Category Archives: Announcements

Hey folks, Mike Minion is gonna be starting up a string of specialty quizzes this weekend with a Simpson’s quiz. Here’s more info from the man himself:

Mike Minion here. Do you find yourself quoting Homer Simpson just a little too often? Do you ever ask yourself, “What would Kramer do in this situation?” Do your friends look at you funny when you say, “Live long and prosper”?  Well, now there’s a place where you can be among your own kind. Starting this Sunday, The Ugly American will be hosting a series of “Specialty Quiz” evenings.

I’m gonna cover all the favorites: The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Star War/Star Trek, Baseball (nerds LOVE stats!), Harry Potter, etc.  And there will be some surprise topics every now and then – but rest assured, they will be VERY nerd-friendly.

The quizzes will be on Sunday evenings at 7 PM, every other week.  First up: The Simpsons (Seasons 1-10)!  In   To kick things off on a high note, in addition to the normal prizes ($30 for 1st place, $20 for 2nd), some lucky team will win a GIANT Bart Simpson Pez dispenser.  And I’ll have some other give-aways to boot.

The schedule of topics for the the next few quizzes will be published later this week.   If you have any topic you want to see covered after this initial run, let me know.  Suggestions can be sent to mikeminion@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to seeing LOTS of Simpsons fans this Sunday.  More details later this week.

Lights out at the City Tap House last night. Literally. We were getting ready to start the quiz, when BOOM-out went the lights. The emergencies kicked on, but the crowd was too big to do an acoustic set, so we’re rescheduling for tonight. Action starts at 10:15 p.m. But first we hit our regular Wednesday spots. At the Rendezvous, there are several big time teams desperately in need of a Top 2 finish this week to get themselves back in the mix. Action starts at 6:15 p.m. $3 Victory Hop Devils and $2 Bud Lights. On to the Black Sheep, where after several months of people hanging from the rafters, we had a quiet crowd last week. This might be a good week to grab a table. Hope to see ya tonight!

• Several things to discuss as we head into the weekend. First of all, save the date: Quizzo Bowl VII will take place on Saturday, February 19th. More details to come in the near future.

• Secondly, anybody that wants to go on the Denver Geek Bowl Trip let me know ASAP. Starting to make plans now. We’re headed out to Denver on the weekend of January 28th. So far we’ve got 8 guys representing Philadelphia. We’d love to round up 4 more and make two full teams (Their team max is 6).

• Remember: Harry Potter Quiz is on Monday. Also, I am trying to put together a good team for the regular Monday night quiz at Westbury, where the bounty on Group W stands at $50. If anyone wants to play on Monday night let me know.

• In other news: here’s the latest podcast from Lee and I where we discuss whether or not Rocky should be in the Hall of Fame.

• Congratulations are in order for The Missing Chums, who recorded a perfect 120 at the Black Sheep Wednesday night. In other news, Duane’s World for the 2nd straight week won by 1 year  in our final numbers question. This week, the question was “What year was Ulysses S. Grant born?” They guessed 1825, the 2nd Place team guessed 1818, and the answer was 1822. It doesn’t get any closer than that. Finally, great to see Dork Sided back in the building. After a long hiatus, they not only returned to O’Neals, they brought hell with them, as they scored 110 points in a big win.

• On Thursday, the wild card round was Freezing Cold Weather. One of our questions was, “The coldest inhabited place on earth is Oymyakon, where it once got to -90 F, the coldest any inhabited place has ever gotten. In what country will you find Oymyakon?” The answer is Russia, and the above video is about the small town in Siberia that is so unbelievably cold. Here is an article in National Geographic about it.

“Luckily for us, every weeknight there is a Quizzo owned and operated by one Johnny Goodtimes, who combines a serious trivia obsession with the knowledge that these things are supposed to be fun.” - City Paper

“The Bob Barker of quizzo hosts.” -Onion A.V. Club

“Each time we have worked together Johnny brings fresh new ideas to the table and has been a pleasure to work with.” - Franklin Institute

Johnny Goodtimes, widely acknowledged as one of Philadelphia’s foremost entertainers, has entertained at the World Cafe Live, the Palestra, the TLA, and the Franklin Institute. His quizzo has been named Best Quizzo by Philadelphia Magazine, been named Philly’s best in the City Paper 6 different times and has been named the Staff Pick for Best Quizzo in Philly Style Magazine. He has hosted major events for crowds of 500, small private parties for groups as small as 15, and has entertained groups of every size in between.

Quizzo is an excellent team building exercise, as well as an excellent ice breaker for any company function, and Johnny is unquestionably the most experienced and most entertaining person doing it. His rates are extremely reasonable, he can custom make the event in accordance with your wishes, and he is willing to travel. He has done numerous weddings, corporate events, and holiday parties, and is happy to provide references.  If you want to guarantee a fun, captivating, and interactive performance for your next company function, contact Johnny today!

The standings for the JGTAI through 7 weeks can be seen here, and wow, are things getting tight. The battle to be the 10th and Final team to have a chance at the $100 bonus prize is extremely close, with numerous teams within striking distance. Right now the Ear holds a one point advantage over the Exhausted Nihilists. But much more dramatic are the teams vying for a invitation at all. The 20th place team, the Inglorious Barristers, have 14 points.  8 teams are within one victory from tying them or getting ahead of them and getting a guaranteed invite. I am going to the City Tap House today to work on audio. I will also see exactly how many teams we can seat. We may be able to sit 22 or 23. But until I know for sure, the cut off point is 20. Which means that it all comes down to this week. Where’s your best shot of winning? I would say undoubtedly O’Neals. To be honest, things have been pretty remarkably quiet there the past few weeks. You get a good team together tonight, and I can all but guarantee a Top 3 finish. Your 2nd best shot? Ugly American. That’s not to say that the other venues are impossible. The City Tap House has had three different winners in the first three weeks. Both Black Sheep and the ‘Vous had winners who had 1 JGTAI point going into last week.

Of course, if you are on the bubble you can also all but assure yourself of a spot in the mix by earning some last chance points via the physical challenge on facebook. I am giving each team the opportunity to score up to 4 extra bonus points this week by posting pics of any of our previous physical challenges. So get your team together and get out to quizzo this week. We’re going to have a lot of fun on Sunday. I’d hate for you to miss it.

The Autumn Invitational kicks off with a bang tonight at O’Neals at 8 p.m., where the Top 3 finishers will receive double points. First place gets 10, 2nd gets 6, and 3rd gets two. There will also be chances to earn other bonus points at the quiz with some numbers questions. There is more parity at O’Neals than anywhere else, so the simple fact of the matter is that 10 points are out there up for grabs for any team that gets their head right tonight.

Of course, you probably won’t want to rest on your laurels after one night. We are going to have a drawing at the Big Event to give away $150 in prizes to one of the Top 10 teams after the 8 weeks. In the Summer Invitational, Inglorious Barristers slipped in as a #10 seed but walked with the bonus money in the drawing. So a top 10 finish could be huge.

On to the Bards, where the scoring will be normal, except for one caveat…anyone who can knock of Steak Em Up earns 3 bonus points. They lost twice last week, so it is certainly possible to beat them. Action starts at the Bards at 10:15 p.m.

Keep in mind, too, that you can score big points with the physical challenge on facebook. I will also be coming up with a sweet prize for the team that scores the most points via physical challenges in the next 8 weeks. That applies not only to participants at my quizzo, but also at Mike Minion’s. Mike hosts tonight at the Terrace Taproom at 7:30 p.m., and teams there and at the Westbury are eligible to compete in the Invitational.

I am at once overjoyed and a bit concerned about the new Pee Wee Herman movie. In case you haven’t heard the good news, Judd Apatow has signed on as producer of a new Pee Wee Herman flick. While I am thrilled that one of the most hilarious and remarkable characters ever in film history is returning to the big screen, I am also a bit concerned for a number of reasons. First and foremost is Judd Apatow. I am not really that crazy about his movies. Superbad, Talladega Nights, Anchorman are all way overrated, and Step Brothers is one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen.

Apatow is going to demand raunch, and that could turn this film into a dud. Now, I know that Pee-Wee’s original character on stage was a little crude, and it’s possible that it could translate to the big screen. But there was something sweet about Pee-Wee’s naivete in Big Adventure; when that was taken away we got Big-Top Pee Wee, which did for Pee Wee what Godfather 3 did for the Corleone’s.

However, I don’t want to sound like a negative Nellie. I am extremely excited about this project. Apatow does bring plenty of clout to the project, and it is going to be big time. Furthermore, Pee- Wee is going to be co-writing it. (I am thinking about sending in a spec script myself. Why not? I dare say that few people know the Big Adventure movie as well as I do.) Further, after Pee Wee showed him the scripts he already had and which were a little zany, Apatow pointed him in the right direction.

But after Mr. Apatow read these scripts, Mr. Reubens said, “He was more interested in something closer, in the same vein and the same genre, as ‘Big Adventure.’”

What Mr. Apatow wanted, Mr. Reubens said, was “a reality-based world and a linear road movie.”

This is great news. Pee Wee on the road is a proven formula. Now if we can only get Tim Burton to direct it…

The Invitational kicks off tonight at the Westbury, where a last place finish last week due to a Musical Theatre Round led to the round of my choice this week. Here’s the details, from quizmaster Mike Minion.

Once again, JGT put together a team to play my quizzo last week, and once again, the result was , shall we say, less than spectacular.  After all, last place is “less than spectacular”, is it not?  The upshot is that he and his cronies got to pick this week’s theme round. Being the highbrow intellectuals that they are, they chose a topic that virtually defines the literati -PRO WRESTING.  So put down your glass of merlot, pick up a PBR, and come on over to The Westbury tonight for a round of wrasslin’.   The steel-cage brain slam starts at 10:30.   For you wrestling fans, that’s when the little hand is between the 10 and the 11 and the big hand is straight down.  Oh, and make sure the sun is down, because the clock looks like that TWICE a day.  Anyway, prizes are $40 for first and $20 for second, and (as usual) there will be plenty of good beer specials.   Hope to see you there.  P.S. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually LOVE pro wrestling. But let’s just keep that between us, shall we?

