Summer School, Part II

It's been a while since I've been to trivia (my reduced schedule for the summer quarter lasted three weeks), but I did save up a few misses, and have spotted a few cool tidbits. Here's a new set to tide you over for a while.

1. What was the name of Little Anthony's backup band?
2. In Chico and The Man, who played The Man?
3. What is Maxwell Smart's agent number?
4. What 1978 album was The Who's last studio album?
5. Who co-wrote "China Girl" with David Bowie?
6. Who directed the films Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Punch-Drunk Love?
   

That's the name of that tune

Trivia is back again, and the questions have gotten tough. Plenty of misses this week, which should tide you over if they decide not to hold it next week.

1. What sport's athletes compete in the Coronation Cup?

2. Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and members of Rage Against The Machine combined to form what group in 2001?

3. Who wrote the Peter, Paul, and Mary hit "Leavin' on a Jet Plane?"

4. What group performed the 1965 hit "Do You Believe in Magic?"

The next four questions all have answers starting with "B."

5. What is Charlie Brown's father's profession?

6. What was the name of the mechanical shark(s) built for the filming of Jaws?

7. What watch company had the first television commercial?

8. What is the name of the dog on a box of Cracker Jack?

The final four questions all have answers starting with "F."

9. What was the name of Tony Beretta's cockatoo?

10. What Ohio town was the setting for the comedy "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman?"

11. Which actress is the daughter of Maureen O'Sullivan?

12. Which Hemingway novel was made into a 1929 movie starring Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes?

Your Lucky Day

After much searching, I have finally located the Famous Floating Monday Night Trivia Game, which means that we have non-Glee content!
Trivia will be sporadic for the next two or three weeks, but I expect several updates over the summer. For now, though, here are last night's misses, plus several lucky non-misses.

1. Who was the narrator for the film Stand By Me?
2. What actress co-starred with Sean Penn in the 1983 film Bad Boys?
3. In 2006, which quarterback became the last USFL veteran to play in an NFL game?
4. Name the only father and son to hit back-to-back home runs in a major league baseball game.
5. Which Beatle has his back turned on the back cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?
6. Whose 1980 album Emotional Rescue spent seven weeks at #1 on the U.S. Pop charts?

A son! A son! A son! Hear the joyful celebrations in the street!

The trivia posts have been slowing down lately. The caller has moved to a new location, but hasn't set up trivia night yet, so this may have to hold you until 2010. Don't despair, though, I remain steadfast in my search for good trivia.

1. What early-'80s rock diva was originally classically trained as an opera singer?
2. Speaking of rock, and opera, what is Tommy's last name?
3. In the novel Treasure Island, what is the name of Long John Silver's parrot?
4. Who was the Girl from U.N.C.L.E.? (the character's name, not the actress)
5. What was the name of Carrie's high school (in the film)?
6. What is the only Van Gogh painting sold during the artist's lifetime?
7. Which NFL team won its first game of the season 17 years in a row, from 1973-1985?

Deep Blue Something, or possibly not.

We're a bit behind on trivia because of the holidays, too. We've only been going about every other week, as the popularity at this particular watering hole has slowed down; it's just not that much fun if there are only four teams, even if we do win more often. The trivia caller is, apparently, moving his gig to a new restaurant, so we'll see if that picks things up.

1. What occurred the day before the Passion of the Christ?

2. Which comedian famously stopped aging at 39?

3. Who was the last American man to win the Olympic marathon?

4. More Olympics: who was the only American to win a gold medal during the '68 Winter Games?

5. Who played Hazel?

6. Who sang the score for the film Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Back then, of course, if the fight lasted less than fifty rounds, we demanded our nickel back!

It's been a while since I put up trivia, and I've been stocking up on misses. Unfortunately, I've misplaced most of that stock, but here are a couple of the tougher ones from the last few weeks. Get these, and you too could be taking your local pub for a bottle of wine and a gift certificate every week.

1. According to Mattel, what is Barbie's last name?
2. Who is the only Major League Baseball player to hit a home run for both leagues in the All-Star Game? (Not in the same game, obviously)
3. What African dog breed is also known as "The Barkless Dog?"
4. What comedian introduced Johnny Carson as the new host of The Tonight Show on October 1, 1962?
5. What fruit forms the base for the liqueur creme de cassis?
6. Who was the only boxer to defeat John L. Sullivan by knockout?

I also make a better door than a window

A while back, our regular trivia host took sick, and was missing for two weeks. One of the regulars got in touch with him, picked up the clues, and read them in his stead. In an effort to help out, I offered to write and read a round of trivia, and was allowed to do so the second week. I came up with ten questions that I thought were great. Unfortunately, it turns out I'm a better trivia-taker than trivia writer; the winning group in my round got one (1) question right, and they were the only ones to get that right. To be sure, I did a poor job. Hard questions are fine, but they're for separating the wheat from the chaff; you have to throw a couple of softballs out to keep people playing. Surely, though, you can do better than one.

