ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

TV

Past scrutinized Mike Richards out as ‘Jeopardy!’ host LOS ANGELES, Aug 21, (AP): Producer Mike Rich- ards stepped down from his brief tenure as host of “Jeopardy!” after a report about past misogynistic comments surfaced this week and following a drum- beat of criticism about his selection and how it was made. Richards was chosen last week as the successor to Alex Trebek, a decision that was seen as divisive from the beginning after the show had embarked on a search that included actors, sports fi gures, journalists and celebrities. Earlier this week, The Ringer website revealed de- meaning comments about women, the homeless and others that Richards had made on a 2013-14 podcast, “The Randumb Show.” The clips were removed on- line after the report was posted. “Over the last several days it has become clear that mov- ing forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show,” Richards said in a note to the “Jeopardy!” staff on Friday. Richards said a search for a new host will begin, with guest hosts returning to continue pro- Richards duction for the new season. But viewers will get to see the short-lived emcee in action. The episodes that Richards taped Thursday will air when the show re- turns for its 38th season starting Sept. 13; a do-over with a substitute host would be a slap at the contest- ants and further undermine the show. Richards’ note indicated that he will remain the In this Oct. 30, 2012 fi le photo, Tom T. Hall accepts the Icon Award at the 60th Annual BMI Country Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who show’s executive producer - an awkward situation for composed ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’, has died. He was 85. His son, Dean Hall, confi rmed the musician’s death Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 at his home in Franklin, Tennes- whoever replaces him. see. (AP) Sony Pictures Television, the studio that makes “Jeopardy!” and which released Richards’ memo, said it was surprised to learn of his podcasts and offensive language and spoke with him “about our concerns and Obituaries our expectations moving forward.” “It our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect,” Sony said in a statement Friday. The podcast content would have dogged anyone The Storyteller and writer of ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ taking over a high-profi le Hollywood position but was especially diffi cult for Richards, said Robert Thomp- son, a Syracuse University professor. Opposite Country singer Tom T. Hall dies They were “the opposite of what we thought of in Alex Trebek. ‘Jeopardy!’ and Trebek were kind of NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug 21, (AP): this place you escaped from the scandal and the tweets Tom T. Hall, the singer-songwrit- and all the other stuff that was going on in the world,” er who composed “Harper Valley Japanese martial artist fi lm Thompson said Friday. P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer, who holds joys as country music’s consummate the record for single-game winnings and is No. 3 for blue collar bard, has died. He was 85. all-time winnings, offered a sarcastic reaction to Rich- His son, Dean Hall, confi rmed the star Sonny Chiba dies at 82 musician’s death on Friday at his ards’ exit. TOKYO, Aug 21, (AP): Japanese fi lms, set off by Chinese legend “I was really looking forward to the season pre- home in Franklin, Tennessee. Known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned actor Sonny Chiba, who wowed the Bruce Lee, although critics say Chi- miere where after an exhaustive 61-clue search for world with his martial arts skills in ba tended to exhibit a dirtier, thug- the next Jeopardy champion, the show looks past the yet incisive lyrics, Hall composed hun- more than 100 fi lms, including “Kill like fi ghting style than Lee. dreds of songs. three obvious candidates and declares Mike Richards In this June 1998, photo, Japanese Bill,” has died. He was 82. “A true action legend. Your fi lms the winner,” Holzhauer tweeted. actor Sonny Chiba waves from a Along with such contemporaries as Chiba, known in Japan as Shin- are eternal and your energy an When Richards was tapped to host the popular horseback in Kanazawa, west of To- Kris Kristofferson, John Hartford and ichi Chiba, died late Thursday in a inspiration. #SonnyChiba #RIP,” game show last week, Sony also announced that actor kyo. Chiba, known in Japan as Shin- Mickey Newbury, Hall helped usher in hospital near Tokyo where he had American actor Lewis Tan said on Mayim Bialik would emcee “Jeopardy!” prime-time ichi Chiba, who wowed the world with a literary era of country music in the been treated for COVID-19 since Twitter. and spinoff series, including a new college champion- his martial arts skills, acting in more early ’70s, with songs that were politi- Aug. 8, Tokyo-based Astraia, his New York-based writer and di- ship. than 100 fi lms, including ‘Kill Bill,’ has cal, like “Watergate Blues” and “The management offi ce, said in a state- rector Ted Geoghegan called him Giving the fl agship show to Richards, who’s fi rmly died late Thursday, Aug. 19. He was Monkey That Became President,” ment Friday. It said he had not “the great Sonny Chiba.” in the cookie-cutter host mold of a white, square-jawed 82. (AP) deeply personal like “The Year Clay- been vaccinated. “Watch one of his fi lms today,” young man, struck some as proof of an insincere effort ton Delaney Died,” and philosophical Chiba rose to stardom in Japan Geoghegan tweeted, followed by like “(Old Dogs, Children and) Water- in the 1960s, portraying samurai, images of a fi st and a broken heart. by the studio to consider a woman, a person of color