Trivia Q&A: January 9

We had another big crowd at Professor Thom's last night for trivia, with 13 teams in competition. I experimented with having the double-point round (Movie Characters) in Round 4, and the final round a six question round I called "Multiple Point Trivia." In it, I asked six questions where the teams had to come up with at least 3 of 5 or 4 of 6 answers, with different points awarded, depending on how many they answered correctly. The teams could get anywhere up to five points per question in that round.

It went very well, and I am planning on bringing that round back again next week. I did hear some grumbling that the Movie Characters questions were a little too tough. (I didn't think so myself.) In that round, my friend Michael pointed out an incorrect year that I found in Wikipedia about the film, "Misery." They said it came out in 1987, but it was actually in 1990. I didn't throw the question out, as I didn't think it really adversely affected the round.

And Michael's team (along with my friends Steve and Alex) went on to repeat as champions for the second straight week. They were called "Donkey, check..."(Once again I won't finish the team name as it was another of those colorful names.) They had a great last two rounds and went on to win by 10 points. Congrats, guys.

Current Events
1. This Delaware senator announced over the weekend he's seeking the Democratic nomination for president, 20 years after his first attempt. Joe Biden
2. Fortune Magazine picked this Internet company as the best job in the world to work at. Google
3. A US gunship attacked against possible Al Qaeda targets in this African nation on Monday. Somalia
4. This college football team ran wild in the BCS championship game last night, winning their second NCAA title in school history. Florida Gators
5. This actor is rumored to be up for the lead in a possible film about talk show host Bill O'Reilly, a man he's butted heads with in the past. George Clooney
6. A US nuclear powered submarine collided Monday night in the Strait of Hormuz with an oil tanker from which Asian nation? Japan
7. 10 blocks of businesses in this Texas city were shut down on Monday after dozens of dead birds were discovered in its streets. Austin
8. This home insurance company, the largest in the US, is in the final stages of settling hundreds of lawsuits over its payments for homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. State Farm
9. The Online Film Critics Society selected this 9/11 themed film as its Best Picture of 2006. United 93
10. A man accused of trying to extort $1.5 million from this celebrity will soon have his case go to a grand jury. Oprah Winfrey

Celebrity Real Names
1. Bernard Schwartz: a. Tony Curtis, b. Kirk Douglas, c. Tony Randall, d. Nicolas Cage. answer: a
2. Robert Zimmerman: a. Gene Wilder, b. Bob Dylan, c. Ozzy Osbourne, d. Bob Hoskins. answer: b
3. Reginald Dwight: a. Prince, b. Elton John, c. David Bowie, d. Freddie Mercury. answer: b
4. Norma Jean Baker: a. Elizabeth Taylor, b. Ava Gardner, c. Lana Turner, d. Marilyn Monroe. answer: d
5. Marion Morrison: a. Humphrey Bogart, b. James Cagney, c. John Wayne, d. Michael Caine. answer: c
6. Paul Hewson: a. Bono, b. Meat Loaf, c. Alice Cooper, d. Enimem. answer: a
7. Enrique Morales: a. Martin Sheen, b. Ricky Martin, c. Ralph Lauren, d. Jimmy Smits. answer: b
8. Gordon Sumner: a. Sting, b. Vanilla Ice, c. Snoop Dogg, d. 50 Cent. answer: a
9. Caryn Johnson: a. Tina Turner, b. Beyonce Knowles, c. Angela Bassett, d. Whoopi Goldberg. answer: d
10. Richard Starkey: a. Ringo Starr, b. Hulk Hogan, c. George Michael, d. Elvis Costello. answer: a

General Knowledge
1. Which was the first state to join the Union after the Original 13? Vermont
2. Piccadilly Circus is a famous area in which British city? London
3. In which language do written questions begin with an upside down question mark at the start of the sentence? Spanish
4. Which scary film popularized the line, "They're here?" Poltergeist
5. Henry Kissinger served as secretary of state under which two presidents? Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
6. What is the most frequently transplanted human organ in the US? (16,000 in 2005) Kidney
7. On the TV series, "Dallas," what was the name of the ranch that the Ewing family lived on? Southfork
8. Who was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe? Ferdinand Magellan
9. What color does litmus paper turn when it comes in contact with a strong acid? Red
10. What major golf tournament awards a green jacket to its champion every year? The Masters

Movie Characters
1. Sam (Ace) Rothstein (1995)--Robert DeNiro, "Casino"
2. Sarah Connor (1984)-- Linda Hamilton, "The Terminator"
3. Rose DeWitt Bukater (1997)-- Kate Winslet, "Titanic"
4. Jonathan (The Duke) Mardukas (1988)-- Charles Grodin, "Midnight Run"
5. Ratso Rizzo (1969)-- Dustin Hoffman, "Midnight Cowboy"
6. John Blutarsky (1978)-- John Belushi, "Animal House"
7. Snake Plissken (1981)-- Kurt Russell, "Escape From New York"
8. Lester Burnham (1999)-- Kevin Spacey, "American Beauty"
9. Annie Wilkes (1990)-- Kathy Bates, "Misery"
10. Clarice Starling (1991)-- Jodie Foster, "Silence of the Lambs"

Multiple Points Trivia
1. Name 3 of the 5 members of the Marx Brothers. Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, Gummo
2. Name 4 of the 6 members of Monty Python. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
3. Name 4 of the 6 teams that have won the World Series in the 21st Century. Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals
4. Name 3 of the last 5 films to win the Best Picture Oscar. A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Million Dollar Baby, Crash
5. Name 3 of the last 5 mayors of New York City. Abraham Beame, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg
6. Name 3 of the last 5 states to enter the Union. Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii