Picking Palin at the Fringe

As you're no doubt aware, every year, downtown NYC is overcome by a tidal wave of small-scale theater—some interesting, some unbearably incompetent, some perhaps a little brilliant. The New York International Fringe Festival stages several hundred shows each August, and I make a point of seeing at least one every year, and reviewing it for my day employer (and NYC Clash of the Trivia Champions sponsor), Time Out New York, whose coverage of the event is exhaustively comprehensive. (Emphasis on exhaustive, trust me.)

This year, I sampled something perfectly in tune with my political-horse-race interests, Picking Palin, a dramatization of the intimate inner-circle conferences that resulting in Sister Sarah's ascendance to über-irritant status. Read my review here—basically, it was okay, but I think you'd be much better off with this.

Movie vs. movie: to the death!

It felt good: returning to the BQT after the four-week hiatus. Apologies: venue complications. But the quiz is reliably on every other Monday night through the end of 2008. We are here for you, rest easy.

Last night's show witnessed the return of what I generally consider the Big Quiz Thing's marquee video round, "The Bipolar Movie Challenge." (I must post it to YouTube posthaste.) Some were easy (I heard one big shot scoff at how he got the Gangs of New York/West Side Story combo within two seconds), some were hard, all were clever. If I may so say, of course…

Hardest question last night: Only two teams knew this unnecessarily long query during the Lightning Round: "We tend to call any animal-like stone building appendage of a gargoyle, but technically, gargoyles serve as waterspouts. If it doesn’t channel water, it’s technically known as a what?" Some logical guesses (statue, buttress, caryatid), but few got it on the menacing, hauntingly misshapen nose.

Easiest question: "At the very beginning of this year’s vice presidential debate, while the candidates were shaking hands, Sarah Palin asked Joe Biden if she could what?" Yeah, I knew it wasn't exactly the riddle of the Sphinx, but I'd underestimated the cultural ubiquity of this little factoid. As I commented, Sarah Palin has become a political-trivia gift that keeps on giving; now I know how Tina Fey feels.

Speaking of which: Yes! Next show, October 27, there will be a bit of a political theme running through things. Not too much—you do not need to be a Nate Silver acolyte to do well (or enjoy) the show. What we will have is "Presidential Logo A-Go-Go": Name the candidate whose presidential-race logo I have cleverly manipulated. Like so:Fun! Plus, the return of "The Mystery Audio Round"! Nothing but joy, even if the polls have tightened up by then.

And now, the standings from last night. Lots of regulars here; come on, new people!

1. Fantastic Fournicators (I have officially declared them the winningest team in BQT history, though I have no hard evidence to verify that)
2. Gerard Depardouche (probably the second-placiest team in BQT history)
3. Sugah Titz (respectable for returning champs)
4. Birds of Ill Omen
5. Strippers for Stephen Hawking