Tweeting Tom

     Unfortunately, my phone does weird things sometimes.  Today, as you can see, I received Tom’s and Justin’s pictures fine, but I got the picture of Alex’s pinstripe suit (which isn’t even on my phone anymore) instead of Erin McLean’s.  I had to erase other pictures to send a video clue from later in the episode, and when I tried to take Erin’s picture again, I was told my memory was full even though I had nothing in my inbox or outbox, and no other pictures saved.  So, sorry, Erin.  I will try again.

     I had 9 clams and 6 correct responses at the first break.  Erin had 1000, Tom had 2000, and Justin had 3800.  This is the only one in Bond Movie by Bond Girl I got right: “2002: Halle Berry as Jinx Johnson.”
     Tom found the first Daily Double.  Sorry, what is it about this guy that rubs me the wrong way?  Maybe it’s this Twitter exchange from November 5th:
Tom: “@jkrizel wagered (I think) the year he was born ($1986), which just depressed my wife and I deeply. #jeopardytoc“
John Krizel: “its true. At least i can take my youth from this game.”
Tom: “I will accept a trade of your 19 years for my spot in the semis. #sadolddad“
Me: “Do you mean that?”
Tom: “Well, to the extent that you can mean an impossible, illegal thing, yes.”
     (If you’re interested, by the way, Tom live-tweets each ToC game at like 9:30 p.m. Central.)
     It doesn’t help that Tom clapped for himself when he found this Daily Double.  He also cut Mr. Trebek off later today to select another clue.  Also, I don’t like it when contestants respond and then sigh as if to emphasize to people watching that they thought the clue was really hard, and isn’t aren’t they amazing for getting it right?  The audience even applauded when he did that once in Double Jeopardy, and he put his hand up.
     Anyway, the Daily Double was in Twins.  Tom had 2600, Justin had 3800, and Erin had 1000.  Tom wagered everything on this clue: “These twins and recent first daughters were named for their grandmothers.”  Tom struggled and came up with one of the names, but not the other.  I have to feel a little bad for Tom here, because Mr. Trebek interrupted his thought with “You’re halfway there,” and then, “Hurry!”
     I’d have swept the category except for this next clue: “First names of the pair seen here.”  (I said “Cheng and Ang.”)

     At the end of the round, Erin still had 1000, Tom had 4400, and Justin had 6600.
     Speaking of Twitter, Jeopardy! tweeted this just seconds before the Double Jeopardy round started:
“On the next #Jeopardy! Alex tries on costumes from the Metropolitan Opera!”
     I thought they must’ve meant tomorrow, but no.  They meant today.  It’s a shame that I can send any more pictures right now.  I have a good one of Mr. Trebek dressed as “Le Compte Ory.”  I felt bad for Justin on that clue, because I always, always mix up Rossini and Puccini when it comes to who wrote “William Tell.”  He did today, but I didn’t because I had just been reading about it this afternoon, and I think it was in Ken Jennings’ Trivia Almanac.  No joke.  Tom picked up that clue, and the next one was the Daily Double, in the same category (Operatic Costumes).  Tom said this is not his category, and wagered 1000.  Justin had 5600 and Erin had 1400.  This was the clue: “The costume worn by this character may not seem to go with his title profession, but in his first scene he sings, ‘Largo al Factotum,’ and explains that he’s also the apothecary, gardener, and woodmaker.”  Tom and I got this right.  I’ve been struggling to learn operas (composers, plots, etc.) and I thought nothing had been sticking.  Today I did pretty well, but I missed this next one and there is no excuse: “This cape was worn by Enrico Caruso as the Duke of Mantua in this Verdi opera, the role in which he made his Met debut way back in 1903.”  Just last night, my friend Carol was reading clues to me from a Trivial Pursuit book.  I got this one right and was so excited, but she was not impressed for some reason.
     Which leads me to something I’ve wondered about today: Last night, those Trivial Pursuit questions, for the most part, kicked my butt.  But yesterday, you may recall, I felt so good about how I did watching Jeopardy!  So, are they that dissimilar?  Do you think playing and studying Trivial Pursuit is beneficial?  A waste of time, if you’re trying
to learn for Jeopardy!?
     Anyway, on the last clue of the category, I fell for the same trap Justin apparently did, hook, line, and sinker: “This helmet is a fitting accessory from a production of this Wagner work in which the knight’s arrival in a swan boat is one of opera’s great entrances.”  I too said “Parsifal.”  I probably should’ve gotten this one right because just this summer I went to Neuschwanstein, Ludwig II’s castle in Germany.  Ludwig II was obsessed with swans, and his castle shows it.  In fact while we were on the tour, I wrote down the name of this opera, intending to look it up later.  This clue wound up being a triple-stumper.
     In another weird coincidence, I got this one right in “Red,” “White,” and “Blue” from something I read today (either Ken’s book or a Mental Floss magazine): “These statutes forbid certain secular activity on Sundays.”
     The last clue in the round was a Daily Double, in Winter Olympics Mascots.  Tom found it.  He had a lock on the game with 24200, while Justin had 10400 and Erin had 5400.  Tom wagered 2000 on this clue: “Haakon and Kristin, mascots of this city’s Olympics, were named for a Norwegian prince and princess.”  Tom got it right.  Mr. Trebek said, “Great game, Tom.”
     The Final Jeopardy category was French History.  This was the clue: “She said, ‘I told my plans to no one.  I was not killing a man, but a wild beast that was devouring the French people.”  Justin and Tom got it right.  So we will see Tom in the two-day final, starting Monday.
     My Coryat today was 17000.  I had 3 negs.  Tom’s Coryat was 29000, Justin’s was 10400, and Erin’s was 5400.