Here’s the story on Charlie Brown Christmas. Network executives thought it would bomb because of the biblical messages and the jazz music. Also, here is the famous short story, the Gift of the Magi. Here’s some kool facts about Christmas, including where X-mas comes from. Oh, and best team name from last night? Dr. Dre-del.

Yeah, it’s my favorite Christmas movie, and yes, I will cry like a newborn when I see it this year. Here’s a few interesting facts about the movie (for example, did you know that it originally ended with “Ode to Joy”, not “Auld Lang Syne”?), and here it is recreated by bunnies in 30 seconds. Here are the technical errors that you can find in the film. Here’s a great review of the film from a couple of years ago. I like the following lines:
I dislike its oversentimentality and hokeyness and find it to offer an unrealistic portrait of a fantasy America that never really existed. Life seems pathetically obvious in its attempts to wring tears out of its audience. On the other hand, I have to admit that the stupid thing works, damn it all to hell! While the movie shamelessly manipulates the audience, it’s hard to feel too angry about it because of the raw jolt of unabashed emotion that it provides; watching Life is like overdosing on some sort of sick sentimentality drug.
Alright, now back to my Christmas shopping!

Hey gang, in the spirit of the holidays, we are going to be raising money for the less fortunate during our holiday spectacular. This week the money is going to try to help offset the most evil institution in America, PGW. We will be raising funds for the Utility Emergency Services Fund, whcih will surely have it’s hands full this winter, as PGW tries its best to kill poor people. Therefore, I will ask everyone who plays to donate at least a dollar to the cause. So far this year, we have raised almost $1,000, and including the matching gift we got for our Red Cross donation, we have raised almost $2,000. Thank you for your generosity and for doing your small part to help the less fortunate this holiday season.

Who wrote ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas?

This week, Johnny will be hosting his annual holiday spectacular. All questions will be holiday related. Speaking of the holidays, the Trunkadero at the Trocadero was awesome, and I’m not just saying that b/c I got a smooch at the kissing booth from Bawdy Girl/oil wrestler Jenny Balls. But I digress. Oh, yes, JGT will also be playing X-mas tunes (if you know of any good ones you’d like to hear, click here), and he’ll be making spirits bright, if you know what we mean. No? To be honest, we don’t really know what that means either.

Cause here comes the man you all know and love, Jerry Blavat, back on the scene. The Geator with the Heater, the Boss with the Hot Sauce is coming to WXPN. According to Dan Gross, “he starts ‘The Geator’s Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues Express,’ on WXPN 88.5 on Saturday Jan. 7.” Here’s how he got the name, according to his website:
Geator came from alligator– gator, or geator, depending on your Florida accent. To hear Jerry tell it, ‘a geator would lay in the mud and bother no one unless you came close. Then it would snatch you up.’ That’s how it was with Blavat. Once you dialed by 1310 and caught his act, he snatched you up like an alligator. He was hot, almost too hot. Like a car heater in the dead of winter, he started out warming you but quickly heated you up to the point that you broke out in a sweat. Some felt it was what he said, others claimed it was the way he said it, but for most it was the music, that mesmerizing sound they weren’t hearing on the popular stations.

This from Bush’s speech last night: “For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope,” he said. “For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed.” There are countless lives reclaimed??? Are we bringing people back to life? Are there really not 30,000 dead civilians and 2,100 dead soldiers, because a lot of those people have been “reclaimed”? Was that some sort of strange Orwellian doublespeak, or I am I just out in the cold when it comes to that term? Can someone please explain this to me?

The Trivia Jihad wrote a long, detailed report of their Philly experience, and I think you’ll enjoy reading about it from a foreigner’s point of view. Here is a slice:
Johnny Goodtimes is a real piece of work. For one thing, Johnny G. used to be a dolphin trainer in Hawaii before giving that up and moving to Philadelphia to become that city’s only true man of leisure as well as its best local celebrity. While it is unclear how one determines who is the “best” local celebrity, Johnny’s website suggests that he is just that. Johnny’s game is certainly different from the other quizzoes in terms of how the three rounds are set up. For one thing each round features a random question that is worth double the normal points for questions from that round. Of course, he could just announce, “Hey this is the double point question” but, as Philly’s best local celebrity, there is a certain standard he must uphold. Prior to asking the double point question, he cranks up some old school hip-hop and then, over the music he declares, “Ooooh myyy goodness, looks like question number 6 is the double point question.” Actually, I am not exactly sure what comes after the initial phrase as I am so moved by the “oh my goodness” intro.

Are you having a hard time coming to grips with the possibility that pro wrestling is fake? So is this guy. My favorite part: “Thank you, Mr. Funk, for saying what needed to be said.”

First off, best team name of the week: Free Mumia! (With the Purchase of a Mumia of Equal or Lesser Value). Had a great answer a few weeks ago I forgot to mention also. I had asked “Jessica Pressler ruffled some feathers when in a New York Times article she called Philly what?” The answer was the Sixth Burrough. I had one team at the Good Dog answer, in all sincerity, the Fifth Burrough. This week, in answer to the question, the operation that netted Saddam Hussein shared a name with what 80’s movie. The answer? Red Dawn. Team T & A at O’Neals answered “Biodome”. Finally, congrats to Team #5 at O’Neals, who got their first 50/50 round question right on question #8. In the future I will try to keep better tabs on terrible answers.