Merry Christmas to You All

I want to wish all of you out there a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a wonderful holiday season.

As I always do every Christmas here at the blog, here is the WPIX Yule Log (the original one will be broadcast tomorrow morning on WPIX Channel 11 here in New York).

Be well, be safe, and Merry Christmas!

Trivia Q&A: December 17

We closed out Trivia Night for 2019 last night, with another small crowd on a cold and rainy night. We had a good night of Trivia, with good scores for both Christmas rounds. The top three teams were divided by just three points going into IQ Trivia. The scores were unusually low for that round, and that enabled the team in third place, We're Better Than You, to jump over the the top two teams to pull out a one-point victory, with 35 points. Congratulations to Caroline and Kenton on their first Trivia Night victory.

Second place went to The Jingle Bell Hops with 34 points, and we had a tie for third place with 31 points between I Be Da Brains and I'm Here to Keep Trivia Going. We broke the tie with "How many surface square mile is Lake Erie?" The answer is 9,910 square miles, and I'm Here to Keep Trivia Going was closest and won third place.

I want to thank all of you for your support for my Trivia Night in 2019. We are taking the next two Tuesday nights off, as the holidays both fall on those nights. Trivia Night will return on January 7th at 8:30 PM. Enjoy the holidays, and look forward to seeing many of you then, as I start my third decade hosting Trivia!

Current Events
1. What country was banned from the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to doping non-compliance?
2. What film received five Golden Globe nominations last week including two of its stars nominated for Best Supporting Actor?
3. What TV network announced that their New York headquarters building will be sold off in the near future?
4. What Midwest city is becoming the first major US city to make public transit, namely their bus system, free?
5. What Asian country passed a new law last week excluding Muslims migrants from citizenship?
6. A volcano erupted off the coast of what island nation last week, killing eight people and injuring dozens more?
7. NY-born actor Danny Aiello died last Thursday at the age of 86. For what late 1980s movie was he nominated for a Best Supporting Actor?

Christmas Trivia
1. According to legend, candy canes originated in the 17th century in what European country?
2. Between the US, Canada and Germany, which nation exports the most Christmas trees?
3. What Christmas carol carries the nickname “The Counting Song?”
4. What 1990 film is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all-time, bringing in $476 million worldwide?
5. What Christmas movie was primarily set at West 11th Street in Cleveland, Ohio?
6. What horror film star was the narrator of the classic Christmas TV special “How the Grinch Stole Christmas?”
7. If you were born on Christmas Day, what zodiac sign were you born under?
8. BONUS: What are two of three main rituals of the holiday of Festivus?

The Q Train: Christmas Movie and TV Characters
1. Cindy Lou Who (1966)
2. George Bailey (1946)
3. Ralphie Parker (1983)
4. Bob Crachit (1951)
5. Kevin McAllister (1990)
6. Clark Griswold (1989)
7. Susan Walker (1947)
8. Yukon Cornelius (1964)
9. John McClane (1988)
10. Billy Mack (2003)

General Knowledge
1. What country has won the most Olympic titles in basketball? (1 pt)
2. “E” and “O” are each worth how many points in Scrabble? (1 pt)
3. How many candles does a Hanukkah menorah have? (1 pt)
4. Wikipedia began in what early 20th century year? (2 pt)
5. Between the Federalist Papers, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, which is not one of the Charters of Freedom? (2 pt)
6. Which of the four British nations has the unicorn as its national animal? (2 pt)
7. At an average depth of 62 feet, which is the shallowest of the Great Lakes? (3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Bluetooth technology gets its name from King Harald Bluetooth, who ruled what European country? (3 points)
2. In 1980, what NFL team became the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl? (4 points)
3. What board game was invented by a British musician named Anthony Platt during WWII when he was trapped indoors due to air raid blackouts? (5 points)
4. What is the highest grossing domestic adaptation of a Stephen King novel? (4 points)
5. “The Other Side of the Wind”, a film released in 2018, was the final film by what legendary filmmaker, 33 years after his death due to legal and financial complications? (4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Russia; 2. “The Irishman;” 3. CBS; 4. Kansas City; 5. India; 6. New Zealand; 7. “Do The Right Thing.”

Christmas Trivia
1. Germany; 2. Canada; 3. “12 Days of Christmas;” 4. “Home Alone;” 5. “A Christmas Story;” 6. Boris Karloff; 7. Capricorn. 8. Festivus Pole, Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength.

The Q Train: Christmas Movie and TV Characters
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas; 2. It’s a Wonderful Life; 3. A Christmas Story; 4. A Christmas Carol; 5. Home Alone; 6. Christmas Vacation; 7. Miracle On 34th Street; 8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; 9. Die Hard; 10. Love Actually.

General Knowledge
1. USA; 2. One; 3. Nine; 4. 2001; 5. Federalist Papers; 6. Scotland; 7. Lake Erie.

IQ Trivia
1. Denmark; 2. Oakland Raiders; 3. Clue; 4. “It;” 5. Orson Welles.

Yuletide Trivia Closes Out 2019

 

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, December 17th at 8:30 PM, with “Christmas Trivia” as the Special Category. It will be seven questions (plus a special bonus question) about the Yuletide holiday in history and pop culture. The Q Train lightning round will be “Christmas Movie and TV Characters Trivia.” I will give you the names of ten famous characters and you have to tell me what Christmas TV or movie special they appeared in. (I will also include the year the special originally aired.)

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
“How many candles does a Hanukkah menorah hold?”

This will be our final Trivia Night for 2019. We will be taking the next two weeks off for the holidays, and we will return with our first Trivia Night for 2020 on Tuesday, January 7th at 8:30 PM. I hope to see many of you this Tuesday night for another great night of Trivia!

Trivia Q&A: December 10

We had a small crowd in for Trivia on a rainy night in New York City on Tuesday, and a close race between the top three teams. But the guys from DIMS pulled away late and won the night with 42 points. Congrats to Ken, Michael and Darek on their victory. We had a tie for second place between the teams of Quiz-Knows and Prestige Worldwide with 32 points, and we broke the tie with the following question: "How long is the center span of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in terms of overall feet?" The answer is 4,260 feet and Prestige Worldwide was closest to the answer and wound up winning second place.

A reminder that next week's Trivia on December 17th will be our final Trivia Night for 2019. We will take two weeks off for the holidays and return on January 7th at 8:30 PM for our first Trivia Night of 2020.   

Current Events
1. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, of what Middle Eastern country, resigned last week over corruption issues and massive unrest in the country but will stay on until a new PM is chosen?
2. The Wall Street Journal recently selected Sky Harbor International Airport as the best airport in the US for 2019, and it is found in what western city?
3. What rap star won the top spot in Spotify’s most streamed artist of the decade?
4. What NY-area bridge now has a toll cost of $19, which is now the most expensive bridge in the US  to cross?
5. Rolling Stone magazine selected “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” as their number 1 album of the 2010s by what artist?
6. What R&B singer, already with many legal troubles, was accused of attempting to bribe an Illinois government official in 1994 trying to get his girlfriend a fake ID?
7. The first indoor ski slope in North America opened last week in what eastern US state?

Trivia of the Decade: 2010-19
1. On December 13, 2013, what pop singer released an album with no advance notice, at midnight and initially only available digitally through the iTunes Store?
2. What actor picked up an Emmy nomination for “True Detective” and also won an Oscar, both in 2014?
3. What sitcom ended it’s nine year run in 2014, and in the finale we saw that Ted Mosby may have ended up with Robin Scherbatsky after all?
4. Who was the only team to win three World Series titles in the 2010s?
5. In 2011, the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive, “James “Whitey” Bulger, a Boston mobster on the run for 16 years, was captured in what US state?
6. What 2015 film was the top-grossing movie of the 2010s in the US?
7. What NBA team won the most titles in the 2010s?

The Q Train: Movies of the 2010s
1. The Black Panther
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. The Shape of Water
4. Moneyball
5. La La Land
6. The Social Network
7. Jurassic World
8. The Hunger Games
9. Guardians of the Galaxy
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

General Knowledge
1. “I see dead people” is a famous line from what 1999 film? (1pt)
2. The Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 in what country? (1pt)
3. Deimos and Phobos are moons of what planet? (1pt)
4. What kind of whale was Moby Dick? (2pt)
5. What is the world’s oldest known vegetable? (2pt)
6. Hannibal Lecter’s character debuted in what film? (2pt)
7. The languages Telugu and Marathi are spoken in what country? (3pt)

IQ Trivia
1. Who had the first, and so far only, cover of a Beatles song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100? ( 4 points)
2. What was the most recent movie that won the Oscar for Best Picture but was not nominated for Best Director? 4 points)
3. Heineken beer was founded in what major European city in 1864? ( 3 points)
4. The sclera is found where on the human body? (5 points)
5. What country has won 14 Best Foreign Language Film Oscars, the most of any country? ( 4 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. Iraq; 2. Phoenix; 3. Drake; 4. Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; 5. Kanye West; 6. R. Kelly; 7. New Jersey.

Trivia of the Decade: 2010-19
1. Beyoncé; 2. Matthew McConaughey; 3. “How I Met Your Mother;” 4. San Francisco Giants; 5. California; 6. “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens;” 7. Golden State Warriors.

The Q Train: Movies of the 2010s
1. 2018; 2. 2013; 3. 2017; 4. 2011; 5. 2016; 6. 2010; 7. 2015; 8. 2012; 9. 2014; 10. 2019.

General Knowledge
1. “The Sixth Sense;” 2. Egypt; 3. Mars; 4. Sperm whale; 5. Pea; 6. “Manhunter;” 7. India.

IQ Trivia
1. Elton John; 2. “Green Book” (2019); 3. Amsterdam; 4. Eyes (white part); 5. Italy.

Let’s Review The Decade This Week

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, December 10th, at 8:30 PM, with “Trivia of the Decade: 2010-19” as the Special Category. It will be seven questions about events that happened in the last ten years in pop culture. The Q Train lightning round will be “Movies of the Decade Trivia.” I will give you the names of ten popular films from 2010-19, and you have to tell me what year it was originally released. And every answer will be a different year.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
“‘I see dead people’ is a famous line from what 1999 film?”

I look forward to seeing many of you this Tuesday night. And a heads up to everyone: Next Tuesday night, December 17th, will be our final Trivia Night for 2019, as we will be taking two weeks off for the holidays. Our next Trivia Night after that will be our first for 2020, on January 7th at 8:30 PM.

Trivia Q&A: December 3

We had 10 teams in for Trivia on Tuesday night, and we had a Michigan basketball game that brought a few fans that played, and that's always a good thing. We had to go with a makeshift mic until the game ended and that was a bit of a pain. But by the fourth round we were back to normal. And in that fourth round, we had some of the lowest scores ever for the General Knowledge round, but that happens sometimes. The top six teams were only separated by five points going into IQ Trivia, so it was tight going in. The scores in that round were on the stronger side, and we ended up with a tie for first, between DIMS and Hey Hermano with 45 points. We broke the tie with "What is the current population for the nation of Iran?" DIMS was the closest (it's 82,900,000), and garnered the victory. Congrats to Ken, Michael and Darek on their win.

Third place went to A Name to Remember with 44 points.

Best Team Name: John Quinn 4 President-The Change We Need

Current Events
1. Uber will not be granted a new license in what European capital city after repeated safety failures?
2. Unranked basketball team Stephen F. Austin defeated what number 1 ranked team last week to knock them out of the top ten rankings?
3. What legendary baseball immortal's bat he used to hit his 500th home run went up for auction last week and it is believed it will break the record for the most expensive bat ever sold (over $1 million)?
4. What rock singer was recently escorted off stage of his own bar in Nashville after letting out a slew of lewd comments about Oprah Winfrey?
5. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro blamed what Oscar-winning actor for fanning Brazil's devastating Amazon forest fires by donating to local groups accused of purposefully setting the fires?
6. According to the wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth, what city is now the world's wealthiest city, worth more that $3 trillion?
7. A new poll from the Hollywood Reporter revealed what classic 1964 TV claymation special is America's favorite Christmas-themed TV special?

