TV Blog Buzz: The Chu ‘Jeopardy’ debate rages on; week 1 for Fallon, Meyers
Posted March 2, 2014 9:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
“Jeopardy” fans have been consumed by the controversy surrounding new star Arthur Chu, whose unconventional playing style has stymied competitors, frustrated some viewers and won plaudits from hardcore observers. Chu’s love-it-or-hate-it style involves searching the board in seemingly random order for the hidden Daily Doubles and sometimes attacking the most valuable numbers on the board straight away.
Who better to talk to Chu about the method in his madness than all-time “Jeopardy” champ Ken Jennings, who interviewed the budding star for his blog (http://bit.ly/ND5tdT). Chu haters will be disappointed to note that Jennings appreciates the newcomer’s style and success in throwing off his opponents, even if it is turning off some viewers.
And while Chu is reluctant to play the race card, he does agree with the suggestion that his ethnicity may be fuelling at least part of the vitriolic backlash against him.
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Week 1 is complete for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, who are settling into their new late night TV gigs. Fallon obviously had a lot more pressure to perform in his first week with an earlier time slot and the challenge of taking over for perennial ratings winner Jay Leno. He did score a quick viral hit with his lip sync battle with Paul Rudd.
Meyers got his old “Saturday Night Live” pal Amy Poehler to help get his show off to a good start. He also recruited “SNL” alum Fred Armisen to front his house band.
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Speaking of Armisen, his comedy “Portlandia” — which he created with Carrie Brownstein — just kicked off its fourth season and the hilarious duo talked to Daily Beast about the series. They reveal why they chose Portland as the base and inspiration for their skit-based show, where their hipster-skewering ideas come from, and how much longer they intend to keep the series running.
