Here’s my latest in the Metro, about Presidential hair.
Month: February 2008
Lonely Hearts Club Quizzo
As most of you know, Valentine’s is one of my favorite days of the year. A holiday dedicated to romantic love, so that every couple in America is doing essentially the same things at the same time. What could be more romantic than that? A mass wedding at Madison Square Garden presided over by Sun Myung Moon perhaps, but not much else. And those Vermont Teddie Bears? I love those things! Adorable! A Vermont bear never hibernates! And you know why? Because true love never sleeps! (By the way, if I catch any of you Connecticut Teddie Bears around my property, I will blow your freaking brains out. Frauds! Vermont Teddies are the only real thing!) Well, to honor my favorite day of the whole year, I will be asking plenty of questions tonight about murder, divorce, bad love songs, and bitterness. Come on out. It’s gonna be fun!
Toughest Questions from last Week
1. You may be surprised to realize that this still popular actor made his silver screen debut in Rebel Without a Cause.
2. This actor, who became a sitcom star from 1986-1993, made his screen debut in Risky Business.
3. The famous line “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” came in an ad for what brand of shampoo?
4. You’ll find Times Square on the corner of Broadway, 42nd, and what numbered avenue?
5. Who was the 3rd VP of the United States?
6. Basketball wasn’t the only sport invented in Massachusettes in the 1890s. What other popular team sport was founded a year after basketball?
7. What is diazapam better known as?
8. The center of our galaxy lies in this constellation, between scorpio and Capricorn. It is one of the signs of the zodiac.
9. This 2007 comedy is the only ilm this year to be nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie.
10. The scientific name for the shinbone is what?
Love Child
Whoa, you heard about this one yet? There’s a guy in Vancouver who claims to be the love child of JFK, never meant to be. Love child. Scorned by society. And has Ted Kennedy tried to kill a story about it in Vanity Fair? Oh, and the guy was born on November 22, 1961, a fairly ominous date. I say hoax.
Quizzo For the Cause
Quizzo regular Laura is a teacher at Philip Randolph Career Academy, and recently told me about her school’s efforts to start up a baseball team and wanted to see if we could help raise funds for baseball equipment. It sounds like a great cause, so I am going to ask everyone playing this week to please donate at least $1 to play. Here is a bit more info on the school and the team, from Laura:
Philip Randolph Career Academy, located at 3101 Henry Ave, was originally an asbestos factory. In 1975 it was converted to “Randolph Skills Center” and was used as a place for students to do shop training. In 1993, the school district administratively attached Randolph to Dobbins Area Vocational Technical School. The buildings shared administration, sports, and events such as prom and graduation. In 2004, the school district made Randolph its own school and it became “Randolph Career Academy.” Even though the schools were separate, Randolph did not have its own sports teams. Football and basketball players had to be shipped to Dobbins to play on the Dobbins’ team.
After much protestation and petitioning from the students, Randolph is slowly coming to its own and distancing itself from Dobbins. For the first time ever, Randolph will have its own boys Baseball team.
The students come from all around the city and they chose Randolph due to their interest in some vocational field – auto-mechanics, carpentry, electrical, culinary, etc. 95% are African-American and 70% are below the poverty level.
The boys on the new team are excited to be able to play other teams in the school district and represent Randolph as its own entity. The new coach, a social studies teacher that has been at the school since Randolph’s first year on its own, is enthusiastic about coaching the boys in their first season.
Because the school is small and cannot spare the money for extra curricular activities and a lot of boys do not have money for equipment, we are looking for donations to help raise money for equipment – bats, balls, cleats, catcher’s equipment, gloves, etc.
Volunteer Nerds Needed!
Hey, I’m looking to start a study hall for one of my basketball leagues, and need nerds (i.e. you) who would be interested in helping some of these kids get their grades up. Study Hall will be on Saturdays, probably from about 11-1 at the Marian Anderson Center (17th and Catherine). If you are interested in helping out, please drop me a line. I am always looking for volunteer coaches as well, so drop me a line if that interests you also.
Philly Gets Bashed Again
This time it was Forbes magazine, calling us the 5th most miserable city in the country. The guy who wrote the piece, Kurt Badenhausen (left), is a real creative mastermind. To illustrate how miserable we are, he used a fresh and invigorating example-the time we booed Santa. Wow, Kurt, nice work. Did you know that we also have cheesesteaks? Maybe you can use that in your next piece. Or maybe compare us to Rocky. Well, here are a few things you didn’t know about “Cliche” Kurt Badenhausen
1. Kurt’s favorite thing to do in Philadelphia? Get a cheesesteak from Subway and wash it down with a cold Coors Light at Kildare’s.
2. Kurt’s favorite color is “mauve”.
3. Kurt’s says his favorite football team is “the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders 😉 LOL.”
4. Badenhausen is German for “House of Bad.”
5. Kurt has a poster of an eagle above his dresser with the word Determination written below it. It’s the first thing Kurt sees in the morning.
Question of the Week
My first ever date was at a roller rink in New Church, VA. Predictably, it ended in disaster. What is the name of the roller rink in New Church,VA?
Coffee Mogul’s Latest Adventure
Some of you might remember my interview with La Colombe founder Todd Carmichael after he hiked to the South Pole a few years ago (If not, I highly recommend it. Pretty fascinating interview.) Anyways, he recently went at it again, this time trying to set a record for fastest trip from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole unassisted. He got off to a great start, but his partner soon suffered an injury and had to abandon the voyage, then he got hit by a blizzard that just never seemed to end. Anyways, the video is pretty interesting as is the website.
News and Notes
- First off, quizzo tonight. Irish John is kicking off a new quizzo at Tangier (18th and Lombard) at 9 p.m., I believe. I bring up a rival quizzo for two reasons. a) I like Irish John and b) because it’s near my house and on a Monday, so if it works I may try to put a team together. Doubt I’ll make it tonight (It is Gladiator Monday), but I’ll try to make it in a few weeks after Gladiators ends.
- Great weekend. Went to the Blue Horizon on Friday night with Gabe from Western Omelette. After watching the fights, we went to the Sidecar (22nd and Christian) where I got their amazing Crawfish Monica, which is quite honestly the best thing I’ve eaten in 2008. Finished the night with an appearance at the Dolphin Tavern. Saturday night I went to Jose Pistollas (a place that also has quizzo tonight, as well as the lovely Ginger behind the bar). Great Belgian beer selection. I highly recommend it. Last night I stayed home and watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time in ten years. Great film. I’ve been in war flicks lately. Last week I watched Platoon for the first time in probably 15 years.
- Remember to mark your calendars. March 29th. Quizzo Bowl IV. Right now, I’m still working on particulars. A lot more to do to get this thing ready than last year. Will keep you updated.