It’s become an annual tradition for me to make a transition from trivia playa to quizmistress – and post my own trivia questions on my birthday. The format is similar to a Sporcle Events “Pub Quiz” game, with four regular rounds, four mystery rounds and two final questions. There are also other questions added at the end. So you could say this is a “director’s cut.”

There are two “bonus” questions thrown in that are about me (most are just about topics that I find interesting or simply thought would be good questions). I tried to include a decent cross section of topics, though because they’re my questions, they’re pretty movie, music, pop culture and…Peanuts heavy!

I’ll post answers within 48 hours. In the meantime. Do your best – and don’t cheat and look up answers until after you’ve at least tried to answer!

Round One

1 Retailers – What two words were formerly part of the Burlington department store name from its founding in 1972 until 2009 when they were dropped?

2 Same Name – What name is shared by both a film winning the Academy Award for best picture – and a 1970 studio album by the Grateful Dead? The same name is also the common name for a type of rose.

3 Streaming Series – The MGM+ series “Rogue Heroes,” which debuted in 2022, features a group of British Soldiers in the Special Air Service whom are active primarily in what theater of the second World War?

4 NFL History – Within 10, in what year was the first telecast of a NFL football game? For a bonus point, name one of the two teams playing in this game. For an extra point, name both. For an extra point on top of that, get the year exact.

Hey…I said I’d put a “sportsball” question in the mix, didn’t I?

Mystery Round One – Oh Canada (TV Series Edition) 🍁

Given the FIRST names of the main characters and the series dates, identify the Canadian TV series in the following clues:

M1 2016-2023 – Wayne, Daryl, Dan, Katy

M2 – 2008 (still airing new episodes)- William, Julia, Thomas, George

M3 – 2012-2018 – Gerry, Robert, Lisa, Bobbi

M4 – 2015-2020 – Johnny, Moira, David, Alexis

Round Two

5 Duos – Singer Sam Moore, who died January 10, 2025, was a part of what singing duo famous for the 1967 hit single “Soul Man” in addition to other hit songs in the 1960s?

6 Controversies – Singer Anita Bryant, who died on December 16, 2024, had pies thrown in her face at a 1977 concert because of her comments regarding what specific group of people?

7 Award Winners – Benj Pasek and Justin Paul became owners of all four competitive awards (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) at the 2024 Primetime Emmy awards for their work on what streaming Hulu series which has aired four seasons since 2021? Hint, they won the award for song composition for the song “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”

8 Catfights – Actress Melissa Gilbert reportedly confronted what actress at an awards show in 1991 whom was a former co-star of hers – because she learned that her husband Bo Brinkman had a one-night stand with her? Hint, this actress died in 2024 of breast cancer.

Mystery Round Two – Short People Got a Reason to Live (sometimes)

Given the following names of famous diminutive actors, decide whether they died by suicide, natural causes or are still living (as of January 22, 2025).

M1 David Rappaport

M2 Billy Barty

M3 Verne Troyer

M4 Tony Cox

Final Question One – Jewelry Origin Stories

What jewelry item got its common name in 1987 when a contestant in a sporting tournament asked that play be stopped so that the item could be located?

Round Three

9 Acronyms – FOMO stands for what – which applies to the insanities of in-person shopping, among other things?

10 Latin Phrases – The phrase “Caveat Remorsus” translates roughly into what English expression, which can also describe how people may feel after buying a Tesla Cyber Truck?

11 Actors – Actor Jason Sudeikis stars in what Apple TV comedy series about an American former coach who crosses the pond to manage a British Premier League football team?

12 Bands – What English band, formed in 1976 released their 14th studio album November 1, 2024 titled “Secrets of a Lost World,” which reached the tops of several charts worldwide?

Oh you want a hint? All right…Just Like Heaven…

Mystery Round Three – All About that Bass

Given the names of famous rock bass players, name the band they primarily played for.

M1 John Entwistle

M2 Jack Bruce

M3 Paul McCartney

M4 Tina Weymouth

Is this too hard? Want the band names to match ’em to? OK, but only because you caught me in a good mood! The Beatles (duh), The Who, Talking Heads, Cream.

Now don’t go complainin’ that these are all “old” bands. What bands anymore even have bass players? Imagine Dragons? Halestorm? Foo Fighters? Doesn’t most music these days just use an autotune machine and a drum machine (I’m looking at you, Lorde).

Halestorm aren’t too bad! They have a female lead singer (not common in a hard rock band)!

On that note:

Round Four

13 Band Members – Who was the original bassist for Nirvana? For a bonus point, spell his name EXACTLY correct (it’s my trivia quiz and I’ll give brownie points for spelling, damn it)!

14 Actors – What actor, born in 1956, has won best supporting actor Oscars twice – the first time for a 2009 film, the second time for a 2012 film? In both films, he portrayed a character who hunted down people – doing so for the U.S. government in one of the films and the German government in the other.

15 Song Lyrics – In the 2000 Wheatus song “Teenage Dirtbag,” what English band founded in 1975 is mentioned by name? For an additional point, what version of the Chevy Camaro, produced in the mid 1980s, is also mentioned by name?

