‘Jeopardy!’ host answer is ...
Q: I am very sorry to see that Ken Jennings will be the interim host of “Jeopardy!” Ken is smart, but he is also a smart aleck. If they choose him in the end, I will no longer be a “Jeopardy!” fan. They need to get someone who is more professional than Ken and deals with people like Alex Trebek did. Ken has himself on a pedestal and loves it.
A: The challenge of replacing the late, loved Trebek has certainly been a formidable one, and the long-running game show is taking its time with the search, and with telecasts. The most recent schedule includes 10 of Trebek’s best episodes airing the weeks of Dec. 21 and 28, and the last of Trebek’s newest episodes airing the week of Jan. 4. Guest-hosted shows, which started taping Nov. 30, will begin airing the week of Jan. 11, with Jennings the first of a planned series of guest hosts.
This should not surprise followers of the program who know Jennings as the greatest “Jeopardy!” winner of all time, as well as a consulting producer on the current season, a special category presenter and all-around “ambassador for the show.”
But as this letter indicates, Jennings is not to everyone’s taste (or mine) as a personality, and we’ll have to see how he handles hosting. It’s best to remember what Trebek once told Vulture.com: “You have to set your ego aside. The stars of the show are the contestants and the game itself. That’s why I’ve always insisted that I be introduced as the host and not the star. And if you want to be a good host, you have to figure a way to get the contestants to — as in the old television commercial about the military — ‘be all you can be.’ Because if they do well, the show does well. And if the show does well, by association I do well.”
Q: I became a huge fan of the series “Godfather of Harlem.” The acting was great and overall it was very entertaining. I was wondering if there are any plans for bringing it back for a second season and if so when.
A: The Epix drama began production of a second season in November, with telecasts planned for some time in 2021.
Q: Most of the programs that I watch are on CBS and I have noticed there is always a CBS ORIGINALprinted at the beginning. I never noticed it until this year so just wondered about it.
A: In October, CBS announced an “updated brand identity” to clearly distinguish CBS programming in the ever more crowded media world. Part of that plan, the network said, “Content on CBS and CBS-owned platforms will be tagged with ‘CBS Original,’ ‘CBS News,’ “CBS Sports’ or ‘CBS Presents’ to reinforce
(the network’s) role as a leading creator and content provider for its platforms and many others.” You may also have noticed new uses of the famous CBS Eye, as well as music cue, all aimed at making you more aware that you are watching something from CBS.
Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH44260, or brenfelsgmail. com.