[quote name=\'davemackey\' post=\'119397\' date=\'May 24 2006, 03:01 PM\']
It took 22 seasons but I now can finally say I know someone who's been on "Jeopardy!" One of my crossword construction cronies, Stella Daily, is on the show Friday night. She's a far faster solver than me and has had many more puzzles published than me, so I guess she's good. Of course she's told no one about how she's done, so I gotta root for her like the rest of us!
Stella is also involved with the documentary movie "Wordplay" that's coming out this summer. She is seen several times roaming the tournament site in her crossword-grid pajamas and is heard singing on the soundtrack - she's got a dynamite voice.
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I just got back from seeing "Wordplay," which premiered in select cities this evening and will appear in more next week. It is an extremely well-done documentary which, aside from having the same name as Tom Kennedy's last game show, features at least a couple of people who will be familiar to some of the veterans of our group.
Trip Payne is featured prominently as one of the competitors in the tournament as well as one of the crossword constructors; aside from attending one day of GSC4 back in 1996, he may be best known in our circles as the first player to win $32K on WWTBAM in 1999. Brian Dominy is also featured as his partner, and has a couple of good interview segments in the movie; there's also a scene of the two of them playing the World Cup Soccer pinball machine at their home in Florida (Brian also attended GSC4, and is a serious pinball aficionado).
I could not wait to see the movie (but had to); counting both Trip and Brian as friends (Brian for 15 years now), it was a hoot to see them on the big screen like this. But my own personal bias aside, the theater was packed and rose to thunderous applause when it was all done. This is an incredibly well-crafted documentary about crossword puzzles and the people who love them and make them, and I suspect many of you will find something you enjoy about the movie -- I heartily recommend it.
