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LeVar Burton: 'Jeopardy ' host gig began 'scary,' ended fun
- mixmastamyk 5y agoBig fan of LVB, but not sure what to talk about here. My mom sat me down in front of Roots back in the day. One of the only things I can remember was the iconic whipping scene. Was several decades before I realized he was the same actor on one of my favorite shows, ST:TNG.
- bitwize 5y agoWhen I saw his name come up on TNG as a kid, my thought was: It's the guy from Reading Rainbow!
- RodgerTheGreat 5y agoThere's even a fantastic crossover episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BN_zSDKf5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BN_zSDKf5k
- drdeadringer 5y agoWhen that episode started I was so confused. "Mom, I thought this was Reading Rainbow." "It is." "But it's ST:TNG openings credits!" "... huh. It is." "And it's 330pm - ST:TNG isn't on until 7pm!" And then Mr Burton comes on all Reading Rainbow about ST:TNG. Glitter in a glass of water, the whole deal. "Oh, ok. I get it."
- glhaynes 5y agoWatched both shows back in the day but somehow never saw this ep! Thank you for posting it.
- dhosek 5y agoThere's definitely a generational divide with LVB with what people most associate him with. I'm very much in the TNG generation, but with a dose of Roots. And then, of course, there was his classic guest shot on Community.
- echelon 5y agoTrebek was the very essence of Jeopardy throughout my entire life, and he can never be replaced. But if anyone could take the reins, it'd be Burton. Trebek and Burton were a staple of my childhood years, and my career path is certainly somewhat indebted to them both. It feels so fitting to pair Burton with this role. He's such a natural choice. If Burton can't do it, my other picks would be for Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson.
- indigodaddy 5y agoI haven’t been following any of the new shows with guest hosts.. have the Burton episodes aired yet?
- vitus 5y agoNext week!
- indigodaddy 5y agoAh cool, thanks!
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- nickthemagicman 5y agoHow is this a HN story? LOL Because Star Trek? (not complaining it's just funny)
- steve_adams_86 5y agoI suspect a lot of us (myself included) are also fans of Jeopardy.
- JoshTriplett 5y agoAnd Reading Rainbow, and things happening because the Internet...
- adolfojp 5y agoJeopardy is a "nerd" game show that attracts smart educated people. It has college competitions. It featured Watson, the IBM AI, as a contestant. It's a social institution. It's been around since the mid 60s so a lot of people who visit this website grew up watching it. The previous host had a unique smart dry wit that is rare in American game shows. If LeVar Burton had replaced Howie Mandel on Deal or No Deal then I would agree with you but the Hacker News crowd is definitely Jeopardy's audience. LeVar's Burton resume helps, I must admit. But it's not only Star Trek. On his podcast he reads short stories by authors like Neil Gaiman and Kurt Vonnegut which are also interesting to the HN crowd. Even Reading Rainbow was a TV show that attracted nerdy kids.
- guerrilla 5y agoInterview with him about the petition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXftPsgaj4k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXftPsgaj4k
- jpster 5y ago> There's nothing like ‘Jeopardy!’ in the cultural consciousness. It's not that I'm trying to put it on the same level, but I liken it to Barack Obama being elected president in the United States in 2008. I personally never thought I would see that happen in my lifetime. Did his election mean that we were in a post-racial America? Obviously not at all. But it was an important step. Every time we reach that milestone of a first, it does say something about us. It also tells us something that we continue to have these moments of firsts.... that white is the normative default. The reason that white is the default is the conversation that we are trying to have in this country now, that there’s so much resistance to. I’m glad he said this. It’s sad to see some politicians hell-bent on preventing this conversation. https://abcnews.go.com/US/martin-luther-king-jr-kkk-cut-texas-education/story?id=78965364 https://abcnews.go.com/US/martin-luther-king-jr-kkk-cut-texa...
- Ajay-p 5y agoI met LeVar Burton at CES many years ago. It was like meeting one of my childhood heroes and I liked him very much. What a nice man.
- user982 5y agoThis you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC3CVZeYGa0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC3CVZeYGa0
- dghughes 5y agoI have to say just picturing LeVar Burton in my mind I can see him as the right choice for hosting Jeopardy. Both he and Alex Trebek have that calm reassuring demeanour.
- ARandomerDude 5y agoI picture him like this https://ibb.co/MpcQzKW https://ibb.co/MpcQzKW
- rdaystrom 5y agoPersonally I think Worf would be a much better choice as host. Data as host would also be intriguing.
- f02a 5y agoI'll just leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVwCcUQRjU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVwCcUQRjU
- failwhaleshark 5y agoThat had so many bits to it, it was almost Data.
- rdaystrom 5y agoOn second thought, I think The Price Is Right would be a better fit for Data, replacing Bob Barker.
- mattferderer 5y ago> I think that ‘Roots’ and ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Reading Rainbow,’ they all have that commonality about them, that common thread of entertainment, yes — and informational, inspiring, enlightening, educational, uplifting. We can do so much more than just sell each other stuff with the medium. We need more role models like LeVar not only saying this, but living it. He's referring to TV but I feel very strongly about this in regards to the Internet.