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Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 17:47:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Sreenath Sreenivasan 
To: SAJA E-Mail Discussion Lists
Subject: [saja] MEDIA APP: Babu & Apu

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From SAJA E-mail Discussion List 
Dissecting American Media Now (D.A.M.N.)
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[MEDIA APP = Media appereances by South Asians]

Folks:

I had meant to write this note earlier in the week. Started to, but didn't
find time until this quiet, drizzlingly dull afternoon.

Two Wednesdays ago, there was a desi contestant on Jeopardy!, the
long-running syndicated TV quiz show. Not just any desi, but a Srinivasan.
Babu Srinivasan. He spells his last name incorrectly and is
not related to me, but he turned out to be one smart guy (perhaps he's
so smart because we aren't related). 

He won the contest that day, and went on to win four succeeding shows that
Thursday, Friday, then this past Monday and Tuesday.

I didn't watch all the segments, but did catch the end of his Tuesday
appearance. He won Tuesday night as well, taking home a total of more than
$75,000 in cash and a Corvette. Jeopardy doesn't allow you to win more
than five times, so he was asked to move on, but he does get to return in
the fall for the "tournament of champions" where he will compete with
other five-time winners.

Each day during his reign, I would get more and more friends and
colleagues asking me if I was related to Babu -- which tells you how many
people still watch this show in the age of the much more glamorous "Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Weakest Link."

On Tuesday, after Jeopardy ended at 7:30 on WABC-7 here in NY, I switched
to watch a Simpsons rerun on Fox-5 and it was an episode that some of you
may have seen before: Apu doesn't want to marry the girl his mother has
found for him, so pretends to be married to Marge (he evetually gets
married in a Hindu ceremony).

Taken together, it made for a rather surreal desi-filled hour of
television in the media capital of America.

More on that Simpsons episode, which features the first appearance of
Manjula, Apu's wife-to-be... 

"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" 
Official guide: 
http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0907.html

Unofficial guide:
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/5F04

More on Jeopardy!:
http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/shows/jeopardy/jeopardy/jeopardy.html

cheers, sree@sree.net 
sreenath sreenivasan | 212-854-5979
http://www.sree.net

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