Rest in Peace Alex Trebek

 

Today we heard the bad news that Alex Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80.  He was very candid with his fans by publically announcing in March 2019 he had the 4th stage of this miserable disease.  He kept everyone advised of his progress in fighting this terrible form of cancer which has a low survival rate.  My father fought pancreatic cancer from 1995 until he passed away in September 1997,  Alex really loved being the host of Jeopardy as he hosted the show while he was taking chemotherapy.

I have been a fan of Jeopardy since the Arthur Flemming days in 1964.  It was hard to watch it since I was in school while the show was on weekdays at 12 noon.  The show was on hiatus for 5 years until 1984 when the syndicated version hosted by Alex premiered.  For most of its run, it was on weekdays at 7 PM which was much more convenient for me.  I rarely missed a show and always recorded it when I was away from home in the early evening.

If you are interested there were many posts in Bruce's Journal about Alex Trebek.  I assume there are several weeks of shows not yet seen with Alex hosting it.  Somebody will succeed him as the host of Jeopardy, but it will not be the same.  It would be inappropriate to speculate on who will be the new host of the show so shortly after his death.  I have someone in mind I feel could succeed him, but not reveal the name at this time.

Very shortly after his death was announced WABC-7 gave a tribute.  I have chosen to post here the tribute from Entertainment Tonight.

Rest in peace Alex.

Best Wishes To Alex Trebek

I just found out that Jeopardy host Alex Trebek suffered a minor heart attack.  Thanks for regular reader and radio enthusiast Frank D for sending the news to me.  The article states that Alex should be OK for the next series of tapings of Jeopardy in January.

Please see http://omg.yahoo.com/trebek-hospitalized-with-heart-attack/news/4727 for more information.

                                          

Reading Alex Trebek's Autobiography

Since there are no movie theaters, museums, broadway shows, bookstores, or open libraries, one can still read books purchased online.  I ordered The Answer is ....... Reflections on My Life, the autobiography of Alex Trebek, and received it the day it was released.  By the way, today is his 80th birthday.

This is a true autobiography which was not ghostwritten.  It is easy to read in an anecdotal style.  The chapters are very short and are titled in the form of a question.  Alex talks very candidly about growing up in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.  His parents were divorced and his mother had a child by another relationship.  Alex didn't find out he had a half-brother until h was in his forties.  He divorced his first wife in 1981 and remarried in 1990 to Jean who is 24 years younger than him. 

He discusses how his career developed and very often one must be in the right place at the right time to get the right job. He hosted several game shows before he became the long time host of Jeopardy in 1984.  I am about 2/3 of the way through the book and am just starting to read about his hosting of Jeopardy.

It is amazing how Alex has survived pancreatic cancer for almost 1 1/2 years.  He says the chemotherapy is painful, but his numbers are very good.  He will continue to host Jeopardy until he is physically unable to do it.

I recommend this book to all even if they are not Jeopardy fans.

Alex Trebek Has Completed Chemotherapy and is on the Mend

In the video above Alex Trebek announced that he has completed his chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and is on the mend and has started recording episodes of season 36 of Jeopardy that will begin on September 9.  This is indeed good news, but Alex is not "out of the woods".  He needs to be examined periodically by his doctors to ensure that tumors have not returned.  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has survived this dreadful disease for several years, so let's hope for the best for Alex and Justice Ginsburg.

Prayers for Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek announced on social media that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  Sadly, this form of cancer has a very low survival rate.  My father and Uncle Ben suffered from this dreaded disease over 20 years ago.  My Dad was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation and survived about 2 years after the diagnosis.  The doctors felt that radiation shrunk the tumor and slowed the progression of the disease.

As a long time fan of Jeopardy, I am saddened by this announcement.  I was glad to hear that Alex wants to fight the disease and is taking a positive attitude.  My Prayers go out for him. 

News About My Two Favorite Game Shows

Since we were home this afternoon we turned on the TV to watch Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Meredith Viera. It was the first show of the 8th season of her hosting the show. At the beginning she reported the nobody had won $1Million on the show since 2003. I knew it had been a long time, but I didn't realize that it hadn't been won in 6 years. A few a contestant on the night version with Regis Philbin attempted the $1Million question and got it wrong and lost $475,000. She announced that there would be a contest in November of the top 10 winners of this season and that the winner would get $1million. The web site has the details.

We turned on Jeopardy at 7 PM not knowing whether the 26th season would begin. Alex Trebek said that for this week there would be 5 classic episodes. Tonight the first show hosted by Alex Trebek in 1984 was aired. The photo above showed what Alex looked like back then with a moustache and black hair. The history of the show is outline in the Wikipedia. Art Fleming was the original host of the show from 1964-79.