fi ghters and police detectives, the Other fans mournfully fi lled Twit- or someone from the LGBTQ community. More than melon Wine.” “In all my writing, I’ve never made anguished so-called “anti-heroes” ter threads with clips of his movies half of the guest hosts fall into one or more of those Variety trying to survive in a violent world. and photos. groups. judgments,” he said in 1986. “I think He did many of the stunt scenes Born in Fukuoka, southwestern While the report of Richards’ podcasts immediately that’s my secret. I’m a witness. I just himself. Japan, Chiba studied at Nippon preceded his exit, there had also been renewed attention NEW YORK: Chuck Close, a painter, pho- watch everything and don’t decide if His overseas career took off af- Sport Science University trained to his 2009-18 tenure as a producer on “The Price is tographer and printmaker best known for it’s good or bad.” ter his 1970s Japanese fi lm “The in various martials arts, earning a Right.” Several lawsuits had been fi led by former mod- his monumental grid portraits and photo- Inducted Street Fighter” proved popular in fourth-degree black belt in karate. els against the show alleging discriminatory behavior, based paintings of family and famous the US. Chiba set up Japan Action Club including one which named Richards. He reportedly friends, has died. He was 81. Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell per- American director Quentin Tar- in 1980, to develop a younger gen- was dropped from it before a settlement was reached. His attorney, John Silberman, said formed Hall’s song “Mama Bake A antino listed the work as among his eration of actors, including protege Doubts also grew about the fairness of the selec- Close died Thursday at a hospital in Ocean- Pie (Daddy Kill A Chicken)” when “grindhouse,” or low-budget kitsch Hiroyuki Sanada, who is among tion process, with reports fi nding holes in Richards’ side, New York. He did not give a cause Hall was inducted into the Songwriters cinema, favorites. Hollywood’s most coveted Japa- repeated assertion that the decision was Sony’s and of death. Hall of Fame in 2019. Tarantino cast Chiba in the role nese actors, landing roles in “The he had no role in it. Volleys of memes were launched Close, whose professional highlights “The simplest words that told the of Hattori Hanzo, a master sword- Last Samurai” and “Rush Hour 3.” comparing Richards to Dick Cheney, whose search include a solo exhibition at the Museum most complicated stories. Felt like smith in “Kill Bill.” Chiba is survived by his three of Modern Art in New York in 1973, was Tom T. just caught the songs as they Chiba appeared in the 1991 children, Juri Manase, Mackenyu for George W. Bush’s 2000 vice presidential running Hollywood fi lm “Aces,” directed by Arata and Gordon Maeda, all ac- mate ended with Cheney in the spot. known for using a grid structure for the fl oated by, but I know he carved them representation of an image in nearly all of John Glen, as well as in Hong Kong tors. A wake was canceled as a Sony’s decision to crown the “Jeopardy!” executive out of rock,” Isbell tweeted on Friday. movies. pandemic measure, and funeral producer as Trebek’s successor - after a pageant-style his works, which he said helped him break Hall, the fourth son of an ordained the face down into “incremental units.” Chiba’s career also got a boost arrangements were still undecided, parade of celebrity contenders - had stirred ill-will and minister, was born near Olive Hill, from the global boom in kung fu his offi ce said. Time consuming and labor intensive, Kentucky, in a log cabin built by his suspicion toward what had been a remarkably trusted he produced a plethora of paintings that institution. Trebek, who hosted the show for 37 sea- dissect the human face of such luminaries grandfather. He started playing guitar sons, died last November. as president Bill Clinton, composer Philip at age 4 and wrote his fi rst song by the for best female country vocal perfor- “Tom T. Hall’s masterworks vary in There was “tentative celebration” among “Jeop- Glass and the artist himself. time he was 9. mance and an award for single of the plot, tone and tempo, but they are bound ardy!” fans Friday, said Andy Saunders, a longtime His works have been displayed in Hall began playing in a bluegrass year from the Country Music Associa- by his ceaseless and unyielding empa- Canadian viewer and administrator of The Jeopardy! museums, galleries and even the New York band, but when that didn’t work out tion. The story was so popular it even thy for the triumphs and losses of oth- Fan website. He expressed deep reservations about City subway. he started working as a disc jockey spawned a movie of the same name ers,” said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Richards staying on as the show’s producer. In 2017, Close faced accusations of in Morehead, Kentucky. He joined and a television series. Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in a the US Army in 1957 for four years Comments sexual harassment from some women who “Suddenly, it was the talk of the statement. “He wrote without judgment said he made inappropriate sexual com- including an assignment in Germany. country,” Hall told The Associated or anger, offering a rhyming journalism “With his comments about so many marginalized ments when they had gone to his studio He turned to writing when he got back Press in 1986. “It became a catch of the heart that sets his compositions groups becoming public knowledge, how are any of to potentially be models for him in prior stateside and was discovered by Nash- years. phrase. You’d fl ip the radio dial and apart from any other writer. the staffers on the show that might be in those groups ville publisher Jimmy Key. hear it four or fi ve times in 10 minutes. He also penned songs for children going to trust Mike Richards as a manager?” he said. He told The New York Times that he Hall settled in Nashville in 1964 It was the most awesome time of my on his records “Songs of Fox Hollow On the podcast, Richards used derogatory, crude had spoken to the women about their and fi rst established himself as a song- language about women and their bodies. He also bodies as part of evaluating them as writer making $50 a week. He wrote life; I caused all this stir.” (for Children of All Ages)” in 1974 and made mocking remarks about Jews and Asians and models, and apologized for causing any songs for Jimmy C. Newman, Dave His own career took off after that “Country Songs for Kids,” in 1988. He disparaged the homeless. discomfort. Dudley and Johnny Wright, but he had song and he had a string of hits with also became an author, writing a book “It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing Close, who had been diagnosed with so many songs that he began recording “Ballad of Forty Dollars” (which also about songwriting, “The Songwriter’s moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insen- dementia-related conditions in 2013, also them himself. The middle initial “T” was recorded by Johnny Cash and Handbook,” and an autobiography, had serious mobility issues after suffering sitivity from nearly a decade ago,” Richards said in a was added when he got his recording Waylon Jennings); his fi rst career No. “The Storyteller’s Nashville,” as well a spinal artery collapse in 1988, requiring 1 hit “A Week in a Country Jail,” and as fi ction novels. statement to The Ringer staff writer Claire McNear, him to use a wheelchair. contract to make the name catchier. who fi rst reported on the podcasts. He called the re- His breakthrough was writing “Homecoming,” in the late 1960s. He was host of the syndicated TV In Close’s work, the “pixilated” im- Throughout the ’70s, Hall became show “Pop Goes the Country” from marks inexcusable, adding, “I am deeply sorry.” ages “are fi lled with tiny abstract colored “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” a 1968 inter- McNear, author of the 2020 book, “Answers in the shapes, individual brushstrokes or even the national hit about small-town hypoc- one of Nashville’s biggest singer- 1980 to 1983 and even dabbled in poli- Form of Questions: A Defi nitive History and Insider’s artist’s fi ngerprints. When viewed from a risy recorded by Jeannie C. Riley. The songwriters, with multiple hit songs tics. Hall was close to former President Guide to Jeopardy!” said Thursday that “Jeopardy!” distance, the individual marks miraculously song about a mother telling a group of including, “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Jimmy Carter and Carter’s brother, had become an unimpeachable part of pop culture. resolve into a surprisingly realistic face,” busybodies to mind their own business Care,” and “Faster Horses (The Cow- Billy, when Carter was in the White “Everybody knew ‘Jeopardy!’ and everybody loved the Akron Art Museum in Ohio said in was witty and feisty and became a No. boy and The Poet.)” He was inducted House. Tennessee Democrats urged ‘Jeopardy!’ and Trebek was not controversial. It was describing Close’s paintings and prints for 1 country and pop hit. It sold millions into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Hall to run for governor in 1982, but just this great trivia show. And now it is controversial an exhibition titled “Familiar Faces: Chuck of copies and Riley won a Grammy Fame in 1978. he declined. and that’s not going away,” she said. Close in Ohio Collections.” (AP) Filling the host’s job was never easy. Affection for ❑ ❑ ❑ Trebek made fi nding a replacement both a gesture of regard for him as well as a business decision. NEW YORK: James W. Loewen, whose million-selling “Lies My Teacher Told on his website. past and the stale prose and bland presenta- The immediate reaction to the largely unknown “Telling the truth about the past helps tions of classroom books. Richards’ hiring was befuddlement, although he ably Me” books challenged traditional ideas and knowledge on everything from Thanksgiv- cause justice in the present,” was his guid- He based his fi ndings on his research handled a two-week stint as a fi ll-in host. There were ing to the Iraq War, has died. He was 79. ing principle, he wrote. “Achieving justice while on fellowship at the Smithsonian In- also howls of protest from fans of other candidates, Loewen’s publisher, New Press, an- in the present helps us tell the truth about stitution, where he spent two years looking including Ken Jennings, LeVar Burton and Aaron nounced that the author died Thursday at the past.” through textbooks. He gave his chapters Rodgers. Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Mary- Loewen’s “Lies My Teacher Told Me: such headlines as “The Truth About the Richards signed an overall development deal with land. A professor emeritus at the Univer- Everything Your American History Text- First Thanksgiving,” “Gone With the Sony in 2019, and became executive producer of sity of Vermont who lived in Washington, book Got Wrong” was published in 1995 Wind: The Invisibility of American Rac- “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” in May 2020, D.C., he had been diagnosed two years ago and became a favorite of students and for- ism in American Textbooks” and “See No positions he was to retain while hosting the quiz show. with Stage IV bladder cancer, enough time mer students as it challenged what Loewen Evil: Choosing Not to Look at the War in for him to post “Notes toward an obituary” considered a white, Eurocentric view of the Loewen Close Vietnam.” (AP)