A week for Christmas Miracles

Now, I usually start the Week in Review with coverage of Movie Monday. But when Christmas Miracles occur, they get paragraph one treatment. Quizzo at the Rendezvous seemed like the usual quizzo at the Rendezvous. The Jams held a 12 point lead going into the final round. But they missed the special holiday edition of the 12 point weekly double, and two other teams got it, giving us our first ever three way tie in quizzo history (89-89-89). The first question of overtime was, “What year is on the screen at the start of the Christmas in Hollis video?” Perennial sixth place finishers Leftover Crack and the Jams got it right with 1987. The Merry Jolly Consumers guessed 1984 and were eliminated. Next question: “In what year was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ released?” The teams both got it correct, 1946. Triple overtime. “In what year was the George C. Scott Christmas Carol released?” The Jams guessed 1971 and Crack guessed 1983. The correct answer was 1984, and we had one of the biggest upsets in quizzo history! God Bless Us, Every One!

Continue Reading to see who won, who lost, and what questions were asked.

Continue reading “A week for Christmas Miracles” →

Ginger Thursdays…on Friday

Ginger missed her deadline yeserday, so we had to push her back to Friday’s edition. Today she talks about the Pen and Pencil and her Christmas wish list:

As many know, you never wake up the next day, with the notion, “Wow I am really glad I went to the Pen and Pencil last night.” For those of you who don’t know, back in the day the Pen and Pencil was a place for journalists to go, write and chat. Current day, it’s a late night destination for hospitality industry folk. Bathroom lines are long due to lines in the bathroom, if you catch my drift. Co workers smut it up- sitting on each other’s laps, throwing back whiskey and lagers, hoping everyone’s so out of their mind that they won’t remember who was making out with who the next night at premeal.

Now that I have educated you on the glory laden club, let’s talk about the lovely ginger’s christmas wish. I am asking the bearded one for a new late night destination spot for Philly. One with separate rooms, so you can avoid someone if you don’t want to see them. Possibly a Miss Pacman machine. Good craft beer like Sly Fox and Yards is a must. A bowling lane or two would be nice. Oh, and I don’t want it to be open every night of the week, because that’s too tempting and the lovely ginger needs her beauty sleep.

I am also asking Santa for a digital camera (time to stop the ghetto disposable thing),
knee highs,
an alarm clock, (currently using my cell phone),
more bars with fire places and mulled wine,
inspiration to actually use my gym membership,
a new computer,
this owl tea set,
A better neighborhood grocery store than save-a-lot,
A new advertising campaign for Old City’s Eulogy (nodody wants to read in the PW every week that you are the only Real Belgian-owned bar),
a partner in crime to help me bomb the Philadelphia Parking authority on Filbert St and George Smith Towing in Southwest Philadelphia,
a trip to Belgium or the Czech Republic, and
a new best friend, because Johnny gets too tempermental sometimes.

What’s the best Christmas Movie Ever?

I just posted a new poll, so be sure to vote. If you’ve got any movies that aren’t on the poll but should be, post below. My favorite Christmas movie of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life”, hands down. Indeed, watching this film is one of the highlights of the Christmas season. While most movies are about romantic love, this is a film more about platonic love, about the meaning of friendship and how important it is to our lives. But at the time it was released, it received mixed reviews:
-Indeed, the weakness of this picture, from this reviewer’s point of view, is the sentimentality of it—its illusory concept of life. Mr. Capra’s nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile. But somehow they all resemble theatrical attitudes rather than average realities. -New York Times

Oh, and apparently there are people who are such stoners that they have figured out when to synch up “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Pink Foyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. Another strange fact about the film: the FBI hated it. A 1947 FBI memo stated that, “With regard to the picture ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’…this film is a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a ‘scrooge type’ so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This, according to these sources, is a common trick used by Communists.” Final fun fact, this one courtesy of wikipedia: After Uncle Billy chooses between his three wavering hats and leaves George’s house drunk, it sounds as if he is falling over trash cans. This scene was unplanned. A technician accidentally dropped some equipment off-set, making a loud noise. Shouting “I’m all right, I’m all right,” the actor saved the take and made comedic history. The stagehand made an extra $10.

February 3rd-Mark the Date: Quizzo Bowl III

It’s official, gang. Quizzo Bowl 3 will be held on Saturday, February 3rd, meaning that that weekend will include: Wing Bowl, Quizzo Bowl, the Super Bowl, and my birthday. It is going to be the most awesomest weekend ever. Tickets will go on sale in a couple of weeks, and I’ll have more details next week.

