Ok, wanting to do it the first weekend of October. If we did it on Saturday, we would do it around 5ish. If we did it on Sunday, we would do it around 3ish. I’m leaning toward Sunday because it’s in the early afternoon so people can bike to the location, and it would be easy to put together an afterparty nearby because Sundays are easy, while if we do it on a Saturday, it’s gonna be tough to find a bar that really cares about getting more people. As for sports, the Eagles are off that weekend, and the Phils play their final regular season game on that Sunday. Barring a stunning collapse, the game will be meaningless, though it is Fan Appreciation Day. Let me know your preference below.

• Last week we learned that Operating Thetan VIII is the highest level you can achieve in Scientology. Here’s a pretty good run down of each of the 8 levels, and what they can do for you, provided you have the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are required to learn the ultimate secrets of life and an ability to wade through giant swamps of bulls***.
• In the bicycle round of Thursdays kicks, we had the question, “Spanish sports fans call this a chalaca or chilena. What is it?” The answer is found here.
• Another bicycle round question was, “This 1948 film is considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever. What is it?” The answer is the Bicycle Thief, and here is a review of it by the New York Times. Tim Burton considered Pee Wee’s Big Adventure to be a loose remake of the film.
• Last week’s question of the week was: “Lana Turner’s boyfriend once pulled a gun on Sean Connery, only to have Connery snatch it from him and beat him up. Who was he?” The answer was Johnny Stompanato. In case you missed it, here’s a pretty good rundown of what happened.

In 1957 he had been cast by Hollywood bombshell Lana Turner as her love interest in a small British-made picture called Another Time, Another Place…rumours quickly began circulating on set that the screen lovers had continued the action off screen.

Connery was also seen on her arm at West End shows and in fashionable London restaurants. It did not take long for word of their relationship to travel across the Atlantic to the ears of Turner’s hoodlum boyfriend Johnny Stompanato.

Stompanato was a snappily dressed small-time crook with a taste for violence…He boarded a plane for London to sort out the man he thought was sleeping with his girlfriend…Stompanato, consumed with jealousy and anger, burst into the studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, where Turner and Connery were filming, and waved a gun at Connery, warning him to stay away from the actress. Connery wrestled the gun off him and laid him out cold with a right hook.

A few months later, Stompanato was killed by either Turner or her daughter in one of Hollywood’s most notorious scandals.

I’m kind of liking Sunday afternoon, October 4th. Not definite, but that’s what I’m kind of kicking around in my head. Maybe around 3ish in the afternoon. I want to do it early in October so we’re not up against the Phils in the playoffs. Yes, the Phils have a game that day, but they should have the division wrapped up by then barring a Mets-like collapse. We’d have the event wrapped up by early Sunday evening so people working the next day would be home early and for people wanting to party, it will be a lot easier to find a place to have an afterparty on a Sunday than on a Saturday. As for location, I’m dropping another photo hint above.

Thoughts, concerns?

A wild week at quizzo this week. Going to be interesting to see how it affects the standings. Steak ‘Em Up wins twice, but neither time in dominant fashion. The Axis has the best performance of the week by far, and Duane’s World, the Jams, and L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics all lose. How will it shake down? Find out Monday.

Meanwhile, I have found a venue for our Fall Smackdown (there’s a snippet of it to the left. See if you can figure it out.) It is going to be extremely cool. I still need to find a date, but I think we’re looking mid-October. I’ll get a definite date by next week.

Alright, I’m heading to New Hampshire for the weekend. I’ll see you kids next week. In the meantime, read about why J. Whyatt Mondesire is a disgrace. And don’t forget to join the Large Marge Fan Club!

Ok, so no murder, and not really that much mayhem, but there was controversy at the Rendezvous last night. The Jams had a perfect score when, in round three, I asked the question, “What train was Casey Jones the engineer of, a train whose name sounds similar to a Burt Reynolds movie?” The correct answer was Cannonball Express. They answered, simply, “Cannonball”. I had taken off a point the night before for teams that had simply written Cannonball, and did so again. They then ran the tables in Round Four and finished one point away from a perfect score, with a 118. So the question I pose to you is, “Was I grading too harshly? Should I have given them full credit for cannonball?” Let me know in the poll below.

