February 18 Information

What's the point in the rule in Jeopardy! stating that the answer must be in the form of a question? As far as I can see, all this actually means that the contestant must say the words "What is/are" or "Who is/are" before saying the answer. Is it just a cute gimmick or is there some deeper meaning? Also, during the history of the show, has anyone ever replied with a question that wasn't "What is/are" or "Who is/are"? JIP | Talk 08:26, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Is the explanation in the Origins section of the article insufficient? And I'm sure there must have been occasions when the question used "where", although I don't have a reference. -- LarryMac | Talk 13:49, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I have seen many episodes in which contestants have answered in barely the form of a question, such as: "Wikipedia. What's it?" -- kainaw ™ 13:52, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I have seen "where" and "when" too, although I don't have a reference either. It's just a gimmick, but you remember it, don't you? Adam Bishop ( talk) 16:11, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

It's a gimmick, to make Jeopardy different from other quiz shows, but it's a rule that is enforced, though anything remotely question like is accepted. I seem to remember people not answering in a question, and Alex waited a bit before declaring the answer incorrect (simply with "Sorry, incorrect", if I remember correctly). He waits a moment in case they catch themselves and repeat the answer in proper question form, which he then accepts (which I've seen happen). Usually another questioner realizes what the mistake was and buzzes in with a "What is ..." response. - The "Incorrect! You didn't answer in the form of a question!" berating only happens on Jeopardy parodies, not on the show itself. -- 174.21.250.120 ( talk) 17:55, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

This too is addressed in the article; during the Jeopardy round, the contestant can get away without using the question-phrasing, albeit with a reminder from the host. During Double Jeopardy (and Final J), there is no leniency. -- LarryMac | Talk 18:06, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I also don't have a link or reference but I believe that I've seen it where the person will respond with something like "What is Charles Darwin?" when the grammatically correct thing to say would have been "Who is..." Dismas| ^(talk) 19:21, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

The article on Jeopardy! contains this quote:

She fired a couple of answers to me: "5,280" – and the question of course was "How many feet in a mile?"

From what I've understood of the actual show, the way this would actually proceed on the show would be that the host would say: "This is the number of feet in a mile." and the contestant would say: "What is 5,280?". Is this the way it really happens? JIP | Talk 20:30, 19 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Yes, essentially, although the questions are rarely that straightforward. Xenon54 ( talk) 20:56, 19 February 2011 (UTC) reply

If this is so, then I think it defeats the whole point of the original idea. The original idea seemed to have been "Find the question to this answer", but the way it actually turned out is, "Answer this question, but say the words 'What is'" first". A pretty stupid development, in my opinion, if this is indeed how it really happens. JIP | Talk 21:02, 19 February 2011 (UTC) reply

When Julann Griffin came up with the notion of reversing the Q and A in 1963 or 1964, she was probably well aware that Steve Allen had already done this numerous times in a series of 1950s comedy sketch segments, "The Answer Man". A joke answer ("Rank and file") would be followed by the question: "What do you need to get out of an Army prison?" Pepso2 ( talk) 16:14, 20 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I think the problem is that most answers can go with any number of questions, several of which might match the category. Consider the question "How many millimeters in a kilometer ?" in the category "Units of Measure". The answer is "One million". But if you reverse this and ask for the question for which the answer is "One million", there will be many, even under "Units of Measurement". Thus, we end up with them asking the question, and getting the answer as "What is a million ?". I agree that this is pretty stupid, making it more like a game of Simon Says than a quiz show. StuRat ( talk) 05:51, 21 February 2011 (UTC) reply

It is indeed a gimmick, and it has been a fundamental rule of Jeopardy! since the Art Fleming days. There's no rule that the "question" has to be grammatically correct, it just has to be in the form of a question. The Steve Allen "Answer Man" is vaguely similar, but that was more like the inspiration for Johnny Carson's "Carnac". ← Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:04, 21 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Would anyone know the exact lineup of The Turtles when their 1967 hit Happy Together was released? Thanks.-- Jeanne Boleyn ( talk) 12:32, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

