We managed to assemble a four-person trivia team Monday for our My Trivia Live game at Powell’s Pub! We’ve never had this many players come out for a game at this bar, besides the semifinal game we played in early February. This time we had myself, Mike, Brad and Joel in the mix. The bar crowds were a bit lighter than usual, and we were able to get four seats together at the bar – usually it’s difficult to find two seats together at the bar on trivia nights! I have no idea what was keeping the regulars from coming out, but inside Powell’s, the A/C was working like gangbusters on the hot, humid night!

Our goal was to try to make up a bit of the score deficit we had from playing a lackluster makeup game on Friday, July 6 – mission accomplished! Going into next week’s final game of the season, we are in the lead by 29 points over the second place team, which should clinch our semifinals spot Aug. 18. Speaking of missions, we hope to accomplish our mission of advancing to the finals Aug. 25! We missed out on finals last season, in keeping with our “qualify for every other MTL finals” playbook (LOL).

As for the game, we had 63 points heading into the final question, bet almost all of those…and (pfffft) blew it. A nearly clueless final question left us…clueless. And by “clueless,” I mean this: “At four hours and eight minutes, what film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, has the longest run time?” No release decade, no release year, no mention of anyone who acted in the film. No quotes from the film were given. Not surprising that no teams in the bar got it correct! The teams wagering zero managed to snag the gift certificates. Oh well, there’s always next time, right? Let’s take a look at the questions, shall we?
Round One
1. Idioms – What large mammal is described as being in the room when referring to an obvious problem that nobody wants to discuss? 5
2. Music – Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is a suite from which Tchaikovsky ballet? 3

 

Scene from the 1984 film Top Secret. If you would prefer to see photos of a prepubescent girl in bikini, scroll down (LOL).

3. Alphabets – What two famous Shakespearean lovers are represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet. 1
Got all of these.
Round Two
1. WWII – What bird species helped carry messages between troops during WWII? This question is abbreviated. 5
2. Olympics – The ancient Olympics originated as a celebration of what Greek god? Miss for 3.
3. Presidential Quotes – What president queried, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country?” For an extra three point bonus, which president said, “If you can kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a week?” We thought of the right guy, but bully on us! We didn’t get it. Didn’t risk the points.
Round Three
1. Weapons – A blunderbuss is commonly thought of as a predecessor to what firearm? 5
2. Words – What 11-letter word means second to last? 3
3. Medical Science – Within two, in what year dd Christian Bernard of South Africa perform the first open heart to heart transplant? Miss for 1 (this was totally my bad…sorry guys)! My guess WAS spot on for a different heart procedure, however! Curse you brain! 🙂 My grandfather had open-heart surgery at a Detroit area hospital in 1954, but sadly did not survive much past having the procedure done. Apparently he was one of the first patients at that hospital to have open-heart surgery. This is not relevant to the question, of course, but it was something we talked a bit about during the game..(RIP Grandpa!)
Halftime – Finish the band names
1. Huey Lewis And The….
2. Joan Jett And The…
3. Buddy Holly And The…
4. Elvis Costello And The…

F— this guy! I just barely got a question right about him a recent “name that tune” game. I do not want to lease brain space to knowing about him, dammit!

Missed #4.
Scores at the half…We had 29 points and were in second behind a team with 33 points at the half. Someone had a score discrepancy, and I didn’t write down the new scores after they were revised. There were six teams playing.
Round Four
1. Deaths – Known as Lawrence of Arabia, what was T.E. Lawrence riding when he had the accident that killed him? Newsletter bonus, 6.
2. Punctuation – An “interrobang” is a combination of what two punctuation marks? I’d never heard of this thing…but was glad the other players knew it! 4
3. Name’s The Same – Though spelled differently, what social media/microblogging/networking site shares its name with cocktail glass with a thick flat bottom? 2
Round Five
1. Madonna – What 1985 Madonna film was released in the U.K. and Australia under the name Crazy For You? 6

2. Movies – Adapted into film in 1962 and 1997, which Russian-American author wrote the book Lolita?

Ah, Lolita –  a classic pervy tale

3. Movies Part Deux – What 2010 movie starring Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis is Willis’ highest grossing film? It was also the first film directed by but not written by Kevin Smith. Never heard of it, miss for 2.
Round Six
1. AI – What is the name for the test givien to distinguish the thoughts of machines from those of humans? 6
2. U.S. Geography – Besides Colorado and New Mexico, what other two states make up the “four corners?” 4
3. NFL Team Names – Which NFL team refers to a poem by Edgar Allen Poe? 2
Finished the rounds with 63 points, which put us in first heading into the final question:
At four hours and eight minutes, what film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, has the longest run time?”
We put down a film that was just a bit shy of this running time. Miss. Final scores: Old Grey Mare, 55, Dan Smith/Ham Wallets, 61. Our next trivia night is Thursday, so check for that recap on Friday! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy “The old man in that book by Nabakov.”