Jeopardy!

 

Jeopardy! website

 

I am a life-long fan of Jeopardy!, the trivia game show where responses are given in the form of a question. Because Jeopardy! was on during the day when I was a kid, I could hardly wait till summer break so I could watch it. I became a regular viewer in the 1980s, when it began airing in the evening. Today, I no longer have time to watch the show “live,” but do record it every night so I can binge an entire week’s worth of Jeopardy! in one sitting. Tim often joins me. His trivia strengths are sports,  all things mechanical, and 1940s/50s music. I’m best at humanities subjects and fashion. Together we’re the perfect contestant, though we both stink at geography.

These days, my response reflexes are fairly pathetic, especially if I’m tired or stressed out. (Thank goodness for the DVR’s pause button!) But as a young librarian, I really burned up the TV screen. I was so good, in fact, that I decided to apply to get on the show in the late 1980s. We were living in San Diego at the time, so I took the day off and drove up to L.A. There I joined hundreds of other fans standing on a long line outside the Sony Studio. Once inside, we were briefed on the logistics of the show and then directed to a room where we were handed pencils and the famous Jeopardy! test that everyone must pass to become a contestant. The test was impossibly hard. After just five questions, I laughed and gave up. A true lesson in humility.

Well, the new season of Jeopardy! started a couple of weeks ago and, as he does every year, show host Alex Trebek announced that the next round of testing would begin this week. Although we're now pretty much addicted to the DVR pause button when formulating our answers, we decided to register to take the now-computerized test—“just for fun,” we told ourselves. We were invited to take the exam either Tuesday at 5PM, Wednesday at 6PM, or Thursday at 8PM. Tim opted for Tuesday; but since I teach till 5PM that day, I went with Wednesday. We then took the Jeopardy! practice test, side-by-side, to bone-up. I scored 80%, but Tim cheated, whispering, “Who wrote Les Miserables?,” as if Alex was actually in the room with us.

By the time I got home Tuesday night, Tim had already finished the test. Hanging his head, he said he was sure he failed, citing several questions he missed because of what he called “brain cramp”—where you know you know the answer, but just can’t remember it. He then asked me who wrote The Road, a book we both read. Me: “Cormac McCarthy.” Tim: “UGHHHHH!!”

 

 The test site

My turn came last night. We ate an early dinner. At 5:45PM I logged onto the Jeopardy! website, where I was welcomed and told there would be 50 questions in 50 categories. I would have 15 seconds to answer each question. Answers did not have to be in the form of a question. The website then assured me that partial answers and misspelled words “will receive consideration.” But I was also reminded that Jeopardy! was “not responsible for individual technical or internet connection related issues.” (Tough luck if your computer craps out at a critical moment!) A digital clock appeared in the corner, counting down the minutes and seconds. Who knew a minute could be so long?

At 30 seconds, the Jeopardy! jingle started to play. And then, at 6:02PM, the questions appeared along with their categories. I typed my answers in a small response box at the bottom of the screen, before hitting “submit.” Question #1 was fine. But then my brain cramped on question #2: “She played Mystique in X-Men: First Class” (category: MOVIE ROLES).

“I know this one!” I yelled at the computer screen. “Jennifer . . .” Fifteen seconds passed quickly. The answer, of course, was Jennifer Lawrence, one of our favorite actresses. UGHHHHH!!

I answered most of the other questions, except geography, and got crampy brain at least twice more: George H. W. Bush’s VP (Dan Quayle, for pete’s sake!) and could not remember William Faulkner’s name (mortifying). I’m debating whether I should return my B.A. in literature. (Not really). The entire test took 11 minutes.

Within the hour, I received a nice email from Jeopardy!, congratulating me on completing the test. They don’t release scores, but I figure I probably answered 75-80% of the questions correctly—which, of course, is a passing grade in most undergraduate college classes. But not so much at Jeopardy!, especially when thousands of fans across the country took, and probably passed, the exact same test I did. And even if, by some miracle, I did score high enough to be considered, audition candidates are selected randomly.

So, really, the odds of my being asked onto the show are infinitesimal. Instead, I’ll just have to settle for being champion in my own living room, where I can always hit the DVR pause button until my brain cramp passes . . .

 

Me and a cardboard cut-out of Alex Trebek

at Sony Studio in 2013 

Sony Studios Tour

Although we’ve been on the Sony lot many times for parties, a political rally, and even to see scenes filmed from the former TV show Joan of Arcadia, we’ve never—in all the 15 years we’ve lived here—taken a formal tour of the studios. Luckily, Sony is offering a twilight tour every Thursday this summer, so we went last week. It was very fun, even though we didn’t learn anything new about the Hollywood side of Culver City.