The only issue is Jim Tucker since the old drummer left much earlier. If I remember correctly, Jim recorded the album and then left the band because John Lennon told him he was a crappy musician. -- kainaw ™ 14:01, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Yes, I inserted that information this morning in the Turtles articles with the source (Howard Kaylan interview) as to the reason Tucker quit. Apparently they were on a tour in England to promote Happy Together. One evening at the Speakeasy, they encountered Lennon who was in his Kotex on forehead mood and really laid into Tucker, who hero-worshipped Lennon and the Beatles. Lennon's verbal ballast started, I believe, over the fashionable mod suit Tucker was wearing and thus began to take the piss, attacking his musical skills, etc.. Poor Tucker, only about 19 at the time, was devastated and flew back to the States. He not only left the band, but quit the music business entirely. What a fool. He was so good-looking and attracted all the hysteric screaming from the female members of the audience. He should have used Lennon's insults to his own advantage, given interviews to the press accusing Lennon of verbally-attacking him out of jealousy over his looks and pulling power. The press and public would have lapped it up like my cat when he sees spilt milk.-- Jeanne Boleyn ( talk) 16:40, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

It is good you found a reference. I didn't think to look in the article. I googled for "tucker lennon insult" and didn't find anything. I was only going on what I heard from a guy who did a lot of studio work at Apple. Our conversation wasn't even about that. I was trying to explain that I like Lennon, but I wouldn't have been friends with him because he was too much of an ass most of the time. He then repeated a bunch of stories about Lennon told around the Apple studio - one of which was about Tucker. -- kainaw ™ 16:46, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

According to Kaylan, who brought it up with Lennon years later, Lennon admitted to having been a dick the night he insulted Tucker. Actually, The Stones were publically humiliated by Dean Martin on live TV and that didn't stand in their way of becoming the greatest rock and roll band in the world! Tucker, being a Californian, was probably unused to the rather asperic Liverpudlian wit; Kaylan and Volman originally from New York, would have likely handled the insults better.-- Jeanne Boleyn ( talk) 17:16, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I hear Radiohead have just released a new album. The previous one was sold as a download, with the unusual policy of allowing customers to choose their own price, including a payment of zero. Is the new album sold in a more conventional way, and does this mean the experiment was a failure? 81.131.27.250 ( talk) 13:13, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Yes, and no. -- Viennese Waltz 13:36, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

The previous album, In Rainbows was quite successful, and even thought it was released in a way that allowed it to be downloaded free, many people actually did pay for it. (Our article has more information). As for the new album, The King of Limbs , it can be purchased here: [1]. 10draftsdeep ( talk) 14:20, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Under Apple's iTunes policy, is it permissable for a publisher to give the option of purchasing an album or individual tracks as a download from their own website at a lower rate than what is available through the iTunes store? I understand that this is a way the artist or publisher is able to retain more revenue from the sale as Apple takes 30% of anything sold through the iTunes store. 170.34.104.11 ( talk) 15:16, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I waited a couple of days to give my speculation, but since no experts have answered, I will offer my speculation now. I don't see how Apple could enforce such a provision. Of course, iTunes won't point the user there for you. Comet Tuttle ( talk) 00:00, 21 February 2011 (UTC) reply

I'm not sure about music purchases, but Apple's recently launched subscription system (which may include music) requires "that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app" ie. you can't sell your stuff more cheaply on your own website. ( ref) You also can't link out -in the case of apps- from the app to your own website to allow customers to purchase content. I'm guessing it would be enforceable as a breach of contract, and Apple could pull the content from the store, which could well be the kiss of death for some publishers.-- Kateshortforbob _talk 09:52, 21 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Calling all Lab Rats - what has happeneed to Stella? Honestly - you go away for a couple of weeks and return to find that a charactger has gone. Help please. 81.151.26.50 ( talk) 20:25, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

(In the story) she moved to New Orleans, according to our articles on Stella Bonasera and CSI: NY. --- Sluzzelin talk 20:32, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Stellaaaaa! Clarityfiend ( talk) 21:36, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply

Adriiiaaaan! ... Oh wait, different movie. TomorrowTime ( talk) 22:18, 18 February 2011 (UTC) reply