No Trivia This Week

A reminder that Wednesday Night Trivia at Professor Thom's will NOT be happening this week, as I will be away on assignment. Trivia will return on Wednesday night, August 2nd at 8:30 PM. I will have the Sneak Peek question and the Special Category and Q Train lightning round posted here next Tuesday, August 1st. Have a great week everyone, and see you next Wednesday night!

Trivia Q&A: July 19

It was a hot night in New York last night, and the crowd was a bit less than last week, but it was a spirited turnout with 13 teams taking part. I goofed up a General Knowledge question, and I'm still trying to find where I got it. (It's the one where TLC sang the theme to "All That." My source said it was Destiny's Child. Sorry about that folks. The Mighty Quinn regrets the error.) We had a three-way tie going into the final round of IQ Trivia, but our friends from DIMS pulled out a one-point victory, garnering a total of 44 points for the win. Designated For Assignment finished second with 43 points, and The Uptown Scallawags finished third with 38 points.

Best Team Name: It's My Birthday Dammit!

SPECIAL REMINDER: Trivia Night will NOT be happening next week, as I will be away on assignment next week, but Trivia Night will return to Professor Thom's on Wednesday night, August 2nd at 8:30 PM. I'll see you then, and have a great week next week!

Current Events
1. Two men were arrested last week after admitting to killing four men and burying them on a farm property in what US state?
2. John Bernecker, a stunt man for what current TV show, died last week after suffering head injuries from a fall on the set?
3. Roger Federer won his first Wimbledon's men's singles title in five years on Sunday. How many total singles titles has he won at Wimbledon?
4. Jodie Whitaker was named to be the first woman to play what iconic TV character last week?
5. Actor Martin Landau died on Sunday at the age of 89. What film screen legend did he portray to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1994?
6. What beloved children's book character has been censored by Chinese social media after unflattering memes surfaced comparing it to the country's president?
7. What rock star's 22-year-old son was arrested on Monday in Indiana on charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest after his brother got into a fight with another man?

2000s Trivia
1. What European country was the first to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001?
2. What rapper had the most combined sales in albums of any artist of the 2000s?
3. Michael Jackson died on the same day in 2009 as what famous Hollywood actress?
4. What country launched its first manned mission in space in October 2003?
5. What American was given an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002?
6. Who were the only two teams to twice win the World Series from 2000 to 2009?
7. What comedy series' 2004 finale was the most-watched single TV show in the decade of the 2000s?

The Q Train: True or False Trivia
1. The toothbrush was invented in the 15th century.
2. Michael Jackson owned the rights to South Carolina's state anthem.
3. According to the UN Charter, a US citizen cannot hold the position of Secretary-General.
4. Jousting is an official state sport of Maryland.
5. North Dakota is the only US state that borders three Canadian provinces.
6. Argentina is the largest country in South America in terms of land area.
7. Ronald Reagan was the first choice by Warner Brothers to play Rick Blaine in "Casablanca."
8. CNN was the first cable channel to operate in the United States.
9. Cary Grant was once offered the role of James Bond.
10. Walt Disney was criogenically frozen upon his death in 1966.

General Knowledge
1. "O" is the symbol for what element on the Periodic Table? ( 1 pt)
2. The Seminole Indian tribe is native to what US state? ( 1 pt)
3. How many countries border North Korea? ( 1 pt)
4. In what city can you find the oldest public park in the United States? ( 2 pt)
5. What girl group of the 1990s sung the theme song to the hit sketch comedy TV show "All That?" ( 2 pt)
6. What 1993 film became the highest-grossing movie od all-time, passing "ET" until "Titanic" broke its record in 1998? ( 2 pt)
7. The duffel bag gets its name from a town in what European country? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What Oscar-winning actor founded and led Hollywood's original "Rat Pack?" ( 4 points)
2. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" was the first novel of what 20th century writer? ( 4 points)
3. According to popular legend, what branch of the US Armed Forces was formed in a Philadelphia tavern in 1775? ( 3 points)
4. Catalan is the only official language of what small European country? ( 4 points)
5. What 19th century opera' plot follows the life of a female cigar factory worker? ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Pennsylvania; 2. "The Walking Dead;" 3. eight; 4. Doctor Who; 5. Bela Lugosi; 6. Winnie the Pooh; 7. John Mellencamp.

2000s Trivia
1. Netherlands; 2. Eminem; 3. Farrah Fawcett; 4. China; 5. Rudy Giuliani; 6. Red Sox and Yankees; 7. "Friends."

