1. news

5B TV
The Brunswick News / Wednesday, May 30, 2012 5B
Television & Entertainment
HIGHLIGHTS
7:00 AM - Ch. 3: TODAY (CC) Giada De Laurentiis; job interviews;
beauty products; ways
to improve one’s mood;
Martin Short. (N) ’ (2
hrs.)
7:00 AM - Ch. 5: ARTHUR (CC) (DVS) Buster
looks after the community garden; Arthur gets
new glasses. ’ (EI)
7:30 AM - Ch. 5: MARTHA SPEAKS (CC) (DVS)
Truman feels neglected
because his mom is busy
at the daycare. ’ (EI)
8:00 AM - Ch. USA:
MOVIE ››› “State of
Play” (CC) An investigative journalist stumbles
into a cover-up of gigantic proportions as he
and his partner probe
the murder of a beloved
congressman’s mistress.
Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck. (2 hrs., 30 mins.)
8:30 AM - Ch. FOOD:
INTRODUCING
THE
ALL NEW SHARK LIFTAROUND WITH FREE
STEAM MOP! The ONLY
portable handheld vacuum that never loses suction! Plus a FREE SHARK
STEAM MOP!
9:00 AM - Ch. 10:
LIVE! WITH KELLY (CC)
Melissa Joan Hart; Martin Short; “American
Idol” finalist. (N) ’ (60
mins.)
9:00 AM - Ch. TNT:
CHARMED (CC) Leo
must protect the Seer
because she has information that could help
destroy the demons. ’
(60 mins.)
9:30 AM - Ch. SPSO:
LANDSCAPING SECRETS
Revolutionary outdoor
power tools.
10:00 AM - Ch. 5:
SESAME STREET (CC)
Big Bird wants to change
his appearance when
he is ridiculed because
of his looks. ’ (EI) (60
mins.)
10:00 AM - Ch. 11:
MID MORNING LIVE
Newsmakers and leaders from the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry join
in a discussion.
10:30 AM - Ch. USA:
MOVIE ››
“Street
Kings” (CC) A policeman navigates an ethically ambiguous path,
as he and a homicide
detective search for a
cop killer. Keanu Reeves,
Forest Whitaker. (2 hrs.,
30 mins.)
11:00 AM - Ch. 10:
THE VIEW (CC) Author
Carmen Wong Ulrich;
Rebecca Ferguson performs. (N) ’ (60 mins.)
11:00 AM - Ch. FX:
MOVIE ›› “The Sentinel” A fugitive Secret
Service agent must clear
himself of charges of
murdering a colleague
and save the president
from an assassination
plot. Michael Douglas,
Kiefer Sutherland. (2
hrs., 30 mins.)
11:30 AM - Ch. TLC:
SAY YES TO THE DRESS
(CC) Kasey’s OCD hinders her decision; Jackie’s dress. ’
12:00 PM - Ch. TNT:
LAS VEGAS (CC) Boston
medical examiner Jordan
Cavanaugh and police officer Woody Holt come
to the Montecito hot on
the trail of a murder and
a missing rare violin. ’
(60 mins.)
12:30 PM - Ch. MAX:
MOVIE ››› “Men in
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Comcast
MAY 30, 2012
7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:0010:3011:0011:3012:0012:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30
NETWORK & AREA CHANNELS
(WSAV)
(WJXT)
(WJCT)
(WCWJ)
(WTEV)
(WJXX)
(WTOC)
(WTLV)
(WAWS)
(WTBS)