1. Name the Pep Boys.
2. In Calvin and Hobbes, what is Calvin's favorite bedtime story?
3. Who was the 23rd President of the United States, serving between Grover Cleveland's non-consecutive terms?
4. What dog won the first three Frisbee World Championships, which are now named after him?
5. In the Velvet Underground song, "Waiting for the Man," how much money is in the singer's hand?
6. How many Canadian provinces border at least one Great Lake?
7. Who was the first African-American woman awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature?
8. On which island did Napoleon die, on May 5, 1821?
9. What is the name of the theme music for The Daily Show?
10. What Dutch driver holds the Indy 500 records for fastest practice lap, qualifying lap, four-lap qualifying time, and 200-lap race?

Sports and Spice (but not Sporty Spice)

While we're waiting for the next graph theory lesson, here's some sports and music trivia to tide you over. We've been rocking the Monday trivia lately, so this ought to catch me up. The last few weeks have been in our wheelhouse, but the writer at this particular establishment is pretty in tune to that, so I expect things to get difficult in short order.

1. Who is the only player to hit a grand slam in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game?

2. In the forty-three Super Bowls to date, only once has either team failed to score a touchdown. Which team was it? (Bonus: which year?)

3. Which team lost Super Bowl II?

4. Which NHL team plays in an arena known as "The Igloo?"

5. Which island nation produces 90% of the world's cinnamon (as of 2006)?

6. What was the name of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's first band?

7. John Lennon was shot in front of what New York hotel?

Sarek Knows Best

This week's trivia misses themes: science fiction and Oscars trivia!

 

1. According to starwars.com, how old was Jabba the Hutt?

2. What year did the original Star Trek first premiere on television?

3. What actress played Spock's mother on both the Star Trek television series and in the fourth film?

4. What science fiction novel, now one of the top-selling sci-fi novels of all time, won the 1985 Nebula Award for best novel?

5. What song, from The Poseidon Adventure, won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Song?

6. What Best Picture-winning comedy also earned Billy Wilder Academy Awards for directing and writing?

He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach.

As I continue to catch up on our trivia misses, this week's theme is Famous Characters in Literature (and other media). The Lone Ranger's nephew's horse is still not a question.

1. Which family did Hazel work for?

2. Who is the superhero alter ego of Steve Rogers?

3. What is the name of Andy Capp's wife?

4. What is the name of Oscar Madison's wife?

5. What well-known novel features a character named Aarfy Aardvark?

6. Who is Tom Sawyer's girlfriend?

7. In The Old Man and the Sea, what is the old man's name?

Like Lazarus (which, by the way, was a question last week)

We've found a new place for trivia, so the weekly "trivia misses" post is back!

The new format is old-style pub quiz: rounds of ten questions each, so we've got a bunch of misses saved up. I'll dole them out slowly, just in case we miss a week. There's also a round or two of "celebrity photos," in which one must identify the celebrity face, which the quizmaster has cut from a magazine and pasted onto a cartoon body. These, sadly, do not translate well to the Internets, or we'd have a lot more questions. Here, anyway, are some of our recent misses. This week's theme: animal names. Everyone's favorite animal name question was not asked.

1. On Bonanza, what was the name of Ben Cartwright's horse?

2. What is the name of the Yale Bulldog? (as in, the dog himself has a name, what is it)

3. What was the name of the goldfish in the Disney version of Pinocchio?

4. Who is Porky Pig's girlfriend?

5. What was the name of the cross-eyed lion on Daktari?

Slouching Towards Oblivion

I am contemplating (again) a site redesign, but in the meantime, I give you the misses from last week's trivia night. I've said this before, but this was almost certainly my last appearance at this particular trivia night. This time, it's not the general crappiness of the questions, but the fact that I no longer have any reason to be in Clemson on a Thursday.

Last week was the restaurant's 10th anniversary, so all questions are about events that took place in 1999. We had first place wrapped up, until we declined to guess which day of the month the restaurant opened. It was, apparently, an easy thing to guess, as we did not place, despite a healthy lead.

1. One of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th Century struck in August of 1999, killing over 15,000 people in what country?

2. What popular Nickelodeon cartoon debuted in May 1999, with an episode entitled "Help Wanted/Reef Blower/Tea at the Treedome?"

3. Halftime: Name the three countries which joined NATO on March 12, 1999.

4. Which two oil companies merged in November of 1999, creating what was at the time the largest company on the planet?

5. Which Royal couple was featured on a postage stamp prior to their June 1999 wedding?

Oscars Trivia!

Something to do while you're waiting for the Barbara Walters special to end:

1. When was the first televised Academy Awards program?
2. What was the first Best Picture winner?
3. Who has the most Academy Awards for directing?
4. How many times have all four of the major acting Oscars gone to non-Americans?
5. What individual has won the most Academy Awards?
6. Name the only two men to have won three Academy Awards for acting.
7. Name all three films to have won the "Big Five" awards (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director).

Final: Who holds the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win?

(This may or may not be a hint: The answer to this question does not depend on tonight's results.)

Working Title

I'm not sure what to do about trivia this week. It was "movie trivia" night, which we figured was in honor of the Academy Awards, but instead of asking questions about, you know, Oscar-winning films, we got a bunch of crap along the lines of "what was the name of the dog in Next Friday?"

