderland" with the correct response to this clue in Children' Lit: "Chapter I of this Lewis Carroll book says, 'The glass was beginning to melt away, just like a bright silvery mist." Jennifer picked it up, only to mix up "The Secret Garden" with the response to this clue in the same category: "Sara Crewe is the little title character of this classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett." Believe it or not, the next clue had a mix-up, too. Jennifer said "The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar" in response to this clue: "A ravenous insect larva consumes a ton of food and undergoes metamorphosis in this classic by Eric Carl."
Like Jason, I considered "stable" (I didn't ring in though) instead of the correct response to this clue in Official British Royal Posts: "Not the master of the house, but the master of the this is responsible for the sovereign's carriages and certain animals." The mix-up cost Jason the tie with Dave for the lead right before Dave got the Daily Double, the last clue of the round, in the same category. Jason had 3000, Jennifer had 2200, and Dave had 3800. Dave wagered 2000 on this clue: "Edmund Halley was the second this 'royal', from 1720 to 1742." Dave and I got it right.
Jennifer found the first Daily Double in the round, in Daylight Come. She had 8200 while Jason had 5800 and Dave had 16200. I'd have wagered it all, but she wagered 3000 on this clue: "When in Rome, Eos, goddess of dawn, went by this name." She and I got it right.
I felt like Jason seemed desperate when he went to a 2000 clue after getting the clue after the Daily Double right. Then he rolled right over Mr. Trebek when he gave the less-than-a-minute warning (7 clues left). Soon he was hammering the buzzer and looking at Dave, at the same time. But he capitalized on this mix-up by Dave in Me Wanna Go Home: "Got sunburned visiting the beach of this most populous Brazilian city; home please!" He moved into second place on this clue in the same category: "The summers are nice in this capital of Manitoba--That's when I should have come. Me wanna go home." Then he found the Daily Double, in The Third Most Popular Presidential Choice. He had 11800, Jennifer had 11200, and Dave had 19000. For a second I thought Jason's wager would've determined whether this was a runaway for Dave. Since it would not have, I'd have wagered more than Jason's 3000. This was the clue: " Strom Thurmond." Jason missed it. That was the last clue of the round, mercifully (as there were only clues left in this tough category)! Poor Jason, though.
The Final Jeopardy category was Contemporary American Writers. Concluding a 4-book series, his 2004 novel 'Folly and Glory' features Kit Carson, William Clark, and Jim Bowie." Jason lost 7000 of his 8800. (I'd have wagered 6800.) Jennifer left a letter out of what would've been a correct response, and lost 11198. (I'd have wagered 4400.) Dave missed it too, but lost 3401. He is still a champion today. My guess was Graham Greene, who I find out too late is British, and he died in 1991.
My Coryat today was a disappointing 20200.
Jason's now tied for third place (with Dan Pawson) for most consecutive wins in the regular season. Who thinks Mr. Trebek will refer to Dave as a "giant-killer" tomorrow? I wonder if Jason would consider going to the unofficial Jeopardy! reunion this year...? ;-)
Before I get to today's quadruple-stumper, don't forget, I'll be interviewing 5-time champ and ToC finalist Stefan Goodreau soon. Leave a comment with your questions for him!
I was stumped and intrigued by this clue from Friday, December 23rd, in Stop That Racket!: "On stage, the noise of this from the audience prompted John Barrymore to throw them a fish and say, 'Here, you walruses!'" A contestant guessed "booing," and another one guessed "applause." The correct response was "What is coughing?"
I didn't know much about John Barrymore, but apparently he had a reputation. Mr. Trebek said when revealing the correct response that Barrymore had "a great sense of humor" as well as a "certain streak of meanness." One of my books describes him (Barrymore, not Trebek) as "tempestuous." Greg Mank, co-author of the book Hollywood's Hellfire Club: The Misadventures of John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn and the Bundy Drive Boys, tells me that Barrymore was "quite temperamental in his young years."
Barrymore was born in 1882. He is Drew Barrymore's grandfather. The Turner Classic Movies website says, in the 1920s, "Barrymore was the most celebrated Shakespearean actor in the world." Curiously, he survived the 1906 San Francisco fire! Because of his good looks, he's known as " The Great Profile" (something you might need to know if you're preparing for Jeopardy!, as it's come up before). Late in his career, he also appeared in a movie with that title. It played on his reputation as an alcoholic. He eventually had a hard time remembering his lines, for example. His career had taken a turn for the worse when Warner Brothers did not renew his contract, and he joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He took a $25,000 pay cut, deepening his debt. Barrymore collapsed in a rehearsal and died days later, in 1942.
I've staged a Christmas coup - an interview with none other than "thejeopardyfan"/just-plain-fan favorite Stefan Goodreau.
Stefan was a 5-time champ in 2009. He was a Tournament of Champions finalist in 2010, ultimately defeated by Vijay Balse. I notice that the 2010 Tournament of Champions was right in the middle of Buddy Wright's regular-season run. I've interviewed both of those gentlemen, too!
I had the pleasure of meeting Stefan briefly at O'Brien's pub quiz in Santa Monica, when I went to California to tape Jeopardy! I have to admit I started making a list of questions in case I ever got brave enough to ask for an interview. It wasn't long before I had plenty. Anyway I'm not sure what I was afraid of, and I'm glad I got over it!
Here are some more "thejeopardyfan" entries that have featured Stefan:
So, what questions do you have for him? Leave a comment or tweet me!
My uncle was present today for Jeopardy!, a rare treat! I also had the pleasure of telling him I'm gonna be on Jeopardy! He kept saying "Wow," and when I wasn't around (my mom tells me) he said it was "one for the ages." I am so proud! I forgot to hit record when today's episode started (add it to the list of Jeopardy! screw-ups at my parents'), so I had to get the contestants' pics during their interviews. That explains what you see here:
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| Jason Keller |
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| Andrea Bornschlegel |
Jason was a 6-time champion coming into today's episode. At the first break today, he had a 4000 lead over Jack. He found the Daily Double in the round, rather late into it. The category was Fundraisers. He had 8800, Andrea had 400 (which is what she had at the first break), and Jack had 3600. Jason wagered 2200 on this clue: "Race for the Cure is a fundraiser for the breast cancer foundation named for this woman, Nancy G. Brinker's sister." Jason and I knew it instantly. My uncle and I got this triple-stumper in Famous Tombs: "A statue from this groundbreaking singer and actor's Los Angeles gravesite really jazzes up our category."  My uncle by the way, who knows not to respond here until Mr. Trebek has read the whole clue, apparently feels the need to state his response super-fast like he wants it heard before anyone says theirs! My mom, who was laying on her back on the floor, took to raising her leg when she knew the response, which is so distracting! In the past I've heard her whisper the response while Mr. Trebek is reading the clue, which doesn't cut it. For a while she wasn't responding at all when she knew the correct response, which is what I think she will do again. I don't like that either.
There were 5 clues left when Mr. Trebek gave the "less-than-a-minute" warning. We didn't get to one of 'em. Is it just me, or was he a little patronizing at the end of the round to poor Andrea, who had 1400 to Jason's 11600 and Jack's 4400? He remarked that she was "in a distant third" and said she can practice her "signaling thumb" during the break. When it was her turn to select at the beginning of the round, she hesitated so long that I wondered what was happening. (I was still writing the categories on my scorecard.) My mom thought she was nervous.
My pen exploded in several pieces when I rang in on the first clue of Double Jeopardy (add it to the list of Jeopardy! screw-ups at my parents'). I don't think this is all of it, and there's still some in the chair:
This was kind of a desperate situation, as we were watching the show live (no DVR), and we couldn't pause! The same pen broke during the game the other day, but it feels the best and it felt stable when I chose it today. Never again. Luckily there was a pen, and a clicky one!, right by my uncle. I thought I had this triple-stumper in Fun Raising, but Andrea's response of "free fall" was later accepted: "Look, Ma! No plane and no parachute! A Vegas wind tunnel lets you experience indoor this, AKA bodyflight." I was so proud of Jack when he wagered all of his 8000 on his Daily Double, in Books' First Lines. Jason had 16400 and Andrea had 4200. This was Jack's clue: "A bestseller: 'Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the...archway of the museum's grand gallery." I guess I "knew" Jack was gonna get it right, as I'd already indicated it on my notes! I got it right, too. Jason found the next Daily Double, in The Last. I got a little scared, thinking he was gonna wager HUGE and get it right. Jack had 16000 and Andrea had 5000. He wagered just 2000 of his 19200 on this one: "Francis II was the leader of this empire when it was dissolved in 1806." Jason and my uncle got it. There were 8 clues left when Mr. Trebek gave the one-minute warning! We didn't get to three of 'em. Jason had 22400, Andrea had 7400, and Jack had 18400 at the end of the round. The Final Jeopardy category was Jolly Old England. This was the clue: "Queen Anne liked the Marquess of Normanby, gave him permission to build a huge home in London and made him Duke of this." I got it by the time the music ended. My silly uncle cracked, "Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl"? It makes me laugh even now. Andrea missed it, and lost 7000. (I'd have wagered 600.) Jack missed it and lost 14400. (I'd have wagered 10400.) Jason got it right, not like he needed it today. Unless he's trying to buy a house. He added 14500 to his score today. He's a seven. Time. Champ. Bravo. This really was one for the ages! My Coryat today was 32800. My Coryat Friday was 20400. I also played a rerun tonight that originally aired 6-27-11. My Coryat when it first aired was 25000. Tonight it was 26800.
This is my first entry on a quadruple-stumper since I said I was going to start writing them again (which means I've been able to blog about each day's episode, except when I blogged about True Grit). This is my selection, which comes from Thursday's episode (category Try State Area): "Land area 43,562 square miles, about 2,000 less than a century ago."
I chose this clue because I couldn't figure out at first why Louisiana had less land than just a century ago. I didn't know if it had to do with something natural or something historical, and I wasn't sure where to look. I thought someone would surely know on the message boards, but I kinda thought that was cheating. I tried several things:
- asked "Louise" on Louisiana's official site
- e-mailed several people from the Louisiana Office of Tourism
- e-mailed Bob Marshall, the author of this article on global warming and Louisiana (I thank him for his response.)
- e-mailed someone at Louisiana's Coastal Activities Office. Chuck Perrodin, who says he is a big Jeopardy! fan, responded, and I thank him. His response was so thoughtful I wished I could just copy-and-paste the whole thing. :-)
A gentleman from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, Jeff Richard, also replied in detail. He says that Louisiana is losing land due to coastal erosion. He says the state is formed by sediment coming down the Mississippi River, so the state's land is rather brittle. He says:
The soils would historically be replenished when the Mississippi and Atchafalaya
rivers (the latter another major south Louisiana waterway) and major south
Louisiana "bayous" (small rivers fed somewhat by the bigger ones) would flood
every spring due to the melting of snow and ice in the northern U.S. and deposit
a new layer of fresh river sediment all over south Louisiana. This changed,
however, with the Mississippi River experienced the Great Flood of 1927. It
devastated states along the river corridor and along major tributaries, killing
over 200 people and causing $400 million in damages. Hundreds of thousands of
people were left homeless in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and
several other states.
He says after that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built levees to prevent future floods. It's worked, including this year, but the downside is that there are no new sediments deposits from the Mississippi River. Erosion from the Gulf of Mexico "beating" the coast is also a factor, as well as hurricanes and subsequent sea surges.
This is sad because when land disappears, history and culture do too, as does flora and fauna, which act as natural "buffers" to the sea surges. Perrodin says that some of the Mississippi River water and sediment can be diverted "in a proven manner that will not affect flooding or river navigation," but change is slow in coming. Richard encourages you to visit www.americaswetland.com to see how you can help. He says, "Louisiana can't fight this battle by itself." He also recommends www.louisianatravel.com, and adds, "I assure you and your audience our coastal issues do not affect our ability to provide all kinds of fun for visitors."
I got lucky that so many people responded so quickly, and two days before Christmas. Lesson learned? Plan ahead. And I will.
(Before you groan, this is an actual title of a George Strait song!)
The big (bad?) news of the day: The official Jeopardy! message boards are back. I believe there was even a commercial about it during today's episode. Now for better news: It appears that the vast majority of boardies on the " new" forum are committed to staying, though some regulars had already posted on the old one by at least 4 p.m.! I've joined the official one, but I don't intend to be there much (at least til March 28th or so). ;-) Trust me, jboard.tv is the place to be for serious fans.