The biggest Big Money Tuesday ever goes down tonight. We start at O’Neals at 8 p.m., where the winner walks with the biggest first place gift certificate on the circuit, $50. 2nd Place gets $25. Lots of parity at O’Neals, with three different winners in the last three weeks, so your team’s got just a good a shot as any to take the crown.

On to the Bards, where I have doubled the bounty on Steak Em Up. That’s right, anyone who can knock off Steak Em Up tonight walks with a $40 gift certificate and $40 cash. Action starts at 10:15 p.m. Oh, and I’d expect a beer question or two this week due to Beer Week.

As for last night, quizzo at the POPE was awesome. Packed house, fun quiz, and my first ever joker quiz. I’ll post some of the questions tomorrow. I would have done it today but I got a little too tipsy last night and had to sleep in. If you ever see me doing a shot of Jameson’s in the future, please advise me to put it down and just go the hell home. Your cooperation is appreciated in advance.

Now here is a holiday we can get behind. May 20th in Cambodia is their National Day of Hatred (also translated as “Day of Maintaining Rage”.) It makes total sense, as it is a day when intellectual Cambodians pretty much just hate on Pol Pot. However, we think that this holiday should extend to the United States. We want to kick off the celebration with a short list of things we hate, and ask that you please celebrate this holiday by posting things you hate in the comments. It’s kind of like the airing of grievances in Festivus. 

• Jose Reyes
• Celine Dion
• The movie “Step-Brothers”
• skinny jeans (on guys)
• House music
• The Fox and Hound (the bar, not the movie. We love the movie.)
• The Philadelphia Parking Authority
• Red Sox fans
• Scones
• Sean Hannity

That’s right folks, following the success of I Heart the 80s Week in January, we’re busting out a decade later, with an I Heart the 90s Week. Expect questions about O.J., Monica, Jordan, and Right Said Fred. All 90s questions, all the time, with a few surprises to keep you honest. Should be a fun one. And you all lived through it, so no whining and no excuses! And if you don’t know the 90s, don’t sweat it: I went to the Dollar Store yesterday and stocked up on last place prizes.

UPDATE: Uh, whoops. Due to various substances I ingested in the 1990s, I seem to have lost my short term memory. We did do a 90s Round in January, not an 80s round. Oh well, what the hell, let’s do it again. And this time, it’s all the 90s. 1790s, 1890s, 1990s, etc. We’ll do an 80s round next month, after I finish the “80s Project” I am working on. Btw, I am still looking for props for the 80s project if you have any.

 
Had a good discussion with some members of one of the teams at the Vous yesterday about “kids today” and decided to do a little research today on whether “kids today” are smarter than ever or destined to lead the world on the highway to hell due to their sheer stupidity. There are, needless to say, various theories on this topic. One comes from a 2007 article in the San Francisco Gate. The friend the writer mentions is a teacher.

We are now at a point where we are essentially churning out ignorant teens who are becoming ignorant adults and society as a whole will pay dearly, very soon…It’s gotten so bad that, as my friend nears retirement, he says he is very seriously considering moving out of the country so as to escape what he sees will be the surefire collapse of functioning American society in the next handful of years due to the absolutely irrefutable destruction, the shocking — and nearly hopeless — dumb-ification of the American brain. It is just that bad.

However, a recent article in the New York Times seems to think that we are smarter than ever, though acknowledging that IQ is in a large part determined by our surroundings. 

Another indication of malleability is that I.Q. has risen sharply over time. Indeed, the average I.Q. of a person in 1917 would amount to only 73 on today’s I.Q. test. Half the population of 1917 would be considered mentally retarded by today’s measurements, Professor Nisbett says.

This leads us to another professor, a man in New Zealand named James Flynn, who wrote  a book in which he explains what is commonly called the Flynn effect:

Your IQ is likely to be higher than those of your parents, and your children’s IQs is likely to be higher than yours.

“Our advantage over our ancestors is relatively uniform at all ages from the cradle to the grave,” says Flynn. Nobody knows if the gains will persist, but “there is no doubt that they dominated the 20th century and that their existence and size were quite unexpected.”

So what do you think? Do you think that mankind is getting smarter or dumber? Do you think that the generation behind us is way dumber than we are or way smarter than we are? Or are public education and IQ completely unrelated, and that those who are raised by caring parents have IQs are rising exponentially from generation to generation while those who have uneducated, absentee parents have IQs that remain stagnant from generation to generation? Interested to see what you guys think.  

RELATED: A more detailed account of this debate was in a 2003 article in Skeptic Magazine.