We're off to see…

Look at that beautiful picture… As I announced at last Monday's show (and here), at the next BQT, October 12, we'll be doing a Wizard of Oz–themed audio round, something I've been mentally cooking up for quite some time. And as I promised, no Wizard of Oz knowledge (or at least very little) is necessary. To explain: It's pop songs that are thematically linked to the mythos of TWOZ, if only tenuously. I don't want to give anything awaym but here's something: I considered including a song by the band Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore's post–Deep Purple band (get it? "Rainbow"). I decided otherwise, partly because the band was just a touch too obscure for my purposes (though "Since You Been Gone" rocks). But you get the idea.

Plus, we had a Wizard of Oz four-parter last Monday. Yes, I've had the film on the brain lately, but so have a lot of people: It was released 70 years ago last month, is being issued on a new deluxe DVD and all that. But it's also one of my absolute favorite films, and deserves all the attention it gets. It's the nearly perfect movie: Funny, clever, great for kids and adults, well acted and beautifully designed, with spectacular music. The special effects look great seven decades later, particularly the makeup, which accomplishes the rare feat of making the actors look otherworldly without impeding any emotional expression. My favorite song:

BTW, I know it's Dorothy—from Kansas—who utters the name, but I love the implication that people in Oz know who Abraham Lincoln is.

Also, I must say, I'm a fan of the whole Dark Side of the Moon legend/rumor/bullshit; I find it amusing. I've tried the synchronized screening a total of three times, and it worked only once—it's very tricky to get it right—but it's an interesting exercise in the juxtaposition of sound and image, an instructive from a media studies point of view. (the moment when Dorothy goes from black and white to color is worth two bong hits all by itself).

Finally, some BQT Wizard of Oz trivia through the years. Are you sure I'm not gay?

In The Wizard of Oz, what does the Wicked Witch of the West skywrite above the Emerald City?

What was the original published title of the book commonly called The Wizard of Oz?

Four-part question: Wizard of Oz urban legends.

a. The members of BLANK totally made their album to sync up with the movie

b. A depressed actor who played BLANK can be seen hanging himself onscreen

c. As Miss Gulch, Margaret Hamilton utters the then-scandalous word of BLANK

d. That guy from The Beverly Hillbillies had to drop out of playing the Tin Man because he was allergic to BLANK.

In 2004, Bravo counted down “The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.” The two live-action children's movies on the list were The Wizard of Oz and what else?

What trademarked name for a dessert comes from a 1939 movie?

See you October 12: We get our courage, finally.