But wait, there's more good news...You may recall yesterday my Jeopardy! recording didn't quite work out. Well today, my mom saved the day - I was working on the blog when she asked me if I was going to tape Jeopardy! I had it all set up and told her so, as long as no one had changed the channel. Well someone had. Disaster averted. Believe me, I was relieved when I pushed "play" and didn't recognize today's contestants. It would've been too embarrassing to even talk about here! Thanks, Mom! And happy birthday! :-*
Before I get to today's episode, I played three recent Saturday episodes last night. Here are my Coryats:
originally 6-6-2011: 26400 (My Coryat the first time I played this episode was 23000! That's what I love about these reruns - I can monitor my progress.)
originally 6-7-2011: 23800 (My Coryat the first time I played this episode was 22200. And what a weird coincidence - The blog entry about this episode is the same one where I talk about the J! message boards going down! It's also just a few days before my audition.)
originally 6-8-2011: 29400 (My Coryat the first time I played this episode was 29800!)
Today's contestants:
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| Jason Keller |
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| Isaac Patterson |
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| Niall Prendergast |
Jason found the first Daily Double 5 clues in. (It would've been 4, but Isaac, a grocer, went to the Fruits and Vegetables category when he had a chance!) The Daily Double was in A Matter of Some Gravity. Jason found it. He had no money, while Niall (pronounced like the name "Neil") had 400 and Isaac had 600. Jason naturally wagered 1000 on this near-no-brainer: "Building on the work of Galileo and Kepler, he published the first quantitative theory of gravitation in 1687." As he's done before, Jason seemed to pause before he responded, as if he just didn't want to respond too quickly. At the first break, he had 3000, Niall had 1800, and Isaac had 2400.
I was pumped about the George Strait category, but the contestants went to it last! They didn't seem too excited about it, either. I wound up sweeping the category. I was pleased to get the triple-stumper that everyone attempted!
I was also excited about two Double Jeopardy categories: In Britain's National Portrait Gallery and Fleece Navidad - I've been to the National Portrait Gallery, and I just listened to talk about fleece tonight in a little documentary called " Being Elmo." This category was not really what I expected, and anyway it's not like I learned a lot about fleece in the movie.
Jason found the first Daily Double in Try State Area. (You provide the state's name.) Jason had 11800, Niall had 5600, and poor Isaac had -2200. Jason wagered 2000 on this clue: "59,425 total square miles, today the biggest of the original 13." I knew it instantly. Jason missed it.
Niall found the next Daily Double with 2 clues left on the board, in In Britain's National Portrait Gallery. He had 12000, Jason had 22200, and Isaac had -1000. Mr. Trebek seemed a little chagrined when Niall wagered 4000, as though he was afraid it was too much to wager with so few clues left on the board. (This is an assumption, of course!) This was the clue, delivered by Jimmy: "It looks like the painter initially included himself, then changed his mind. That shy artist was Branwell, the brother of these literary siblings, in their only group portrait."
I got this one right, and so did Niall. Phew, as this wound up being the last clue played in Double Jeopardy! This meant, sadly, we had to bid an early farewell to Isaac, as he was in the hole. So Jason had 22200 and Niall had 16000.
The Final Jeopardy category was Islands. Yick, for me! This was the clue: " 1 of the 2 islands with a population exceeding 100 million; each one is part of an Asian country." I oh-so-happily had both islands right, but it's not like I was sure of them. Both gentlemen gave the same correct answer. Jason wagered 10000, enough to top Niall had he doubled. Jason joins that elite group of 5-time champions. Can he become a superchamp?
My Coryat today was 22800.
It just wouldn't be Jeopardy! at my parents' without technological (or human) failure of some kind.
I watched today's episode in the basement with a do-not-disturb sign (not my exact words!) on the door. My parents are welcome to watch with me, and I like it, but I don't like it when someone walks in while the show is on or interrupts in some other way. My dad was out shopping and my mom thought my dad wouldn't like the sign, so she watched upstairs.
I was pumped about today's episode, mostly because I did really well. I flew upstairs afterward, where the show was recording...or so I thought. I was stunned to see the tape outside the VCR. My mom swore she didn't touch anything. She wanted to talk about the end of today's episode. It appeared that the tape ran out while the show was recording. When I checked, I had the first 15 minutes. I was gutted. I did not write any clues or details down as I watched, because I could not stop the show like on my DVR. I checked j-archive.com, which had yesterday's program up already when that episode ended, but today's is not there. *sob!* So I have few details for you, especially after the Jeopardy round. But that's just the way it is. I'd hate to get the facts wrong, so I'm gonna be pretty vague.
Today's contestants:
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| Jason Keller |
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| Janemarie Cloutier |
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| Drew Tomkins |
I didn't bring my little laptop stand home, so I thought I'd be sitting to play today. I noticed, though, that my mom's treadmill would make a perfect lectern. It's positioned right in front of the TV, and I could put my notes on top. I pulled the key out to be safe, but force of habit (and paranoia) had me straddling the belt anyway.
