Digimon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Around The Anime Horn ❯ Outcries fall on death’s ear. ( Chapter 9 )

AROUND THE ANIME HORN

A/N: This is the ninth episode of Around the Anime Horn, presented by ATAH/Sparks Enterprises. This is the last shot for a panelist to make it into the season finals and a chance at $250,000. (US) Of course, this episode will touch on war situations, but only touch. I will overview the Academy Awards, look at milestones in sports and a whole lot more. So stay right here, because you never know what will happen Around the Anime Horn!

Day 9: Outcries fall on death's ear. (Recorded March 24, 2003)

(we're on the air)

Art Read: These four things I know are true! The United States is currently at war, but that does not stop anti-war protests from going stronger than ever before. I personally thought Chicago: The Musical was better than Chicago: The Movie. What is my favorite milestone of all time? The 100th episode of my self-titled series that puts me leaps and bounds ahead of Yu-Gi-Oh! in the U.S., but is humbling considering where Pokémon and Digimon are at in episode counts.

All panelists (monotone): And you're a self-promoting advertisement hog. Let's go Around the Anime Horn.

(intro plays)

Voice Over: It's Around the Anime Horn, the show of competitive banter. Here now, emcee Arthur Read!

Read: Did they wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what? Anyway, welcome back to the guilty pleasure that comes in a small package. Let's get right to this shindig with our all-anime panel. First, out of the Yu-Gi-Oh! camps, he is the U.S. Champion of the Duel Monsters game, with a bad-boy attitude to boot. Please welcome, Keith Bandit.

Bandit: This is a Duel Monsters Champion that won't falter like many before him.

Read: We are just going to see about that, and I hope you didn't check your behavior at the door. Speaking of which, we have the tamer that had the worst attitude of the bunch. She said, and I quote "I didn't want to be in the Day 3 episode with the three dimwits and Jeri or the Day 5 episode with Gogglehead because none of them would have been formidable competition with the Number 1 player in the Digimon card game or this crap. Besides, I fly solo." If you ask me, she is a real female dog, if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, please welcome Ruki Makino!

Makino: If you ask me, you're the dog.

Read: No, I am the aardvark. (one point off Makino's score; at -1) Moving along, he is the certifiable genius of the Digimon Adventure 01 bunch and quite the electronics whiz, as well. But watching him, I have seen that he has his best moments with is Pineapple laptop. Please welcome Koushiro Izumi!

Izumi: I'll just say what I have to say when the game begins.

Read: That's the best strategy, Kou. And finally, he is the oldest of the group I would be more comfortable calling DD-12. (The Digidestined 12) He's a future doctor, but I'm confident he won't be a crack like Kevorkian, Dr. Death or Dr. Phil. He is a spectacle, because he is the only one that wears glasses for regular vision and a real favorite with Digimon fans. He is Joe Kido!

Kido: Dr. Phil has nothing on this.

Read: Believe me, that discussion is for another day and another show entirely. And maybe one of you four can be on another show if you can score 40 or more points in this… the show that scores the argument. Here's how it's done with these joysticks and MUTE buttons.

For the first two rounds, scoring will be based on point of view, style and information.

O.K. answers get one point

Good answers get two points

Great answers get three points

The MUTE button (deduction of five points) is used to penalize and direct traffic during arguments.

We eliminate panelists in the second and fourth rounds so a one on one showdown determines the winner. Let's make it happen!

Voice Over: It's the Opening Remarks!

Read: Our first Opening Remark is Oscar night. The 75th Annual Academy Awards were handed out last night and among the winners of those golden statuettes were Adrien Brody for Best Actor `The Pianist', Nicole Kidman for Best Actress `The Hours', and `Chicago' won for Best Picture of the year? Here is your first question. Of all the winners at Oscar Night, which were you most surprised of? Let's go Around the Horn to Koushiro Izumi.

Izumi: I was most surprised of the acclaim that Chicago got. Of course, it was inspired by the musical, but it also spawned two Best Supporting Actress nods for Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones (three points; at 3) with Jones being the eventual winner. But putting all nominations aside for just a moment, I found Michael Moore's anti-war speech to be the most annoying part of the awards? (three points; at 6) Anti-war protests are all but useless… (MUTE; now at 1)

Read: Koushiro, the thing is that I don't want to spoil what you were going to say, for now. I'll give you back the points, (five points; back to 6) but you will have plenty of time to talk about anti-war protests later in the show.

