What charity are you playing for?
Um, I'm actually playing for choo--for two charities. And, uh, it was... it was really difficult, actually, when they called, to pick one, because there are so many charities that I care deeply about, and, um... and it's a nice amount of money, so I wanted to spread it around a little bit. So, I'm playing for the IRC, the International Rescue Committee, and they focus on helping families, and especially women, that are affected by violence in war-torn areas. Um, so they do a lot of wo--really incredible work in the Congo, and in Darfur, and around Africa and Asia. Um, and then I'm also working--I'm also--uh, half the money's going to Doctors Without Borders, which is obviously a really credibly proven, time-tested organization, and, um, they do incredible, important work on the ground all over the world, um, in areas that are stricken by poverty, so... I--I could've thought of thirty... there's--there's just so much to be done, um... Warren Buffet, [puts hands to head as a telephone, and mouths the words "call me"].
What would be your dream Jeopardy! category?
FRENCH FOOD. COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS. [Laughs] XBOX GAMES. And FIGHTING. [Raises fists] Yeah. [Interviewer asks, "BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHTING?"] Uh, UFC. [Nods]
What are you most excited about, or afraid of, today?
Um, I love games. And I love playing games. So I'm actually just excited to play the game, and I'm--I know it's going to go really fast, and I'm going to be really sad, so I'm hoping not to burst into tears and blubber all over Alex and have to be removed by security, but that could be a good bar story, so maybe I'll--I'll do that. I'll just--I'll create a scene, y'know? And they'll have to drag me out. I'll pull a Winona Ryder or something like that, and have to be dragged from the stage. It'll be fun.
Who is going to win today?
You know, I think that Tom is a sleeper. I think they're both really, really smart. And--and--before, I--I was thinking, like--I was trying to handicap it: And I thought, "Well, okay, Tom's really busy. He's got like seventeen jobs." You know what I mean? [Laughs] You know, he's like the Dominican of--of the entertainment business. Remember that sketch on In Living Color where the Dominicans had...? He's like the Dominican of entertainment. And me, I'm unemployed, so I--I should be the ringer, really. But, um, Elizabeth, actually, she seems like she is really well-read. I don't know! I'm just praying someone starts to get sick, um, and--y'know, or--or scrubs out, or ha--gets D--DQ'd for s--can you get DQ'd in Jeopardy!?--No?--Like, for jumping the gun, or...? Maybe s--there might be somebody here on steroids! I think we should have a test! I might just--I'm just gonna Heisman somebody, just right--right after--right after the first Jeopardy! Round, just--bow!--right in the neck. That would get me DQ'd, though, see?--so that's not gonna work.
If you could pick anyone to play Jeopardy! against who would it be and why?
Somebody really stupid. [Laughs] Um, I don't know. You know, th--there's--either you want someone who's going to be a challenge, or you want someone who is going to, you know, drool, and, y'know, play their PSP the whole time. And I'm--A seven-year-old--like a s--like a second grader. And then, what would be the horrible thing is that the second grader would beat me. And then, I wouldn't be able to go home that night, I'd have to sleep on a bench somewhere. 'Cause that would be too much shame, to go home.
Tune in for a star-studded game from Las Vegas!
...
Did you expect to win?
Um, no! I definitely did not think I would win. Um, I did study for it, and I felt very prepared... relatively prepared, anyway. Um, and I--I--I did know the answers to most of the questions, but really, when you're watching the game from home, you don't--cannot tell how important proper buttoning t--technique is, and, um, if you don't butt--y'know, buzz in properly, you don't get a chance to answer, and I was really feeling very--I think I was, like, jumping the gun too much during the first round, and kinda going crazy. I--I really just wanted to do like this--[pounds palm into signaling device button repeatedly] rrrrr!--which apparently is against the rules, so I just reset a little bit after the first round, and I was able to come back. Plus, I was lucky, I got two Daily Doubles, which made a big, big difference for me. Um, but I also bet conservatively--y'know, you don't want to go all-out on a Daily Double, then kinda blow it, so, I feel like I played--I had a good strategy--and I felt like I played the strategy, and, uh, and that was great!
What did you think of the competition?
They were great. I mean, they were both so great. I mean, Tom--I've, I've known Tom for a long time, he's such a lo--lovely, funny, y'know, easygoing guy, so he was just nice to be standing next to. And actually, Elizabeth was doing really well. She--she kind of threw me off. I think she was trying to psyche me out by acting like she wasn't going to do well. She was doing great, and she had much better buzzer technique than me. I'm gonna have to take classes from her for the next time I do this.
Which category was easiest for you?
BEER. Sadly enough. I--I'm--I'm like a--I'm--I'm essentially like I'm a senior, a college senior. I'll be--I'm, like, stuck at college senior. I'm like, "BEER, the BEER one was good". And my friends were joking: they were like, "Aisha... maybe you'll get, like, BEER, um, VIDEO GAMES, and, uh, like, UFC FIGHTS." And I was like, "Yeah, I would probably win if I got that", so I got two out of three. And I was really excited because my friends and I were having a big discussion about what star was closest to the Earth right before I got here, and I was online looking at it, and it was the Centauri group, and then Alpha Centauri came up as a--an answer. And that was so exciting, because I literally just studied that this afternoon. So, some of it's luck, right? Some of it is luck. You have to have a category that, y'know, fits your life.