The Q Train: True or False Trivia
1. true; 2. true; 3. false; 4. true; 5. false, Montana; 6. false, Brazil; 7. true; 8. false, HBO; 9. true; 10. false, he was cremated.

General Knowledge
1. Oxygen; 2. Florida; 3. three; 4. Boston; 5. TLC; 6. "Jurassic Park;" 7. Belgium.

IQ Trivia
1. Humphrey Bogart; 2. James Joyce; 3. Marine Corps; 4. Andorra; 5. Carmen.

The 2000s Weren't So Long Ago. Or Was It?

Trivia will be happening on Wednesday night, July 19th at 8:30 PM, with "2000s Trivia" as the Special Category. It will be seven questions about the previous decade in all areas: pop culture, history, sports, entertainment, etc. The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia."

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"O" is the symbol for what element on the Periodic Table?"

We had a huge crowd last Wednesday, as the Trivia players flocked back in after the July 4th holiday passed. So, get in early to guarantee a good seat or table. Hope to see may of you on Wednesday night!

A Long National Nightmare Ended Today

I haven't written about the Red Sox in a long while (and it's time to start writing more about them at this blog), but this is as good a time as any to do so.

The Pablo Sandoval Era came to a merciful end on Friday, as the Red Sox finally admitted their mistake in signing him and designated him for assignment today. They now have 10 days to do something with him, either trade him, release him, or if he clears waivers, keep him at AAA. His release looks like the most viable option, as he has absolutely no future whatsoever in the Red Sox organization.

It looked promising this past spring, as Sandoval showed up to camp in much better shape, and led the Sox in RBIs in the spring games. His play in the field wasn't bad, so there was reason to hope he was on to a possible comeback season. The Sox traded away Travis Shaw to Milwaukee with idea that third base was Sandoval's position to lose.

And from the get-go, it all fell apart. Sandoval hit just .212 in 35 games, with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs. He wound up on the disabled list twice, and it was apparent the end was coming for him now. Third base became a black hole for the Red Sox, but the emergence of Deven Marrero and Tzu-Wei Lin both filling in ably there made the decision to cut ties with Sandoval a bit easier. He is still owed over $48 million on a contract that runs until the end of 2019.

In my opinion, this is the worst free agent contract the Sox have ever given out. Many may argue that Carl Crawford's odious seven-year deal the Sox gave him in 2011 was worse, but Crawford's numbers were actually decent, and the Red Sox were able to dump the majority of the money and years on his deal to the Dodgers in the famous trade that opened a ton of salary relief that the Sox wisely turned into the 2013 World Series championship. So Crawford's deal actually had a silver lining to it.

The Sox have to eat the remainder of this deal. No one in their right minds will swing a trade for him, or bring him in to play in 2017. The only route I can see Sandoval going now is to Japan to revive his career. There's no silver lining that I can see coming out of the Sandoval signing, now or in the future.

The Red Sox made a big mistake signing Sandoval, and will pay dearly for him to either play on another team or to sit home. Some times you just have to admit the mistake and move on.

Sandoval leaving may very well mean that we will be seeing much-heralded rookie 3B Rafael Devers in the near future. He was putting up big numbers at AA Portland (.300 AVG, with 18 HRs in 77 games) and was just promoted today to Pawtucket.

Devers is the future, Sandoval is the past. Time to look ahead, and forget this ill-conceived signing ever happened.

Trivia Q&A: July 12

We had a great night of Trivia on Wednesday night, as we went from 10 teams last week to 21 teams last night. The bar was completely filled, and that's always a great thing to see! Everyone was really into the Trivia, and we had a great race to the finish, as the top five teams were separated by just four points heading into IQ Trivia. But the team of Trump & Trumper: This Is Why We Have Birth Control (who also won for Best Team Name) had a perfect round, scoring 20 points, and jumped from third place to win by just one point with 51 points overall. Congratulations to them on a great come from behind win.

DIMS finished second with 50 points, and third place went to The Whore Mongers with 46 points.

