853fisher

It sure did, in my case, but I said Quebec. Imagine my surprise when it turned out that I'd gone just a little foo French.

Thanks to @chessiegal and @Bastet for refreshing my memory. I still think the walk back on looked fort of clunky. Of course I'm sure if there was a cut and all three were back others wouldn't like that either. It's a tiny thing. I was rooting least for Matt out of the three, but still felt a little bad watching him go down in flames. I guess, at a certain point, what did he have to lose? Between all players there were 15 wrong answers. No wonder there wasn't time for all the clues. Ken continues to do brilliantly, in my opinion. I'm sure not all of them came to him in the moment, but he seems to have the right number of bons mots, executed well, focused on the game and not himself. "You remembered [Pepperidge Farm]" was very funny.

I forgot to ask, when a contestant is eliminated before FJ, do they usually come back for the credits chat? I often don't stay to watch so maybe I just haven't noticed, but I thought it looked awkward the way they had Heidi come back in with the camera on that part of the stage. Actually I thought a crew member was in the shot at first.

Hmmmm, I think at the very least that would be a "more, please" rather than wrong. I'd be willing to bet that no shortage of officially sanctioned stuff bears that name. I'd probably be happy to accept it outright. That's good advice! I don't see Twitter often. It's not for me. I'm too long-winded. ;)

I loved the mention of "Lust for Life," although it was too bad no one knew it. It was assigned reading for an art history course and ended up being one of those books that resonated so deeply with me that I remember where I was when I read it. I think it is so poignant and beautiful. The film with Kirk Douglas is also very good. RE Amy, I saw a comment elsewhere, the gist of which was that it is refreshing to see a player so dominant while using, for the most part, the traditional "start at the top of the board and work your way through a category" method. I agree with that! I really enjoy following games played this way. I wonder how she'll do in the ToC (probably).

Not my best night. I missed a few capitals knowing the state but not the city. And I don't suppose they would have taken "Harper Lee and her friend"? There wasn't any question of whether viewers had guessed from looking at him that Chi-Nhan is a seminarian, Ken, since it was the first thing the announcer told us about him. Oy but that was a dopey transition. Although I got 3/5 right, the AMA category annoyed me to no end because those clips were just way too long. The clues were fairly easy without them anyway, so they just felt like dead air. And call me a snob if you will, but I do think there's a difference between categories advertising National Geographic docs or similar and categories advertising the knockoff Grammys for lousy pop music. The latter is even less welcome in my book.

I have no earthly idea how I knew to say "Punic War," but I did. That may be my luck used up for a while, but maybe I'll buy a lottery ticket to make sure. ;) I like Amy and am glad she is doing well. We've gone from San Francisco to Oakland with champs this week. Maybe we'll get San Jose next and have the whole combined statistical area covered. ;) I felt a little bad for Taylor when he was close-but-not-quite those few times, but I didn't love his story, which amounted to "I went to Kyrgyzstan and the local food wasn't very good." It just didn't seem like a gracious thing to highlight. The numbers homophone category was tough for me because I couldn't stop trying to place the numbers as expressed in letters into words rather than just going for the homophones, and by the time I'd correct myself, it'd be too late. I did have to laugh, because I was wondering why they didn't show "m1iscus" on screen like all the others, only to realize we'd moved into another category. It wouldn’t have been much of a homophone anyway. I almost talked myself out of Scarborough Fair because I think of it as well known beyond Simon & Garfunkel so I tried to think of something else. Fortunately, I failed. I will always think of it as one of those traditional songs that almost anyone learning an instrument in elementary school will come across. I wonder how many children know these songs exist beyond that context.

Funnily enough re "shaken, not stirred," Wikipedia says the first person to say it in the movies is Dr. No, when he offers Bond a drink. The man himself doesn't say it until "Goldfinger," the third film. The show website states that "all 4-time and over winning players starting from 01/05/21 will be eligible for a future Tournament of Champions." The asterisk text below indicates that eligibility does not guarantee an invitation, etc. But barring some exceptional circumstance, yes, we will see him again. There are 8 people on that list now that Andrew has been added, and I think 15 people usually compete. The producers may wait until there are that many 4X winners, or add other contestants, at their discretion.

Boy did it ever fry my cakes that they knew Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy but not Joan Rivers! I thought Ama Dablam looked enough like the Paramount logo that I checked whether it was the inspiration, but apparently not. Just me? I was rooting for Rebecca to start since I love getting away to Santa Cruz. I can't say the challengers should've bet bolder, since they both missed DDs. Andrew's friend should have no trouble finding a market for ice cream in the Bay Area, and it may be a good investment. There are many little specialty places I just love around here. Me too! Close, but no cigar.

I enjoyed that for the novelty, and caught a few jokes too. I haven't watched Fargo or some of the other "prestige" shows I think they were referencing, so there was a bit of an odd hollow for me at points where I sensed I was missing something even though I could follow the narrative fine. But it was definitely an interesting diversion in my eyes. I wouldn't be opposed to more riffs on different corners of TV land.

