The Tenth Anniv. Quiz Show Marathon: Prize sponsors (part I)

Two weeks? Two weeks?!? Yes, less than that till the return—this time in Boston—of our Tenth Anniversary Quiz Show Marathon. A full day of quiz goodness—come and go as you please for one low price—with music, comedy (from Improv Boston), short films, food, and plenty more. Like prizes! $500 for first place, but let's look at some of the names on our growing list of excellent sponsors, shall we?

The Coolidge Corner Theatre

Yes! One of the Boston area's premier movie theaters—higher-quality current features, A-list revivals, wacky programs for everyone from psychotronic-loving insomniacs to infant-toting moms and dads—the Coolidge Corner has something for everyone: seriously, Mahler on the Couch right alongside Robocop. And it's located conveniently right off Commonwealth Ave, at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, for your non-needing-a-car convenience. Six hot tickets for some lucky players at the Marathon. Coolidge.org for showtimes and other vitals.

Planet Records

Old-schooool! Music will never die so long as stores like Planet Records are around. When I first discovered Harvard Square, in the mid-'90s, I spent many a happy afternoon sorting through the racks at Planet and similar spots, music geek nirvana then as now (that's how I ended up with four Elvis Costello bootlegs from the late '70s; yeah, I was that guy). Packed to the rafters with vinyl, CDs, DVDs, and plenty more fetishist fare, Planet is going strong—it just moved to a bigger space, even, at 144 Mt. Auburn Street. They're giving us a $20 gift certificate for one fortunate music nerd (study up for all five audio rounds!). See the confluence of past and present at planet-records.com.

Hungry Mother

Yee-ha! Southern-inspired cuisine and fine drink in Kendall Square, courtesy Hungry Mother. This dinner menu is not messing around, my famished and maternal friends: Wagyu beef tri-tip, catfish à la meuniere, shrimp and grits. Eat well, without having to descend below the Mason-Dixon Line; we got $100 worth of gift cards for some winners. 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave in Kendall; hungrymothercambridge.com.

City Chicks 

In-ter-est-ing… City Chicks bills itself as offering "21st Century Home Ec Classes and Parties for the Modern Day Homemaker," and it looks like that's completely accurate. Check out this schedule: "At Home Bang-Trims, Blow-Outs, and Updos," "Butchering 101: Snout to Tail," "Easy Knitting Projects," and whole flotilla of holiday-themed project lessons. Life is never complete as long as there's something new to learn, and it looks like City Chicks can help with that—especially if you win the free class they're offering at the Marathon. Classes meet all over the Boston area; be educated as citychicksboston.com.

The Blue Man Group

A big one: You know 'em, you love 'em, they might even haunt your nightmares. The men of the Blue Man Group—a worldwide sensation, with elaborate shows in cities throughout the world—are among history's most successful avant-garde weirdos. Music, comedy, percussion, splattering paint, flowing toilet paper, chewed Cap'n Crunch—and hey, it's great for kids! (That exclamation point was not sarcastic.) The azure fellows make their home at the Charles Playhouse; pick up tickets today, or come to the Marathon and attempt to snag the pair we have on offer. Blueman.com, of course.

And there are many, many more. Check this space for details soon, or buy your tickets to the Marathon now!