What If...my questions for Ken Jennings

Around this time last year, I tried to swing an interview for my column at Quick Stop Entertainment with Mr. Ken Jennings of Jeopardy fame. I read that his new book was going to be called Brainiac and he did mention that he was a fan of the comic book medium. So, I thought that getting an interview would have been a match made in 4-color heaven, or at the very least, a "no-brainer".

I wrote a few sample questions and sent an email to his domain address. Within a couple of days, I received word from his agent stating that he would be taking interview requests closer to his book release date. I acknowledged her email with a couple jokes and waited for my turn in line.


The release date came and went with no word. A week also ran past me like Tomlinson does the Raiders D. And you can see where I'm going with this (especially if you read the post title). After a few weeks, I began to realize that I was given the email equivalent of a blowoff.

I was going to trash the question since they were no longer relevant and no question likes to go unanswered. But I thought better about it. They're not naked light bulb, sweat your ass off questions. But they're not lame one either, at least in my opinion.

So, I will let you decide. Please let me know what you think. I'm not Ed Bradley. Hell, I'm not even James Lipton but I would like to think that I could carry a conversation with anyone.

Why write a book?

Other than the obvious, why pick Brainiac as the title?

Your blog gained some unnecessary flack about your revelation about the existence of the Trebeck 3000 humanoid. Were you surprised about how devoted the cult of Jeopardy are to its cybernetic leader?

Do you feel that your intelligence has been devalued at all due to the normal dumbing down that has become a part of the world's culture of celebrity?

I watched most of your historic run on Jeopardy and your knowledge of comics (both in strip and book form) came in pretty handy. What role do you think that reading comic books as a kid in the 70's in helping develop your intellect? (Follow-up question) For point of reference purposes, what was the last comic book that you read?

What were some of the perks that you never even thought that you'd get just from being on Jeopardy?

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A New Preachin' from the Longbox is up at QSE

For those of you who don't know, I used to write a regular column at Movie Poop Shoot.com (now renamed Quick Stop Entertainment.com) called "Preachin' from the Longbox". It dealt with my view of the comic book scene and every once in a while, do a review. Well after almost four years of churning out columns of 2,000 word plus, I was becoming burned out on the whole thing. It had nothing to do with the change in management or in website name but it had everything to do with my feelings toward the industry. It has become so entrenched in this mentality of over-the-top crossovers and multi-year "Everything You Know Will Change" event comics that it had taken the fun out of reading them; much less writing about them.


But, even I was saying that I was fried golden brown, I still had an itch to scratch when it came to having my say about comics. So, when the mood strikes me (and when there's something that I want to say), I'll whip up a column and luckily for you, there's one that was posted today. It's titled "We Don't Need Another Hero". Go check it out and let me know what you think. For a little tease, it concerns a certain reality show that involves comic books, which plays right into my wheelhouse.

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