It was a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style, but the Pennsylvania RR sold air rights to the property during a downturn. The station was demolished in 1963 and redeveloped from street level up, while the rail infrastructure below kept running with a new bare-bones building around it. This was considered one of the major losses that helped cultivate broader interest and eventually policy addressing historic preservation. The rail areas were substantially renovated in the last year or two, and I understand they're less awful now, but as first rebuilt, Penn Station was really ugly, and not especially functional. I actually preferred the Port Authority Bus Terminal. As an aside, the Hotel Pennsylvania across the street is due to be torn down in the new year, I learned this week! It's certainly not a loss of quite the same caliber, but is a bit jarring. It's a handsome building with some interesting features and was one of that dying breed, the affordable midtown hotel. It kept the phone number popularized in the Glenn Miller song, PEnnsylvania 6-5000 (736-5000), until the end. I knew it was [something] Hazel! I'm just as bad with names online as in real life. Anyway, sorry for all the to-do. ;)

Don't tell me what to keep in mind! Who are you, Benson? (But actually thanks...I did forget. 😛)

I was sure "America's first saint" was Mother Cabrini, but that was where "homegrown" came in. Cabrini was the first US citizen canonized, but she was born in Lombardy: she immigrated to the US in her late 30s when Pope Leo XIII told her she could do more good in poor Italian emigrant communities on the East Coast than as a Chinese missionary as she had planned. Seton, on the other hand, was born in this country. I missed the hints and got it wrong fair and square, but I did think "homegrown" is a bit vague when the specific meaning "born in" is intended. I was prepared to argue that if one's saintly works were done mostly in one country, that's plenty "homegrown," but I note the dictionary lists "raised or brought up in one's own country" as a tertiary meaning under "grown at home" (no kidding!) and (irrelevant in this case) "created in an informal or amateur manner," so maybe I'm just being obtuse. No, I am, I think I was being too clever by half. There's a poster here, whose screen name I can't remember or I'd tag them, whose avatar is the Hazel character played by Shirley Booth, as riffed on in the category "The Shirley Booth." And I meant "playing her song" as we in my family (perhaps not normal people, I'm now realizing) use it, to indicate something not necessarily actually a song that is indicative or reminiscent of someone. Next time I think I'll just calm down and say "Hazel, did you see that Shirley Booth category?" ;)

That was Betty Buckley as the prosecutorial supervisor! I was trying to place her for a while. Big Broadway actress last on the show about 15 years ago for a few episodes as a defense attorney. What a waste of talent. I bet SUNY New Paltz just loved that shoutout too. ;) Tori must have heard that Hudson U is being a little more careful about whom they admit these days.

I hope our Hazel was watching tonight and saw that they were playing her song! Apparently that was Adam Levin, one of Holzhauer's opponents, who bet all but $1 and finished just $18 short of James with $53,999. But Dane seems to be second behind him. Those two dueling daily doubles were just fantastic.

I definitely missed Moby Dick. Most of what I do know comes from the "Facts of Life" episode in which Sue Ann writes a comically bad essay about it after Helen Hunt gives her some dope. It didn't make it seem like taking up either the novel or the drugs would be particularly rewarding experiences.

It can be tough to keep all the Bond movies straight, but I always remember "Never Say Never Again" because it was an outlier, under the auspices of different producers than all the others. Their choice of lead actor was also an outlier, as they brought Connery back over a decade after the main series had moved on to Roger Moore. I also think its title song is criminally underrated. Truly, if I ever appeared on the show and "Bond Movie Songs" was a category, I'd be delighted, because I think they're all wonderful. "1970s Songs"? Less fortuitous for me. I wish I'd approached the clue as "name a really big Europop song" and not trying to sing through all 20 minutes of the Queen song in 30 seconds. Oh well! Next time. I wonder whether the guest hosts are relying on their earpiece more than Alex used to? Perhaps he was more comfortable or explicitly empowered to rule quickly on his own in a way the newcomers are not. Regardless of who is making the calls, if it were up to me, you could add to an answer ("hedge...hedge fund" or "Roosevelt...Teddy Roosevelt"), but once you've said something wrong ("hedge farm" or "Barack Roosevelt"), you'd be done. But, you know, something about wishes and horses.

When I was in college in the early 2010s, although we were in a rural city where many locals didn't lock their doors, you couldn't access dorms at any time without a key card. Not a bad thought! But according to this piece, the crew did not let Ken know he was taping a show to air on the anniversary until after it was done. This encapsulates one of the reasons I prefer Ken to Mayim. I like the host to exude command of the game and material. Considering only her performance on the show, leaving aside her comments in other forums about how clueless she would be if she ever played the game (which I suppose she thinks are pleasingly self-effacing but which do not impress me), she just doesn't have that aura about her, in my opinion.

