853fisher

I was tickled by the Adele category. I don't think I've heard a song from her I've disliked and she's always seemed like a good sport doing the media rounds, like this time she wore a disguise to surprise a group of Adele imitators. Years ago I went through a brief phase when I listened to "Skyfall" so many times that it became a running joke among my housemates - you can bet I didn't miss that clue. Humira's ads really are working for me, because as soon as its name came up, I said to myself, "yeah, adalimumab!" That's the scientific name for the drug, which I've just learned is classified as a monoclonal antibody. Under brand names including Humira and others, it's the 152nd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, according to "ClinCalc." (1st is atorvastatin, AKA Lipitor.)

Oh, that's clever! Maybe that was the joke, about a celebrity they were pointedly not naming? If so, neither of them delivered it well.

I wonder why they'd pick that one of Julie Ann's anecdotes if she didn't want / they didn't want her to name the "very famous celebrity" she beat. It was like a joke without a punch line to me.

The name of the drag queen who infuriates Pierce's father with her parody of his jingle in "Community" was Urbana Champaign. I've never forgotten the name of the school after that. I was infuriated that FJ wasn't coming to me immediately since it ought to have been in my wheelhouse. I paused the show and thought it out. It might have been more than 30 seconds, but it came to me, so I'm giving myself credit. ;) A bit more of the draft lyric, from another website: "I'm Holly / like I want to be / like Holly on a tree back home." I can't imagine it having had such a life beyond the movie with that! Even after it became "Moon River," a Paramount exec wanted to cut it after a preview screening. I find these stories fascinating. I was surprised by how poorly "You Never Take Me To..." went. Perhaps it would have been different had the started at the top. I think at least the first clue revealed was Greek to the players. I got 4/5 and thought it was a cute idea.

As @rcc said, they haven't confirmed the host, but generally reputable sources like Variety think Mayim is very likely. This article hints that they are waiting to make a broader announcement, which I read to suggest that they will announce the host(s) for this spinoff and the regular show at the same time.

I liked Victoria, the new chaser. I thought she exuded confidence without coming across as try-hard with putdowns like some of the others have at times. I wondered whether that was really their full-time work or a more appealing line for the "casting" process. It does seem that a gimmick or a "character" really helps to get on many of these shows these days. Ooooh, that's a great idea! I think I'd enjoy that.

I thought they overdid it with the idea that nobody had any memories about Frankie that didn't involve Grace. I get the point and it is important. But literally nothing from childhood, years before she and Grace became close, from her two sons? Or from the former husband with whom she spent a couple genuinely connected decades? Haven't we been told that Brianna was close to her when she was a child? Didn't Allison have a baby delivered by her? Come on now. I know some things have been painted increasingly broadly over the seasons, but this was such a stretch that it really took me out of things. It probably doesn't help that I've struggled to take this "the psychic told me I will die on XYZ" seriously form the start.

My theory is that she is unable / unempowered to parse responses other than exactly what is on the sheet in front of her. So if the contestant says "EU" or "Auburn" or "Little Bighorn," she has to wait for the voice in her ear to tell her whether that's acceptable for "European Union" or "Auburn University" or "Battle of Little Bighorn." I'd wager this is also reflected in the many times she replies with information that seems, to me at least, too obvious to be worth adding. Surely someone is going over this with her, but she hasn't improved, which makes me think she can't and isn't going to.

I sure do miss Alex. I had forgotten, until I read a comment under the video linked above, that he was raised in a bilingual household. There is a Delta National Forest in western Mississippi! I definitely knew this and did not have to Google it. No further questions, please.

I felt pretty strongly that Mary was wrong because "The Grinch" was the more recent animated film and the 2000 live-action one the clue was about was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." However, I did some Googling after the show and found "The Grinch" not only on theatrical or home releases in a number of countries, but also on some promotional materials from this country. I think she got lucky, not like she could have identified any of the specific materials / locations / whatever that proved her right, but IMO it was a fair ruling, with definite style points off to make myself feel better.

I'm just grateful there are two Carolinas or I might have gotten tricked into wondering whether it could have been Charles.

I couldn't figure it out either. Books to read over an iced tea?

I misunderstood "socioeconomic place" in the clue for "caste" because I was thinking of a place in the physical realm. What would a socioeconomic place be, the offices of the Fed or something? You got me this time, writers. ;) I was glad to see Ryan win. Someone on Reddit said Ryan has driven them before and was just as personable as he seemed on TV. No doubt we all know smart and interesting people from all walks of life, and I like seeing that reflected on Jeopardy! The part of me that remembers the way some looked down on me when I was working as a barista and a grocery app shopper will always root for someone like a rideshare driver.

Is this because she's a lesbian?

I won't be surprised if we got the setup for Maroun to quit / be fired. I guess we'll see next week.

I thought it meant "I offered to help clean [but would rather not] - thanks for not taking me up on that." Like when you offer something to be polite but are hoping the person you're speaking to won't ask you to follow through.

I did get shamrock shake. McDonald's was a big treat when I was young - now there aren't any convenient to me and I prefer not to give my business to corporate chains anyway. But I did enjoy those shakes "back in the day." I couldn't help but think that their 50th anniversary celebration around St Patrick's Day 2020 was probably a bit...muted.

I'm not unhappy Daniel won, but I think Charly could have been a fun champion. I was excited when she seemed to be building up a head of steam at the end of DJ for a moment, and I take it she really liked "Pride and Prejudice." But I won't pick her for a travel buddy. She took Uber 90 miles (I also thought the distance should have been quantified - I bet some didn't know where at least one of those places are), took her photos, and turned right around? I mean, it's her money, but that's just not a cost / benefit balance that makes sense to me. At least give yourself a few hours to explore around there. She said she doesn't drive, like me, but there's a Monterey-Salinas Transit bus across the bridge for $3.50. Yeesh.

I’m not so much a fan of these episodes where all the songs in the main game are from one genre. A mix is better IMO. He wears the same ribbon shaped pin each week. I’m not sure about the rest.

I trust it wasn't intended this way, but Mayim's "ummmm, alright" when Mallory explained what she had started writing in FJ came across very "Mean Girls" to me. What was your guess on that one, then, Mayim? There was also a very chunky edit between the "50 Cent(s)" clue and the next one...is it possible she managed to bobble what should have been a very easy ruling there? Oy vey, I miss Ken so very much as soon as he's gone. That's about where I was, except that I saw it, so shame on me. I think Vito means "life" and Corleone means "lionheart," which is all great, except that I didn't know what "mercy" was. ;) I wonder if when I inevitably watch it again I will retain the names of the characters better.

I knew the FJ response was from The Godfather but I didn't recall it closely enough to have remembered that name, and I guess I wasn't feeling like trying to translate either. Like Citizen Kane, that's a movie I thought was well worth a trip to a theater for an "experience." Neither is in my top ten but I thought both were excellent. For example "'And Venus was her name.' That was 'Venus.' Micaela?" Easy peasy. I actually didn't mind what she said, and thought it was a nice example of a brief, relevant, interesting comment in addition to the response. But I knew it was "Venus" so I hadn't considered that putting it that way might have been unclear.

Well, you know what they say about all good things! We are all very proud of Danielle. She will be supporting Mattea in the ToC, naturally. I was glad she was able to mention one of our choral groups, which I know are very dear to her. If you are curious about the cosplay you mentioned, here is her Instagram. I did once attend the big con in Atlanta and got to see her and other friends in action - very interesting, if a bit crowded and chaotic for me. By the way, 100% of people I know who have been on the show after meeting me have become champions. (Danielle and my former professor T.J. Tallie last year, or something, who knows, time is no longer linear.) Correlation or causation, who can say? I really try not to rag on Mayim daily. Lord knows Alex, who had many virtues, didn't always find the mot juste. But I found her side of the interaction with Cherry ("Glad to hear that spitting in a tube worked better than drawing blood!") tragically awkward. She basically just repeated the anecdote to Cherry with a hint of a chuckle for some reason. I guess if it's not neuroscience... I had no hope in FJ because I was trying to think of regular events. I never would have thought of Woodstock in a thousand years. I'm not claiming that the clue was wrong, but to my mind, there was one Woodstock plus commemorations, not several Woodstocks, so that the 30th anniversary was the "last Woodstock." Although of course it was. Oh well!

