DAILY DIRT: Former game show host honored with Forever stamp

There have been few true icons in the game-show industry, and Alex Trebek was certainly one of them … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,023 of The Daily Dirt.

1. What a great — and fitting — tribute to one of television’s all-time positive personalities.

Alex Trebek, the late and longtime host of the game show “Jeopardy!”, has been honored by the United States Postal Service with his own Forever postage stamp.

The stamp was released on July 22, which would have been his 84th birthday. Trebek died in 2020 following a long battle with cancer.

Each Trebek stamp features the same clue in the style that it would have been delivered in the game: “This naturalized U.S. citizen hosted the quiz show ‘Jeopardy!’ for 37 seasons.” Scrawled along the bottom, upside down, is the correct answer, “Who is Alex Trebek?”

The Canadian-born Trebek came to the United States after having worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the early ’70s. He hosted game shows for several years, including “High Rollers” and “The Wizard of Odds,” before moving to “Jeopardy!” in 1984.

2. Did you know (Part 84)

• That the average person shares his/her birthday with 19 million other people. For all you others born on Dec. 8, I’m expecting cards this year.
• That pigs are unable to look upward. Guess no porkies will be playing center field anytime soon.
• That only female mosquitoes bite humans. No comment.
• That koalas sleep 18 to 22 hours a day. My kind of animal.
• That rabbits eat their own feces. What a bunch of crap.

3. In late July, boomer music fans lost another of their heroes when it was announced Duke Fakir, the last living member of the Four Tops, had died at age 88.

For decades, it was a toss-up among Motown fans who the No. 1 soul group was, the Four Tops or the Temptations. The Tops boasted lead singer Levi Stubbs and his iconic cry-in-his voice style, while the Tempts showcased a number of different lead voices, but most notably David Ruffin.

At Fakir’s funeral, another legend, Stevie Wonder, led the crowd in a rendition of one of the Tops’ greatest hits, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”.

Among the tributes to Fakir that day were written messages from current president Joe Biden and former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

For the record, here are my my five favorite Four Top hits:

• 1. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
• 2. “It’s The Same Old Song”
• 3. “If I Were A Carpenter”
• 4. “Something About You”
• 5. “Reach Out I’ll Be There”

Also for the record, Stubbs died at age 72 in the fall of 2008.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – I named the first dog I ever had after a Four Tops song, “Bernadette”. In that pop culture war involving the Four Tops and Temptations, I always leaned toward the Tops.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He’ll take cheeseburgers for $200.