Connecticut

Connecticut children’s book author a contestant on Monday’s ‘Jeopardy!’

Published

1 year ago

June 12, 2023

Connecticut children’s book author a contestant on Monday’s ‘Jeopardy!’

When Marilyn Singer was accepted as a contestant on “Jeopardy!,” she was extensively interviewed so that the game show’s host could prepare for the mid-game segment where the players share a little about themselves.

Singer asked who would be hosting her episode. She was told, “We don’t know.” It made a difference because Singer had separate anecdotes about each of the show’s two alternating hosts, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik.

Singer appears on Monday’s show and maybe after that if she won her first game. Contestants are not allowed to divulge the outcome of the games until after they have aired. “Jeopardy!” airs locally on weeknights at 7 p.m. on WTNH.

Singer is a children’s book author who has homes in Washington, Connecticut, and Brooklyn, New York. She says she was once at a book expo when she saw Jennings (who besides being a “Jeopardy!” host is one of the show’s top champions), ran up to him and blurted out that she had once won $25 in a trivia contest. As for Bialik, once when Singer was asked who she’d like to have narrate the audiobook version of one of her books, she suggested Sarah Silverman or Bialik. (Singer ended up narrating the book herself.)

Bialik ended up being the host when Singer appeared, so that’s the anecdote that got used.

Marilyn and her husband Steve have had their place in Washington since the late 1990s. On their very first weekend in Connecticut, Stephen Sondheim walked up to them in a video store when they had their pet poodle with them. “That’s my favorite breed,” Sondheim said. When the poodle licked the great composer’s face, she whispered to the dog “You have kissed the face of God.”

This wasn’t Singer’s first crack at appearing on “Jeopardy!”

“I auditioned years ago and got a callback but didn’t get picked,” she said. “Then you have to wait for at least 18 months before you can try again. I took the test again and got a callback last August. Now they do Zoom callbacks.

“Because I had done a live audition before, I knew that they ask you to hold something in your hand that you can pretend is the buzzer. I always use a toilet roll holder as a buzzer. In the practice game, the person running it said ‘Is that a cigar?’ and I said ‘No, it’s a toilet roll holder’ and everyone laughed through the whole game. I knew I’d done well,” she said.

“Then they called and said ‘Can you be on the show in November or December?’ and I said ‘No!,” because I had so many gigs around my writing. They called me again in February and then I could do it.”

A prolific author whose books include “Face Relations: Eleven Stories About Seeing Beyond Color,” “Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls,” “A Raven Named Grip” (about Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe), “Tallulah’s Tutu,” the recent “Awe-some Days: Poems About the Jewish Holidays” and dozens of others, Singer holds a book signing event every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot.

She and her husband are both “dance fanatics” who like to go to go to swing, ballroom and Latin dance events, though they don’t compete. Before she had gone to Los Angeles to be on “Jeopardy!” the couple had been there to be in the audience for an episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”

When it came down to the actual appearance, Singer recalled she kept telling her husband “I can’t do this.”

“It was agonizing picking out the outfits,” she said. “Jeopardy!” asks contestants to bring three changes of clothes with them in case they appear on more than one episode.

Once Singer arrived, she felt at ease. “I felt really good about being selected, and every single person was nice. They give you another 50-question test, and it has nothing to do with whether you get on the show, but my husband thought it was to try to get you to bond with the other contestants,” she said.

“Going to hair and makeup is hilarious. I talked to the wardrobe guy who said he was retiring after this season and moving to West Hartford. He wanted to see Litchfield, and we talked about that,” she said. “I’m still in touch with some of the people I played against. I’ve joined the Women of Jeopardy Facebook group.”

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Connecticut

CT governor announces Matt Brokman as new chief of staff

Published

3 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

CT governor announces Matt Brokman as new chief of staff

Gov. Ned Lamont announced a new key player in his administration Tuesday.

Matt Brokman, a senior advisor to the governor since January 2023, will take on the role as Lamont’s chief of staff, effective immediately.

Brokman, previously chief of staff for House Majority Leader Jason Rojas and former Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, has also worked in the Connecticut House Democrats Office.

“I think people in this building on both sides of the aisle know him,” Lamont said of Brokman. “They know they can take him at his word, and I think that’s going to be incredibly valuable for us as a state going forward for the next two years.”

With the next regular legislative session about six months away, crafting Connecticut’s next biennium budget is at the forefront. Lamont has said the next budget cycle could be “complicated,” with the state required to spend the last of American Rescue Plan Act funds by the end of 2026.