Izumi: You're still a promotion hog.

Read: I won't argue with a genius.

Makino: Maybe you can explain to me how a near nobody in Adrien Brody gets the Best Actor award for The Pianist? (two points off; now at -3) But aside from that mishap, Michael Moore's charade was completely unexpected, but if you take Moore's message and compare it with Fred Durst at the Grammys (three points; at 0) I see very little to contrast with the main idea.

Read: That's very nice, but how can you compare Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst with director Michael Moore? Moore had an entire sppech ready while Fred just said let's stop the war (two points off; now at -2) You talk about compare and contrast and conwomen like yourself, but it seems like you are getting your signals mixed.

Makino: Oh, just go on and MUTE me you insult to public… (MUTE; back to -7)

Read: She won't get far in this game. Keith, why don't you take a crack at it?

Bandit: I have to say I was surprised when Nicole Kidman of all people won the Best Actress Oscar for that third-rate film `The Hours'. Soon it will end up being the mother of all chick flicks (three points; at 3) and the death to men across the nation and the world. (three points; at 6) So please do your absolute best to stay away from this film.

Kido: Hey Art, I think it's plainly obvious that Keith's favorite snack foods are crackers (three points; at 3) because he is one. (MUTE; now at -2)

Read: That is so old of a cliché. I'll give you half of your points back, though, because I was a little curious as to where your argument would go. (three points back to Joe; now at 1)

Kido: As I was saying, the biggest surprise was that Adrien Brody/Halle Berry hug. It will probably be the subject of Access Hollywood and ET until they actually get together. (three points; at 4) I'm not trying to say it won't happen, because here relationship with Benét is on very serious rocks. But my second big surprise of the night was that feminist movies rocked the nominations a Chicago won six Academy Awards (three points; at 7) when I don't even think it was supposed to win any.

Read: Yes, I have to admit that Chicago was a big surprise, but this one is for reluctant Ruki Makino. You seem to have no comment for any of the female-oriented films like The Hours and Chicago, why is that?

Makino: I actually saw both films during their release and was very impressed with the sort of `Larry Saunders' atmosphere of Chicago (three points; at -4) and the multiple stories in The Hours had something for everyone. (two points; at -2)

Read: Try to do the story behind the story, and you'll never fail. Koushiro?

Izumi: You're probably wondering why none of us thought that Spirited Away was a big surprise.

Read: Actually, no because with the exception of Keith and myself, everyone here is Japanese in some way, shape or form. And they recognized the power of that film.

Izumi: Prodigious! You took the words right out of my mouth. Anyway, I thought for sure that it would be either Nicolas or Daniel-Day Lewis for their respective pictures. (three points; at 9) Now this will be a big time for Pay-Per-View or video and DVD sales because of it.

Read: Yeah, they make a very prodigious killer. Let's go back to Joe and see what he knows.

Kido: I thought that for lack of great interest in this year's pictures that the Oscar ratings would be lower than what they were. It turns out that because of people turning in to the 24-7 coverage of the war with Iraq (three points; at 10) the ratings weren't up to par with last year's, but that is the most obvious of the excuses for poor ratings.

(horn blares)

Read: Keith, you have the last word.

Bandit: Overall, it was a disappointing showing for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but you can't blame that on the show at all. Blame it on the war with Iraq, (three points; at 9) blame it on a poor lineup of films and blame it on Michael Moore's post-anti-war message. (two points; at 11)

Read: I'll go further into your statement. The Oscars were supposed to be a spot where you could be entertained and not have to deal with all the messages of war and the like. Because of Michael's statement, it has defeated the purpose of having an awards show and it means for the Oscars, redeeming yourself for the fact that you couldn't bring quality entertainment to our doorsteps and living rooms. Next topic! The first two rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament have been played. Now there are four teams in the Big East, three teams in the Big XII, two teams in the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC, and one team in the Pac-10, Horizon and Conference USA leagues. Here is the question, right now, who looks to be on easy street for the rest of the playoffs? Around the horn we go to Keith Bandit.