Jason had won 3 times coming into today's episode, and he's looked strong, for the most part. I had a very strong start myself. In fact I wondered whether I was going to sweep the entire board! I swept State Capital Fun Fest and Give 'Em a "Hand", as well as a category where years are given and a brief description of a TV show. I also swept 5 Degrees if "juris doctorate" is an acceptable response to this clue (and I kinda doubt it): " JD, from Duke Law (the Latin, please)." If my response is correct, this was the first clue I didn't answer, in The Economy: "Enacted in 1917 for World War I bonds, the limit known as this has been raised by Congress many times, yet when reached in 2011, its need to be increased caused quite a stir."
Jason found the first Daily Double four clues in, in State Capital Fun Fest. He had 800, Janemarie had 0, and Drew had 400. Jason wagered 1000 on this clue: " This city has been hosting its Golden North Salmon Derby since 1947, before it was officially a state capital." Jason got it right.
I got this triple-stumper in The Economy: "From the Latin for 'support,' it's a benefit given by the government to individuals in the form of cash or a tax reduction."
At the end of the round, Jason had 8600, Drew had 1600, and Janemarie had 6000.
In the Double Jeopardy round, Mr. Trebek gave the 1-minute warning with 5 clues left in the round, and there was a Daily Double left, but Drew and Janemarie were so slow to select throughout the round! They left one clue left on the board but they did get to the second Daily Double, found by Janemarie. I do remember she had just taken the lead on the previous clue, and she was in the lead going into the final.
The Final Jeopardy category was The NFL. This clue was an instaget for me, although I wasn't sure I hadn't made it up until Jason's correct response was revealed. They wanted you to name the team whose city and name begin with the same three letters. Janemarie and Drew, in a distant third, got it wrong. Jason is your new champ again.
My Coryat today was 24200, assuming "juris doctorate" is unacceptable.
This feels like the suckiest recap I've done, and it barely qualifies! On a positive note, I should have several recent Saturday reruns on the VCR in the basement, which I will watch tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow I may be later than usual posting about the new episode. It's my mom's birthday, and she wants to have dinner at 4 p.m. ( Jeopardy!'s on at 4:30.) I'll record it, of course, but I make no guarantees.
Today's contestants:
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| Jason Keller |
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| Doug Davies (How tall do you suppose this guy is? I'm gonna guess at least 6'7".) |
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| Karen Hedlund (A nursing tutor!) |
Jason was back for his third game today after barely escaping yesterday. The day started out right for me when I got this first clue, a triple-stumper, in Classic Novels: "In this novel, Lucy Westenra 'went to the window and looked out, but could see nothing, except a big bat.'" I went on to sweep the category!
Did you join Doug and I in responding "amber" to this clue in Colors?: " This secondary color is in the third line of 'America the Beautiful.'" Mr. Trebek paused there, and I'm not sure why! Karen picked it up, and the next clue was the Daily Double in the same category. She had 3200, Jason had 2800, and Doug had 800. Karen wagered 1800 on this clue: "The name of this deep red also means 'of prime importance.'" We seemed to have an eternity to come up with the correct response, but I didn't, and neither did Karen. Since when is the correct response a "deep" red? I'd say it's more like the color of Karen's shirt. "Deep" is more like the color of Jason's shirt. (Thanks for demonstrating, you too!) I got curious and looked up the color in my dictionary. I swear this is what it says: "a variable color averaging a vivid red that is yellower and duller than madder crimson or carmine, bluer and duller than scarlet or Castilian red, and duller than apple red."
I wanted to sweep Papal People, and I would have but for this too-tricky clue: " 1914: XV." (Hint: This was the second clue in the category, and the correct response to the first clue was our current Pope.)
At the end of the round, Karen had 3800, Jason had 6200, and Doug had 2800.
Jason found the first Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round, in Making a "List." He had 7800, Karen had 4200, and Doug had 3600. Did it seem to you that Jason didn't want to respond too quickly on this clue?: " Adjective for the medical philosophy of treating the entire person, mind & body, not just the part that's ailing."
I swept Making a "List" and Have a Wonderful Wedding, and was 11/11 in the first clues of the round!