Current Events
1. What struggling department store chain announced they will be closing another 43 stores by this October?
2. The G-20 Summit meetings took place last week in what major European city, which also brought out many violent protests?
3. What American female pop singer, currently on tour in Australia, came under fire there by releasing a promo video in which she tells her dog to "chase down some koalas?"
4. What "Transformers" star was arrested for the sixth time this past weekend for public drunkeness and disorderly conduct in Georgia?
5. Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge set a rookie record for his team, hitting his 30th home run last week. What Yankees great held the record of 29 which he broke?
6. What film opened with a $117 million debut this past week to make it the number one film in the US?
7. The NY Post reported earlier this week that Derek Jeter and what other sports superstar are nearing a deal to purchase the Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion?

France Trivia
1. What is the second most populous city in France after Paris?
2. What French author wrote the classic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo?"
3. Marie Antoinette was the wife of what French king?
4. The Eiffel Tower is more or less than 1,000 feet (with its antenna)?
5. What country did France defeat in 1998 to win its only World Cup soccer title?
6. Jean Dujardin was the last French actor or actress to win an Oscar for what 2011 film?
7. What three words make up France's national motto?

The Q Train: Born Outside The USA Trivia
1. Jim Carrey
2. Kiefer Sutherland
3. Russell Crowe
4. Salma Hayek
5. Liam Neeson
6. Alanis Morissette
7. Charlize Theron
8. Mila Kunis
9. Pierce Brosnan
10. Cate Blanchette

General Knowledge
1. What is the telephone prefix (of 3 numbers) is used in the movies by most filmmakers? ( 1 pt)
2. The Marianas Trench is located in which ocean? ( 1 pt)
3. Harpo Productions is a company founded by what famous person? ( 1 pt)
4. What country is the most populous democracy in the world? ( 2 pt)
5. What letter is the most common blood type in humans? ( 2 pt)
6. What Midwest state is the only state whose two-letter postal abbreviation is a preposition?  ( 2 points)
7. What African country is the only one with a flag that is red, white and blue and no other color? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1, What 20th century artist's painting, called "Untitled," was sold at auction for $110.5 million last month, a new record for an American artist? ( 5 points)
2. The success of the first vaccine discovered by Jonas Salk was announced in 1955 on the 10th anniversary of whose death? ( 3 points)
3. What is the most successful movie franchise in history based on a video game, with five installments earning nearly $1 billion worldwide? ( 4 points)
4. What recording artists hold the all-time record with 37 top ten albums in Billboard's US charts? ( 4 points)
5. The success of the new film "Baby Driver" has revived interest in what onetime very popular device? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Sears; 2. Hamburg; 3. Katy Perry; 4. Shia LeBeouf; 5. Joe DiMaggio; 6. "Spider-Man: Homecoming"; 7. Michael Jordan.

France Trivia
1. Marseille; 2. Alexandre Dumas; 3. Louis XVI; 4. More (1,063 feet); 5. Brazil: 6. "The Artist;" 7. Liberty, Equality & Fraternity.

The Q Train: Born Outside The USA Trivia
1. Canada; 2. UK; 3. New Zealand; 4. Mexico; 5. Northern Ireland; 6. Canada; 7. South Africa; 8. Ukraine; 9. Ireland; 10. Australia.

General Knowledge
1. 555; 2. Pacific; 3. Oprah Winfrey; 4. India; 5. O; 6. Indiana; 7. Liberia.

IQ Trivia
1. Jean-Michel Basquiat; 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt; 3. "Resident Evil;" 4.The Rolling Stones; 5. iPod.

Don't Lose Your Head Over French Trivia Wednesday

Trivia will be happening on Wednesday night, July 12th at 8:30 PM at Professor Thom's, with "France Trivia" as the Special Category. It will be seven questions connected to the nation of France in history, sports, pop culture, etc., in honor of Bastille Day, which is coming up this Friday. The Q Train lightning round will be "Born Outside the USA Trivia." I will give you the names of ten current celebrities who were not born on our shores, and you have to tell in what nation they were born in.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"Harpo Productions is a company founded by what famous person?"

We've been getting some good sized crowds in for Trivia, so please do get in early to get a good seat or table. Hope to see you on Wednesday for another great night of Trivia Q&A!

Trivia Q&A: July 5

I had a feeling the crowd at Professor Thom's would be down a bit on Wednesday night, due to the fact we were doing trivia the day after the 4th of July holiday ended. And I was right, as we had 10 teams in, but the crowd was really into it, and we all had a great night.

We had a tie going into IQ Trivia, between perennial champion DIMS and a new team in for the first time, House Slytherin. The scores in IQ Trivia were actually very good throughout all the teams, but House Slytherin got 16 of the 20 points to pull out a one-point victory with 49 points. Congratulations to them on a hard-fought victory.

