Hot! New! Format!

A little background: EDP and I had been talking for months about adopting the hot new format you saw at last night's Big Quiz Thing, i.e., keeping the video screen pulled down and showing text for most of the questions. My perennial refrain was to tell EDP that I was happy to try it if it worked, but he'd have to take the reins. Anyway, he took them reins, it worked, it ups our game, and we're going to keep it going forward, tweaking and improving it along the way. (Yes, Aris, we're planning to have the text on the other video screens as well; patience.) Expect magic, pure magic.

DJ GB was missed last night—young Duncan is keeping her busy, as you can imagine—but DJ Mike a.k.a. Just Mike a.k.a. the Wolf a.k.a. whatever filled in ably, and he'll be back on the 19th. (And he needs a roommate. And at least one lady asked about him after the show. More about him here.) The downside was the preponderance of testosterone on the stage; is anyone interested in helping us out on stage as a new B-Cutie? (Lots of lovely fringe benefits, ladies, and I swear, no sexual harassment.)

I thought last night's audio round—"Songs You May Have Forgotten from Ten Years Ago"—was especially good, particularly considering how rotten most of those songs are. It inspired some nice nostalgia, and a full-fledged Smash Mouth sing-along. You people should be ashamed.

Next show: The video round is all about President Bush, the audio round is all about President Obama. (Whose name the dynamic spellcheck continually insists on flagging. Let's get it together, people—change has come!)

A reminder: This Friday night I perform as part of the Doris Yeltsin variety show, free, 8pm, at Sound Fix in Brooklyn. The full story here.

The standings…

1. Fantastic Fournicators (why do I bother to even type it?)
2. Gerard Depardouche (one point away, due for a return to victory)
3. Sugah Titz/Touched by an Uncle (tie)
5. Incontinental Congress

And yes, officially, last night was the biggest crowd in BQT public-show history: 188 people! Thanks for sticking it out, party people.

What for which to look

Friends–

Just returned from my voyage to Colorado, where I had the most Christmasy Christmas of my life (not that difficult, considering that I'm a big ol' Jew). Here's me on Xmas morning with a lovingly abused cat named Sparky:

But getting away from NYC for a week—for the first time in 3.5 years—gave me some perspective about the Big Quiz Thing, and what's going to happen to it in 2009.

In a nutshell, probably not much that will directly impact you, the fans of the BQT. Two things, though:

—I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm going to post here more often. Even if it's a little personal thing here or there. For example, yes, DJ GB had her baby! This morning, in fact. Duncan Scott Sandford is doing fine, as is his mom, and his dad (who was easily among the silliest people I knew during my adolescence—I find it amusing that a cofounder of a group called the Magic Pumpernickel Crew is now someone's father). More details and perhaps photos later.

—I have to unload these damn T-shirts.An extremely large box of Big Quiz Thing logo shirts has been occupying a corner of my apartment for well on two years now (obscuring a very cool custom-made Spider-Man logo end table that a friend made for me many moons ago). I've long ago given up on selling them at a rapid clip (ONLY $10!), so I'll be giving them away, an effective way to market the quiz to your Chihuahuas, your one-night stands, and anyone else who sees you in the clothes you sleep in. Expect them as prizes, in other words.

And there will be more to come. The economy being what it now is, this holiday season was a challenging one for the BQT—lots of inquiries for private events, but not enough actual bookings—but we have much to look forward to in 2009. Be there and be square.