Jeopardy

I read this article a few months ago, and I have intended to blog it ever since--I just wasn't sure in what capacity said article needed to be blogged. In fact, I'm still not particularly certain as to what/how I should write about Jeopardy, but I'm going to go ahead and write anyway.

First (and most notably for an English geek like myself), I love the title of this article. I'm sure the gentleman who penned this piece breathed a sign of relief when he realized that the content came up with a title on its own. All that to say, the idea of Jeopardy being in, well, jeopardy, is highly disconcerting to me. Though game shows can be lumped into the icky category of reality television, I believe that watching Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune can actually be somewhat of a bonding experience for friends and family. I say this primarily because I have recently rediscovered Jeopardy (and Wheel of Fortune), and I get great joy from watching these shows with my husband. Granted, I am seriously lacking in trivia skills, but I am willing to bet that I could destroy you in word puzzles.

I found the issue surrounding this article (could a computer beat the two best Jeopardy contestants in history?) highly intriguing, and also highly disconcerting. Lately, it seems as though there is always a computer set up to beat/defeat a human being, or at least a form of technology set up to replace some sort of 'antiquated' method. In the case of Jeopardy, I don't even recall whether Watson-the computer--was successful in it's attempt or not. I feel the same about this issue as I do about electronic books: the old way can never be replaced. As convenient as an electronic reader may be, it will never provide the same experience as holding a book and turning the pages. The same goes for a game show like Jeopardy: watching Alex Trebek ask questions (or, more accurately, give answers to which he requires questions) to a computer will not be enjoyable. The odd characters that end up as contestants on Jeopardy are half (perhaps three quarters) of the fun!

To quote the venerable Alex Trebek (courtesy of the Newsweek article linked above):

You know, if IBM has developed a computer system that plays Jeopardy!—and I told them this—I said I’ll be impressed when you develop a robot that can host Jeopardy!

Alex Trebek. What a guy. I'm happy to say that my husband is attending Mr. Trebek's alma mater (also known as the University of Ottawa). Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll end up being married to one of the most famous reality TV show hosts of all time? Not a likely occurrence, as my spouse does not enjoy being the center of attention. Needless to say, I hope that I can continue to enjoy periodically watching Jeopardy with my husband, although I do not hope to continue being that woman who always shouts out the wrong answers (I'm always thankful for categories like "English Literature").

If you're ever bored (and hankering for some obscure trivia), check out J! Archive, the fan-made website that keeps a log of all the clues, players, et cetera on Jeopardy. Beware: it's exhaustive/exhausting. On a related note, a post from Slate that actually gives a statistical analysis of sorts of J! Archive.

In Anticipation

Inevitably/unfortunately, summer heralds the arrival of many a 'blockbuster' film. And, despite what my husband may think (this is a very enjoyable argument that we have on a quasi-regular basis), I am all about watching a movie for the sake of entertainment. Don't get me wrong--I do love a solid thoughtful film, and I wish there were more of them... but I also have nothing against rad special effects and a mildly-predictable plot line, aka: escapism at it's very best.

So, with my minimal knowledge and relatively-uninformed opinion, here are a few of the recent/forthcoming films, along with why I want to bother seeing them.

African Cats

Release Date: April 22nd, 2011
Genre: Documentary - Nature
Synopsis: Follows the life journeys of a family of cheetahs, and a family of lions. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: There are cute baby animals, dramatic and heart-wrenching realities of nature... what's not to love? Though I likely won't bother to see this movie in a theatre, I do whole-heartedly want to see it. I have, as many may be aware of, somewhat of obsession with baby felines... and this film is bursting with them. Cute baby cats is enough of a reason for me to watch just about anything.

Anonymous

Release Date: September 30th, 2011
Genre: Drama - Historical

Synopsis: Deals with the question of William Shakespeare's identity, and whether or not there was more than one Shakespeare. Watch the trailer here.

Why Bother: If you have ever been in school past sixth grade, you've likely read Shakespeare. Knowing whether or not all those plays you were forced to read/couldn't understand were written by one person or a bunch of people might be interesting. The trailer makes this film seem very beautiful and vast in scope, which appeals to me. I was, however, put off initially by Roland Emmerichs' background (aka: only working on disaster movies). Nevertheless, I realized that I LOVE disaster movies, and I love Shakespeare and the surrounding conspiracy most of all.