I wish I had remembered that Cincinnati's airport code is CVG because it's located in...you guessed it. A lot of airport code trivia rattles around in my head, but not that bit, unfortunately. I'll drink to that! The irony is that I have the musical tastes of someone much older, but his career started right around where my interest in pop music starts declining exponentially each year. So it would indeed have paid to be older and at least able to pick something up by osmosis, but being spiritually younger would have helped too! His Yellow Brick Road runs right through my blind spot, I guess. (No, I don't know anything beyond the title for that one either!) ;)

I was glad to see Ken back, although he was nearly too chatty for me a few times. I don't know what to make of "now hosting Jeopardy" rather than "here is the host of Jeopardy." I wish Mayim no ill, appreciate her considerable improvement, and could live with her if I have to, but I still prefer Ken. I didn't quite understand what happened around Kate's "Washington DC" answer in the second round. I assume somebody must have flashed the wrong light or given some other confusing signal off camera while she was still finishing her answer? That was very strange. I did get FJ this time, although I wonder whether anyone onstage really knew it rather than making an educated guess like I did. According to a little research after the clue, Rep Langston only served 6 months of his 2 year term, having had to contest the results of the election at length on the basis of voter intimidation and fraud: he lost his bid for reelection. Earlier in his career he had served as Ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I may have to pick up a biography about him soon. The Elton John category might as well have been in Greek. I got "Crocodile Rock" and had at least heard of 3 of the other 4, but didn't know their lyrics at all. Too bad for me, since it was an interesting idea that reminded me of "Whew," a short-lived game show that became a cult classic on the strength of a few grainy tapes and just recently started to be rerun for the first time in over 40 years. The format there revolved around correcting similar "bloopers," with the wrinkle that your opponent could place blocks up and down the board. You can find many videos on YouTube if that sounds interesting.

I thought it was more likely due to the time the two challengers took to say "can I please have..." and the like so many times.

No dice in FJ. I remembered Dutch Guiana but that led me not to Suriname but to Guyana. Close, but no cigar! I did at least know Ben E King. I think the song is still widely recognized even if his name is largely forgotten, which is too bad. The fun thing about Monster Mash charting in the summer of 1973 is that it seems to have been "just because," rather than because it was featured in a particular movie or anything like that. It just got a bit of regional play which became national play and everyone enjoyed. I have always enjoyed that song and I admit it is on my playlists all year 'round, just for fun. Cindy remarked on Reddit that the contestants were not specifically told that their "Regular Verbs" responses had to be phrased as such, but acknowledges that they could have inferred it. If they wanted to be strict, fine, but they should have been prepared, and all that sloppiness could have been avoided. It was released in December 1985. There was some to-do for the 35th in 2020, before, to borrow the words of Mrs. White, "you-know." I was fortunate to see an anniversary screening with several members of the cast and crew. Nothing lately that I've seen, though. This is the story that is often referred to as "the oral history." It is over 5 years old but I haven't seen anything newer. It's well worth the read for anyone interested in the movie, I think.

I remember learning about her in high school. Some art historians prefer to call her the "woman of Willendorf" because the name Venus is a reflection of those who discovered her later rather than those who made her in Paleolithic Austria about 25,000 years ago. It will not shock anyone having seen the attached image that it is thought she may represent fecundity.

After lying, or in a more favorable reading obfuscating, in public comment about his vaccination status too. Apparently he sought, and was refused, permission to have homeopathic treatments counted by the NFL. Subsequently it sounds like he may have done some but not all of the things the league expects from unvaxed players. Now there’s a spotlight on the situation, and I hope if he did violate their rules he is harshly punished. Since we’re not out of the land of guest hosts yet, suffice it to say that I hope not to see him again.

I loved the clue about "Clue," one of my favorite movies. I've always thought it was too bad the multiple endings gimmick didn't work. The movie was pretty badly reviewed in general, but its inconsistent marketing can't have helped. The three endings were referred to by letters, and to take the Bay Area as an example, while the big opening day ad made clear which was playing where, not every theater's individual listings did. Paramount also apparently didn't identify the endings to critics in a consistent way, so even if they had liked the movie, they wouldn't have been in a position to suggest one ending to try first. Most people, it seems, just stayed home instead of guessing. Now it's usually shown with all three endings separated by intertitles. (As an aside, of the 23 theaters in the ad, only 2 survive today, with a 3rd on the cusp of being resurrected. The shift toward big multiplexes happened later here than many other places, but when the time came, things got ugly fast.) Anyway, in FJ, I would have guessed correctly, but thought I was wrong because I couldn't picture writing on any version I'd seen. It turns out to have been barely visible, written in pencil on one of them. I was also very pleased with myself for remembering Cairo, Illinois, about which I know little except that I think it's mentioned in passing in "Show Boat" or something. I was disappointed it turned out to be Carthage. Oh well! Win some, lose some. (Image in spoiler tag below just because it's quite large and could be obnoxious, especially on a mobile device)