Oh, do you mean you weren’t wondering whether that frog might have been named after Charles Darwin’s sister Priscilla?

I forgot to say that, while Danielle's husband's family are all Georgians, Danielle is originally from near Altoona. So when her first correct response was "Pennsylvania Dutch, I thought that was a great omen. She was so excited to break the ice that she stumbled over saying it just a bit - in over a decade, I've never known her to be tongue-tied! It also occurred to us at the party that the first 2 presidents of our college a cappella group have been on the show. The 1st was on Kids Week years ago, the 2nd is Danielle, and I am the 3rd. So I dunno, watch this space! Wouldn't that be something? I'm caught up on today now, and I'm so glad she was able to prove those who thought she'd be one-and-done wrong. I always wish well for undergraduates bold enough to enter the main pool, so I was glad Karim was able to play in FJ. His second DD that frustrated him so seemed strange. They seldom ask for three items that I can recall, and I don't know about "BosWash." I was raised in suburban DC with regular trips to New England for my mom's family, and I don't recall ever seeing that term, so it definitely took me a second longer to process. On the other hand, I was totally befuddled by the idea that "Out of Africa" would be about a woman with a Jewish name winning mambo contests in upstate NY. I have still not read the Hemingway novel, but I got FJ immediately. I don't know why, it just seemed right, the date seemed right, I was very lucky. I think the title was at the top of my mind because it's shared with a popular song of 1932 I've had stuck in my head quite a bit lately. Danielle said she thinks she might have gotten it with a bit more time, but it just wasn't coming. She doesn't think you should ever leave it blank, so she decided "Gatsby" could be vaguely English and put it down. Better than nothing! After "Roy Kroc" was (rightfully) not accepted and "Kroc" was, I thought Mayim should have made a brief explanation. People who don't know his name was Ray probably wondered what was going on. As much as I dislike Mayim, I think that is on the production team too - it should have been on somebody's list for her to record later or whatever if necessary. Today's game seemed to have been edited with a hacksaw in places, but that was skipped over? They have the resources to do these things smoothly, so I wish they would be consistent.

What a party! Has anyone seen my keys? Seriously, what a thrill. Of course we all believed there was a good chance it could happen, but to actually witness the culmination of a friend's dream of 15+ years is something else. She had what must have been a few dozen family members in various states from her side of the family and her husband's, plus a good dozen of us close friends. They were able to set things up so those not in the same time zone and without access to the show another day could follow along with audio, then we spent the commercials debriefing. I think I mentioned she and her husband are big board game people. Before they were married, the height of excitement in our small college town was a trip to his apartment for steaks, old fashioneds, and board games with too many dice. Next to those, I was sure Danielle would be prepared with a good plan for wagering. She mentioned that she did do a bit of searching for the betting clues, having observed during the first 4 games of the day that Mattea did not. She's always strategizing! As you can imagine, the moment the clue came up, I knew she would have it. It certainly was a stroke of luck, but that's all in the game. I've naturally been disappointed to read comments in other forums stating that the game must have been rigged in her favor. Of course those who know game shows know that Sony wouldn't commit a federal crime in this situation, and while being local was a benefit, it certainly wasn't required. I knew the name of the airport in Atlanta a decade before I had been within 500 miles of there because it was featured in my Guinness Book of World Records and I was interested in transportation. Naturally we all told Danielle not to pay those comments any mind. She said she really enjoyed meeting Ken and gave Mattea great plaudits for being a very warm and down-to-earth presence. Just before they were to have started the game there was an unexpected stopdown, so they got to enjoy an extended conversation. I'd love for them to meet again in the ToC, naturally. Danielle had two weeks to bone up between taping sessions so I really think she could go the distance now that she's had her baptism by fire. No more Zoom parties planned for now, while we all recover. And forgive me for having gone AWOL at such an inopportune time. Thank you so much for all the well wishes, which of course I've passed along. Just after we put the noisemakers away, I had a call from my parents. Sadly neither of them will be on Jeopardy, but it was good news that the home they are retiring to became available sooner than expected. There was a lot to help coordinate from a distance, so I had to get offline and hunker down with them. When I see them in person next, betcha can't guess where I'll likely be flying into! Hint: it's the site of a former racetrack...