Bhutto

Release Date: November 2010
Genre: Documentary - Biography
Synopsis: Chronicles the chaotic life of former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: Because I read Benazir Bhutto's autobiography a couple of years ago, and I absolutely loved it. She was a hugely important figure in the history of Pakistan, and in the history of women as a whole. Plus her life story reads something like a Shakespearean drama, so it's certain to be an exciting film experience.

The Hobbit

Release Date: December 19th, 2012 (part 1), December 2013 (part 2)
Genre: Action/Adventure - Fantasy
Synopsis: The precursor to Tolkien's more (or equally) famous Lord of the Rings, in which Bilbo goes on an adventure to slay a dragon with a bunch of dwarves. Oh, and he finds the One Ring. There isn't a trailer yet, but you can watch a behind-the-scenes clip here.
Why Bother: Aside from my absolute adoration of The Lord of the Rings (and Tolkien's work in general), I want to see these films largely to pick out what has been added and what has been removed. For example, particular characters from The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been added to the storyline... for what purpose, I am not certain. I'll need to re-read The Hobbit to find out who actually belongs and whatnot. I also obviously want to see this film because Peter Jackson and the Weta Workshop did such a good job on the LotR trilogy. I suppose I have high expectations.

Thor

Release Date: May 6th, 2011
Genre: Action/Adventure - Comic book
Synopsis: Thor, aka: Norse god of thunder (the guy with the hammer) battles the bad guys, etc. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: I have always been somewhat fascinated by mythology, particularly Greek, Roman and Norse mythology. Combine this with my love of films with special effects and my recent respect for Natalie Portman, and I have plenty of motivation to see this film. I think I was sold when I saw some serious natural disasters in the trailer (i.e. tornadoes, which both fascinate and horrify me).

The Tree of Life

Release Date: June 10th, 2011 (limited)
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: I really have no idea what this movie is going to be about, other than what it means to be human and/or how the world began. Very philosophical. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: The biggest reason I am going to watch this movie is because of my husband, who had been scouring IMDB for months, trying to find news of this film. Terrence Mallick waited for what seems like eons to release this film, and his previous works have been pretty impressive (i.e. The Thin Red Line). Plus on the whole, films starring Brad Pitt are pretty reputable.

Wrecked

Release Date: April 10th, 2011
Genre: Thriller - Psychological
Synopsis: A man wakes up to find that he a) has been in a car accident, and b) has no memory. Desperate attempt for survival ensues, along with the slow return of horrifying memories. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: Generally speaking, I'm not much for thriller-type movies, let alone anything categorized as horror. The trailer for this film, however, really intrigued me, as I find the idea of memory really fascinating (hence why Memento is one of my favourite films). I'm certain that this film will have me jumping a lot, and--a la Black Swan--questioning what is real and what isn't, but I'm looking forward to seeing this film. I want to know how they're going to approach the idea of doing something really horrible that you cannot remember at all.

X-Men: First Class

Release Date: June 3rd, 2011
Genre: Action/Adventure - Comic Book
Synopsis: A prequel of sorts to the rest of the X-Men films that explains the origins of the X-Men, and the start/evolution of the relationship between Xavier and Magneto. Watch the trailer here.
Why Bother: I have loved X-Men since I was a child. I watched the TV series all the time (in late childhood, two episodes every evening before bed), and I even went through a brief comic book collecting phase. This film in particular intrigues me because it is set during the cold war, a time period that I have become particularly fascinated with as of late because I watch too much Mad Men. Speaking of which, January Jones plays the role of Emma Frost, which I cannot wait to witness.

You Must Vote.

I have become somewhat notorious for insisting that every adult, Canadian citizen vote in federal elections. I voted on the morning of my high school graduation, in full hair and make-up... and sweatpants. And I couldn't have been more excited about it. When the federal election of 2004 was announced, I immediately asked my Mother to make me a chart, explaining what each party stood for. After receiving her assistance, reading a few newspapers, and regularly watching the news, I made a relatively informed decision, and voted. I imagine that many of my about-to-graduate classmates did not bother to vote. Unfortunately (whether they have a graduation to attend or not), close to half of voting-age Canadian youth also "won't bother".

When the federal election of 2008 occurred, I may or may not have yelled at my grade 12 students (and all my other students) about voting. I told them that if they didn't vote, they may as well find the person they trust the least and dislike the most, and ask that person to represent them in government. A little extreme, yes, but I still think that apathy in Canada is a huge problem. That being said, I leave you with Rick Mercer and his spirited encouragement to vote in the forthcoming federal election on May 2nd.



--- chRistie

The Lord of the Rings, et cetera.

When I was in the ninth grade, I attended a youth group at a local Mennonite Church. Often, I would borrow books from the church's (realistically small but seemingly gigantic) library. They had a display spinner in the foyer featuring some of the newest/most popular/must-read books of which I was particularly fond. I remember with the utmost clarity (on a typical, pre-youth group Friday evening) staring somewhat absent-mindedly at the book spinner. I noticed a book, and a very large book at that, which sounded vaguely familiar to me: The Lord of the Rings. Somewhere in my book-loving, fifteen-year-old mind, I understood that this was one of those "must read" books. Combining it's supposed must-read status with my love of challenges and reading books beyond the scope of teen lit, I decided to read this book.

All exaggerations aside, reading The Lord of the Rings changed my life.





I remember--again, with great clarity--sitting at our kitchen table with this giant (aka: 1,000+ page) book, devouring it during my evenings (when I wasn't obsessively watching ER). It took me one month and twenty days to finish reading The Lord of the Rings, and I finished sometime after my birthday and before the end of the school year. To my extreme and exuberant joy, I discovered shortly after reading the book that there was to be (gasp!) a film version of my new-found favourite. I can, thus, happily include myself in the company of those who read and loved Tolkien's work before seeing the epic trilogy on screen.

That Christmas, my parents bought me my very own copies of The Lord of the Rings--thankfully, this edition was divided into the three individual books rather than stuffed into one slightly inaccessible and highly cumbersome volume. I read those books repeatedly: read them on long drives to remote locations with my Dad, in preparation for the release of film (to ensure that I knew, 100%, whether the film was accurate or not), whenever I hadn't found something else to read that struck my fancy.

Since childhood, I have been both highly imaginative and highly logical. I never believed in Santa Claus (cookies were set out for my Dad to eat), but each of my stuffed animals had a birthday (for which my Mom would always bake a cake). When I was eight-years-old, I picked up a copy of Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville. I read that book so. many. times. that I practically had it memorized. There was something about a magical world/alternate universe with clear distinctions between good an evil that appealed to me. Hence the appeal of Tolkien's work that I encountered seven (ish) years later.

I've been struggling to finish this post for what seems like forever, which is likely because I have so much to say about this topic. So, rather than suffering through my overzealous self-editing any longer, I'm just going to share a few related links and move on.

First of all, this editorial from more than a year ago. The columnist's point seems pretty obvious to me, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. I'm not going to say 'no' to an article that combines two of my favourite things (LotR and feminism).

Second (and after much anticipation), filming of The Hobbit has finally begun! I am, of course, always hesitate to see the film adaptation of a much-loved book. HOWEVER, when Peter Jackson stepped in after whatshisname from Pan's Labyrinth backed out, I was pretty much sold on the two-part adaptation.

Third, a conflicting dispute on whether or not JRR Tolkien should be allowed to be used in fiction. I think Tolkien is a fascinating human being, and his life/works deserve to be recognized... plus I don't like the implications of a case like this going through. It is, however, a thought-provoking article!

And lastly, if you're feeling inspired (not to mention highly knowledgeable), try out this quiz. I used to take this quiz over and over and over again in my late high school years, in the hopes that I could finish the entire thing. As of late, my performance has been--to say the least--lacklustre.

Should you ever wish to engage me in a conversation for a long period of time, might I suggest a discussion regarding The Lord of the Rings?

--- chRistie