We tell students not to reference the Wikipedia for scholarly works since it is not known who wrote the information or if it was inaccurately edited. I think it is OK to cite the Wikipedia for information about issues in the popular culture.

Jeopardy Season Ends after 46 Weeks and 230 Shows

Today Alex Trebek announced that the Jeopardy season has ended.  He stated that with 230 shows it has the longest season of any game show.  The only other game shows on the air today are Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Wheel of Fortune.  For the next 6 weeks, tournaments will be rerun, but I will likely go online an hour earlier than usual until the next season begins in September.

Jeopardy has some long run.  The Art Flemming version on NBC aired from 1964-1979 while the syndicated  Alex Trebek version started in 1984 and is still going strong.  How long will Alex stay as host?  Who will succeed him?  Time will tell.

Happy Birthday Alex Trebek

Jeopardy host Alex Trebek is 68 years young today.  You can see from the Wikipedia entry that Alex had a long history in TV before he first hosted Jeopardy in 1984.  Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the current version of Jeopardy.  I remember hearing that they compiling a book of interviews asking former Jeopardy contestants how the show changed their lives.

The following peple have had their birthday's mentioned in this journal:

Lee Slutsky

Karen Slutsky

Manfred Mann

Chuck Berry

Ringo Starr

Bob Dylan

Billy Joel

Dave DuBrow

Please be assured there will be a long entry on October 8, 2008 for the birthday of Alan Berman

Thinking of my 75 Interviews with Alex Trebek

Tomorrow at 8 PM I will be taking the online test to become a contestant on Jeopardy.  My fantasy is to get on the show and break Ken Jennings record of 74 wins.  I will have to think about what to discuss with Alex Trebek on each of my appearances. Hmmm.. Let me think.

• My being a Mets fan since day 1 in 1962
• The role of Bob Dylan in my marriage
• How Lee became the family's biggest fan of Elvis Presley
• My son the Johnny Cash Fan
• This Journal

We can all dream, can't we.  I will get 50 questions 15 seconds apart.  They are very difficult and I image there will be thousands of people entering.   People who do well on the test are later called for an interview.  Jeopardy does a very good job in screening contestants.  I also sense there is some age bias in the selection of contestants since I have seen few seniors on the show.

I am giving fair warning especially to someone who lives on the Queens/Nassau border.  Do not phone me between 7:00 and 7:30 PM during the show and 8:00 - 8:30 PM during the test.

Alex Trebek and Jeopardy start their 25th Season

The Alex Trebek version of Jeopardy started in 1984.  I remember that back then it was shown on WNBC-TV before I had a VCR.  For many years it has been on WABC-TV at 7 PM.  This season Channel 55 from Eastern Long Island moved it from 6 PM to 5 PM.  I am sure that there are special shows scheduled for this season.  I vaguely remember reading that there will be a book published this year relating contestants' stories on how their appearance on the show changed their lives.  Stay tuned.

What is the Future of Jeopardy?

 

Nobody can replace Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy, but someone will eventually succeed him as the host of Jeopardy.  I am certain that by now the producers of the show have privately had discussions.  Will the next host be "grandfatherly" as Alex was, a younger man, or a woman.  There is an online petition to appoint Levar Burton as the host.  Some people think Ken Jennings should be the new host. I proposed Brooke Burns as she has experience as the host of two quiz shows that have featured Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer.

Jeopardy shows with Alex as host were pre-recorded until October 29 and will air until Christmas Day.  There are options for the producers:

• Air reruns until a permanent host is appointed
• Make someone an interim host until a permanent successor is found
• Give applicants trial runs as host as part of their interview
• Appoint a permanent host immediately

Some viewers equated Alex with Jeopardy and may not watch the show again.  We will have to wait and see what will happen.

Brooke Burns Should Be Considered as the New Host of Jeopardy

 

Nobody can replace Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy.  Someone must succeed him since the show is so popular, but I just read that 50% of the viewers will not watch the show with a new host.  There are now 34 shows left that were recorded with Alex hosting before his death.  No future host has been announced, but certainly, the producers of Jeopardy have given some thought to a future host after Alex's illness was announced.  He fought the disease with great courage.

Brooke Burns is the host of two shows on The Game Show Network:

Master Minds   (Ken Jennings appears on this show)

The Chase (American version featuring Mark Labatt as The Beast)

She is an intellectual with a good sense of humor who interacts well with the contestants.

I hope the producers of Jeopardy will consider her as the new host of Jeopardy.

Big Jeopardy News - Alex Trebek Grew Back His Mustache

Alex said that since he had nothing to do for 6 weeks, he grew back his mustache.  There are so many important things in the world, but I have chosen to write about a game show host and his mustache.   On today's show, the first of the season, he invited viewers to say on Facebook or Twitter to vote whether they like it or not.  I say he should shave it off.