Here it is, kids, the JGT 2009 Moneyboard. This does not include results from last week or so far this week. Also, a couple of teams who keep changing their name might have been skipped. Keep in mind, Bards and the Black Sheep both offer a $40 fiirst place prize, Ugly American offers $30 first place prize, and O’Neals and Locust Rendezvous offer a $25 first place prize.

Wow! What a week! First of all, Quiz on Your Face won in their first ever appearance at the Bards. Then we had one of the biggest upsets in quizzo history, as the Barstool Racers, who finished last two weeks ago (and have the My Little Pony coloring book to prove it), knocked off the Jams at the Rendezvous. Duane’s World (going by Eschaton) crushed the opposition at the Black Sheep, winning by 32. That perhaps got them fired up for THursday night, when they came from behind in the 4th round to edge the L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics at the Ugly American, 108-104, and end the Diabetics 8 game winning streak. That did not, however, affect our power rankings all that much. Here’s how they currently stand:

1. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics-They won 8 straight and carried a perfect score into round 4 last night, only missing two questions all game. This is simply the best team in quizzo. 
2. Duane’s World-To be the man, you gotta beat the man, and Duane’s World did just that. In addition, they blew the other squads out of the water at the Sheep. Of course, I’m a little bitter I had to pay them $35 last night. These Bounty Bowls are hurting my net income. 
3.  Hurtin Bombs-A nice win Thursday, but whither the future of the Bombs? Rene (the guy who looks like Erik Estrada with a moustache) leaves town today, leaving the future of the squad up in the air.
4. The Jams-Their worst performance in years drops them in the rankings. 74 points was a fluke, however. I expect them to bounce back big next week. 
5. Stimulate Your Prostate-The artists formerly known as the Sofa Kingdom simply haven’t been the same since Swanson left town. Koob and Nate are on the Atkins Diet: is it affecting their brains?
6. Why’s John’s Rum Gone-There is a lot of parity at O’Neals, but out of several teams that are very close in talent, John’s Rum gets the edge. 
7. Quiz on Your Face-Have proven to be a real rival for the Jams, then went on the road and won at Bards. This is a team on the rise. 
8. Narcotyzing Dysfunktion-They could swing either way: Becoming the team to beat at Bards or take the rest of the summer off. We’ll see. 
9. Sir Lancelost-The team that always changes their name didn’t play this week, but in the two weeks previous they won at O’Neals and then Rendezvous, so they crack the top ten. 
10. Barstool Racers- An honorary degree, as their persistence and refusal to quit after numerous last place finishes finally paid off in a startling upset. An inspiration to us all.

Others receiving votes: Lambda, Savage Henry, Same Name as Last Week, 1022, Catdog, Axis of Evil Knieval

Things are getting a bit ridiculous down at the Ugly American. With the Sofa Kingdom in disarray, the Hurtin’ Bombs hurtin’, Lambda invisible, the Jams in a mild slump, and having defeated Dwayne’s World several times, L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics have proven themselves to be the best team in JGT quizzo right now with an 8 game win streak. Tonight they go for 9 straight, and if any team can beat them they will get $35 cash in addition to the $30 gift certificate. (That’s $65 total, and if you needed me to tell you that, you won’t win tonight.) Action kicks off at the Ugly American (Front and Federal) at 8 p.m.

Action moves to the Bards, which has been WIDE SLAM OPEN the past few weeks. To be honest, things are pretty interesting at quizzo right now as a power vacuum has enveloped the Bards, with two of its top two teams (The Kingdom and the Bombs) in disarray and the Dysfunktion out of town for the summer. This has been the first time since we started at the Bards in 2004 where things are really truly wide open, and anybody can win the $40 gift certificate on any given night. The power, the glory, and the money are yours for the taking. Just sayin’. Action starts at 10:15 p.m.

The hottest team in quizzo these days resides at our newest spot. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics, who were one question away from perfect a couple of weeks ago, have been dominating at Ugly American to the tune of 5 straight wins (and 7 out of the first 9 quizzes there.) So tonight, if another team can take the title away from the Diabetics, they will go home with not only $30 off their tab but an extra $20 in cash. Battle takes place at 8 p.m. sharp at Front and Federal. Hope to see ya there!