Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Trivia Q&A: February 26

On a very cold night in New York, we had a really big turnout for Trivia on Tuesday night, and that was helped by both there being Bruins and Celtics games on the TVs. We had 18 teams in, and a really close race to the finish, with the top six teams only separated by five points. But the team of Bohemian Rhapsody 2: Flat Bottomed Boys emerged with the victory, their first. They took over first place after the q Train lightning round and won the night with 45 points. Congratulations to Abe and his friends on their win.

Second place went to DIMS with 40 points, and third place went to Taking Our Talents to the Tune Squad with 39 points.

Best Team Name: Robert Kraft's Deflated Balls

Current Events
1. A petition at Change.org signed by over 7,000 people wants the US to sell off what northwest US state to Canada for $1 trillion to help pay off the US national debt?
2. Attorneys for Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky HS student involved in a confrontation in Washington last month that went viral on social media, announced a $250 million defamation suit against what publication?
3. A last-minute bidding war on eBay for a basketball card of what NBA legend brought the sale price to a record $350,000 last week?
4. What company's stock market value dropped by over $1. 1 billion when Duke basketball star Zion Williamson's shoe broke and he suffered a sprained knee?
5. A new Congressional election will be held in what US state this year following an investigation into ballot-tampering for a Republican candidate?
6. What famed rock guitarist, who made one of the best-selling live albums of all-time, announced he will be making one final farewell tour due to a rare muscular disease he's suffering from?
7. 84 people died and another 200 have been hospitalized after drinking tainted liquor laced with methyl alcohol in two separate incidents last week in what Asian country?

February Trivia
1. In February 1945, US Marines landed on what Japanese island, which led to a five-week battle, one of World War II's fiercest and bloodiest?
2. In February 1990, Nelson Mandela is released from a South African prison after serving how many years?
3. In February 2003, what space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts on board?
4. On February 24, 1980, the US Olympic hockey team clinched the gold medal with a win over what country?
5. Washington National Airport was renamed after what famous American in February 1998?
6. In February 1982, what English rock legend, known for his eccentric behavior, was arrested for urinating on the Alamo?
7. What Fox TV series was originally canceled bu the network in February 2002, but due to high DVD sales and high syndicated repeat ratings, returned to Fox in 2005?

The Q Train: True or False Trivia
1. O positive is the most common blood type in the US.
2. Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics.
3. No bird can fly backwards.
4. The average person will shed about 5 pounds of skin in their lifetime.
5. Brazil is the only country in the Americas whose official language is Portuguese.
6. The UK was the first European country to allow same-sex marriage.
7. Warner Bros. originally wanted Ronald Reagan to play the part of Rick Blaine in the classic film "Casablanca."
8. The fax machine was patented in the US in the 19th century.
9. The longest street in the world is in China.
10. In terms of animals, lions kill the most people in Africa every year.

General Knowledge
1. What Pennsylvania town is known as "the sweetest place on Earth?" ( 1 pt)
2. "The Scorpion King" was the first starring role for what superstar actor? ( 1 pt)
3. In 1985, NYC mayor Ed Koch named what song as NYC's official song? ( 1 pt)
4. The world's busiest airport is located in what American city? ( 2 pt)
5. The White House was burned during what war? ( 2 pt)
6. What classic sci-fi film was remade in 2008 starring Keanu Reeves? ( 2 pt)
7. In the book of Genesis, God commands Abraham to sacrifice which son? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What 1970s/80s rockers are American pop music history's best-selling musical duo? ( 4 points)
2. Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system at nearly 16 miles high, is located on what planet? ( 5 points)
3. What late 1990s TV series was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts? ( 3 points)
4. What immortal actress was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 1923? ( 4 points)
5. In its native country, what famous landmark is known as "Sagarmatha"? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Montana; 2. Washington Post; 3. Michael Jordan; 4. Nike; 5. North Carolina; 6. Peter Frampton; 7. India.

February Trivia
1. Iwo Jima; 2. 27; 3. Columbia; 4. Finland; 5. Ronald Reagan; 6. Ozzy Osbourne; 7. "Family Guy."

The Q Train: True or False Trivia
1. True; 2. true; 3. false; 4. true; 5. true; 6. false, Netherlands; 7. true; 8. true; 9. false, Canada; 10. false, hippopotamus.

General Knowledge
1. Hershey; 2. Dwayne Johnson; 3. "New York, New York;" 4. Atlanta; 5. War of 1812; 6. "The Day the Earth Stood Still;" 7. Isaac.

IQ Trivia
1. Hall and Oates; 2. Mars; 3. "Dawson's Creek;" 4. Judy Garland; 5. Mount Everest.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Lots of Great Things Happened In February

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, February 26th at 8:30 PM, with "February Trivia" as the Special Category. It will be seven questions connected to the second month of the year in pop culture and history. The Q Train lightning round will be "True or False Trivia, " I'll give you ten general knowledge statements and you have to tell me if it's true or I'm just making it up.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"What Pennsylvania town is known as 'the sweetest place on Earth?'"

I'm looking forward to seeing many on Tuesday night for a great evening of Trivia Q&A!

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Trivia Q&A: February 19

It was a cold night in New York on Tuesday, but we still had 11 teams come out for Trivia, and a great night was had by all. Most teams did really well to open the night with Current Events, but it was a slog for most with "Academy Awards Trivia", and we had a six-way tie for third place entering the Q Train lightning round. But the guys from DIMS took off after that, and had three successive perfect rounds to win the night with 53 points. Congrats to Ken and Darek, who bounced back from a rare week last week where they finished out of the top three. Second place went to Amarillo with 43 points, and So When Alexa Pulled Out, Who Cleaned Up? finished third with 39 points. (They also won for Best Team Name.)

Current Events
1. What pop singer recently pulled a line of shoes from her website after some fans compared them to looking like "blackface?"
2. Last week, the national debt reached what number of trillions of dollars, the highest number in history?
3. What seven-time Grammy-nominated pop singer was accused in a report last week of sexual misconduct by seven women, including his ex-wife?
4. William Barr was confirmed last week to what position in President Trump's cabinet?
5. Amazon announced last week that it will not be building a new headquarters in New York City, but will instead focus on building its other new HQ in what US state?
6. What shoe store chain announced last week they will closing the remainder of its 2100 US stores by this May, two years after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection?
7. What Texas-based airline declared an "operational emergency" after a number of planes taken out of service doubled and ordered all its mechanics to work or risk termination?

Academy Awards Trivia
1. What Academy Award-winning director has been "thanked" in 42 Oscar acceptance speeches, the most ever?
2. What 21st century Best Picture-winning film is generally acknowledged to have the highest on-screen body count of any film?
3. In 1995, what was the only animated film to win a special achievement Academy Award?
4. What film did Mel Brooks win his only Oscar for Best Original Screenplay?
5. For what comedy did Tom Hanks receive his first Oscar nomination?
6. In 1981, the Academy Awards ceremony was postponed for just the second time in its history and for 24 hours for what reason?
7. What actor is the most nominated male actor, with a total of 12 career acting nominations?

The Q Train: Oscar Nominations Trivia (More of Less than 5 Nominations)
1. Michelle Pfeiffer
2. Dustin Hoffman
3. Michael Caine
4. Bradley Cooper
5. Cate Blanchett
6. Gary Oldman
7. Christian Bale
8. Glenn Close
9. Daniel Day-Lewis
10. Samuel L. Jackson

General Knowledge
1. In the comic strip "Peanuts", which character traveled in his own personal dust storm? ( 1 pt)
2. What actress was the face of the Thighmaster infomercials of the 1980s? ( 1 pt)
3. On which of Earth's continents will you find most of the planet's fresh water? ( 1 pt)
4. What company did Metallica sue in 2000 for copyright infringement? ( 2 pt)
5. What actress played FBI agent Clarice Starling in the film "Hannibal?" ( 2 pt)
6. In total, how many hurdles must a hurdler hurdle in an Olympic hurdles race? ( 2 pt)
7. As of 2018, the Center for Disease Control says the average height of an adult American man is how many inches (to the closest inch)? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What country is the largest royal family in the world from? ( 5 points)
2. The Washington Monument was significantly damaged in 2011 by what cause? ( 3 points)
3. What classic 1983 Brian DePalma film was originally given an "X" rating? ( 4 points)
4. Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English are the four official languages of what country? ( 4 points)
5. The Beatles' second album "With the Beatles" was released in the UK on the same day as what other world event was occurring? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Katy Perry; 2. 22; 3. Ryan Adams; 4. Attorney General; 5. Virginia; 6. Payless; 7. Southwest.

Academy Awards Trivia
1. Steven Spielberg; 2. "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King;" 3. "Toy Story;" 4. "The Producers;" 5. "Big;" 6. Reagan assassination attempt; 7. Jack Nicholson.

The Q Train: Oscar Nominations Trivia
1. Less (3); 2. more (70; 3. more (6); 4. less (4); 5. more (7); 6. less (2); 7. less (4); 8. more (7); 9. more (6); 10. less (1).