Johnny Does His Part for the Cause

I was sitting in my neighborhood coffee shop, checking to see if any cute girls had contacted me on Myspace*** when I received an urgent message from Trivia Art, which read simply, “Naked Chicks on Walnut Street, Noon Today.” Being a responsible local journalist, I hopped into the Quizmobile and headed to Walnut Street in a flash. You see, these weren’t just naked chicks, these were PETA naked chicks, protesting burberry out in front of the burberry store. Now, I have long protested burberry, because burberry is the Hummer of clothing patterns, worn by rich people with no personality to show other rich people with no personality that they can afford it.

Where was I? Oh yes, so I decided to go to PETA’s protest because I hate burberry and because I think it is terrible that animals are tortured to make these stupid scarves. I also went because I wanted to see boobies. Well, the ladies were cute but they weren’t totally naked, and to make matters worse, they had a giant sign over their boobies. Something about fur being bad, etc. Anyways, the point here is that fur is terrible and that when somebody says that there are naked chicks on Walnut Street and you are a creepy enough guy (like me!) to go check it out, expect to be somewhat disappointed.
Related: bloodyburberry.com

***the answer was no. Cute girls never contact me on Myspace. The only person who ever contacts me on Myspace is Chip Chantry, grumbling about how cute girls never contact him on Myspace.

Just Because

OK, first off, this is my mom’s favorite song ever. Not favorite Christmas song ever. Favorite song. Ever. Secondly, there are rumors that I will be performing this song at a grader shed party in Virginia on Saturday. (Grader sheds are where farmers have a conveyer belt to sort through or grade veggies. They also store farm equipment.) These rumors are of course untrue, and JGT doesn’t know how they got started. Oh, and Smackdown will be pissed if I don’t say that she suggested that I post this song. Smackdown suggested that I post this song.

Trivia Art Honored by Philly Weekly

Well, the rumors proved true. Food and booze master (as well as occasional quizzo fill in and johnnygoodtimes.com contributer) Trivia Art just had his site Foobooz named Philly’s best food blog by the Weekly:
It’s everything you want in a food blog—openings, blind items, whittled-down capsule reviews, nightly specials and happy hour deals—with none of the endless mind-numbing threads from aggro foodies you’ll find on other food blogs. Art Etchell’s site has just the facts, and I like it that way.
RELATED: Philly Weekly year in review in food.
Trivia Art on MySpace.

Holy Wow! AI to the Nugs

Johnny’s high school nemesis AI is going to the Nuggets for Andre Miller (honestly one of the most underrated players in the game), a couple of draft picks, and Joe Smith who, I SWEAR TO GOD I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP, I played against in high school. I am absolutely totally telling the truth. The Sixers, apparenty worried that JGT would head to Denver, made sure to include one of his boys from his eastern Virginia days in the trade, and keep him from getting homesick. “That they would do this for little old me really shows what a commitment this organization has to its fans,” said a relieved ‘Times, who has not yet packed his bags to be with his homie in Denver.

In all honesty, Joe Smith was not really that good in high school (I played him once), he was just really tall and blocked everything that came near the rim. It was pretty shocking that he did so well at Maryland. Of course, in the pros, he is best known for being one of the players involved in every single trade that has occurred in the last 10 years. He has played for every team in the NBA at least once, including the Chicago Zephyrs and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.
RELATED: AI to the Nugs.
RELATED: Sweet AI video I posted a couple of days ago. If you haven’t checked it out, do so.
AND FINALLY: Yeah, you knew I was busting this one back out: JGT vs Bubbachuck in high school.

Foobooz Tuesdays

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Renowned food and booze blogger Trivia Art (who rumor has it will be receiving a pretty sweet award manana) presents us with his tips to ensure a great New Year’s Eve. My advice? Give up. New Year’s Eve always sucks, except for that one where I kissed one of my sister’s hot friends right at midnight. That one was fun. Other than that they’ve all sucked. But Trivia Art is more of an optimist than I. Here’s his advice:

It first rears its head a little after Thanksgiving. Then you hear it again when you get together with friends in mid-December. By the week before Christmas it has become the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. “What are you doing for New Years?” Uggh! How has such a simple excuse to party it up and get drunk become such a production. What are you to do?

Foobooz helps you navigate the trials and tribulations of the biggest night out of the year.

Continue reading “Foobooz Tuesdays” →

Malia presents: Around the horn

–Glenn is rocking Christmas like a Hurricane. The Jewish forecaster refuses to promote the Christian holiday on the air. Speaking of Jews and the Christmas holiday, if you missed the Wheel of Terrific last night, you missed Hanukkah Dwayne and you also missed bartender Marianne dressed in her Mrs. Claus outfit. Both were spectacular.

-What if Office Space was a thriller?

-Britney gets dragged out of her car and beaten by the fashion police.

–Oh please God no.