What does donating your winnings mean to you?
I'm over the moon. It's so exciting. I mean, these are both really important charities that do really critical work, and a donation like this is a--really a substantial donation for both of them. And, um, it's... Something like this is really just fun for us, y'know? I mean, you show up, you get to do this fun game, it's--you're playing the game--it's just a great half-hour, um, but the result is so wonderful, and it's so nice that the Jeopardy! donations were so substantial. And the fact that I was able to give my of my charities $25,000 is extraordinary. I'm very, very happy.
You're in Vegas, baby. How will you celebrate your victory?
Oh, my God. [British accent] Drink a martini and get in a fistfight. [Regular voice] No. Um, [laughs] I'm gonna go have a nice dinner and see a show. Um, maybe play a little blackjack. Um, I don't have any winnings to play with, so, I'll be only, like, I'm'nna go to Circus Circus and play, like the $1 table. But, um, [laughs]. Now I'm feeling very lucky, so it'd probably be a good night to go play--play some cards. |
2009 Celebrity Jeopardy! winner: $50,000 split between the International Rescue Committee/Congo and Doctors Without Borders.
"She's a popular comedienne, host and versatile actress known to fans of Talk Soup, Friends, The 5th Wheel and the Ghost Whisperer. Please welcome..."
Aisha Tyler's talent and versatility have sparked her rapid ascent in Hollywood, and have earned her critical raves and industry respect. Her hot-streak stint at the head of E! Entertainment's Talk Soup landed her firmly in the Hollywood spotlight. Her razor wit revitalized the Emmy-winning show, which she was the first woman and African-American to captain. After leaving Talk Soup, Aisha moved quickly into television and film roles, enjoying another first – the first African-American to play an extended character arc on NBC's Friends. She co-starred with Jennifer Love Hewitt in the CBS hit Ghost Whisperer. She also had recurring roles on two of television's top dramas--CSI for CBS and 24 for Fox. This after her movingly dramatic guest role in FX's Golden Globe-nominated Nip/Tuck, where she played a Somali model who was the victim of abuse. Aisha has made numerous television appearances on shows, including HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reno 911, The Boondocks and many more.
Aisha is enjoying a successful film career. She has a role in Adam Sandler's hit, Bedtime Stories, and appeared in two recent films: the crime drama Death Sentence, opposite Kevin Bacon, and the Universal comedy Balls of Fury, with Christopher Walken. She completed filming Black Water Transit, a film set in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, directed by iconic Brit Tony Kaye and starring Lawrence Fishburn, Karl Urban and Brittany Snow. Aisha also had roles in .45, opposite Milla Jovovich, and Santa Clause III with Tim Allen. She had a starring role in the Lifetime Television film drama For One Night, a moving project about a real-life Atlanta high school that still has a segregated prom for black and white students.
Having begun her career as a stand-up comedian, Aisha uses her trademark wit in multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Today Show, Politically Incorrect, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Late Late Show and more. February 2009 brings Aisha's own, hotly-anticipated one-hour special for Comedy Central--Aisha Tyler is Lit: Live from the Fillmore. Recorded in her hometown of San Francisco, the special is drawing rave early reviews. Her comedic voice is raw, edgy, honest and wonderfully refreshing – yet a look at the audiences at her live performances reveals her broad appeal: women, men, mainstream, urban, young and old alike. Her aggressive performance style recalls Chris Rock or Richard Pryor, with the physicality of a young Eddie Murphy. Aisha continues to perform stand-up at top clubs around the country and will embark on a Spring 2009 tour to support the DVD release of her Comedy Central show.
Aisha is currently developing several directorial projects, including her own film, Ventura, an edgy, buddy-cop action film in which she will also star. Aisha is a celebrated author, having released the successful Swerve: Reckless Observations of a Post-Modern Girl in 2004. The book is a collection of comic essays on pop culture, in which Aisha comments deliciously on everything from casual sex, the mysteries of platonic friendship and hip-hop videos to marriage, the Ms. Foundation and Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Critics and readers alike praise the book for its frank and hilarious look at what it's like to be a girl. Aisha is also a frequent contributor to Glamour magazine, for which she has written pieces about the media's unrealistic portrayal of feminine beauty.
Aisha has many additional interests. An avid video game player, she was named to the exclusive seven-member Halo game counsel. She does a substantial amount of charitable work as well, acting as a spokesperson for the American Red Cross, teaching Dove self-esteem workshops for teenage girls, consulting with the Trust for Public Land's Parks for People project, and fund-raising for Doctors Without Borders, the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the International Rescue Committee.
Critical acclaim for Aisha has been effusive. Esquire called Aisha "sweetly wicked," designating her one of its "Women We Love". TV Guide called her one of television's "In Crowd." Maxim anointed her one of its "Hot 100" two years in a row. Vibe crowned her "the next Queen of Comedy." And Tongue gushed, "[she's] that impossible combination of hot-as-the-day-is-long and so cool… the most unlikely crossover since Charlie Pride."
Aisha's most recent project is her stand-up comedy special, Aisha Tyler is Lit: Live at the Fillmore which aired Feb. 21st on Comedy Central. The DVD of the show is now on sale and she is currently touring the country doing stand-up dates. You can find out more about her at www.aishatyler.com. |
