Month: April 2011

Spring Invitational Scores After 5 Weeks

Here they are, the scores after 5 weeks. In case you missed it the other day, we’re gonna be hosting the Spring Invitational at the Percy Street BBQ, which has amazing food, on May 1st at 1 p.m. If you want to earn an invite, some of you are gonna need to get cracking. Teams in yellow are eligible for the $100 Bonus Prize. Teams in Green would be a lock if the Invite ended today. Teams in purple should probably think about doing a physical challenge or two over the next 3 weeks to be on the safe side. And teams in blue need to really get their butts in gear. There is a new physical challenge posted, and it’s pretty daggone simple. No excuse not to get a few points that way if you’re hoping to attend. Hope to see ya this week…and yes, quizzos at the Kimmel Center later this week will count towards your scores.

Quizzo at the Kimmel Center

Got some more details about the quizzos at the Kimmel Center this week. It’s shaping up to be a pretty awesome event. Basically, I’ll be running a new quiz every night this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the main lobby of the Kimmel. On Thursday it will be a quiz about France, on Friday it will be a quiz about Music and Art, and on Saturday it will be a quiz about Philadelphia. All of the quizzes will begin after the Eiffel Tower Light Show at 10 p.m. It is part of PIFA, the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. We’ll be giving away lots of cool prizes, including tickets to their great Summer Solstice Event. Hope to see ya there!

Who is Georgie Jessel?

The City Paper, in a short writeup about the Quizzo Movie (Scroll down) said that I was “equal parts old-time toastmaster (think Georgie Jessel) and quick thinking wiseacre.” Which got me wondering: “Who the hell is Georgie Jessel?” Jessel was, according to Mike Wallace, a “showman extraordianry and a man about town in every town he’s ever been in.” (Watch terrific Mike Wallace interview with Jessel here, though he comes off as a bit of a curmudgeon.) He was an earlier vaudeville star, and was initially cast to star in the Jazz Singer, but turned down the role because Warner Brothers owed him money at the time.

He later became a very famous and sought after-dinner speaker. He also had a scandalous personal life. He dated many Hollywood starlets, and married movie star Norma Talmadge in 1934. (They divorced in 1939, and rumor has it that he later broke into her house and shot at the man she was dating at the time.) It was also in 1934 that introduced “The Gumm Sisters” to a crowd in Chicago. After the crowd laughed at their name, Jessel convinced them to change their name to the Garland Sisters. Shortly thereafter, one of those sisters changed her name from Frances to Judy. They discuss it in the above video.

The quizzo film airs tonight at the Painted Bride at 6:30 p.m., with an aftermovie quiz at the Plough and the Stars at around 8:30. Quizzo at the Khyber is cancelled for this week.

Spring Classic to Be Held May 1st at Percy Street BBQ

A venue has been secured for the JGT Spring Invitational. It will be held on May 1st at Percy Street BBQ at 1 p.m. I picked this spot for a couple of reasons. First of all, it can hold a fair amount of people. Secondly, their BBQ is simply off the chain delicious. You guys who make the cut are in for a treat.

Their capacity is limited, however. Which means that we can only take the Top 20 teams. If you are not in the Top 20 right now, however, worry not. There is still enough time to get there. First of all, if precedent holds, a few teams in the Top 20 won’t be able to make that day and a couple more will join forces. Furthermore, and more importantly, you can quickly earn 4 points by Monday by doing a physical challenge (in this case, climbing a tree.) That will quickly put you within shouting distance, even if you haven’t scored a point yet. But if you’re not on the scoreboard by next week, you’re gonna have to go on a hell of a run to make the Top 20. I would highly advise you to get the team in gear ASAP.

Oh My Goodness, All Kinds of Things Going Down in the Next Week

A lot going on right now. In addition to the JGTSpI, there are a bunch of cool events going down in the next week. Here’s the latest:

Sports quizzo tonight at the Ugly American, hosted by Mike Minion. Quiz starts at 8 p.m.

Quizzo Documentary at the Painted Bride on Monday night. 6:30 p.m., with a mini-quiz at the Plough and Stars afterwards. Also, I’ll buy ya a beer if you bring your own (reasonable) trivia question to the Plough that night and can stump the Sofa Kingdom with it.

Not only will I be hosting a mini quiz at the Plough and Stars after the movie on Monday, but I’ll be hosting quizzes at the Kimmel Center next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I will have full details on Monday, but just so you know: each quiz will start at 10 p.m. and there will be a different theme each night. It’s gonna be really cool.

 

Bounty Bowl at Quizzo Tonight

A couple of intriguing options for quizzo goers tonight. If you are looking for some points in the JGTSpI, I would highly suggest playing at the Ugly American. There is no clear cut favorite. Three different winners in the past three weeks. That kicks off at 8 p.m. If you want to play with the big boys, I would suggest going to the Bards. I miscalculated, and put a $35 prize bounty on Steak Em Up even though they’ve only won 2 in a row. No worries, it’s never a bad time to put a bounty on their heads, especially in the last quiz before their big documentary comes out. The bounty stands, and Duane’s World is rumored to be coming to try to take it. If you want to test your mettle against the two hottest teams in quizzo right now, be at the Bards at 10:15 p.m. Hope to see ya tonight!