General Knowledge
1. Pig Pen; 2. Suzanne Somers; 3. Antarctica; 4. Napster; 5. Julianne Moore; 6. 10; 7. 69.

IQ Trivia
1. Saudi Arabia; 2. earthquake; 3. "Scarface;" 4. Singapore; 5. JFK assassination.

Monday, February 18, 2019

We Honor The Oscars On Tuesday

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, February 19th at 8:30 PM, with "Academy Awards Trivia" as the Special Category, in honor of the Oscars that will be happening this coming Sunday night. It will be seven questions concerning those people and films that have won Hollywood's highest honor. The Q Train lightning round will be "Oscar Nominations Trivia." I will give you the names of ten current actors and actresses, and you have to tell me if they have more or less than five Oscar acting nominations in their storied careers.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"In the comic strip 'Peanuts', which character traveled in his own personal dust storm?"

I look forward to seeing many of you for a great night of Trivia as we honor the Oscars this coming Tuesday night!

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Trivia Q&A: February 12

It was a pretty brutal night of bad weather on Tuesday night, but we still had 9 teams come out for Trivia, and I thank all of you for braving the elements and coming out. It was a tight race between four teams, and they were separated by six points going into IQ Trivia. But the team of Alexa, Pull Out pulled out the victory (sorry, I couldn't resist), getting 36 points and the win. Congratulations to Peter and his friends on a tough, well-earned win.

Second place went to Turkey Clubless with 34 points, and Super Karate Monkey Death Car finished third with 31 points.

Best Team Name: Lincoln Should've Left at Intermission

Current Events
1. Richard Creagan, a state representative in what western US state, is introducing a bill in his state to raise the minimum smoking age from 21 to 100?
2. Many people who were close to what legendary R&B singer, who died in 2006, are seeking an autopsy or criminal investigation into his death, which they believe the 73-year-old singer didn't die of natural causes?
3. What Oscar-winning actor/director filed a $68 million lawsuit against Amazon Studios last week after they backed out of a four-picture deal over a "25-year-old baseless allegation" of sexual abuse against him?
4. A development group has agreed to buy and tear down what midtown hotel, one that was Donald Trump's first major Manhattan development and replace it with a mixed-use project?
5. The Chinese New Year was celebrated last week and 2019 is the year of what animal?
6. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said he was the target of "extortion and blackmail" by what publication over his investigation of how they got his private exchanges with his mistress?
7. Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman had his beard shaved off for charity by what TV talk show host last week, who donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Boston?

Presidential Trivia
1. What 19th century president was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992?
2. What president signed Martin Luther King Day into law?
3. Who is the only US president born in the state of California?
4. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 on what religious holiday?
5. What US president, who didn't finish his term due to his death, gave the longest inaugural speech in history?
6. Walter Mondale was vice-president under what 20th century president?
7. Who was the only president who had three different vice-presidents in the years he served?

The Q Train: Gangster Movie Characters
1. Sam "Ace" Rothstein
2. Luca Brasi
3. Jimmy Conway
4. Keyser Soze
5. Tony Montana
6. Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
7. Johnny Ola
8. Mr. Blond
9. Vincent Vega
10. Brick Top

General Knowledge
1. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was married to what singer? ( 1 pt)
2. What "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actor hosted the children's show "Reading Rainbow"? ( 1 pt)
3. What is the largest artery in the human body? ( 1 pt)
4. What company rescued Apple from bankruptcy in 1997? ( 2 pt)
5. The highest recorded temperature ever was 134 degrees F in 1913 in what country? ( 2 pt)
6. What movie earned Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar nomination? ( 2 pt)
7. How many stages are there in the Tour de France? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What rock band, that was once sued by fans in 2003 after a horrible performance in Chicago, was named the worst rock band of the 1990s by Rolling Stone? ( 4 points)
2. Who was the highest-earning deceased celebrity of 2018, whose estate earned nearly $400 million? ( 4 points)
3. Naval Support Facility Thurmont is the official name for what famous American place? ( 5 points)
4. What two Star Wars characters appeared in the film "Raiders of the Lost Ark?" ( 3 points)
5. What Oscar-winning actor made his first sequel role of his career in 2018? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Hawaii; 2. James Brown; 3. Woody Allen; 4. Grand Hyatt; 5. Pig; 6. The National Enquirer; 7. Ellen Degeneres.

