The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik was named as one of two new hosts of the long-running US television game show Jeopardy!, replacing the award-winning presenter Alex Trebek, who died of cancer last year.
Bialik will share hosting duties with the show's executive producer Mike Richards, it was announced on Wednesday, after a prolonged search for Trebek's successors.
Richards will helm daily syndicated episodes when the show embarks on season 38 next month, while Bialik will take charge of special primetime events and spin-offs, including a new collegiate championship, Sony Pictures Television said.
Bialik, 45, who played geeky neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the hugely successful The Big Bang Theory − and has her own PhD in the same field − said she was "thrilled" with the news.
"What started out with my 15-year-old repeating a rumour from Instagram that I should guest host the show has turned into one of the most exciting and surreal opportunities of my life!" she said.
Jeopardy! has been running in one form or another on US television since 1964, scooping up a bevy of awards over the decades.
In a twist on the quiz show format, contestants are given answers, to which they must provide the question.
Trebek, a Canadian by birth, became synonymous with the programme over his 36 years as host, and his death after a battle with pancreatic cancer provoked an outpouring of emotion from contestants and fans.
Finding a replacement was always going to be a challenge for producers, who ran through a series of guest presenters this year, including Bialik and Richards, in the wake of Trebek's death in November 2020.
That group included celebrity journalists Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper and George Stephanopoulos, as well as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and sports commentator Joe Buck.
The final decision came after months of speculation about who would take charge – and months of heated debate among the show's most loyal fans.
The appointment of Richards, 46, has sparked controversy in some circles, not least because of renewed media attention on employment discrimination lawsuits filed by women when he was executive producer of The Price is Right.
In an internal memo obtained by CNN, Richards defended himself, saying: "The way in which my comments and actions have been characterised in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price is Right."
- Additional reporting by AFP
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
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Yuki Means Happiness
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The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
