ACTOR MICHAEL MCKEAN TRIUMPHS IN THE
"JEOPARDY!" MILLION DOLLAR CELEBRITY INVITATIONAL
WINNING $50,000 FOR CHARITY
"I was terrified to the very end!"
-Michael McKean
CULVER CITY, CALIF. (October 15, 2009) – Film and TV actor Michael McKean, currently starring on Broadway in the highly-acclaimed “Superior Donuts”, prevailed in this week’s quarterfinals of the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Tournament. As a result of his win, the International Myeloma Foundation will receive $50,000 and McKean will remain in the tournament.
McKean defeated NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won $25,000 on behalf of Skyhook Foundation (Improving Children’s Lives Through Sports & Education), and Host/Journalist Soledad O’Brien (“CNN’s Black in America”), who earned $25,000 for The Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Family Foundation.
When asked about his impressive victory, McKean said, “Winning the first round of the competition means everything to me at the moment. I was terrified until the very end! I thought someone was going to dance around me and leave me in the dust. A little humiliation is good for the soul.”
McKean joins last month’s winner Andy Richter in advancing to this spring’s semifinals and a chance to play for the $1 million grand prize.
The Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitationalwill play host to 27 popular TV stars, newsmakers and pop culture icons competing in a series of nine quarterfinal games. These special episodes will be broadcast on the third Thursday of every month through May 2010, with a guaranteed cash prize of $1 million going to the winning star’s favorite charity. A total of over $2.5 million will be donated throughout the season.
Jeopardy!, the winner of 28 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication with nearly 9 million daily viewers. Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp.