Recap: El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles

That was (supposedly) the original full name of L.A., the City of Angels, the Land of Dreams. How 'bout that for trivia?

Last night witnessed the BQT's Los Angeles debut, at the character-packed El Cid, and man, was fun had all around. This was only the third Big Quiz Thing event ever not hosted by yours truly (I was present as the mysterious Man in Black, sidekicking onstage and helping run the show), quizmastered as it was by the great Daniel Halden. Naturally, I brought out the BQT's greatest hits (Bipolar Movies, Sloow Songs, tons more), and the West Coast crowd was amazing—large, loud and appreciative. Lots of people arguing technical points, but when they do it with a good humor that these folks did—okay, fine, maybe Greenland counts as "a country," but your answer was Canada, so it doesn't matter—I love that kind of back-and-forth. Angelenos aren't just smart, they're the best kind of Smart-Asses.

Congratulations to the winning squad, the Looky-Loos, who won on a quick-and-dirty Three-Way Finale on one of the BQT's all-time best science questions, naming the 19th-century invention that's the most efficient means of converting human energy into propulsion. The standings:
1. The Looky-Loos: Including Elsie, a NYC refugee who was joyously reunited with the BQT last night, and Robin, one of my fellow Jeopardy! runners-up.
2. Gelantinous Cube: Kicking major butt throughout (only team to ace the Bipolar movies, and one of the select few to score perfect on Slooow Songs), but slightly undone by the finale.
3. Bea Arthur's Tits: Only two members! Including another former NYC fan.
4. We Killed Rosie Larsen: These folks like to laugh.
5. The Economy: Not stupid, it turns out.
6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Smarts Club Band
7. Little Lebowski Urban Achievers: You folks have to come to NYC and check this out.
8. Better than Alex's Mom's Team: I mean, Alex's Mom's Team didn't even make the top 50!
9. A picture of a cat: That was their team name. We attract the most creative nerds.
10. Jewminican Republican

Thanks again to our fabulous sponsors: The brunchtastic Glendon Bar & Kitchen, the splatteriffic Re-Animator: The Musical, and what sounds like the greatest thing ever, the Outdoor Cinema Food Fest. (Want to sponsor the next L.A. BQT? E-mail info[at]bigquizthing.com.)

Speaking of which…El Cid was excellent, and we're looking at some other venues, but we're looking to bring the BQT back to L.A. in August. Follow us on the Facebook and Twitter tip for updates. Keep the dream alive!