Final Jeopardy: Authors (4-2-13)
The Final Jeopardy question (4/2/2013) in the category “Authors” was:
This author who passed away in 2012 quipped, “For those who haven’t read the books, I am known best for my hair preparations.”
Now a 3-day champ Rebecca Rider is in TOC territory with her $80,200 winnings. Today she is up against these two players: Lisa Sotir Ozkan from Arlington, VA; and Shawn Townsend from Brentwood, TN.
Rebecca found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “The National Geographic Atlas Shrugged.” She was in the lead with $4,600, $2,600 more than Lisa in second place. She bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.
Of this disputed region, the Atlas says, “Some places show the Albanian name with the Serbian name in parentheses.” show
Rebecca finished in the lead with $7,000. Lisa was second with $5,200 and Shawn was last with $1,800.
Rebecca found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “20th Century Senators.” It was the second pick of the round and she had the lead with $7,400. She bet $2,000 again and she was RIGHT again.
Shortly after the 1954 elections, the Senate voted 62-22 to condemn him for conduct “contrary to Senate traditions.” show
Shawn found the last Daily Double in “Diseases Named for People.” He was in last place with $7,800, $11,600 behind Rebecca’s lead. He bet $3,000, guessed leukemia but that was WRONG.
The section of lymph node seen here is showing this uncommon cancer of the lymphatic system. show
Rebecca finished in the lead with $19,400. Lisa was next with $15,600 and Shawn was in third place with $4,800.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
Gore Vidal, whose name at birth was actually Eugene Louis Vidal, was possibly more noted, outside the literary world, for his feuds and satiric wit than his works. Wikipedia claims that he is most well known for his novel and the subsequent film “Myra Breckinridge,” and we wonder if Rebecca or Lisa would have known who it was if the clue referenced that. Gore Vidal also wrote fictionalized biographies, including one on Abraham Lincoln and one on Aaron Burr. He wrote the screenplay of many well-known films, most notably the Academy Award winning “Ben-Hur.” As for the quip, Vidal was of course making fun of his last name being the same as the first name of famous British hairdresser and businessman Vidal Sassoon, who also died in 2012. but was not an author.
Shawn wrote down “Jackson” in a nod to his work at President Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. He lost $4,000 and finished with $800.
Lisa just had a big question mark. She lost $15,001 and finished with $599.
Rebecca wrote down Sassoon, so at least she got the hair preparation part. She lost $13,000 but still retained enough to continue as the Jeopardy champ. She won $6,400 today and her 4-day total is now $86,600.
Had Lisa only wagered 3.801, she would have won. Wagering is as important as knowledge. “Authors” CAN be a very difficult category…….as we saw today.
Gore Vidal was a good writer. I’ve read “Burr” and “Lincoln” and would recommend them. The latter was made into a mini-series in the 80s with Sam Waterston as Lincoln and Mary Tyler Moore as his wife. I wish they would make “Burr” into a film.
it’s really strange and funny. EVERYTIME i hear or heard the name “vidal” i had to think of vidal sassoon. NOW i will think of that for the rest of my life…the first couple of times i always mixed the two up.i never thought this would ever come up in j., leave alone fj.