So…let me get these facts straight – there is a completed film called Batgirl that will never see the light of day either in theaters or even on any streaming service – penned by Christina Hodson – a screenwriter lauded for her abilities to understand and present strong female characters (recent films she’s written include Bumblebee and Birds of Prey)? Yes this is all true… And yet – a feature live action film about a f—ing fashion doll – whose unrealistic body shape helped make generations of girls feel insecure about their own bodies – possibly even helping to contribute to eating disorders – is in the works as I type this?

I’m shaking my head so hard that I think my head is about to fall off…

OK, OK…maybe I’m being a bit closed minded here. Maybe the movie about the fashion doll (whose name I am not typing because it’s an answer to a question we missed in a recent virtual trivia game) will be good. And maybe Batgirl was just…awful. I’ve eaten my words enough before that I could probably qualify for having an eating disorder. We shall see…

As it turned out, we didn’t know much about the ABC Network’s TGIF lineup, either. Why? Because at the time, my husband and I were teenagers, and we were seldom home on Friday nights. Was it because we were too cool to sit at home and watch cheesy sitcoms with mom and dad? Well, maybe my husband – the “Army Brat” was too cool for that! Me? Hardly! If I didn’t have a home football game to play with the marching band, chances are I was going to see movies with my friends.

I did attempt to use deduction to figure out which sitcoms were likely midweek affairs and not aired on Friday night – which worked when we were discussing that sitcom with that Michigan guy who used to do a lot of blow – or was he just a drunken driver? Forgive me if I can’t keep all of the arrest records of celebrities straight!

Read on to see the questions we battled:

Round One –

1 Menus – In 2014, what fast food restaurant introduced its Dollar Cravings menu, which is now known as the Cravings Value Menu? Funny, we never eat at this place, but we did remember the commercials, got this.

2 Hotels – The original Waldorf-Astoria hotel was demolished in 1929 to make way for the construction of what notable building? What better place than the top of this building for a gargantuan ape to swat at biplanes while carrying a dame around (hey that is what they called broads back then). I AM JUST JOKING! Everyone knows you shouldn’t call chicks “broads!” And you can only call them “dames” if you’re a private eye in the 1920s…And if you’re Humphrey Bogart, you get a pass.

3 Future Films – What character, first introduced in 1959, is the subject of a film directed by Greta Gerwig, set to be released in July 2023? We had no idea, though the year should’ve have been a clue. WHY? WHY???? SMH…

4 Airports – LHR, LGW, and STN are three-letter IATA codes representing airports serving what European city? Made right guess here.

Mystery One – 

Name the literature protagonist based on the “Who Am I?”-style questions. (Give the character’s first and last name.)

M1. I volunteered to take my sister Primrose’s place as the tribute from District 12 when the Capitol reps came to pick contestants for their vicious competition. Who am I?

M2. First I married Charles Hamilton, but he died. Then I married Frank Kennedy for his money, but he died. Finally, I married Rhett Butler, but he left me. Who am I?

M3. I spent my childhood thinking I was the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, and, later, I joined the Night’s Watch. Who am I?

M4. I’m the second-oldest of five sisters, and my mother was aghast when I turned down a perfectly good marriage proposal from Mr. Collins, holding out instead for a love match. Who am I?

Missed #3.

Round Two – 

5 Games – What gambling game that was developed in the United States is a simplified version of an English game known as hazard?

6 Presidents – Who was U.S. president when the Erie Canal was completed in October 1825? A bit of thinking was needed, but we got this.

7 NBA Playas – Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson began and ended his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers, playing for three other teams in between. Name one of those three teams.
NERD POINT: Name two of three.

No amount of thinking was going to help us here…ugh, sportsball!

8 Music Terms – What does EP stand for, in terms of a music recording that has more tracks than a single, but fewer than an album? I was listening to a track from an EP before this game! It’s actually a combination of three EPs, called “The Three EPs,” by The Beta Band. If you’ve never heard of them, that is understandable! But if you’ve only heard of them because of the movie High Fidelity, well, that’s OK, too! And here I am raising my hand to indicate that this is how I heard of this band (actually it’s much cuter when Reese Witherspoon does it)…

Mystery Two –

Among the following list of seven TV sitcoms, choose the four that were part of the TGIF lineup of Friday night programming on ABC. Teams will receive two points for each correct answer.

The Nanny
Boy Meets World
Step by Step
Will & Grace
Full House
Home Improvement
Perfect Strangers

Only got two of these correct. Talked ourselves out of one that was correct.

We had 43 points going into the final, unsure what place we were in.

Final Category – Historical Figures

What historical figure, born in Caracas in 1783, is the namesake of a country that declared its independence from Spain in 1825?

My husband was the trivia hero here. Got this, ended with 58 points.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Barbie!