Bandit: You have to go with Oklahoma and Kelvin Sampson's team. Just look at the competition they're up against. Butler, Auburn and Syracuse are teams that did not win their conference championships (two points; at 13) and therefore have proven to Oklahoma that they are vulnerable (three points; at 16) and can buckle down in the stretch. Though Hollis Price is injured, I feel that the Sooners have enough raw talent to get through without much help from their star guard.

Kido: No, I don't think so. Looking down at my bracket, I see that Texas will have to face teams that have garnered three National Championships in the last six years. (three points; at 13) And you have to look at the coaches that control these programs. We have Jim Calhoun, Tom Izzo and Gary Williams. They have all proven themselves worthy in the past (two points; at 15) and I see it happening again. I just blame this on the fact that TJ Ford has not put out the type of performance numbers we expect out of a player like him.

Makino: Guys, and I do mean all guys, you couldn't be more wrong if you were wearing two left gloves. (two points; at 0) Arizona, though they had some days to rest after the Gonzaga game, are vulnerable. When the brackets were set up for this tournament, about a week ago, everyone said that Arizona was at the bad end of a wide array of talent. We still have Duke and Kansas to contend with (two points; at 2) and Notre Dame is also expected to mount a semi-possible charge. So Lute Olsen and his Wildcats should watch out.

Izumi: Well, obviously, Kentucky has the 2nd easiest walk to the Final Four in New Orleans, but that is because Marquette was never the best in their conference (two points; at 11) Wisconsin was never the best in their conference, but Pittsburgh might be an exception to the majority. But, obviously the team with the best walk to the Final Four has to be Oklahoma. Because, when I look down at my bracket, I see the teams they're up against and think that they are and always have been down easy street. (two points; at 13)

Read: Yeah, but don't you think that Butler is on a surge after winning against Louisville…

Izumi: Who is, by the way, the best team in Conference USA. (two points; at 15)

Read: That is true, but look at all the elements that are in Syracuse. And I also noticed that you all picked teams with number one seats. Who do you think is the best candidate for the Final Four that doesn't have a number one seat?

Bandit: They are the answer to any positive statistic in the ACC besides North Carolina. Either Duke or Maryland will pull it off once again. (three points; at 19) It will not be a Big East team, because they haven't shown me that they are equipped to play with the big boys at all.

Kido: Actually, Keith, you forgot the fact that Kansas has two great superpowers in Kirk Hinrich and Chris Collison.

Bandit: Yes, but how can your team be a superpower when it can't even… (MUTE; now at 14)

Read: All right, let the good doctor finish.

Kido: As far as I'm concerned, if you look down this bracket, there is no other coach that deserves a National Championship than Roy Williams. He has run a clean program (two points; at 15) and he does more than just teach college students the fundamentals of basketball. He also teaches the fundamentals of life. (three points; at 18)

Izumi: All right, that is all well and good, but when you get right down to the bare facts of who is the best deserving franchise, I say you look no further than Duke. Many people thought that losing Jay Williams would be a setback, but they gained more minutes from Chris Duhon, Dantay Jones and Daniel Ewing. And the introduction of JJ Redick has been a blessing to this team, also. (two points; at 17)

(horn blares)

Read: Ruki, you have the last word.

Makino: All of these teams will falter to the awesome power of Oklahoma. And it's all because of the bracket busters in the NCAA. (three points; at 5)

Read: Those were the Opening Remarks. We'll see if it's worth it, but unfortunately, we won't flip it and reverse it, next!

After round one, the scores are:

Keith Bandit: 14 points

Ruki Makino: 5 points

Koushiro Izumi: 17 points

Joe Kido: 18 points

(commercial break)

(we're back on the air)

Voice Over: We want to know that ever-so-popular question… is it worth it?

Art Read: And that is exactly what we will find out as we continue to keep it moving. First topic! Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal seem to be doing all the work for the Los Angeles Lakers. Last night O'Neal and Bryant together scored over 60 points and had only one assist in a loss against the Sacramento Kings. I want to know what other two players for the Lakers are really worth it, Keith?

Bandit: If Robert Horry can pull off all of these last-second miracles, he is definitely worth every penny. And the other player you must have is Derek Fisher, who brings true style and finesse to the game. Everyone else is just there for a free ring. (three points; at 17)

Makino: I think that Rick Fox has the best situation. Not only can he play the game, but he also has Vanessa Williams as a wife (three points; at 8) and you can't go wrong with that. Second has to be Robert Horry, who has seemed to have the championships follow him no matter where he goes. (two points; at 10)

Izumi: These days, it's all about Shaq and Kobe. These two seem to have their own problems all year, with Shaq complaining about his little toe and Yao Ming, and Kobe has been getting heat for taking too many shots. But I can't really blame Kobe, because all he really can pass to is Shaq. (two points; at 19) I pick Rick Fox and Derek Fisher, by the way.

Kido: What Shaq has to do is hope that he doesn't have to go up against another Hakeem Olajowon for as long as he lives and he'll be fine. But because Shaq and Kobe have to take all of these shots every game, they will get fatigued faster than their competition and will be left to be fed to the vultures before you know it. (one point; at 19) But I will pick Robert Horry and Rick Fox as worthy teammates.

Read: All right. Next topic! You know how everyone says that Pokémon is dead? Well, the franchise itself took a big hit last week as their card manufacturer, Wizards of the Coast has severed ties with the Nintendo affiliate. There is some good news, however, as Pokémon: The Series had a special sneak preview of their new season, `Pokémon Advanced'. And surprisingly, the series itself has continued to put up #1 Nielsen ratings despite stiff competition from its `Kids' WB!' counterpart, Yu-Gi-Oh! So, is all the negative attention toward Pokémon worth it, Ruki?

Makino: I'm actually going against the ratings, because it used to be that Pokémon would stir up more controversy than Mr. Robert Montgomery Knight. (three points; at 13) The show has now stayed dormant for the last couple of years, but has still remained popular amongst the Saturday morning crowd. But I think that the introduction of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire will sell more games, because that is what they did good from the very beginning. (two points; at 15)

Izumi: No, I don't think any of what has been said is worth it. And if you don't believe me remember the proof is in the pudding. Ratings don't lie (two points; at 21) and neither does positives press. Only it's the negative press that shows on Saturday and sells on Monday.

Kido: People can find the merchandise, the series and everything else to be below average, but I still say that everything is alive and well for Nintendo's affiliate. The only thing I have a problem with is that in the Pokémon Advanced series preview, I saw no trace of Brock or Misty. It was just Ashton with a new makeover and a new companion that is only on her journey for the traveling. (two points; at 21) I need chemistry and I don't foresee it with these two.

Bandit: I think that if the series can beat `Yu-Gi-Oh!' and everything outside the `Kids' WB!' clique, then it is without a doubt formidable. I think that the one thing that benefits it is that it is nothing but a long continuation throughout, and that's what will keep people hooked. (one point; at 18)

Read: I think that what detracted people from the series was the fact that every episode is outlined the same way. It makes everything look predictable and therefore, throws up a red flag. Next topic! World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will hold its annual Super Bowl event, Wrestlemania XIX at SafeCo Field in Seattle, Washington on March 30, 2003. The Pay Per View version will be four hours long and feature an array of talent amongst a cast of thousands. I want to know, what match is worth all the struggle put out by Vince McMahon, Koushiro?

Izumi: Without a doubt, it's a great event. My favorite moment has to be Wrestlemania VI in Toronto, where champion Hulk Hogan went against Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior. Although Hogan lost the match, he went over to the Warrior and shook his hand (three points; at 24) showing good sportsmanship and desire on the part of Hulkamania. And simply because so much was on the line that night.