Brokman replaces Jonathan Dach, who stepped away as Lamont’s chief of staff after a year and a half in the role, citing a move to New York.

Speaking Tuesday, Lamont praised Dach’s work in the “round the clock” chief of staff job, and in various other positions in his administration over the last six years.

Dach said he will continue working with the governor in a senior advisory role on policy projects, such as energy supply, higher education and housing.

The next regular legislative session runs from early January to June 2025

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Connecticut

Bob’s to close all 10 CT locations

Published

11 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

(WFSB) – A clothing store announced the eventual closure of all of its Connecticut locations.

Bob’s Stores said on Monday that as part of a chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan, all of its locations, including the 10 in Connecticut, will close.

Hilco Merchant Resources in a joint venture with Gordon Brothers will manage an inventory liquidation event that will include all Bob’s Stores throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.

The business said that as part of the liquidation, there has been “unprecedented discounts” on a wide range of workwear, footwear, team wear, and everyday clothing. The “going out of business sale” started on June 28 with discounts that ranged from 30 to 70 percent off.

Select store fixtures, furniture, and equipment were also available for sale.

“We regret that our financial position necessitated the liquidation of Bob’s Stores,” said Dave Barton, president of Bob’s Stores. “Bob’s has been a stalwart of our local communities for nearly 70 years, and we know our customers remember us as having been there for major moments in their lives. We remain grateful to our vendors, suppliers, customers and employees for all of their support over the years.”

The business said gift cards and merchandise credits would be honored through close of business on July 14.

It also said all sales are final. No returns will be accepted. Exchanges will be accepted in accordance with the company’s existing policies through the close of business on July 14. No exchanges for purchases made after that date will be accepted.

Here are the 10 Bob’s locations in Connecticut:

Ansonia
Hamden
Manchester
Middletown
Milford
Newington
Simsbury
Southington
Waterbury
Waterford

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Connecticut

Phoenix Mercury, minus Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen, lose to Connecticut Sun

Published

18 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

Phoenix Mercury, minus Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen, lose to Connecticut Sun

Three games in four days took a toll on the Phoenix Mercury as injuries limited the depth in Monday’s 83-72 loss to the Connecticut Sun at Footprint Center.

Against a dynamic team like the Sun, with the second-best record in the WNBA, the Mercury were a step slow and were decimated by the Sun’s depth. Four of the five starters were in double figures with Brionna Jones leading with 18 points. The Sun also played eight players, but outscored the Mercury’s bench, 20-2.

The Mercury (9-10) had a short bench against the Connecticut Sun (15-4) with starters Diana Taurasi and Becca Allen out for Monday’s contest. Guard Sophie Cunningham and forward Natasha Mack started in their place.

Taurasi dealt with back soreness, while Allen had a lower back issue. The two played the day before in the loss against the Indiana Fever. Taurasi played 32 minutes and logged 19 points and three assists. Allen recorded nine points on 25 minutes.

“When we were kids, we would play three games in one day and we’d be exhausted. I feel the same way right now,” guard Natasha Cloud said. “Moving forward, we need a decision to extend a few weeks of the season, especially with the Olympic year. It just protects players, mentally, emotionally, physically, all those things. We had a game yesterday at noon and we had a little bit of rest and are back at it again today. The toll it takes on your body from playing 30-plus minutes is a lot. You’re not going to hear any complaints from us, we showed up today.”

Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper led all scorers with 21 points each. Griner sparked a big run in the fourth quarter with a much-needed 3-pointer. Griner, however, couldn’t make an impact on the boards, grabbing just two rebounds.

Copper had trouble seeing shots fall and went 1-for-4 in the first quarter. She managed seven field goals on 16 attempts, including one 3-pointer.

Rebounding was the difference in the game as the Sun dominated the boards with 37 rebounds to the Mercury’s 18. The Mercury were outscored 11-2 in second-chance points.

The Mercury, who average 27.8 3-point attempts, couldn’t find an answer from beyond the arc and shot 3-for-17 (17.6%).

Phoenix cut a 10-point deficit to three during the fourth quarter when Cloud assisted on Mack’s layup to start a 7-0 run. Cloud helped make it a close game with the Sun, getting her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 assists.

But the Sun edged the Mercury with 10 points on 11 free throw attempts and pulled ahead.

“It was our third game in four nights and we were playing eight people. I was proud of the way we competed, I don’t think you saw the best version of ourselves tonight. Everything was a little bit of a step slow,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said.

Guard Charisma Osborne was out with a left lower leg injury, which made Sug Sutton, Liz Dixon, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan the only available options off the bench.

The Mercury travel to play the Dallas Wings on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

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