3 Today Giada De Laurentiis; Martin Short.
Today (N) ’ (CC)
4 The Morning Show The Morning Show The Dr. Oz Show ’
5 Arthur
Martha Curious Cat in
Super
Dinosaur
7 Willow
Animal The People’s Court The 700 Club (CC)
9 CBS This Morning (N) ’ (CC)
Rachael Ray (CC)
10 Good Morning America (N) (CC)
Live! With Kelly (N)
11 News Daybreak
CBS This Morning (N) ’ (CC)
12 Today Giada De Laurentiis; Martin Short. (N) ’ (CC)
13 Action News
Action News
Dr. Phil (N) (CC)
18 Home Im Home Im Prince
Prince
Payne
Payne
Today (N) ’ (CC)
Judge
Judge
Sesame Street
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The Doctors (N)
Anderson (N) (CC)
Mid
Paid
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Smile
Jdg Judy
Court
Court
Sid
WordWrl
Maury ’ (CC)
The Price Is Right
The View (N) (CC)
The Price Is Right
Living
Million.
Steve Wilkos Show
Payne
Jim
Jeopardy Paid
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News
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News
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News
Young & Restless
Bold
News
Extra (N) Days of our Lives
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Yes, Dear Yes, Dear American Earl
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Paid
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America
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Dr. Phil (N) (CC)
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CABLE CHANNELS
(A&E) 32 Dog
Dog
Dog Bounty Hunter Criminal Minds ’
Criminal Minds ’
CSI: Miami (CC)
CSI: Miami (CC)
Criminal Minds ’
Criminal Minds ’
The First 48 (CC)
The First 48 (CC)
The First 48 (CC)
(AMC) 48 Paid
Looks
Paid
Kill
››› “The Darjeeling Limited” (2007)
››› “Die Hard With a Vengeance” (1995) Bruce Willis. (CC)
››› “Space Cowboys” (2000) Clint Eastwood. (CC)
CSI: Miami (CC)
(DISC) 35 Paid
Robison J. Meyer Paid
Carfellas Carfellas Carfellas Carfellas Carfellas Carfellas American Guns ’ American Guns ’ American Guns ’ American Guns ’ Sons of Guns (CC) Sons of Guns (CC)
(DISN) 16 Octo
Mickey Mickey Pirates Mickey Mickey Doc
Little
Phineas Phineas Jessie
Jessie
Jessie
Jessie
“Radio Rebel” (2012) ‘NR’ (CC) Austin
Austin
Austin
ANT
ANT
(E!) 56 E! Investigates: Kidnapping
Kardashian
Kardashian
Kardashian
E! News
East
East
Kendra Kendra Sex-City Sex-City Sex-City Sex-City Mrs. Eastwood
(ESPN) 14 SportsCenter (CC) SportsCenter (CC) SportsCenter (N)
SportsCenter (N)
SportsCenter (N)
SportsCenter (N)
SportsCenter (N)
SportsCenter (N)
Report
Football NFL Live (N) (CC)
Around Pardon
(ESPN2) 15 2012 French Open Tennis Second Round.
French Open
ESPN First Take (N) ’ (Live) (CC)
ESPN First Take ’ (CC)
(1:55) Soccer Spain vs. South Korea. (N)
Numbers Le Ba
SportsNation (N)
(FOOD) 21 Paid
Paid
Paid
LightVac Paid
B. Flay
Best in Smoke
Unwrap Good Eat Paula
Contessa Money
Dinners Secrets Minute
Giada
Giada
Contessa Contessa Paula
Cooking
(FSSO) 67 Outdoors Redfern Ship
Boys in The Dan Patrick Show (N) (Live)
Hunter
Fishing Motor
Fisher
Dan Patrick
Boys in Baseball World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
(FX) 38 › “Stealing Harvard” (2002) Jason Lee.
›› “Vantage Point” (2008, Suspense)
›› “The Sentinel” (2006) Michael Douglas.
›› “Armored” (2009) Matt Dillon.
›› “Hollywood Homicide” (2003) Harrison Ford.
(HBO)
Panda 2 › “D.O.A.: Dead or Alive” ’
24/7
(:45) The Weight of the Nation Weight Nation
(:15) The Weight of the Nation Weight Nation
Weight Face Off ››‡ “The Eagle” (2011) ‘PG-13’ (CC)
Just Mrrd
(H&G) 39 Prof.