Kido: Actually, you're about a year of, Kou. You have to go back to Wrestlemania VII with the first Persian Gulf war going strong, you had war-supporter Sergeant Slaughter going against Hulk Hogan. (three points; at 24) Though there might have been more politics in the match than necessary, you have to admit war was a big topic, like it is now. (two points; at 26)

Bandit: Actually, you have to go back to Wrestlemania III, which sanctioned two of the greatest matches of all time. One being Ricky `The Dragon' Steamboat against the `Macho Man' Randy Savage, which set the tone for some of the great middleweight rivalries today. (three points; at 21) And, of course, what I feel was the greatest match of all time; Andre The Giant versus Hulk Hogan and that awesome body slam by the latter cements this match as a top 10. (three points; at 24)

Makino: Guys, never before had two wrestlers stood together in a ring for over one hour until Wrestlemania XII. (three points; at 18) When wrestling legend, Bret `The Hitman' Hart had to go to overtime with Shawn Michaels, the greatest match of all time, as voted by the fans, took place. (three points; at 21) and that is the only vote that matters. (two points; at 23)

Read: I have to say that all of you proved your point well, but Ruki did it the best by mentioning how important a fan base is to sports entertainment. Next topic! War in Iraq has been going strong since last Wednesday, but anti-war protests also appear to be going stronger than ever, as well. Is it worth it to have anti-war protests for a war in progress, Joe?

Kido: Absolutely not. And here's why. It used to be that you couldn't fight city hall. Why don't you try Capital Hill on for size (three points; at 29) and see how you fare?

Bandit: The problems with anti-war protests are that they are designed to stop a war from happening or taking fruition. But we are currently in a situation where there is already a war going on, making their purpose seem more redundant than ever before. (two points; at 26)

Makino: If you look at recent Internet polls, more people are supporting the war each week than ever before. There is a lot less in the way of protestors because the war is on going right now and at this very moment. (three points; at 26) If the war is continuing right now, than it would take a lot of time and money just to stop it. (three points; at 29)

Izumi: There are so many people that are protesting the war for the wrong reasons, and because of that, I think that anti-war protests should have stopped when President Bush gave the warning to Hussein and is sons. It is the only logical time for them to stop. (three points; at 27)

(horn blares)

Read: Well, personally…

Makino (interrupting): If I could say this one thing…

Read (one-upmanship): Go on, Ruki.

Makino: The anti-war… (MUTE; at 24)

Read: You should have known better than to interrupt the host with the most… and now, you're outta here! And she had such a great comeback, too. Well, she obviously was not in the league of our other contenders, but we will see who knows their world leaders and all-around bad guys in our round we like to call Tyranny Tree, and that round is next!

(commercial break)

(we're back on the air)

Voice Over: It's Around the Anime Horn, where after two rounds, here's how they stand:

Keith Bandit has 26

Koushiro Izumi has 27

Joe Kido has 29

And Ruki Makino is preparing our emcee's one-way trip to Dreamland.

And now… it's the Tyranny Tree!

Art Read: The bodyguards will keep that wild girl out of my sight, for sure. Now it's time for the Tyranny Tree, where our panelists will have the chance to earn a maximum of 15 points if they can match their Tyranny Tree with my own. Before the show, each panelist had exactly ten minutes to decide out of five people in the world, who was the all-around most ruthless of the bunch. They were placed on a tree and rated on ruthlessness on a one to five scale with five being the most ruthless. By matching these people in the same places I did, they will earn points that correspond to their level of ruthlessness. (EX: If the level of ruthlessness was two for both panelist and emcee, the panelist earns two points.) Now it's time to find out our ruthless tyrants of the day.

Today's ruthless tyrants include:

Martha Burk

George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein

Kim Jong Il

Osama bin Laden

Read: we will begin with the player with the lowest score, and that would be Keith.

Bandit: After close consideration, I felt that the biggest threat to our daily lives has to be the one we least expect. Considering such, I chose Kim Jong Il as the biggest tyrant of the bunch. Continuing on with that theme, I decided on Osama bin Laden as our second biggest threat. Martha Burk has shown me time and time again the type of `lady' she is. I feel that she is a very ruthless woman, but not much of a tyrant, so she is number three. I have three words for putting George W. Bush on this list; not right now. He will go number four, and Saddam Hussein goes last, because I heard reports that he may be dead, so unless you channeled your spirit, you can't be much of a threat.

Keith Bandit's Tyranny Tree:

5- Kim Jong Il

4- Osama bin Laden

3- Martha Burk

2- George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein

Read: Not a bad order, but we have to see what certified genius Koushiro Izumi thought.

