Polk, Michael Jackson, The Twilight Zone: Together at last

Back from vacation, back to the Big Quiz Thing, and oh, what a show tonight. "An Entirely Presidented Quiz"—a barrel-of-fun American history quiz focusing on the Presidents—was a great success; you can't go wrong with James K. Polk.

Naturally, there was a lot of Michael Jackson tonight. Sad how his death already seems kind of like old news—the fitting appreciation for his musical achievements has already degraded into the same tabloid garbage that made that last decade of his life such a pathetic spectacle—but the BQT had to respond. Not out of some egomaniacal delusion that the world cares what I think, but because I've personally always viewed the quiz as an outlet for my own tremendous pop-cultural jones. If I let such a huge pop event go by without comment, I was failing in my own little personal trivia mission. I had to jam on the MJ tonight, for myself (though, yes, hopefully to entertain you as well).

As such, lots of Michael tonight. The audio round, "Maximum Michael Jackson," of course, but also…

Michael Jackson appeared in what 1986 film, which at the time was the most expensive film to produce on a per-minute basis?

When the Jackson 5 first won Amateur Night at the Apollo, Michael was only two weeks away from turning what age?

Michael Jackson had a total of BLANK brothers and BLANK sisters.

(Incidentally, in the past week and a half, I'd tweeted all of these.)

Also, lots of fun with the four-part questions tonight: "Gay or Jewish?" is always good for a laugh, and great job guessing/remembering the twist ending to Twilight Zone episodes, and making Smart-Ass Points out of them. I have no doubt that the episode "People Are Alike All Over" would've been a lot funnier if Roddy McDowall had discovered that the martians had given him a lovely apartment…in Bushwick.

The standings:

1. Strippers for Stephen Hawking: It was only a matter of time for them.
2. Fantastic Fournicators
3. Cash Cab 4 Cutie
4. Birds of Ill Omen 2.0
5. Ain't Nothin' but a Geek Thing

Next show July 20, but get ready: The 200th episode of the Big Quiz Thing, August 31. Details to come in this very space.