Recap: A whole bunch of Smart-Asses

Hoo boy, what a show. Thirty teams filled the chichi halls of (Le) Poisson Rouge for a most excellent Big Quiz Thing this evening. I was particularly impressed with the plethora of Smart-Ass Points tonight, the oh-so-wrong but oh-so-funny answers. Examples:

Q: When it closed in 1987, this Broadway musical was titled Drood, but when it opened in 1985, it was called what?

A: Drood, Where's My Car?

Q: According to a typographically inclined article on Slate last week, you should never, ever put two BLANKs after a BLANK.
A: LOLs after an OMG

Q: In the book 1984, the Party’s slogans are War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery, and BLANK Is BLANK.
A: Rhythm Is a Dancer

Ha-ha, hee-hee. EDP, Claudia and I were really hustling up there, because we had a strict 9pm curfew to make room for the next show at LPR, and with 30 teams…as I said, hoo-boy. But I think we kept things under control, through the hyperlocal video round "NYC, Up Close and Personal"—I'm a little disturbed that nearly all of you recognized the brass balls of the Wall Street bull statue—and the "Questions & Answers" audio round. (Why all the moans when I announced the gimmick? What, you don't like "Do You Wanna Touch Me?" followed by "I Touch Myself"?)

And the buzzerlicious finale: In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we focused on a different kind of kings, the British monarchy. Returning champs Jefferson Davis Starship vs. perennial champs Fantastic Fournicators vs. Rachel Kramer Bussel in Your Hedgerow (a conglomeration of several regular quizzers, including sometime–Gerard Depardoucher RKB herself and members of Team! The Musical). It was quick and clean (9pm was approaching), and Matt of the Fournicators clinched it by knowing that two—no more, no less—of Henry VIII's wives had their heads chopped off. Yay!

Sorry, no time for a winning-team photo. Instead, enjoy this again:
The standings:

1. The Fantastic Fournicators: The winningest team in BQT history. (Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!…)
2. Jefferson Davis Starship
3. Rachel Kramer Bussel in Your Hedgerow
4. Birds of Ill Omen/Gerard Depardouche (tie): Damn, we had a lot of ties tonight…
6. Sugah Titz
7. Strippers for Stephen Hawking/Houston George Bush Incontinental Airport (tie)
9. Fat at Last, Fat at Last/Oh Noah, You Didn't (tie)

NEXT: We're returning to Drom—the much smaller Drom, so, uh, a lot of you better not come back—in two weeks, on January 31. Then we're off three weeks, and we return to Crash Mansion, on February 21—Presidents' Day—for a very special Hail to the Trivial Presidential Quiz Spectacular. More about that in this space anon.

Recap: Viva '10!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the ridiculously large turnout at last night's Big Quiz Thing: 33 teams. The newly redesigned answer pads save paper, so Al Gore owes me one. I credit some of the impressive crowd to the Gray Lady, who gave us a little cyberlove yesterday.

First, venue notes: We were back at (Le) Poisson Rouge last night, of course. Many of you might remember the big 200th Episode show last August, a roaring success; scheduling difficulties delayed our return, but after a second big show there, we're looking to come back more often
(Cash Cab for Cutie has given their blanket vote for returning, for one). News will be here ASAP.

Yes, the Fantastic Fournicators won, their premiere victory in the era of our big Three-Way Finale: FF up against the long-suffering Jefferson Davis Starship and the Fat Kids, and lordy, was it a nail-biter. The final question—"54th Street between Eighth Avenue and Broadway is honorarily named after what ventriloquist who frequently appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show?"—was won on a steal: Not Edgar Bergen, but this guy.

Otherwise, I was wildly impressed with how many teams aced "Rebus in Peace", and yes, "According to the old Chiquita Banana commercial jingle, where should you never put bananas?" prompts some extremely obvious Smart-Ass Point answers ("up the wazoo" was my favorite). Finally, why is "Sarah Jessica Parker" a funnier answer than "Alanis Morissette" when I ask you who won last year's Kentucky Derby? I will never understand you people.

