Yes, the rumors are true. I am now an honest man. Got married Saturday. It was an incredible weekend. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it, and thanks to everyone who sent us your best. And thanks, Steve-O, for playing “Last Christmas” by WHAM! on piano right before the service started.
Just a quick reminder that the Westbury is having their holiday party tonight, and therefore Westbury Quiz is cancelled for tonight. The Westbury quiz is back on in two weeks. Quizzo for Terrace Taproom tomorrow is on as planned.
Quizzo pics of last week’s winners will be posted either later today or early tomorrow. I got married on Saturday, so things were a little too hectic Friday to get photos up. Today it’s back to reality, which includes cleaning up the house.
This week, it’s time for our annual Holiday Spectacular. This is always one of the highlights of the year. Should be a blast. This year, I’m also going to throw in a few “Year in Review” questions. And what the hell, I’ll even write two quizzes this week, as a present to all you quizzo uber-nerds.
These cliffs of Normandy near Le Havre are known for their natural arch, inspired Monet and Boudin, and figure prominently in the novel The Hollow Needle. (Be sure to include The Hollow Needle in your search or you may get the wrong answer.)
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.
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.
A couple of years ago, I started reviewing classic movies I had never seen as an inspiration to catch up on my movie viewing. I was going pretty good for a while but then fell off the tracks. Well, it’s time to get back in gear. I saw that Marty was gonna be on Turner Classics a few days ago, so I decided to watch. Here’s my review:
I think most people would agree, this is a very nice movie. Which strikes me as a bit strange, since most of the characters in this movie are anything but nice. In fact, most of them are incredibly selfish jerks. The brutal honesty of this film is somewhat astounding, and every character is absorbed with their own self interest. I’m not saying it isn’t real, but anyone who tells you that the world wasn’t a cruel place back in the “good ol’ days” should watch Marty.
Let’s start with Marty’s mother, who says she wants him to marry so she doesn’t look bad for having a bachelor son. Then, when Marty does find a girl, she tries to screw it up so her son won’t leave her lonely. She really wants her cake and eat it too. Then comes Marty’s best friend Ange, who refers to Marty’s girl as a dog and then, instead of being happy for his lonely buddy for finding a girl, gets mad because Marty blows him off for that girl. Some friend. Then there is Marty’s cousin Tommy, who ignores Marty’s pleas for advice so that he can carry on a fight with his wife Virginia (played by the impossibly gorgeous Karen Steele. Yowsas!) Then there is Tommy’s mother, who seems to exist to make everyone around her miserable.
And finally, there is Marty himself. Now before you get all riled up, I liked Marty a lot, and for the most part he was a stand up guy. But he was also quite passive aggressive and a bit immature. When Clara refuses to kiss him, he yells “Alright! Alright! I’ll take ya home!”, trying to make her feel bad for not kissing him. (Also, Marty, a quick piece of advice, never tell a girl you’ve considered suicide while on a first date.)
Now, you probably think that I’m being some sort of contrarian jerk who is trying to rip a great film. I’m not. In fact, just the opposite. I thought the darkness of the movie, and the selfishness and brusqueness of the characters, is in fact what made it so good. Yes, there were some very warm scenes, but they would not have been so poignant if they didn’t take place in an atmosphere of duplicity and shameless self interest. It goes without saying that we root for Marty throughout, not because he’s so sweet but because he’s so real. He is trying to balance his own self-interest with the interests of those around him, while at times getting so caught up in his own problems that he becomes a little selfish himself. We can all relate. If he had been more one dimensional (completely selfless and inscrutable at all times), this film would not have been nearly as good.
I am a big fan of good “Day in the Life” films, and this is one of those. Getting a peek at the Bronx in 1955 is a heck of a lot of fun. This was an excellent film, and I have no problem giving it a high mark. GRADE: B. (Grades are in comparison to other great films, not to all films in general.)
A couple of weeks ago, we spoke with Timaree about sex in my basement. This week we talk with Sarah Baicker of Comcast Sportsnet about being a woman in a men’s locker room, about who on the Flyers she likes interviewing, and which Phillie would be the best quizzo player. Enjoy!
There is a huge controversy surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize this year. What man is receiving the award on Friday, causing China to threaten “consequences” for any government attending the ceremony?
“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!
“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