Presidential Trivia
1. Abraham Lincoln; 2. Ronald Reagan; 3. Richard Nixon; 4. Good Friday; 5. William H. Harrison; 6. Jimmy Carter; 7. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Q Train: Gangster Movie Characters
1. Casino; 2. The Godfather; 3. Goodfellas; 4. The Usual Suspects; 5. Scarface; 6. Gangs of New York; 7. The Godfather Part II; 8. Reservoir Dogs; 9. Pulp Fiction; 10. Snatch.

General Knowledge
1. Courtney Love; 2. LeVar Burton; 3. aorta; 4. Microsoft; 5. USA; 6. "Winter's Bone;" 7. 21.

IQ Trivia
1. Creed; 2. Michael Jackson; 3. Camp David; 4. R2-D2 and C-3PO; 5. Denzel Washington.

Monday, February 11, 2019

We Honor Presidents & Gangsters On Tuesday

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, February 12th at 8:30 PM, with "Presidential Trivia" as the Special Category. In honor of President's Day coming up next week, I will ask you seven questions connected to those men who have held the highest office in our land. The Q Train lightning round will be "Gangster Movie Characters Trivia." I will give you the names of ten famous characters who appeared in gangster films (going back as far as the 1970s) and you have to tell me the film that character was in.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was married to what singer?"

Tuesday appears to be a lousy day weather-wise, as the forecast is calling for snow and ice that day. But don't let that cause you to miss out on what should be a great night of Trivia!

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

Trivia Q&A: February 5

We had 11 teams in on Tuesday night, which was an unusually warm night for February in New York. It was nice to have John from Stella Artois in for the Trivia, and he gave away some cool prizes to the top three winning teams last night. The Grammy Awards category was a bit tougher than I thought it would be, as only two teams got more than four correct. It was also another night for our friends from DIMS, who took the lead in the second round and never looked back, getting 44 points and the victory. Congrats to Ken and Darek on their win.

Second place went to Turkey Club with 39 points, and third place went to DUMBS with 33 points.

Best Team Name: Adam Levine's Left Nipple

Current Events
1. Howard Schultz, the former CEO of what company, hinted last week he will make a 2020 presidential run as an Independent, with some Democrats asking him not to run?
2. The Beatles' website announced last week that a new film based on their classic movie "Let It Be" will be made with 55 hours of never-released footage and directed by what Oscar-winning director?
3. What female pop singer revealed a new tattoo last week, which was supposed to be a Japanese translation of her new single title, but instead it was misspelled and translated to mean "small barbecue grill?"
4. 4000 salaried staff at what American automaker are being laid off and they are closing four US plants as well?
5. What comedian is being sued by a company that bought the comedian's 1958 Porsche for $1.5 million three years ago only to learn the car was a fake?
6. What East Coast US senator announced his intention last Friday to run for president in 2020?
7. What MLB icon would have been 100 years old last week and MLB announced events throughout the 2019 season to celebrate his life?

Grammy Awards Trivia
1. Which rock group has won the most Grammys, with 22 in its history? a. The Rolling Stones; b. U2; c. The Who; d. The Beatles.
2. What artist is nominated for the most Grammy Awards in 2019? a. Kendrick Lamar; b. Drake; c. Brandi Carlile; d. Lady Gaga.
3. Which city will host the 2019 Grammy Awards? a. Los Angeles; b. Nashville; c. New York City; d. Miami.
4. Which of these individual artists has won the most Grammy Awards? a. Michael Jackson; b. Madonna; c. Frank Sinatra; d. Stevie Wonder.
5. Which of the following artists is the only one to win the Grammy for Best New Artist? a. P. Diddy; b. LeAnn Rimes; c. Britney Spears; d. Luther Vandross.
6. In 2000, who tied Michael Jackson's Grammy record for eight wins in one year? a. Santana; b. U2; c. Steely Dan; d. The Rolling Stones.
7. Which of the following artists is the only one to refuse a Grammy Award? a. The Sex Pistols; b. Sinead O'Connor; c. The Dixie Chicks; d. Bob Dylan.

The Q Train: 21-30 Trivia
1. In a normal deck of cards, there are this many red cards as well as black cards.
2. The Arabic alphabet has this many letters.
3. February has this number of days in leap years.
4. In 1951. this number amendment to the Constitution limited presidents to 2 terms went into effect.
5. In most US states, this is the minimum age at which a person can enter a casino.
6. This is the number of bones in the human hand.
7. Michael Jordan wore this number in his time with the Chicago Bulls.
8. This is the number of years Marty McFly went back in time in the film "Back to the Future."
9. Tupac Shakur was killed in 1996 at this age.
10. This is the number of carats in 100% pure gold.