Slightly personal note: I asked, "There’s a sign in the typical MTA subway car that says 'Please,' above three pictures, each in a circle with a line through it. What are the pictures of?" No one got all three correct: cigarette, person littering, boom box. But in the face of so many "wrong" answers (food and drink?), I began doubting that I had the correct answers on my magic clipboard. I questioned the clipboard, my rigorous fact-checking system, and my own memory. But a trip on the 2 train this morning brought me blessed confirmation.


Always trust yourself, friends.

The standings…

1. Fantastic Fourincators — well earned this time
2. Fat Kids Dream Big/Jefferson Davis Starship (tie)
4. Sugah Titz/Cash Cab for Cutie (tie)

NEXT SHOW: MLK Day back at Crash Mansion. We're sticking with the theme, featuring "A Court of Kings" and the audio round: "Maximum Elvis" (he would've been 75 next week, no lie).

PLUS: We head up to the Boston area, January 28. Tell all your friends who copped out and left NYC to go to grad school.

200!

It was all for you, folks…

Thanks for your glorious appreciation of our glorious appreciation, the "Precious Moments" video montage at last night's Big Quiz Thing 200th Episode Spectacular. It's nice to have fomented a cult. Thank you everyone—emphasis on every—for making this show and so many others such an amazing event. (Yes, some sincerity.) The show went off with nary a hitch, we packed 'em in (approx 250 in attendance, by my count), and fun was had all around. It was great to see so many old-timers in the crowd: Team! the Musical, Adam Smith's Invisible Hand Job, William H. Macy and the Sunshine Band, probably lots of other folks. You're doing a beautiful thing (there's that sarcasm).

In my opinion, last night the Bipolar Movie Challenge successfully defended its status as king of the BQT video rounds, and Slooow Songs will never cease to amuse me. Props to you all for laughing like giddy spider monkeys at the appropriate times.

And yes, I think the chances of a return engagement at (Le) Poisson Rouge are good. Let me know your thoughts on the venue. Other than the relative lack of seating situation, which I'm assured can be remedied, I (along with EDP and DJ GB) was very happy with the space: pretty and professional, everyone was cool to work with, good food and drink that's not stupidly expensive. Cool sculptures in the hallways, too.

Thanks also to everyone who supplied prizes: Your door girl, Sherry, has attested to me at least three times in the past 17 hours that the Cupcakes in Heels are absolutely the bomb; hope we can partner with them again. Thank you also to Heeb magazine and Rachel Kramer Bussel. E-mail info@bigquizthing.com if you have your own product/service to shill, and we'll team up to fight for synergistic justice.

And hey—I'm ordering more T-shirts. This time, you better buy some and not just attack each other to grab at ones that go flying through the air.

And the standings for the extra-big show. A nice mix of old and new regulars…

1. The Fantastic Fournicators: I suppose it was appropriate; they are the winningest team in Big Quiz Thing history.
2. Team! the Musical: Hopefully back to stay. You don't fuck with these guys.
3. Gerard Depardouche/William H. Macy and the Sunshine Band (tie)
5. Jefferson Davis Starship/Fat Kids Can Only Slow Dance (tie)

We're back at Crash Mansion in two weeks: September 14, 7:30pm again. But please watch this space: We'll be having an ongoing conversation about the future of the Big Quiz Thing, looking ahead to the big 300…

To-NIGHT!

Yes, finally, it is nigh: The Big Quiz Thing's 200th Episode Spectacular. Read the nice semimention in last Friday's New York Post, the write-up in Time Out New York, and of course, the hyperventilating press release. And here's a roundup of some of the prizes you just might possibly maybe win.

So remember: WE ARE NOT AT CRASH MANSION TONIGHT! I have no idea what will be happening there, but it will not be the Big Quiz Thing, unless I need to sue the crap out of someone. We will be at (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street near Thompson. And it's 7PM, not 7:30. Tonight and tonight only. Excitement is in the offing, my friends.