Vinny Varadarajan Sports Jeopardy Superstar Is A Graduate of NJIT

Regular Jeopardy dates back to the Art Fleming version in 1964 while the Alex Trebek version started in 1984.  In the Fall of 2014 Sports Jeopardy debuted on Crackle TV.   Players win points as the winnings are limited to $5000 for the champion.  I watch it mostly on Saturday mornings on http://www.sportsjeopardy.com .  In season one players could only win once, but could come back for a tournament at the end of the season.  In season two there is no limit on games won as there is in regular Jeopardy.

Vinny Varadarajan seen above has become the Ken Jennings of Sports Jeopardy as he has now won 11 straight games.  He is absolutely awesome as he has won most of his games in runaways.  Questions on Sports Jeopardy cover many sports not just baseball, football, basketball, and hockey,

When Vinny is interviewed on the show he is described as an engineering graduate from New Jersey.  I thought he could be an alumnus of NJIT.  I did a Google search on his name and NJIT and found this site listing 2012 graduates.  There is a Vinay Varadarajan from Fords, NJ in the list of graduates.  I really think it is him, but I am not 100% right now.  I found him on Twitter and sent him a tweet asking if he graduated from NJIT.  I just checked his Facebook page and saw that Bryan Sutphen whom I knew at NJIT is one of  his Facebook friends.  I think indirect evidence says he is an NJIT alumnus.

I have to revise this he just responded to my Tweet and confirmed he is a graduate of NJIT,  He remembered that I gave him a Freshman Seminar tour several years ago and that he spent many hours in the Van Houten Library.

Please remember that a new episode of Sports Jeopardy can be seen on Crackle TV every Wednesday.

Serendipity at the Paley Center Finding Art Fleming's Jeopardy Among Other Things

Today I went to the Paley Center with Karen and Lee without anything specific in mind.  Karen was interested in the Moody Blues.  A search yielded an appearance on the Tom Jones Show in 1969.  Lee was interested in Johnny Cash so we found some of his performances from 1958.  I did a search on Bob Dylan and found an appearance in 1979 on Saturday Night Live where he sang Gotta Serve Somebody.

Just for the heck of it I searched under Jeopardy and found two episodes from the 1970s featuring Art Fleming with Don Pardo as the announcer.  The amounts for each question were much lower back then, and the second and third place finishers could keep their winnings.  If I remember correctly Art Fleming was the host from 1964-79.  The Alex Trebek version started in 1984 and is still going strong.

Please do not phone me Monday - Friday 7:00 - 7:30 PM

This means that the 26th season of Jeopardy with Alex Trebek has begun. This season will feature a celebrity tournament ending with one winning a million dollars for a charity. Stay tuned.

Big Jeopardy Tournament on Jeopardy in February

The producers of Jeopardy have really come up with a unique idea.  The two biggest Jeopardy winners Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings will compete against Watson a computer program developed by IBM's artificial intelligence team with the winner getting $1 Million.  This tournament will be on the air February 14-16.  I thank Alan Berman for bringing this article to my attention at 6:44 PM 16 minutes before Alex Trebek announced it on the show.  I am looking forward to this.

Random Thoughts of the Day

First of all Alan Berman took the first step to plan the 2011 Oldies Meet and Greet.  He phoned Ben's Deli in Manhattan and reserved the back room for Saturday November 12.  So I ask all of my oldies radio friends to keep the date open.  I can not emphasize more that this event and its organizers do not in any way endorse any radio station or program.  I should add that Jeff Scheckner is the other organizer who works hard to get well known radio personalities to come.  We will announce it formally early in October.

The Jeopardy began its 28th season today.This version started in 1984 with Alex Trebek as the host.  The Art Fleming version began in 1964.  At the last second I got the final Jeopardy question correct.  Who is Thoreau?

Congratulations Mariano Rivera who earned his 602nd career save to set the major league record.  The Yankees are seeking their 28th world championship.

Remembering April Fool's Day 1997

 On April 1, 1997, Pat Sajak was the host of Jeopardy while Alex Trebek became the host of Wheel of Fortune for one day.

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Jeopardy DVD

I had a cold today, so I stayed home for most of the day and took it easy.  The Jeopardy DVD arrived in the mail toady from Sony.  I have been a great fan of quiz shows since I watched 21 in the 1950s with my father.  I began to watch Jeopardy in 1964 when Art Fleming was the host.  That version lasted until 1975.  In 1984 a new version with Alex Trebek came on the air.  This DVD featured some of the significant games in the show's history such as the defeat of Ken Jennings on his 75th appearance.  They showed what goes on during the show behind the scenes and had interviews with Ken Jennings, Frank Spangenburg, Eddie Timmanus, and Brad Rutter.