The tour started with a short video history of how Sony started as MGM and then Lorimar studios before its current incarnation. We also saw clips of MGM's most famous movies, including It Happened One Night, On the Waterfront, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Wizard of Oz. We then spent the next two hours walking around the lot, eyeballing buildings named for classic movie stars, like Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Kate and Audrey Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy, and the recording stage, named after Barbra Streisand. We also saw cars from recent Sony movies and TV shows, ending the tour at the Jeopardy museum, which celebrates the most beloved game show of all time. 

Recent addition: an enormous rainbow

sculpture commemorating The

Wizard of Oz

Columbia Pictures, now a subsidiary of Sony, 

is here, too

Sony offices that can double as movie sets, as needed

Vehicles from Green Hornet and TV show

Breaking Bad

 Just a few of Jeopardy's many Emmy awards

Cardboard Alex Trebek and me

Faux theater facade

The highlight, though, was when our tour guide, Will, randomly selected three of us—two young people and me—to rehearse and enact an improvised movie scene. The premise: the kids start bickering when their mom (me) forgets the keys to their storage unit. Tim, of course, was our cinematographer. Here’s our first rehearsal:

No Oscars, but not bad for someone who hasn't performed since 10^th-grade Drama. Am I ready yet for my close-up?

Royal Welcome

Despite my wacky behavior on Friday, I woke-up this morning wondering just how badly I wanted to see the royal couple as they visited Sony Studios. After all, I had no idea what time they’d be arriving nor even which studio gate they’d be entering. I had no desire to spend my entire Sunday just waiting for the Prince and Duchess.

I am a librarian, however, and like any good librarian I love the challenge of a tough information query. So instead of moping around the house, missing the newlyweds’ stop in Culver City, I decided to figure out exactly when and where they’d be arriving.

My first clue was a 7AM news segment broadcast from Sony’s sound stage #15, where the big event was going to be held. At least I now had an exact location for their visit. The next step was to figure out where sound stage #15 is located. Luckily, I was able to find this nifty map of Sony Studios, which then helped me deduce which gate they would be entering. I remembered that when I saw President Obama in April, the public entered the main gate on Overland. Yet when I saw him leave that night, his motorcade emerged from the south gate on Culver Blvd. Sure enough, the Culver gate is closest to sound stage #15, plus has a VIP parking lot nearby. The royals would be entering via Culver Blvd. Half of the mystery was solved!

But exactly when would they arrive? I scrolled through countless websites, until Karen called (to the rescue again!) to say ABC channel 7 was covering the last leg of William and Kate’s trip. I checked the ABC7 website and not only did it provide a map of the royals’ activities, but also an interactive itinerary with times! Eureka! I now knew exactly when they were due to visit Sony: 1:15PM. I had three hours to prepare.

To test my theory, I took a quick drive by Sony (less than 2 miles from our house). No royal watchers yet, but police cars and officers were suspiciously parked in front of the Culver gate. Confirmation. I decided then and there to return at 12:30PM to see the royals.

At 12:15PM I spied a helicopter circling Sony and so hopped into my car and headed north. Four blocks from the studio entrance, I could already see a crowd gathering across the street . I parked a block away and quickly walked over. I asked the first two women I saw whether William and Kate had arrived.

“No,” they replied. “But we’re not even sure this is the right gate!”

“This is the correct gate,” I stated emphatically, explaining that Obama used this gate when he was here in April. The women gave me a dubious look—their friends were waiting outside the Overland gate. But they decided to stay anyway. I later heard others repeating my Obama explanation. Since we still didn’t know for sure whether the royals were coming our way, I silently crossed my fingers that my theory was right.

The crowd eventually grew to about 200 spectators—mostly women. I was one of the oldest people there. One young woman wore a tiara and others had handmade signs proclaiming their love for Kate and William. A photographer from the local weekly newspaper, The Wave, took pictures and interviewed a group of girls holding a British flag. We all stared intently at the gate across the street and made note of every movement. Police officers arrived a few minutes before 1PM, as did a cadre of men dressed in black suits. Some sort of secret service, we told ourselves. Final proof that this indeed was the right gate—phew!

Regular people in cars drove by, honking and giving us the royal wave. We cheered when the channel 2 news van pulled up (further confirmation!) and when a line of sheriff cars took off east, toward where the royal motorcade would be coming. Then, in an instant, a flurry of activity occurred. I looked down Culver Blvd. and saw flashing lights.