DIMS finished second with 48 points, and third place went to Soory, Not Soory with 46 points.

Best Team Name: Kim Jung Un Shoots an ICBM (Irritable Colon Bowel Movement)

Current Events
1. What Oscar-nominated actor was sentenced to one week in jail last week for his 2015 arrest at a power plant protest?
2. What European country voted to make same-sex marriage legal last week?
3. What female pop singer canceled the final two shows on her current world tour last week because she said she has damaged vocal cords?
4. 25 people were shot when gunfire erupted at a rap concert in what southern state this past weekend?
5. What country attempted to launch one of the world's most powerful rockets, the Long March 5, for the second time last Sunday, but failed yet again?
6. A British teenage Islamist was sentenced to 16 years in prison for plotting a bomb attack at a London concert of what rock superstar last September?
7. What male pop singer announced earlier this week that he was quitting Twitter due to Internet trolls constantly leaving vile comments on his page?

Canada Trivia
1. In what Canadian city is the Rogers Centre located?
2. What US state has the longest border with Canada?
3. Ken Dryden won six championships with this sports team and then won election to Canada's parliament.
4. What was the last Canadian city to host an Olympic Games?
5. Name 2 of the 3 largest provinces in Canada in terms of population.
6. Marc Garneau was the first Canadian in 1984 to accomplish what feat?
7. What Canadian-born actor has been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar twice since 2006, but didn't win either time?

The Q Train: 2000s TV Characters Trivia
1. Nucky Thompson
2. Jesse Pinkman
3. Liz Lemon
4. Omar Little
5. Ari Gold
6. Niles Crane
7. Jon Snow
8. Benjamin Linus
9. Dwight K. Schrute
10. Negan

General Knowledge
1. What time zone is Denver, CO located? ( 1 pt)
2. In what film did Al Pacino star as gangster Tony Montana? ( 1 pt)
3. Who is currently the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show?" ( 1 pt)
4. On which of Earth's continents will you find most of the planet's fresh water? ( 2 pt)
5. What US president got Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat together at Camp David? ( 2 pt)
6. Alexa is a San Francisco-based company best known for ranking the popularity of what? ( 2 pt)
7. The Komodo Dragon is native to what Asian country? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What iconic 18th century American is pictured on the Pulitzer Prize medal? ( 4 points)
2. What restaurant chain was launched in 1991 by Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger? ( 4 points)
3. The character Jar Jar Binks first appeared in which of the Star Wars films? ( 3 points)
4. What clothing retailer named for a New Jersey town now uses a sideways heart for the first letter in its logo? ( 5 points)
5. What pop/R&B legend played 27 instruments on his debut studio album in 1978? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. James Cromwell; 2. Germany; 3. Adele; 4. Arkansas; 5. China; 6. Elton John; 7. Ed Sheeran.

Canada Trivia
1. Toronto; 2. Alaska; 3. Montreal Canadiens; 4. Vancouver (2010); 5. Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia; 6. Fly in space; 7. Ryan Gosling.

The Q Train: 2000s TV Characters Trivia
1. Boardwalk Empire; Breaking Bad; 3. 30 Rock; 4. The Wire; 5. Entourage; 6. Frasier; 7. Game of Thrones; 8. Lost; 9. The Office; 10. The Walking Dead.

General Knowledge
1. Mountain; 2. "Scarface;" 3. Trevor Noah; 4. Antarctica; 5. Jimmy Carter; 6. websites; 7. Indonesia.

IQ Trivia
1. Benjamin Franklin; 2. Planet Hollywood; 3. "The Phantom Menace;" 4. Burlington Coat Factory; 5. Prince.

Saluting Our Friends Up North Tomorrow

Trivia will be happening at Professor Thom's on Wednesday night, July 5th at 8:30 PM, with "Canada Trivia" as the Special Category, in honor of our neighbors to the north celebrating their sesquicentennial last Saturday. (That's their 150th anniversary as an independent nation.) It will be seven questions about Canadian history, sports, pop culture, etc. The Q Train lightning round will be "2000s TV Characters Trivia." I will give you the names of ten well-known TV characters since 2000 and you have to tell me what TV show they were on.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"What time zone is Denver, Colorado found in?"

We have been having bigger crowds as summer has begun, so get in early to get a good seat or table. Look forward to seeing many of you on Wednesday night for a great night of Trivia Q&A!