Larissa holds title, but loses to Palin

Until Tuesday night, I was wondering if Jeopardy! contestant Meredith Robbins, a library media specialist from New York, had a chance of catching up to Larissa Kelly. It didn’t happen.

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This answer was in the first round. Bet you know the question. 😉

No “blockhead”, this cartoonist drew his first breath in Minneapolis on Nov. 26, 1922

Meredith was an interesting contrast to Larissa Kelly, who always bet big in Final Jeopardy. Meredith was a strong contestant, but she lost because she didn’t bet enough at the end. She won her first three appearances despite losing in Final Jeopardy each time.

While Larissa Kelly remains the all-time winning woman in Jeopardy! I unfortunately must report that she is no longer the #1 search hit on this blog. Larissa is now second behind… AAUGH! … Sarah Palin.

A Better Day Than Chuck

D.F. Rogers and I have a saying we use sometimes. “I’m having a better day than Chuck”.

We knew Chuck in college. After graduation I met Carol, and by chance she became friends with Chuck’s future wife. Carol, Dennis and I went their wedding, 30 years ago. Yesterday was the fourteenth anniversary of Chuck’s death, in a plane he was piloting. God bless, Chuck.

Manly Men from U.N.C.L.E.

One of my favorite TV shows when I was a wee lad was the highly-successful spy series, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. For Christmas, 1965(?) I got an U.N.C.L.E agent kit with convertible pistol-turned-rifle and a triangle badge, along with one or two U.N.C.L.E. paperback books. Later, I bought U.N.C.L.E. comic books. I’d have to dig through some boxes to find them, and if I do I’ll scan some pages.

Twenty years later, in ’87, U.N.C.L.E. comics were published under license by none other than Paul Howley. Paul even co-wrote a book about U.N.C.L.E. collectibles, called The Toys from U.N.C.L.E. Memorabilia and Collectors Guide.

The complete The Man From U.N.C.L.E. series is being released today on DVD. Season 1, episode 9, is memorable, not only for featuring Werner “Colonel Klink” Klemperer, but for the pairing of two actors who would later work together on another show.
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Petula in K3 Land

Petula Clark will be appearing in the Netherlands — K3 country!

12-14 December, 2008
MAX-Proms 2008
Jaarbeurs Convention Centre,
Utrecht, THE NETHERLANDS

What a double-bill show that would make.