Izumi: I'll be straightforward, here. The person that least threatens us is Osama bin Laden. Number two is Kim Jong Il, because North Korea is letting go their plan to destroy the US with nuclear warheads. Three has to be Saddam Hussein simply because he is the main target in this war. Four is George W. Bush for his approval ratings in the Middle East. And finally, Martha Burk is the biggest threat to the US, because she is just plain scary.

Koushiro Izumi's Tyranny Tree:

5- Martha Burk

4- George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein

Kim Jong Il

Osama bin Laden

Read: Well men, I must admit both of these trees look very nice, but we have one more to debut, and that one goes to Joe Kido.

Kido: Thanks, Art. When you look at great tyrants, I think that you should look no further than a cave in southwest Asia. We don't know what Osama bin Laden has been planning these last few weeks, but he is a big thorn in the backside, so he goes number one. Second, for no particular reason, but the fact that I have to match Art to get points goes to Martha Burk. Third is Saddam Hussein and once again I have no comment. Fourth will go to Kim Jong Il because he doesn't appear to have the kind of news coverage he used to for months now. The only thing you hear out of the Koreas these days has to do with the SARS illness. I mean, you just don't see hide or hair of the man. And fifth will go to George W. Bush because he wouldn't turn on his own people.

Joe Kido's Tyranny Tree:

5- Osama bin Laden

4- Martha Burk

Saddam Hussein

Kim Jong Il

George W. Bush

Read: Very well, gentleman. We will now see how well Keith Bandit, Koushiro Izumi and Joe Kido matched up to my own Tyranny Tree which I will reveal in just a second. We will begin with one and go up the list to five. First things first, I thought that it wouldn't make sense for anyone to think that a man in a cave would be much help to a radical terrorist organization. Also, keep in mind that Al-Qaeda lost their planner in an arrest some weeks ago, so Osama bin Laden will go in the `1' spot. For number two, we continue to hear from Saddam Hussein's personal Ari Fleischer-type person almost every day. He says that Saddam is alive and well, but I beg to differ and here's why. When have you ever seen Hussein in glasses, before? And why were reports of Saddam's potential injury or death going out the first night of bombing Iraq? That, in my opinion, is enough reason to give Saddam a `2' rating.

None of the panelists look too disappointed.

Read: Now onto the number three candidate. And with this individual seemingly avoiding his citizen's pleas to look into the nuclear activity in North Korea, there is no telling what could happen to this country when it is faced with a weapons program that has been out in the open for months. That is enough to give George W. Bush our `3' spot in the Tyranny Tree.

Joe realizes he has only one chance to score points shows signs of wavering chances at the final.

Read: The number four spot in our Tyranny Tree has to go to one of the scariest activists in recent history. She has tried to use the war in Iraq to her advantage in trying to get a female player into the Augusta National Golf Club, with no success. Therefore, the downtrodden Martha Burk deserves our `4' spot in the tree.

Joe gets the last four possible points he could have earned, but the award for most ecstatic of the bunch is Keith, knowing that he will earn five points.

Read: So, by process of elimination, and the fact that his communist system has brainwashed his people into thinking this is the right thing to do, Kim Jong Il gets our `5' spot and our award for the world's most dangerous tyrant. So now that we have collected tyrants into one large tree, it is time for our panelists to find out how much they know beyond what has been said in our Pop Quiz round, next!

After round three, the scores are:

Keith Bandit: 31 points

Koushiro Izumi: 27 points

Joe Kido: 33 points

(commercial break)

(we're on the air)

Voice Over: The wise man says… it's time for a Pop Quiz!

Art Read: Two questions for each panelist. Each question is worth four points, and a MUTE will be in the future for whoever misses both. We'll start with Duel Monsters champ, Keith Bandit and your first question. What were the Saturday Night Live cast members called in the early years?

Bandit: The Not Ready for Primetime Players.

(fanfare sounds)

Read: Your second question to give you eight points. How many degrees Kelvin does a substance have to be to reach Absolute Zero?

Bandit (confused): I'll say… 1000° K.

(buzzer sounds)

Read: Actually, it's zero degrees Kelvin, for absolute zero. (Keith Bandit's final score is 35) Now on to our resident genius, Koushiro Izumi. Who declined the Oscar for best actor in The Godfather: Part 2?