Hidden Cash,
Cash,
Secrets High Low Love It or List It
Love It or List It
Hunters Hunt Intl For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent For Rent
(HIST) 49 Paid
Quarters Hillbilly: The Real Story Stories. (CC)
You Don’t Know Dixie (CC)
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Pawn
Hatfields & McCoys
(LIFE) 28 The Balancing Act Will
Will
Will
Will
Will
Will
Chris
Chris
Chris
Chris
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy ’ Mother Reba ’ Reba ’ Reba ’
(MAX)
Those
››‡ “Nanny McPhee Returns” (2010)
(:20) “The Pool Boys” (2009)
(10:50) ››‡ “Pure Luck” ’
››› “Men in Black” (1997)
(:15) ›› “Life as We Know It” (2010) ’
(:15) ›› “Trading Places” (1983) ’ ‘R’
(SPIKE) 37 Zumba
Paid
10min
Paid
Auction Auction CSI: NY “Yahrzeit”
CSI: Crime Scene
CSI: Crime Scene
CSI: Crime Scene
CSI: Crime Scene
CSI: Crime Scene
1,000 Ways to Die
Auction Auction
(SPSO) 71 Paid
Pain?
Paid
My Pillow Paid
Land
Paid
Paid
MLB Baseball St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves.
Spotlight
MLB Baseball St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves.
(TLC) 40 19 Kids 19 Kids Baby
Baby
Baby
Baby’s
Paralyzed-Preg.
Say Yes Say Yes What Not to Wear
Baby
Baby
Baby
Multiples Toddlers & Tiaras
Toddlers & Tiaras
Toddlers & Tiaras
(TNT) 17 Angel “Redefinition” Charmed ’ (CC)
Charmed ’ (CC)
Supernatural (CC)
Supernatural (CC)
Las Vegas (CC)
Las Vegas (CC)
Leverage (CC)
The Closer (CC)
Law & Order ’
Law & Order ’
(TOON) 42 Johnny T Beyblade Pokémon Johnny T Johnny T Johnny T Looney Lazlo
Coden
Coden
Looney Tunes ’
Tom & Jerry
Jerry
Looney Looney Johnny T Total Dra. Total Dra. MAD
Regular
(USA) 25 Law Order: CI
››› “State of Play” (2009) Russell Crowe. (CC)
›› “Street Kings” (2008) Keanu Reeves. (CC)
House “Top Secret” House ’ (CC)
House ’ (CC)
NCIS “Vanished” ’
NCIS ’ (CC)
WEDNESDAY EVENING
6:00
6:30
7:00
Comcast
7:30
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
MAY 30, 2012
12:00
12:30
NETWORK & AREA CHANNELS
(WSAV)
(WJXT)
(WJCT)
(WCWJ)
(WTEV)
(WJXX)
(WTOC)
(WTLV)
(WAWS)
(WTBS)
3 News
4 Chann 4 News
5 Wild Kratts
7 Meet, Browns
9 News
10 News
11 The News at 6
12 News
13 How I Met
18 King of Queens
Nightly News
Chann 4 News
Business Rpt.
Meet, Browns
Evening News
World News
Evening News
Nightly News
Family Guy ’
King of Queens
Wheel Fortune Jeopardy! (N)
Entertainment Inside Edition
PBS NewsHour (N) ’ (CC)
House of Payne House of Payne
Judge Judy ’ Two/Half Men
News
Extra (N) (CC)
America Now Entertainment
Wheel Fortune Jeopardy! (N)
Family Guy ’ The Simpsons
Seinfeld (CC)
Seinfeld (CC)
2012 Stanley Cup Final Los Angeles Kings at TBA. Game 1. (N) ’ (Live) (CC)
Love-Raymond King of Queens Big Bang
Big Bang
The 10 O’Clock News (N) (CC)
Nature Black mamba of Africa. ’ NOVA “Venom: Nature’s Killer”
Inside Nature’s Giants ’ (PA)
America’s Next Top Model (CC)
America’s Next Top Model (CC)
The Office ’
The Office ’
Dogs in the City “I Speak Dog”
Criminal Minds “Snake Eyes” ’
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
The Middle ’ Suburgatory ’ Modern Family Happy Endings Apartment 23 Modern Family
Dogs in the City “I Speak Dog”
Criminal Minds “Snake Eyes” ’
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2012 Stanley Cup Final Los Angeles Kings at TBA. Game 1. (N) ’ (Live) (CC)
So You Think You Can Dance Auditions continue in Los Angeles. (N)
News
News
Family Guy ’ Family Guy ’ Family Guy ’ Big Bang
Big Bang
Big Bang
News
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Late Night
Chann 4 News (:35) The Insider (12:05) Excused Nate Berkus
Nature ’ (CC) (DVS)
Tavis Smiley ’ Charlie Rose (N)
TMZ (N) (CC)
Access H.
Friends (CC)
Friends (CC)
News
Late Show With David Letterman Late
News
(:35) Nightline Jimmy Kimmel Live ’ (CC)
The News at 11 Late Show With David Letterman Late
News
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Late Night
Two/Half Men How I Met
Seinfeld (CC)
That ’70s Show
Conan
Men at Work
Men at Work
CABLE CHANNELS
(A&E) 32 Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Duck Dynasty Storage Wars
Storage Wars
(AMC) 48 CSI: Miami “Gone Baby Gone”
CSI: Miami “Power Trip” (CC)
›››‡ “Cinderella Man” (2005, Biography) Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti. (CC)
››› “A League of Their Own” (1992) Tom Hanks, Madonna. (CC)
(DISC) 35 Sons of Guns ’ (CC)
Sons of Guns ’ (CC)
Sons of Guns ’ (CC)
Sons of Guns ’ (CC)
Jesse James: Outlaw Garage ’ Sons of Guns ’ (CC)
Jesse James: Outlaw Garage ’
(DISN) 16 Shake It Up! ’ Good-Charlie A.N.T. Farm ’ Jessie (CC)
Shake It Up! ’ ››‡ “16 Wishes” (2010) Debby Ryan. ‘G’ (CC)
A.N.T. Farm ’ (:35) Jessie ’ Phineas, Ferb Shake It Up! ’ Wizards-Place Wizards-Place
(E!) 56 E! Investigates
E! News (N)
Mrs. Eastwood Mrs. Eastwood Keeping Up With the Kardashians The Soup (N)
The Soup
Chelsea Lately E! News
Chelsea Lately
(ESPN) 14 SportsCenter (N) (Live) (CC)
NBA Countdown (N) (Live) (CC) NBA Lottery (N) NBA Basketball Conference Final: Teams TBA. (N) (Live) (CC)
SportsCenter (N) (Live) (CC)
SportsCenter (N) (Live) (CC)
(ESPN2) 15 NFL32 (N) (Live) (CC)
Interruption
U.S. Soccer
(7:50) Soccer United States vs. Brazil. From Landover, Md. (N) (CC)
MLB Baseball New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. (N Subject to Blackout) (CC)
(FOOD) 21 Diners, Drive
Diners, Drive
Restaurant: Impossible
Restaurant: Impossible
Restaurant: Impossible
Restaurant: Impossible (N)
Food Network Star “Dessert Chopping Block”
Food Net. Star
(FSSO) 67 ACC All-Access UFC Insider
College Baseball Big 12 Tournament, Final: Teams TBA. From Oklahoma City, Okla.
Action Sports World Champion World Poker Tour: Season 10
UFC Unleashed
(FX) 38 Two/Half Men Two/Half Men Two/Half Men Two/Half Men ››‡ “27 Dresses” (2008, Romance-Comedy) Katherine Heigl, James Marsden.
››‡ “27 Dresses” (2008, Romance-Comedy) Katherine Heigl, James Marsden.
(HBO)
(5:30) › “Just Married” (2003)
(:15) ››› “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) ‘PG’ (CC)
Snow White
Veep ’ (CC)
Girls ’ (CC)
Game of Thrones “Blackwater”
Real Time With Bill Maher (CC)
Game of Thrones “Blackwater”
(H&G) 39 For Rent (CC) For Rent (CC) Hunters Int’l
House Hunters Income Prop. Kitchen Cousins Property Brothers (CC)
House Hunters Hunters Int’l
Property Brothers (CC)
Property Brothers (CC)
(HIST) 49 (5:00) Hatfields & McCoys (CC) Hatfields & McCoys The McCoys murder Anse’s brother. (CC)
Hatfields & McCoys A shattering New Year’s Day battle. (N) (CC)
Hatfields & McCoys A Hatfield murders a McCoy. (Part 1 of 3) (CC)
(LIFE) 28 Wife Swap “Donahoe/Baker” ’
Wife Swap Bayou, ballerina. ’
Wife Swap ’ (CC)
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
The Client List “Life of Riley”
(12:01) Wife Swap ’ (CC)
(MAX)
(:15) ››‡ “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” (2003) ’ ‘R’ (CC)
››‡ “Underworld” (2003, Horror) Kate Beckinsale. ’ ‘R’ (CC)
“The Pool Boys” (2009) Matthew Lillard. ‘R’ (CC)
›››‡ “Speed” (1994) Keanu Reeves. ‘R’ (CC)
(SPIKE) 37 Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Amrican Digger Amrican Digger Amrican Digger Amrican Digger Auction Hunters Ways to Die
(SPSO) 71 Under Lights
Braves Live!
MLB Baseball St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves. From Turner Field in Atlanta. (N) (Live)
Braves Live!
Braves Live!
MLB Baseball St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves.
(TLC) 40 Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras (N) ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
Toddlers & Tiaras ’ (CC)
(TNT) 17 Law & Order “Paranoia” ’
Law & Order “Attorney Client” ’
Law & Order “Age of Innocence”
Law & Order “Called Home” ’
Law & Order “Promote This!” ’
CSI: NY ’ (CC)
Men at Work
Men at Work
(TOON) 42 Regular Show Wrld, Gumball NinjaGo: Mstrs NinjaGo: Mstrs NinjaGo: Mstrs Level Up
King of the Hill King of the Hill American Dad American Dad Family Guy ’ Family Guy ’ Robot Chicken Squidbillies
(USA) 25 NCIS “Forced Entry” ’ (CC)
NCIS “Caught on Tape” ’ (CC)
NCIS A suicide may be a murder. NCIS Bored housewives. (CC)
NCIS Murdered model. ’ (CC)
Fairly Legal “Bait & Switch”
Necessary Roughness (CC)
Black” (CC) A veteran
agent and a rookie protect mankind from dangerous extraterrestrials
roaming the Earth. Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith.
’ (1 hr., 45 mins.)
1:00 PM - Ch. HGTV:
FOR RENT (CC) Tired of
living in a cramped onebedroom apartment. ’
1:55 PM - Ch. ESPN2:
SOCCER “Spain vs.
South Korea” From
Berne, Switzerland. (N)
(Live) (2 hrs., 5 mins.)
2:00 PM - Ch. E!: KENDRA Hank and Kendra
get married in front of
300 guests.
2:00 PM - Ch. FSSO:
THE DAN PATRICK
SHOW Host Dan Patrick’s daily nationally syndicated sports talk radio
program. Includes interviews and discussions
with the biggest stars
in sports and entertainment. (N) (60 mins.)
2:30 PM - Ch. FOOD:
30-MINUTE MEALS Bro-
chette with hot cherry
tomatoes; fettuccini with
garden vegetables and
greens; strawberries with
lemon and sugar.
3:00 PM - Ch. 4: THE
NATE BERKUS SHOW
(CC) A family-room
makeover; using color
to update a home and
a wardrobe; inexpensive
flea-market finds. ’ (60
mins.)
3:15 PM - Ch. HBO:
FACE OFF WITH MAX
KELLERMAN: PACQUI-
AO/BRADLEY (CC) Manny Pacquiao and Timothy
Bradley, Jr. discuss their
bout. ’
3:30 PM - Ch. 5: CURIOUS GEORGE (CC) (DVS)
Submarine; George and
the Man volunteer to
watch the farm. ’ (EI)
4:00 PM - Ch. 3, 4:
THE DR. OZ SHOW
(CC) Viewers’ most outrageous, jaw-dropping
questions. (N) ’ (60
mins.)
4:00 PM - Ch. TOON:
TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND
The campers participate
in some extreme sports.
4:30 PM - Ch. DISN:
AUSTIN & ALLY (CC)
Austin has a radio interview and wants Ally to
get credit. ’
5:00 PM - Ch. E!: MRS.
EASTWOOD & COMPANY
Dina Eastwood considers
getting her belly button
pierced. (60 mins.)
5:30 PM - Ch. 5: ARTHUR (CC) (DVS) Buster
looks after the commu-
nity garden; Arthur gets
new glasses. ’ (EI)
6:00 PM - Ch. HGTV:
FOR RENT (CC) Postgrads search for a sophisticated, grown-up
home. ’
6:30 PM - Ch. DISN:
GOOD LUCK CHARLIE
(CC) Teddy is miserable
after taking a job as a
sea creature. ’
7:00 PM - Ch. HIST:
HATFIELDS & MCCOYS
(CC) The McCoys murder
Anse’s younger brother;
friends, neighbors and
outside forces join the
feud. (Part 2 of 3) (2
hrs.)
7:30 PM - Ch. ESPN2:
U.S. SOCCER: PREMATCH SHOW From
Landover, Md. (N) (Live)
8:00 PM - Ch. 3, 12:
2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL (CC) “Los Angeles
Kings at TBA” Game 1.
(N) (Live) ’ (3 hrs.)
8:00 PM - Ch. ESPN:
NBA LOTTERY From Secaucus, N.J. (N) (Live)
‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek still has all the right answers
By FRAZIER MOORE
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Let’s take
“Breakfast” for $500: An Oh Henry! chocolate bar and a Diet Pepsi.
And here’s the question: What
did Alex Trebek consume a couple
of hours before this breakfast interview?
“When I say ‘the Breakfast of
Champions,’ I’m serious,” he jokes
as he orders just coffee.
A morning routine of candy and
cola might not seem strange for
someone other than Trebek. But
for 28 years as host of “Jeopardy!”
he’s blended likeability with an
air of erudition and correctness.
He’s seemingly not the sort of guy
who, at 71, might choose a wakeup
menu better suited to a child whose
mother’s back is turned.
Trebek acknowledges the apparent contradiction, and, in his resonant, precise voice, is happy to cite
another.
“People say, ‘You look to be in
great shape for your age,’ and I
guess I am,” he allows — “except
that I keep breaking things.”
There’s that darned Achilles tendon, which he tore last July chasing a woman who invaded his San
Francisco hotel room and filched
several items.
“It’s been nine months, and it
AP/File
Alex Trebek, host of the game
show “Jeopardy,” holds a
Peabody Award on May 21 in
New York.
still kills me when I walk,” Trebek
says. “And I’m constantly injuring
myself. Doing work around the
house, you don’t notice when you
injure yourself. An hour later you
say, ‘Geez, I’m bleeding. How did
that happen?’
“Except,” he adds with a bit of
comic timing, “if you bang your
head, you notice. You should never
wear a baseball cap when working
in close quarters in the attic: You
never see that beam above you!”
But if Trebek repairing his roof
on a tottery ladder (result: a broken arm) seems out of character,
so be it. In person, he is leadingman handsome in a natty gray suit,
a model of calm and control, the
perfect steward of TV’s answerand-question institution. (Check
local listings for time and channel.)
The L.A.-based Trebek is in
New York to receive a Peabody
Award for electronic media, as
“Jeopardy!” joins other awardees
that include serious documentaries, edgy comedies and hightoned dramas.
“We’re in some prestigious
company,” Trebek says. “But I
think what makes ‘Jeopardy!’ special is that, among all the quiz and
game shows out there, ours tends
to encourage learning. A lot of the
stuff is trivia, but maybe a subject
will come up that will arouse the
viewers’ curiosity and they’ll want
to find out more. We tell you it’s
OK to be bright, to know a lot of
things, and to want to learn.”
Certainly, the “Jeopardy!” audience (which averages 9 million
daily) is rallied by each day’s three
contestants who confront the game
board with its half-dozen categories, each of whose five answers
demands the right question.
Maybe never in the show’s long
history was the competition fiercer, and more fun, than in February 2011, when a supercomputer
named Watson humbled reigning
human champs in a battle of Machine vs. Man.
“I for one welcome our new
computer overlords,” Ken Jennings (famed record-holder for the
longest winning streak) scribbled
alongside his Final Jeopardy response.
Just another learning experience
for all.
“Learning something new is
fun,” says Trebek. “When I finish as the host of ‘Jeopardy!’ I’m
going to go up to Taft in central
California. They have a small college there that teaches you about
oil drilling.” Whereupon he expounds on the subject at some
length while pinpointing several
details he wonders about. “I’d like
to take a course,” he says.
But wait — what about that Rword? A few weeks ago Trebek
was quoted as saying he was
thinking of retiring, with the explanation, “30 years has a nice
ring to it.”
Now he chuckles at the uproar
he sparked. What’s so surprising
that, after 50 years in the business
and 71 birthdays, he might con-
sider calling it quits?
“Saying that I’ve THOUGHT
about it doesn’t mean that I’m DOING it,” he reasons.
Trebek’s path to “Jeopardy!” began in his native Canada, where he
grew up in the Ontario city of Sudbury and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in
philosophy.
“I had no money for my junior
and senior years,” he says, “and
all the philosophy courses were
taught in the mornings, which enabled me to get a job in the afternoons and at night to pay for my
tuition.”
The job he got, by chance, was at
the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.,
which after graduation led to a
full-time position as announcer,
newsman and on-air host.
Then, in 1973, he headed to Los
Angeles and quickly landed the
host job on a new NBC daytime
game show, “Wizard of Odds.”
Other game shows followed,
sometimes more than one simultaneously: Even after winning the
host job at “Jeopardy!” when it
made its syndicated bow in 1984,
he hosted two other game shows,
“Concentration” and “To Tell the
Truth.”
This was a broadcasting niche
he had stumbled into, but it fit him
like a glove.
“My job,” he says, “is to provide
the atmosphere and assistance
to the contestants to get them to
perform at their very best. And if
I’m successful doing that, I will be
perceived as a nice guy and the audience will think of me as being a
bit of a star.
“But not if I try to steal the limelight! The stars of ‘Jeopardy!’ are
the material and the contestants.”
The production schedule calls
for him to shoot five shows in a
day, two days a week. On those
mornings, he receives the day’s
cache of 305 answers and questions, which he says takes roughly
two hours for him to review.
Nine hours later, the five shows
are in the can.
And after 28 years and some
300,000-and-counting questions,
he still loves doing it.
“What’s not to love? You have
the security of a familiar environment, a familiar format, but you
have the excitement of new clues
and new contestants on every program. You can’t beat that! It’s like
saying, ‘I’m married but every day
I have a new wife coming in.’ You
know?” He pauses. Then, invoking his wife of a quarter-century,
Jean (with whom he has a collegeage son and daughter), he sheepishly concedes, “That analogy’s
not quite right.”