Maybe I'll post some of our misses later, but more likely I'll come up with some better movie trivia before Oscar Night. Stay tuned.

He'll tell you what he wants, what he really really wants

This week's trivia ended badly, as we decided to guess on the final question, and missed, costing us a tie for second. We never get the tiebreaker questions, anyway. Irritatingly, a fairly clear error on one question is what put us in the tie in the first place. Our "misses:" 

1. How many toes does an ostrich have?

2. Which President is on record as having given the longest inaugural speech?

3. Who was the first male tennis player to win Grand Slam titles on all three playing surfaces?

4. Which diva's "Reach" was the theme song of the 1996 Summer Olympics?

5. What Nobel Peace Prize winner referred to meeting the Spice Girls as one of the greatest moments of his life?

Useless Information

Because I have no other way of generating content: Trivia returns!

This may only be for a week: it happened that I was in town on a Thursday, I decided to go, and after two hours of recycled and otherwise easy questions, I'm in no particular mood to go back. The current writing crew is, apparently, completely out of ideas, as there were rounds (plural) of questions that I've heard before. In fact, I'm pretty sure they repeated the final question (ordering Kevin Costner movies). Yes, I've been doing this thing for two-plus years, and you're bound to hear the same question once in a while, but it isn't like it's impossible to come up with a good trivia question, or at least a new one. Anyway, here's my miss, and a couple others I made up.

1. In what country was roulette invented?

2. During the Olympic Parade of Nations, which country almost always enters the venue first? Also, what is the exception to this rule?

3. We all know Johnny Depp's first film was A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Kevin Bacon was in the original Friday the 13th. But name the mega-stars whose early work includes these 80's horror films:

a) Leprechaun

b) Cutting Class

c) Return to Horror High

4. Who was the last member of the Whig party to be elected President of the United States?

Fun Fact: There's only one Stephentown on Earth

Okay, so last week really was my last trivia night. Maybe. I'll have to spend some time in Clemson next semester, and the w is convinced I'll be arranging things so that I'm there on Thursday nights. We'll see. For now, savor the misses from last week's victory.

1. In what southeastern state might you find the towns of Frog Jump, Only, and Sweetlips?
2. In what southwestern state would you find the town of Ding Dong?
3. What freshwater mollusk produces red or pink pearls?
4. Which family of trees includes both the largest and fastest-growing living thing on earth?
5. What is the more common name of herpes zoster?

Where have all the tan M&M's gone?

Because I ran across this while I was cleaning out my bookbag: trivia returns!

1. What original Lifesavers flavor was nearly removed from the roll in 1999, after Nabisco announced that it was "not Y2K compliant?"

2. How many times did Marshal Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, flunk the ninth grade?

3. What country's first nuclear weapons research facility is now a tourist attraction known as "Nuclear City?"

4. What film, starring Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson, was banned from the Cineplex Odeon Universal City in Los Angeles, out of fears that it might cause trouble in the trendy City Walk complex nearby?

5. What part of the Britney Spears doll's anatomy do you push to get her to sing?

Tomorrow will likely be my last trivia night in this town. Goodness knows what direction this blog will take afterwards. Will I find a new trivia night in Winston-Salem? Start writing my own? Reprint all the Ken Jennings questions I miss? Stay tuned.

I thought it was Jimmy Durante!

Trivia night got off to a rocky start, when I arrived to find that the rest of my team was absent. A couple of early misses had me thinking about leaving at halftime, but, ninety minutes and a couple of lucky guesses later, an improbable victory gave a much-needed infusion of cash to the Preschool's coffers.

The difficulty level of trivia has been a lot higher lately, but I feel like the ones I missed were actually pretty easy. Judge for yourself.

1. What singer was the subject of the Hello Gorgeous Museum in San Francisco, which gave out wigs and fake noses to visitors wishing to impersonate her?
2. What multi-faceted character did comic Don Rickles voice in the movie Toy Story?
3. What medical procedure, applied to humans, did the World Health Organization decry as "against human integrity and morality?"
4. What clothing line, a spin-off of Phat Farm, is designed for urban women?
5. Who was the first athlete to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year twice?
6. Final: What Steven Spielberg movie did Senator Tom Coburn bash NBC for airing, citing its "full-frontal nudity, violence, and profanity?"

Buckaroo Banzai is not the answer to any question

We missed a lot of questions this week, and many of them were good questions. Unfortunately, I misplaced the question list somewhere between the bar and the car, and I can only remember one of our misses. Such is the risk of bar trivia. Happily, it turns out I did back up my extra trivia document after all, so I'll add a couple extras of my own.

1. What Grammy-winning singer made tabloid headlines in 1996 when it was reported (erroneously) that he had asked his wife for a divorce via fax?

2. Who is the only driver to complete the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day?

3. What dubious achievement did the Philadelphia Phillies accomplish on July 15, 2008, against the St. Louis Cardinals?

4. Which amendment to the Constitution provided for separate election of the President and Vice-President?