Did you notice something amiss in the response to this clue in Checking It Twice?: "From the Latin for 'two,' it's a man who gets married without bothering to divorce his first wife." Karen seemed to say "bigamous," and that's how it was spelled on my closed-caption. And uh oh: The next clue was the Daily Double! I thought they'd fix it, but they didn't. Karen then had 5800, Doug had 5600, and Jason had 14200! Karen wagered 2500 on this clue in the same category: " This constitutional amendment uses the phrase 'twice put in jeopardy of life or limb." Karen got it wrong.
I got these two triple-stumpers: In YuleTube: "A dog mishears a Christmas lyric: ' _____, the Other Reindeer." The audience groaned, but I did not think that was too tough! I knew it from working at ShopKo in college. And in Zoom In for a Close-Up:
At the end of the round, Jason had a lock on the game with 22600, while Karen had 6100 and Doug had 7600. The Final Jeopardy category was Poets. This was the clue: "While north of his homeland he was inspired to write perhaps his greatest work, 'Alturas de Macchu Picchu.'" This was an "instaget" for me. Karen missed it but did not wager anything. Doug got it and added 4601. Jason, too, got it right, and added 2400. We'll see him tomorrow!
My Coryat today was 32000! Yesterday, mine was 27400. It's a good week.
I've finished both the book and movie versions of True Grit. For all the praise from some pretty big names inside and on the back, how come one doesn't hear much about this book? It seems even my mom, a big John Wayne fan, has not read it. When I offered to give her mine, she was like, "Yes!! I want to read True Grit! That's like a Christmas present!" Roy Blount, Jr. blurbed: "Charles Portis could be Cormac McCarthy if he wanted to, but he'd rather be funny." (I mention this in part because McCarthy wrote our next piece in this project, No Country for Old Men.) Ira Levin, whose Rosemary's Baby sits still-unread on my shelf, praised True Grit, too, saying, "It's delightful, everything struck me as just right, from the marvelous title and the bull's-eye opening sentence clear through to the last spunky paragraph."
It took the wind out of my sails, though, when Saturday Review indicated that True Grit is "[a]s delightful to a twelve-year-old as to a cultivated adult." I don't want to feel like I'm reading something that won't challenge me! It was a simple book. The movie was pretty faithful to it. I recognized much of the script from having read the book, including the aforementioned first paragraph. I also loved it the first time I saw the movie when Cogburn called Mattie "baby sister," and that was in the book, too.
There were some parts of the book that were not the same in the movie - for example, the pivotal scene near the end when Mattie falls into the pit after shooting Tom Chaney. In the book, she was wedged in "like a cork in a bottle," but in the movie, it was more like she was caught in a vine of some kind. She also broke her arm in the book, but it didn't seem like she had in the movie. In the book, Tom Chaney was not yet dead when Mattie was in the pit, but in the movie, he'd gone over a cliff when Mattie shot him. Cogburn went into the pit and the unsinkable LaBoeuf pulled them both out.
I didn't like the grown-up version of Mattie in the movie. In the book, too, she called a guy "trash" just because he didn't stand up when she approached! Harsh! She was looking for Cogburn. In the movie, Cogburn himself sent her a flyer of a "Wild West" show in which he appeared. In the book, Mattie's brother sent her the flyer.
All in all I think it was productive to both read the book and watch the movie. I'm ready for No Country for Old Men, which I picked up today from the library.
As for Jeopardy!, my Coryat from Saturday's GSN episode (which originally aired December 14, 2005) was 16600. Sunday's, which naturally aired on December 15, 2005, was 18800. By the way, my Jeopardy!-loving friend Robert tells me that GSN is going to start airing the show every single day next month! Remember when I tried to get you guys to contact GSN when they stopped airing Jeopardy! last year? I don't know that anybody else did it, but I'm glad the show is back.
As my mom's birthday is Thursday, I expect to be at my mom and dad's for Jeopardy! that day as well as Wednesday, and maybe Tuesday, too. That means I can get caught up on Saturday episodes that air in Lincoln and not here in central Nebraska. Assuming the VCR hasn't been unplugged. It's happened before. This time I put a gentle reminder on it!
And by the way, since I finished True Grit a little sooner than I expected to, I won't be blogging about any of those quadruple-stumpers I mentioned in my last post.
Yesterday, I said I'd picked up at the library Q and A by Vikas Swarup. Well the book was faster to read than I expected, and I finished it this morning. (Yikes!) I'd already seen the movie on which it was based ("Slumdog Millionaire"). I don't have to compare the two since I didn't give you much warning, unless you want to in a comment or you want me to.
I thought I was gonna skip True Grit by Charles Portis because my library doesn't have it. The bookstore, though, had a used copy for $7.49, which is totally worth it to me. I'm picked it up tonight, and it looks like it's gonna go fast too. I've "seen" (didn't bother trying to stay awake for) the movie, so I'm going to watch it again after I've read the book.
By the way, I've discovered a way to tweet automatically whenever I've published a new post. I am concerned that this will annoy people, in which case I won't do it. If it does bother you, please don't hesitate to tell me.
Today's contestants:
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| Beth Watkins |
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| Leslie Hamilton |
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| Jason Keller (He says he tried for 16 years to get on the show!) |
The first two clues revealed today, in Canada Rocks, were quadruple-stumpers. Here they are: "Toronto-born Robbie Robertson was part of the Bob Dylan backup group that made it big on their own using this name." And "He recorded some of his biggest albums, including 'Rust Never Sleeps,' backed up by Crazy Horse." The contestants left the category and didn't go back until their was nothing left. They did manage to answer the remaining clues, including this last one in the round: " This arena-rock trio hit it big in the '70s with the Ayn Rand-inspired album "2112."
At the first break, Beth had 1800, Jason had 3600, and Leslie had 600.
Did you notice Mr. Trebek say "GP-rated" during his interview with Beth? I'd never heard anyone say that, but I when I looked it up just now, it seems it had been a rating beginning in 1970, and was replaced by "PG" in 1972. I kinda thought Mr. Trebek would fix it later, but he didn't.
I got this triple-stumper in Time for Lunch: "In the world according to this fish the kind made into gefilte fish is called the German or Israeli type."
Jason found the Daily Double in John, Paul, George. He had 6000, Leslie had 4000, and Beth had 2000. He picked up just 1000 on this clue: "He's the botanist seen here in 1940."
At the end of the round, Beth had 3800, Jason had 7000, and Leslie had 4600.
I was pleased with the categories of the Double Jeopardy round!: Historic Leaders' Letters to Santa, A Stony Category, Lake City, Anatomical Etymology, Streep Tease, and The Village Idiom.
Jason found the first Daily Double in Lake City (where the contestant names the lake associated with the city in the clue). He had maintained his lead with 7400, while Beth had 3000 and Leslie had 5000. He wagered 2000 on this clue: " Jinja, Uganda." He got it right.
When Leslie found the next Daily Double in A Stony Category, she was still in second place with 9400, while Beth had 3400 and Jason had 18200. Mr. Trebek naturally pointed out that she could take the lead if she made it a true Daily Double. She wagered just 2000 on this clue: "Geologists use these 2 Greek-derived terms to describe the 'New Stone Age' & the 'Old Stone Age' time periods." She got it right.
There was a less than a minute to go when Streep Tease was left. I answered the three they got to, and would've liked to see the last two! Beth ended the round with 3000. Jason had 20200, and Leslie had 13800.
The Final Jeopardy category was Word History. This was the clue: "A Roman legal term for a debtor sentenced to servitude is the origin of this term for a slave to a vice." Jason was the only one to answer correctly, making him the new champ. Beth lost everything (I'd have wagered 0.) Leslie lost 7242 (I'd have wagered 1000.) Jason added 8000. We'll see him Monday.
After yesterday, I kinda thought Beth was gonna win at least one more.
My Coryat today was a disappointing 14400. It would've been 7800 higher without 8 negs.
There were plenty of quadruple-stumpers today. I'm gonna pick one of these to write about next week. Do you have a preference?: The Band, Neil Young, Peter Scofield, Lake Mead, "where the bodies are buried," (?!) upsilon, Ramses, prison.
I know that's not a real word. But it's my rarely-utilized, never-before-spoken-aloud go-to word when a simple "Vamos!" won't do. (Do you wish I hadn't used the " Holy Grail" reference in a previous blog post title?) In case you didn't see it on Twitter, the message boards, or my dad's Facebook page (?!), I made it. I'm gonna be on Jeopardy! March 28th. This is why you haven't seen me here in a while - I've been a little preoccupied! But I'm back and as eager as ever.
You're gonna see a couple changes around here: You may remember at one point I had been blogging about triple- (quadruple-!) stumpers from the show. I've decided to do that again. That way I can publish every day, talk to some interesting people, keep learning, and keep you coming back (I hope). And if you ever have something to say about anything, I <3 comments!
You might also remember that I'd thought about reading the works that had been adapted into Oscar-winning screenplays. I'm going to do that, too, and you can read and watch whatever you want along with me. I modifying the plan, but I'll keep you informed. For one thing, I don't know how easy it'll be to find copies of the books/movies, since I live in a small-ish town. Also, I'll be skipping some things if I think the book or the movie is explicit in all the wrong ways. I've already read Accidental Billionaires and watched "The Social Network," and I am skipping Push because my aunt already tells me the book is no good. I wanted to read the novel True Grit by Charles Portis, even though the movie did not win an adapted screenplay Oscar. My library's website says it's on the "Bookmobile." I didn't know the library had a "Bookmobile," but strangely, I happened to see it driving down the street on my way to the library. ? Anyway the book wasn't there. I picked up Q and A by Vikas Swarup, from which "Slumdog Millionaire" was adapted. I've seen the movie already.
I will still keep track of my Coryats and post them (and try to boost them!), but I am through comparing them to those of the contestants on the show.
Speaking of contestants, here are today's:
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| Beth Watkins |
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| Boomie Aglietti |
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| Silas Crawford |
Boomie came into today's episode a two-time champion. Four-time champ Ryan Chaffee recently pointed out to me that he mentioned Boomie in my interview with him, published way back in September 2010. Very cool!
I also know that Boomie is an occasional pub quiz player at O'Brien's on Wednesday nights in Santa Monica, CA. I wonder if he was there last night to celebrate his wins! I'm so glad I knew about the quiz when I was in L.A. to tape Jeopardy!, as the pub is crawling with former champs. I wasn't gonna miss that even if the door to the pub was on fire. I got to meet the legendary Jerome Vered, College champ/ToC finalist Cliff Galiher, and one-time crush/five-time champ/ToC finalist Stefan Goodreau. *Sigh!* It could only be described as a total thrill. Marty Butterick kindly let my sister and I join his team that night. No doubt we looked as lost and out of place as we felt, at first! Thank you to Mark May and the pub for being gracious hosts.
On the show today, Mr. Trebek said his wife, 91-year-old mother, and cousin were in the audience. The camera was on them, but who was who? No one looked 91, to me.
Silas fell for the same trap I did in Burns, Baby, Burns (surely a category after Trebek's own heart): " Finish the Burns line: 'Give me a spark o' nature's fire!/that's a' the learning I...'" Boomie picked it up, and to add to the bummer for Silas, the next clue was the Daily Double. Boomie had 4200, Silas had 400, and Beth had 2600. I wonder why Boomie did not wager it all instead of 1200. This was the clue: "Steinbeck took note when Burns wrote, 'The best-laid schemes o'" these two things 'gang aft agley.'" Boomie and I got it right. At this commercial break, I was 13/15, and I'd swept "S" as in Simile. At the end of the round, I was 23/30. Boomie had 7000, Silas had 3400, and Beth had 4800.
Beth found the first Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round, in Churches and Cathedrals. She had 10800, Silas had 7800, and Boomie had 13000. She wagered 3000 on this clue: "Teddy Roosevelt spoke to a crowd of 10,000 at the laying of the foundation stone for this Cathedral in 1907." She and I got it right.
Boomie seemed like he was looking for the next Daily Double next time he had a chance, but Beth found it in Times Past. She had 16600, Boomie had 15000, and Silas still had 7800. Beth wagered 2000 on this toughie: "In the Congress system of 1815-25, nations tried to solve conflict diplomatically, starting with the Congress of here." She got it wrong, but she regained the lead with this next clue, just as tough: "By 878, the Vikings had conquered all of England except for this southern kingdom controlled by Alfred the Great."
Now how was this next clue in the same category a triple-stumper?: "The 1987 Meech Lake Accord was a failed attempt to recognize this Canadian province as a 'distinct society.'"
At the end of the round, Boomie and Beth were tied with 18600, while Silas had 8600. The final category was American Authors. This was the clue: He was born in NYC on April 3, 1783, toward the end of the Revolutionary War, & named for one of the war's heroes." This was an instaget, for me. Silas and Beth got it right, too. Beth wagered everything. Boomie missed it, and he too wagered everything. So we'll see Beth tomorrow. My Coryat today was 22800.
Heck, one more time: All together now! - VAMOS!
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