General Knowledge
1. Jake and Elwood were first names of what musical duo? ( 1 pt)
2. Which planet is closer to Earth: Mars or Venus? ( 1 pt)
3. The term "15 minutes of fame" was coined by what late pop artist? ( 1 pt)
4. How many "Superman" movies did Christopher Reeve make? ( 2 pt)
5. Benjamin Franklin wanted what animal (not the bald eagle) to be the national emblem of the US? ( 2 pt)
6. The fictional language "Dothraki" is featured on what TV series? ( 2 pt)
7. What James Bond villain is the character Dr. Evil of the "Austin Powers" films based on? ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. In 1974, what was the first novel by Stephen King to be published, and which was later turned into a feature film? ( 4 points)
2. The Battle of Palmito Ranch was the last land battle of what war? ( 4 points)
3. What movie's soundtrack was the only million-selling album of 2018? ( 4 points)
4. What two Academy Award-winning films did director Steven Spielberg work on simultaneously? ( 5 points)
5. In 1990, who became the first rap artist to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart? ( 3 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Starbucks; 2. Peter Jackson; 3. Ariana Grande; 4. General Motors; 5. Jerry Seinfeld; 6. Cory Booker; 7. Jackie Robinson.

Grammy Awards Trivia
1. b; 2. a; 3. a; 4. d; 5. c; 6. a; 7. b.

The Q Train: 21-30 Trivia
1. 26; 2. 28; 3. 29; 4. 22; 5. 21; 6. 27; 7. 23; 8. 30; 9. 25; 10. 24.

General Knowledge
1. The Blues Brothers; 2. Venus; 3. Andy Warhol; 4. four; 5. turkey; 6. "Game of Thrones;" 7. Blofeld.

IQ Trivia
1. "Carrie"; 2. The Civil War; 3. "The Greatest Showman;" 4. "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List"; 5. Vanilla Ice.

Monday, February 04, 2019

Grammys Trivia Up This Tuesday

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, February 5th at 8:30 PM, with "Grammy Awards Trivia" as the Special Category, as the Grammys will be happening the following Sunday night. It will be seven questions about the history of the Awards, and it will also be a multiple choice round. The Q Train lightning round will be "21-30 Trivia." I will ask you ten general knowledge questions where the answers will be numbers from 21 to 30, and each answer will be a different number.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"Jake and Elwood were the first names of what musical duo?"

I look forward to seeing many of you this coming Tuesday night for another great night of Trivia Q&A!

Friday, February 01, 2019

"Now Taking the Field"

I'm a sucker for a good book on baseball statistics. I always have been, since those days of my youth when I would buy a book on all-time baseball records and practically study the book. I haven't done that in many years, but I recently read a book that comes close to those golden days of my baseball youth. It's called "Now Taking the Field: Baseball's All-Time Dream Team for All 30 Franchises" by Tom Stone (available now from Acta Publications).

Stone attempts to settle once and for all some debates as to who were the greatest players for each team, puts together a 25-man roster for each, as well as who was the "franchise player" for each club. He breaks it down by all positions, including starting pitchers and relievers. He also names the best managers, as well as for all teams, their current prospects eventually making their club's dream team.

He also puts together starting lineups for each team, one against right handed pitchers and another against lefties. but one section for each team I found fascinating was (for the older clubs) surveys taken from magazines going as far back as 1958 putting together their all-time teams. They come from sources such as Sport magazine, the Sporting News, and up to current day baseball writers such as Rob Neyer.

Stone did over 20 years of research on all the clubs, and he leaves hardly a stone (sorry Tom) unturned. For each player he gives their basic stats just with their club, and it includes the "new fangled" ones such as WAR (Wins above replacement) and each players best three WAR years. He doesn't list every player who played for a team, as they had to have played a significant amount of seasons to be considered, or put up big numbers in a short period of time. 

Stone doesn't go in any particular order, but starts with the most successful franchises first. (I don't have to tell you which team he begins with.) Current clubs that played in more than one city are listed as one (such as the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals). he goes back into the pre-1900s for those teams that played back then, but doesn't list those pitchers who pitched 600 innings for example, as you simply can't compare them to the modern game.

I found "Now Taking the Field" quite an enjoyable read. I would read one or two teams a day to try to digest all the stats that Stone presents, It will certainly cause some debate among fans as to who he picks, but that's been true for baseball since its beginning. Tom Stone clearly did some back-breaking work putting his book together, but it surely was worth it. It gets five out of five stars from me.