Izumi: It was Marlon Brando. Couldn't have been anyone else.

(fanfare sounds)

Read: Correct on that answer. Now we all remember former NC State coach Jim Valvano winning the 1983 NCAA Championship, but unfortunately, Jimmy V as they called him died of cancer. I want to know what type of cancer took over?

Izumi: Um… I think it was bone cancer.

(fanfare sounds)

Read: You are now tied for first place with Keith Bandit. (Koushiro Izumi's final score is 35) Now Joe Kido must get at least one question right to stay in the game. If he gets two questions, he will get 41 points and a chance for a spot in the season finals. There are more than two NBA franchises in Los Angeles. I want to know who owns the Los Angeles Clippers?

Kido: Pat Croce.

(buzzer sounds)

Read: The answer was Donald Sterling or we also would have accepted sports alternative to procrastination. To stay in the game, as of March 22, 2003, how many known Pokémon are there?

Kido: 251.

(buzzer sounds)

Read: Awww. Too bad, so sad. (Joe Kido's final score is 28) Unfortunately, you will have to take a leave of absence as we prep our two finalists for our showdown, which is next!

(commercial break)

(we're back on the air)

Voice Over: It's the Final Showdown!

Read: And that means it's on. Mr. Voice Over!

Voice Over: Yes?

Read: What's on tap for today?

Voice Over: We're looking at some of the great milestones that will be happening in 2003. It's the US champ and the genius chump. Make it happen!

Izumi: Genius chump?

Read: I don't write it. I just report it. And here it is. The year 2003 marks three milestones that men will want to tune into. These milestones include the 50th Anniversary of Playboy Magazine, which I know both of these guys have at least one copy of under their bed.

Voice Over: Admit it. You have one, too.

Read: We'll talk after the show. It also marks the 75th Anniversary of the original comedy trio, The Three Stooges and the 100th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight. So I want to know, which of these milestones is more important in the eyes of men? Thirty seconds each and we'll begin with Keith Bandit, right now.

Bandit: I have to go with Playboy magazine being the most important in the eyes of men because it says right on the cover `Entertainment for Men'. But the only problem with this argument is that Hugh Hefner is the poster child or man for jealousy because everyone wants to be like him. The Three Stooges is only a close second because it was designed to make men feel smart. That is the only reason why I think The Three Stooges have become a staple of American pop culture. Flying is one of the reasons why I am able to be seen by millions of people all over the world, but its importance to men has dwindled since the suffrage movements.

Izumi: Keith why are you trying to blame the changing of society on the fact that flying is not as important to men anymore. It isn't important because you don't have to fly to get your Playboy magazine while you watch The Three Stooges on the AMC network. Flying has not played out of its role of taking people wherever they want to go, but tragedy has struck the world of flying this year with the Space Shuttle Columbia and its explosion. But Playboy and The Three Stooges are eternal for the way they have shaped our culture through the years. And that is why they are more important.

(horn blares)

Read: Flying has taken a serious downfall the last couple of years and you shouldn't fault anything on it but perhaps the 9-11 tragedy. Therefore, the win goes to Koushiro Izumi!

(fanfare sounds)

Read: You have 15 seconds and they begin right now.

Koushiro Izumi: The death of Baltimore Orioles Steve Bechler that can easily be blamed to the herbal supplement ephedrine has caused more sports organizations to look at the possibilities of banning the substance. NASCAR has thrown its hat into the ephedra-banning clique and the MLB must soon follow or suffer dire consequences.

(horn blares)

Ruki Makino and Joe Kido return to the studio.

Read: That's it for us, folks! But before we go, here are the final standings in our season tournament.

Final Standings:

Who is in the finals?

Gary Oak: 44 points

Misty Waterflower: 44 points

Yugi Mutou: 40 points

Kouji Minamoto: 40 points

Who is out?

Matt Ishida: 39 points

Daisuke Motomiya: 35 points

Koushiro Izumi: 35 points

Maximillion Pegasus: 30 points

Hirokazu Shiota: 22 points

Read: Keep it here for the season finals in two weeks. Until then this is emcee Art Read inviting you back Around the Anime Horn!

(we're off the air)

Please review for Day 10: