John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol. 1 - Number 54 - 11/10/99
OK, I admit it. Like most American television viewers I have become hooked on ABC's Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.
I sit there every night shouting answers at my TV and swearing that if I had a chance I could surely win the million dollar prize and live on easy street.
After all, those first 4-5 questions are a piece of cake. How can anyone not get past questions like, "What's another name for the human navel? A. Shoulder Blade, B. Belly Button, C. Windpipe, D. Pinky Toe. You have to be kidding me!
What's the occupation of someone referred to as a member of the paparazzi? A. Photographer, B. Architect, C. Truck Driver, D. Lawyer. Come on! Is there someone out there that doesn't watch Access Hollywood?
I admit that once you get to the higher level questions, the difficulty level increases dramatically. Who was the only heavyweight boxing champion to retire undefeated? I did not know that the answer was Rocky Marciano, but I would have had my lifelines intact and polled the audience or done a 50/50.
Anyway, the show is only three nights into its second, two week run. Initial results show that the ratings are even higher than the last time around.
At the end of the show they flash a toll free number which you can call to try to qualify for the show. After three nights of trying, I finally got through. The first round requires that you answer three questions correctly. Each question asks you to rank four items. I was shocked to learn that you have only ten seconds to answer.
Feeling very confident, I breezed through the first question which asked me to place in alphabetical order four ancient Greek heroes. Clearly the trick was Oedipus. Many people would put that under "E".
Still feeling very optimistic, I listened for the next question. Place in order of publication the following children's books: Charlotte's Web, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, Where the Wild Things Are.
Hmm, I did take a course in Children's Literature in College back in 1975, so I should be able to figure this one out. I was pretty sure that Alice in Wonderland was the oldest and Where the Wild Things Are was the most recent.
I made my choice.
"Sorry, you're answer is incorrect. You can play up to twice daily. Please try again."
I guess this isn't as easy at it seems. Let's see. For $ 300 "If you're being blown around in the Windy City where are you?" - New Orleans, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago?
Darn, why do I do so well when it's just a matter of me versus the TV?
Well, that's my spin on things. What's yours? You can join me in our chat room almost every evening - Philly Chat - or drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Also, be sure to check out our new Philadelphia Forum where you can share your comments and feelings, ask questions, post classifieds and much more
If you missed any of our recent columns you can still catch them:
Western Diary
10/1/99 - 10/15/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 10/25/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 11/08/99