“Here they come!” I said to the women next to me. People at the easternmost end of the crowd began screaming. I looked to my left and traffic had stopped. In front of us, someone had quickly placed orange cones down the middle of the street. Everyone was screaming! I could see the line of Range Rovers turning right into the studio. The crowd suddenly went wild as all 200 people spontaneously ran into the street!

“You guys!” I yelled. “You can’t just run into the street!” I then whispered, “Oh, hell!” to myself and ran after them.

Though some people insisted they saw the Prince smiling and waving, all I could see was the crowd and the top of the Prince’s car. Everyone chanted "KATE AND WILL! KATE AND WILL!" It was very, very exciting.

The motorcade was now fully inside the studio gates as traffic started moving again on Culver Blvd. A nice police officer insisted that we move back to the sidewalk. The crowd, giddy with joy, booed a young man holding a sign that said “Go Back to Canada.” We craned our necks as faceless people emerged from the motorcade. I fancied I saw Kate, but later discovered it wasn’t her at all.

Still, I was glad I went. Though the crowd wasn't going to budge until their heroes left the studio—at least another hour—I had seen enough and so turned to leave. I'll watch the rest of the royals' trip on the news tonight.

POTUS in CC

The President was in town yesterday—but not just any town, our own Culver City, where he stopped at Sony Studios to campaign for the 2012 election and rally supporters before heading to Brentwood for a big celebrity fundraiser. Those of us attending the Sony event were told to get there by 4PM. Although we live only a mile away, Tim, who came home early to avoid the nightmarish traffic that always surrounds the President’s visits, dropped me off at Veterans Park across the street from the studio. The parking lot was already filled. I joined a handful of people walking toward Sony.

A small contingent of protesters crowded the sidewalk outside the studio gates. Sheriffs, dressed like Desert Storm troopers, stood nearby. Across the street were gawkers who, I assumed, were waiting to catch a glimpse of the President. Five military helicopters had flown over the house about an hour before, so I suspected Obama was already safely sequestered inside.

Once past the security gate, high-rollers—who actually got to meet-and-greet the President—were directed left, while the rest of us common folk joined a long line to the right. Unlike the last Obama fundraiser I attended, this one was well organized and smooth. Lots of young professionals were on line, many of whom hugged each other or shook hands as they passed. Ahead of me was cartoonist Keith Knight, who quickly made friends with a lawyer standing next to him. I didn’t see anyone I knew, but we were all stunned and amused by an Obama look-alike who happily posed for pictures! (See the photo above.)

After waiting an hour to check-in and pass through a bank of metal-detectors, we entered sound stage 30, right next to the studio entrance. (I was hoping to see more of the Sony lot!) People queued up to buy snacks and drinks, while loud disco music boomed overhead. Having attended many of these types of events, I made a beeline toward the back of the building, where I knew Obama would be speaking. I staked my spot, about 20 feet away from the raised lectern, and didn’t move for the next three hours.

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx was the evening’s master of ceremonies, revving the crowd with chants of “Four more years!” and the new campaign slogan, “I’m in!” Sit-com star Rashida Jones made a brief appearance, followed by the Foshay musical choir, a group of charming young people who sang “I Want to Shine Like Barack Obama Shines,” a song they wrote specially for the occasion. Next up was a Grammy-winning folksinger, whom I liked very much but whose name I never did hear. Then finally, at 7:20PM, the President emerged to a rousing ovation.

I could barely see for all the cameras being held high, but at least this time I could actually hear what he had to say. Obama was relaxed and funny—very self-deprecating about his graying hair—and everyone loved him. Noticing a woman faint in the front row, he immediately called over the medics before continuing his speech. I clapped loudest at his comments in support of education and the environment and a reduction in military spending. In all, he spoke for half-an-hour before stopping to shake hands. Not wanting to get stuck in the building while the secret service hustled him away, I zoomed toward the door as soon as he said “good night.” Everyone was buoyant.

Outside, traffic started to back-up as Culver Blvd. was temporarily closed for the President’s motorcade. I rushed to the corner and stood with a small group waiting to see Obama drive by. Sure enough, within minutes people began to cheer as the presidential limo and an endless parade of black SUVs, including a bomb squad truck, zipped by. I waved madly and screamed. I then called Tim to come pick me up.

Walking back past Veterans Park, I overheard two teenaged boys talking about what they had just experienced. One of them ran ahead when he saw a friend approaching from the other direction.

“Rick!” he yelled excitedly. “You’ll never believe who we just saw driving by. President Obama! It was so cool!”

Very cool indeed!