16 Commercials – What TV show’s theme song is used in advertisements for Amazon Auto? The series debuted in 1982 and starred David Hasselhoff (do not hassle the Hoff)!

Mystery Round Four (special thanks to my husband Mike for making this for me)

Final Question Game Two:

Animated Films

Not including The Peanuts Movie released in 2015, name any two of the four other feature-length theatrically released Peanuts films released in 1969, 1972, 1977 and 1980.

Additional Questions:

Reboots – Netflix announced in January, 2025 that it would be rebooting what TV series that originally aired 1974-1982?

Beverages – What no-calorie carbonated beverage line was introduced in 1955 under the RC Cola brand and in 2000, became the first major diet soda in the U.S. to use neither aspartame or saccharine as a sweetener?

Bonus, what sweetener was used instead?

Same Name – What five-letter word can describe both a type of hat  – and a sporting event between two local teams (the second definition is  especially common in England)?

Restaurants – (This is a Heather question)- For what specific reason does Heather have an issue with the fast casual restaurant chain Panda Express? Multiple choice – A she got food poisoning from their food, B they use the name of an endangered animal, C they do not serve actual pandas, D their food is disgusting

Banks – (This is also a Heather question) – Why does Heather have an issue with Fifth Third Bank? A they can’t reduce a fraction, B they turned her down for a loan, C the fees are too high or D their commercials are annoying

Credited Roles – The only time singer Bruce Springsteen appeared on screen as a character other than himself was when he played Giuseppe “Joey the Undertaker” Tagliano in one episode of what Netflix series starring Steven VanZandt in 2014?

Companies – What company currently based in Needham, Massachusetts was founded in 1994 and is known for a two-word name, each of which representing the type of cleaning/food prep products the company makes?

Skiing – The Birkebeinerrennett, commonly shortened to Birkebeiner or simply “Birkie,” is a skiing competition that originated in Norway in 1932 (such races still happen in the U.S.). Contestants must  typically carry a pack weighing 3.5 kilograms while competing. What is that weight supposed to represent?

This question is dedicated to my niece Anabel!❤️🎿 ❄️

Alternate Mystery Round – Phil Collins – or Genesis?

Identify whether the following hit singles were credited to Genesis (with Phil Collins as a lead singer)or Phil Collins as a solo artist.

M1 Invisible Touch

M2 In the Air Tonight

M3 That’s All

M4 Against All Odds

Final Question – World Capitals

There are two capitals of sovereign world nations beginning with the letter “F,” which are Funafuti and Freetown. Name either country for which these cities are the capital.

Mascots – Geoffrey, his wife Gigi and children Junior and Gee are animal mascots for what retailer? Bonus what type of animals are they?

Government Officials – Former Australian government official Peter Robert Garrett, born April 16, 1952, served most recently as Australia’s Minister for Education and Youth from 2010-2013 among other positions prior to that was also lead singer of what rock band founded in 1973 known for songs including Beds are Burning and Blue Sky Mine?

Role Playing Games – What Dungeons and Dragons character class is commonly described as a good-aligned, brave, pious fighter type similar to Sir Galahad in King Arthur’s court?

Magazine Covers – Mark aka “The Bird” Fidrych, a Detroit Tigers pitcher, is to date the only MLB player to have ever appeared on what magazine’s cover in 1977? Thanks for the hot tip Domingo!

Mystery Round – DC Series

Given the series run and a list of non title characters, identify the debut, short run or miniseries based on DC Comics which all premiered in the past 10 years.

M1 2 seasons, 2018-2019, Seg-El, Lyta-Zod, Adam Strange

M2 1 season 2014-2015, Liv Aberdine, Mary “Zed” Martin, Francis “Chas” Chandler

M3 1 season, 2019, Angela Abar, Red Scare, Laurie Blake

M4 2024, season 1, Sophia Gigante, Francis Cobb, Victor “Vic” Aguilar

Profane Movie Quotes – In What 2020 film starring Vince Vaughn does another character say *Your touch makes my pussy as dry as sandpaper, you fucking monkey. I can’t wait to kill you?”

1990s Movies – Which 1995 movie is Butt-Head (from Beavis and Butt-Head) describing in this quote? “That movie where, like, you know, that white chick goes into the hood and teaches everybody how to get good grades?”

Occupational Terms – What nine-letter word, despite sounding aeronautical, is commonly used in the printing industry to describe the process of ensuring that digital files are in order and ready for print?

Mystery Round

1990s Cover Songs

Give the name of the original artists of the following songs made into hits by artists in the decade of the 1990s

Hard to Handle, The First Cut is the Deepest, I’ll Be There, Cats in The Cradle

You also get the points if you can name the artists covering the songs in the 1990s! Yeah, I’m super nice that way 😉 But I do think it’s more important to know the OGs…

Mystery Round – Coming Soon in 2025 – Or Not?

Indicate whether we’ll see new installments in the following film franchises in 2025 – or not.

M1 Fantastic Four

M2 Kingsman

M3 James Bond

M4 Planet of the Apes