What does Tony think of the Jeopardy! guest hosts to date?
When last I wrote about Jeopardy! here, I said I thought either Ken Jennings or executive producer Mike Richards would make great permanent hosts for the popular game show. Given Richards is also executive producer of Wheel of Fortune, Ken Jennings would be the most likely choice of the two. I expressed dismay that lying sack of shit Dr. Mehmet Oz was given a guest hosting stint. I also opined journalist Katie Couric was pleasant enough, but lacked the chops of Jennings or Richards.
Since then, there have been three additional guest hosts: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and, from 60 Minutes, correspondent Bill Whitaker. Rodgers was personable and did a commendable job. Right now, I’d rank him below Jennings and Richards and above the other guest hosts to date.
Cooper is someone I like, but he was really out of his depth as the guest host. He was slow in delivering answers and never quite got the hang of the gig.
Whittaker is a distinguished journalist, but he was also way out of his depth. His delivery, while excellent for a newscaster, was too measured for this hosting gig. I’ve only seen his first week, but I doubt he’ll improve in the second.
I don’t know when Jeopardy! will name a permanent host, but we have several more guest hosts coming up:
May 17-28: Buzzy Cohen, former Jeopardy! champion
May 31-June 11: Mayim Bialik, actress and neuroscientist
June 14-25: Savannah Guthrie, NBC News’ Today co-anchor
June 28-July 9: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent
July 12-16: George Stephanopoulos, ABC’s Good Morning America co- anchor
July 19-23: Robin Roberts, ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor
July 26-30: LeVar Burton, actor and former host of Reading Rainbow
Aug. 2-6: David Faber, co-host of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street
Aug. 9-13: Joe Buck, Fox sportscaster
The last five names on that list will only host for a week. I’m not familiar with Cohen, but former Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennies did such a terrific job that I’m looking forward to seeing what Cohen does in his two weeks. I’m also not familiar with Faber or Buck.
The others all strike me as excellent choices. I’m a bit concerned about Bialik because her recent sitcom was such a train wreck, but I’m also sure she’ll do fine.
Burton is the guest host I’ve been most looking forward to seeing. He’s extremely personable with a combination of dignity and humor that would make him a good replacement for the late and legendary Alex Trebek.
More Jeopardy! guest host reviews to come.
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Resident Alien is a terrific comic book by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse. Cribbing from Wikipedia: it’s about an alien who crash lands on Earth, posing as a doctor while he awaits a rescue. He is pursued by a government agency and passes his time solving murders and other mysteries.
Resident Alien is a terrific TV series that differs from the comic book in many ways. Most importantly, the title protagonist wants to destroy our planet. However, despite the whole end of the world as we know it plan, “Harry” is actually kind of likeable. He’s sort of like a murderous Sheldon Cooper, committing faux pas after faux pas because...he’s an alien.
Alan Tudyk is wonderful as the alien pretending to be a man. He’s got an amazing supporting cast of interesting characters played by fine actors. Because the TV series does not follow the comic book, there are surprises in almost every episode. I love it a lot and it will be returning for a second season.
I still have four episodes to watch of the first season. As soon as I’ve watched them, I’ll give you an update on my feelings about the show. I don’t expect them to change much.
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Most weeks, I don’t know why I watch Saturday Night Live. The best part of the show is the Weekend Update segment and I could/should fast forward to that. Some weeks, the show has a good guest host. On other weeks, it’ll be a host who overacts, mugs for the camera, always tries to steal the spotlight and doesn’t lose themselves in the characters they play. One recent host came close to getting me to swear off SNL for good. Except for Weekend Update.
What keeps me watching? A host like Daniel Kaluuya was perfect for the show. Most episodes have at least one good sketch. Some weeks, the musical guest is terrific.
SNL has been an American institution for nearly half a century. It has shown its age before and bounced back with new cast members and writers. I have stopped watching the show before, but I never stop wanting it to be brilliant.
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I adore Queen Latifah. She’s one of my favorite performers. When I heard she was starring in a reboot of The Equalizer, I know I would be watching it. I’ve watched the first six episodes to date. While I do have a few minor problems with the series, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen.
Latifah plays former government agent Robyn McCall. Retired because the government did her wrong, she’s now raising a teenage daughter and, on the side, helping people who have no one else to turn to. The big plus for me is that McCall is a planner. It’s not that she rarely gets caught off-guard. Even Doc Savage got played on some occasions. But she reminds me of Doc in that she’s almost always a step or two ahead of her opponents. That and she’s got a great team working with her.
The minor problem I have with the series is that McCall is always lying to and disappointing her daughter and the aunt who lives with them. She’s setting a bad example for her kid and, while the show doesn’t shy away from that, I think it’s time for the former agent to come clean with her family. To be sure, it will cause problems. But I’m tried of smart characters making bad choices. Good choices can make for drama every bit as compelling.
That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.
© 2021 Tony Isabella
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