To clear any confusion…

…there is no Big Quiz Thing tonight. If you go to Crash Mansion, you will see a bunch of bands I've never heard of and thus cannot attest to their quality or lack thereof. We're back in two weeks: June 8, with "The Flag Day Fashion Show" and plenty more delights.

In the meantime, try your luck with the newest Super Mega Ultra Hard Question, or the frequent trivia updates on my Twitter feed. Or, you know, head outside and get some fresh air: I'm going for my semiannual 100-block walk (through the new Times Square, of course). This is considered exercise for someone like me.

The Super Mega Ultra Hard Question: 5/22/09

YES! After too long a hiatus, it's back! E-mail info@bigquizthing.com with your answer by Sunday, May 30. A randomly selected correct response will win free admission to the Big Quiz Thing. Joy!

To Jew or not to Jew?

Just got home from a private party for the Hebrew school staff at an Upper West Side synagogue. We're old pros at this shul: three Hanukkah parties, a Purim bash, and now this. And we've appeared at a handful of other houses of Jewish worship, as far afield as New Jersey and Massachusetts, not to mention a Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania. I guess there is a conspiracy.

The BQT has made a little boutique business of Jewish-themed quiz shows (even branding it "The Big Jewish Quiz Thing" at times), which is apropos, since we cover all three types: I'm Ashkenazi, EDP is Sephardic, and DJ GB is a Catholic who married a Jew.

Tonight's show was typical in that it included a melange of BQT trivia, sprinkled with the Semitic content. We had fun with a video round, "Jewish Foods on Parade" (YouTube link forthcoming), a "Rock Stars of David" audio round (with bonus points for naming the artist's Jewy birth name), and a handful of other delights. Such as:

Q: What word do these things have in common?: Purim, and something that was illegal in the United States till the 1960s, but is now popular in 42 states.

Q: Even though it ends with none of the stereotypical Jewish suffixes, what is the most common clearly Jewish last name in the New York phone book?

Q: In the late ‘90s, a Jewish man named Bill Goldberg became one of the top names in a field of entertainment not many Jews participate in. What was his profession?

This is good; I've been a lax Jew through most of my adulthood (with the shrimp and the not going to temple and the massive tattoo of Henry Ford crawling up my arm), but I feel like this carries the banner in some small way. Right, Grandpa?

Twittering magic

So I've finally cracked the Twitter code: I've figured out how to tweet effectively, and in a way I don't find utterly and hopelessly pointless. Periodically throughout the day—five or six times, actually—I'm simply posting an old Big Quiz Thing trivia question. Entertaining, easy, and since it's drifted down the feed within a couple hours, I don't blow my quizzy wad (as it were) and ruin the question for future use. Be part of the excitement here.

However, this morning, something interesting happened. I posted this question:
In 1987, in a move that startled viewers, Price Is Right host Bob Barker stopped doing what?

Fun, fun. But then, I got a message that "Barker's Beauty (PriceIsBlog) is now following your updates on Twitter. " And I checked out this guy's feed: He live-tweets episode of The Price Is Right. Fascinating. He has a blog, too. He must search Twitter every day for any mention of his beloved game show, and there I was.

Who would be interested in this? I mean, I respect the guy's passion—I love The Price Is Right too, as I've often declared at the quiz—but this level of dedication is stunning. God bless the diversity of the human race.

NT's greatest hits, No. 13 (of 34)

Wow, can't believe how long it's been. Another of my favorites songs.
"Tunnel of Love" by Dire Straits



DJ GB once said something interesting: You can see how much the music industry has changed in the past 25 years by looking at Dire Straits. In the mid-'80s, for a time, this band of balding, over-the-hill pasty white guys was the biggest-selling musical act in the world. Granted, they benefited from a gimmicky video, but based on their physical appearance, it just wouldn't happen today. They wanted their MTV, by gum, they got it. Careful what you wish for.

But that's irrelevant when considering the quality of Dire Straits' music, which has often been very high. Mark Knopfler is celebrated as an excellent guitarist, and he is, but at least in his band's early days, he was a world-class songwriter as well. The band's third album, Making Movies, is a really incredible piece of work: a brief but sprawling stumble through disappointed romance, expressed through expert musicianship. Do not, I repeat, do not listen to it on a Tuesday at 4am when your ex-girlfriend hasn't responded to your Facebook message from two weeks ago.

Especially the opening track, the operatic "Tunnel of Love," which is one hell of a heartbreaker. It's basically eight minutes of an amusement park metaphor for easy love and its regretful aftermath—he's "searching through these carousels and carnival arcades/Searching everywhere from Steeplechase to Palisades." For this narrator, love (actually, I think the intention is just sex) is an afternoon on the Waltzer, at the shooting gallery, under the big wheel, riding the Ghost Train. A low ride in the Tunnel of Love.

Sounds goofy, but the band pulls it off with incredible grace; Knopfler's conversational guitar nicely punctuate his plainspoken vocals, which the rhythm section keeps a chugging background groove. The song rocks for a few verses, bounds into a spirited guitar solo, then instantly but smoothly melts into an aching final third, the guitar virtually going off into a crying tantrum. A brilliant synthesis of content, mood and musicianship, and enough to make me never want to go to Coney Island on a first date.

More of NT's greatest hits:
"I Get Around"
"Local Girls"
"Don't Let's Start"
"Suffragette City"
"See-Saw"
"My Name Is Jonas"
"Mr. Tambourine Man"
"Reelin' in the Years"
"Objects of My Affection" and "Crimson and Clover"
"OK Apartment" and "Just What I Needed"

But does it rain in New York City?

Last Monday, I asked this:

Q: Which hit song featured the following clever lyrical rhyme?
c. “California” and “warn ya,” 1982

This was a valid question. The answer is "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde: "New York to east California/There's a new wave comin', I warn ya."

An audience member told me she thought the answer was "It Never Rains in Southern California," a 1972 hit song by Albert Hammond (interestingly, father of Albert Hammond Jr., guitarist for the Strokes). Indeed, that rhyme is featured in that song, which I had forgotten (having not heard the tune since the early 1990s, when I was an acolyte to an unusually good oldies/classic soft-rock radio station in Montreal). A nice video for you:



But again, the question is valid: I said 1982, not 1972. This was part of the 95% of the time I get it right.

Here's what I've determined…

Crash Mansion's video system is not friendly to any kind of puzzle that requires the study of small detail. Especially now, that we've lost the screen in the back of the room. (Bang goes the plan of the all–Magic Eye video round.) That being said, I stand by the inherent quality and cleverness of "Several Pictures Are Worth Fewer than a Thousand Words," and will post it to YouTube at some point. But a lesson has been learned, and the BQT soars ever higher.

Last night was weird—big crowd, but tough crowd; lots of booing at Smart-Ass Point attempts. But hey, we're trivia fanatics; live by the sword, die by the sword, I say. My fault for distributing postcards for a Holocaust-themed play (get your Irena's Vow discount here!).

While I'm at it, I'm going to pat myself on the back and say that last night's show featured a lot of high-quality trivia. I'm reviewing the questions now and damn, I like a lot of these. I'm the greatest person ever, clearly. These especially give me a warm feeling:

What musician regretted the stage name he chose in 1977, since the name’s inspiration had died just a few months later?

What’s the television connection: 1966, 1987, 1993, 1995, 2001?

And of course, a presidential one:

Souter’s retiring! Who’s the most recent President who didn’t appoint any of the current members of the Supreme Court?

On the other hand, yes, this one sucks:

What word for a light shade of yellow is the 32nd most popular name for baby girls in the U.S.?

What I should have written was:

What word—which means both a light shade of yellow and a fragrant flowering shrub—is the 32nd most popular name for baby girls in the U.S.?

Better. Maybe to be used in a future BQT recycle job.

And, of course, the standings:

1. Gerard Depardouche: Fourth time in a row. I'd have to go back and check (and I won't), but I think that in the past year, fewer than five teams have won the Big Quiz Thing (the Big Three of the 'Douche, the Fantastic Fournicators, and Strippers for Stephen Hawking, plus an upset by Cash Cab for Cutie—anyone else? Sugah Titz?). I'm going to think about some new rule that levels the playing field a little.
2. Fantastic Fournicators
3. Incontinental Congress
4. Strippers for Stephen Hawking
5. Sugah Titz

NEXT SHOW IN FOUR WEEKS! June 8. In the meantime, DJ GB and I are doing You Bet Your Ass at the Slipper Room this Saturday. And I promise to get back on the blog tip: more Super Mega Hard Questions of the Week, more self-indulgent entries in my Greatest Hits series, more, more, more.

Last-minute reminder…

Tonight is the last Big Quiz Thing for four whole weeks. June 8 we return. This is your chance to fill up your trivia hump, you quiz camels, you.

Although, if you truly can't live without your beloved quizmaster over that time, remember about You Bet Your Ass, this Saturday night at the good ol' Slipper Room. Plus, of course, we do private parties, I say again.

BTW, the people have spoken, adjustments have been made, and tonight's video round will definitely rock. And can you believe that creepy movie poster?

This Monday—a video-round preview

Hola, disciples. This Monday, the video round is another new gem, "Several Pictures Are Worth Fewer than a Thousand Words." What does that mangled Chinese proverb indicate, for quiz purposes? It means this: behold, a sample…


Nice expressionistic collage, isn't it? But puzzle out the constituent pieces and you'll discover they have something in common:
A spike
The BQT logo
The USA
An oxygen tank
An old-timey nickelodeon

Yes, indeed: They're all cable networks. Each one of these will feature five elements that have one thing in common. This Monday night; be present.

As for the audio round, we're doing "And They're Off!" Your first task is to guess what the theme is. Plus, more theater tickets.

UPDATE: Yeah, this example is pretty tough, though I assure you, it's harder than what we're actually using. But EDP and I have been discussing (Mrs. EDP was completely stumped by it), and we'll be tweaking the challengingness a little. Everything's cool; trust your quizmaster.

Next on the theatrical prize roster…

…Irena's Vow. On Broadway, starring Tovah Fedshuh, one of the true greats of the modern stage—she was absolutely incredible a couple years ago playing Golda Meir in the one-woman show, Golda's Balcony (through which—no joke—she became friendly with a BQT regular who plays on Adam Smith's Invisible Handjob). You might know her better as a semiregular on Law & Order six or seven years ago; regardless, she knows her craft.

But a warning: Irena's Vow is no ray of sunshine. It's about the Holocaust. Not the quizziest subject, but hey, free tickets! I like to treat you people. And it's written by someone named Dan Gordon, who is apparently not the same Dan Gordon with whom I went to junior high and trick-or-treated (he was dressed as a Hasidic Jew, I was a scarecrow).

We'll be giving away free tickets at the next show, but in the meantime, a discount offer for everyone else. Another word from our sponsor:

IRENA’S VOW
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 West 48th St. (btwn Broadway & 8th Ave.)
www.irenasvow.com

“A Gripping Play! An Amazing Story! Tovah Feldshuh is Dynamic and Powerful!”
-NY Daily News

“Exemplary Courage In Grave Times”
-The New York Times

“AN INSPIRING, ENGROSSING & ENLIVENING PLAY. I encourage young and old, women and men, to see it! The story brings a message of faith, love and hope that good can triumph over evil. Tovah Feldshuh is a treasure – one of our finest actresses.”
-Liz Smith, Variety

“GRIPPING & EXTRAORDINARY! Surprising, suspenseful and heart-stopping! There’s no denying the emotional power of this MIRACULOUS STORY!”
- The Star-Ledger

“Thoroughly Engrossing! Tovah Feldshuh gives an incredible performance! An Inspiring, Powerful Reminder of the Indomitability of The Human Spirit!”
- NY1

Following a triumphant sold-out engagement, four-time Tony Award® nominee TOVAH FELDSHUH (GOLDA’S BALCONY) is now on Broadway in the critically acclaimed, tremendously moving new play, IRENA'S VOW.
Featuring a cast of ten, IRENA'S VOW is the riveting, life-affirming story about one of the most courageous and unsung heroines of World War II. During the German occupation of Poland, Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic, was forced to work as head housekeeper for a prominent German major. Over a two-year period of service, Irena would risk her own life in order to protect the lives of twelve Jewish refugees whom she secretly took under her care. IRENA'S VOW is the extraordinary true story of one woman's choice and the twelve lives that would ultimately be saved - or lost - by her decision.
DISCOUNT OFFER:
$69.00 tickets for select Orchestra & Mezzanine (A-F) seats
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3. BRING a printout of this discount to the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.


Restrictions:
Offer valid on select locations only. Offer valid for performances now through May 31, 2009. Other blackout dates may apply. Schedule subject to change. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. All sales final; no refunds or exchanges. Not valid on previously purchased tickets and may not be combined with other offers. Telephone/internet orders subject to standard Telecharge.com service fees. When purchasing at the box office, offer must be presented at box office window prior to inquiring about availability. Limit 8 tickets per order. Offer may be revoked at any time.

Kong! Kong! Kong!

Friday night, I had a nostalgically powerful moment. I caught a few moments of the 1976 remake of King Kong on television; specifically a scene that had a powerful effect on me when I saw it as a child. The Dude, Mrs. Sam Shepherd, the poor man's Andy Rooney, and Clayton Endicott III happen upon the natives of Skull Island performing a pre-sacrifice ceremony. The tribe's leader does an oddly sexual dance while wearing a creepy ape mask. When the chief spots the white people, specifically the shapely blond, he offers seven of "his" women in exchange for her. I think that did some weird things to me in regards to gender relations.

But I realized: Despite a mild lifelong fascination with apes (this and this come to mind), I've never seen the original, 1933 King Kong. Truly bizarre; it has been moved to the top of my Netflix queue. And here's an interesting exercise that's further whetted my appetite: Someone made a modern-style film trailer out of the original footage:

Not far behind on the queue is the 2005 remake, which I heard is self-indulgent, but I think it's worth a try; some time ago, I found myself transfixed by a muted TV showing a scene from it (Adrien Brody blasting giant bugs) while waiting on line at a Best Buy.

This, though, I can skip. Not entirely sure what's happening here…