December Trivia
1. On December 1, 1955, Rose Parks refused to move to the back of a bus in what southern US city, a key moment in the civil rights movement?
2. In December 1954, what fast-food restaurant opened for the first time in Miami, Florida?
3. In December 1980, what classic rock band disbanded after their drummer's shocking death three months earlier?
4. What US president was the first statesman awarded the Nobel Peace Price in December 1906?
5. In December 2009, what science fiction film was released, and went on to become the highest grossing movie ever at that time?
6. On December 18, 1997, what beloved comedian died of a drug overdose in Chicago at the age of 33?
7. Also on December 18, 1997, NBC aired an episode of "Seinfeld" called "The Strike" which featured the holiday of Festivus. What day in December is it celebrated?

The Q Train: 1-10 Trivia
1. An octagon has this number of sides.
2. In the Book of Revelation, there were this many "Horsemen of the Apolcalypse."
3. This is the number LeBron James wore with the Miami Heat.
4. Pearl Jam and LL Cool J both had this number for an album title.
5. This is the number of justices that sit on the Supreme Court.
6. On the TV series "Seinfeld", George Costanza wanted to give his first-born son this number for a first name.
7. This is the atomic number of helium.
8. The only players in soccer and hockey who can wear this number are goalkeepers.
9. In baseball, this many innings have to played at minimum for a game to be official.
10. Gemini is this number sign of the Zodiac.

General Knowledge
1. The game of mah jongg originated in what country? ( 1 pt)
2. What is the name of the song played to wake up US soldiers? ( 1 pt)
3. How many "Hunger Games" movies were there? ( 1 pt)
4. Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to travel to another planet in 1962. Which planet was it? ( 2 pt)
5. Between gold, copper and silver, which metal is the best conductor of electricity? ( 2 pt)
6. What MLB player holds the record for the most MVP awards won in a career? ( 2 pt)
7. Who played the Pinball Wizard in the 1975 film adaptation of the musical "Tommy?" ( 3 pt)

IQ Trivia
1. What Middle Eastern country's currency is the rial, and is one of the least valuable currencies in the world? ( 4 points)
2. In the 1930s and 1940s, Louis Buchalter and Albert Anastasia headed what American organized crime group responsible for as many as 1,000 contract killings? ( 4 points)
3. What character has been played in the movies by Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck? ( 3 points)
4. The Liberty Bell March is the theme song to what classic comedy TV series? ( 4 points)
5. Mary Bojaxhiu was born in 1910 in North Macedonia but was better known to the world by what name? ( 5 points)

Answers
Current Events
1. London; 2. Duke; 3. Babe Ruth; 4. Kid Rock; 5. Leonardo DiCaprio; 6. New York City; 7. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

December Trivia
1. Montgomery, AL; 2. Burger King; 3. Led Zeppelin; 4. Theodore Roosevelt; 5. "Avatar;" 6. Chris Farley; 7. December 23rd.

The Q Train: 1-10 Trivia
1. 8; 2. 4; 3. 6; 4. 10; 5. 9; 6. 7; 7. 2; 8. 1; 9. 5; 10. 3.

General Knowledge
1. China; 2. Reveille; 3. four; 4. Venus; 5. Silver; 6. Barry Bonds; 7. Elton John.

IQ Trivia
1. Iran; 2. Murder Incorporated; 3. Jack Ryan; 4. "Monty Python's Flying Circus;" 5. Mother Teresa.

Lots of Cool Stuff Happened In December

Trivia will be happening this Tuesday night, December 3rd at 8:30 PM, with "December Trivia" as the Special Category. It will be things that happened in the final month throughout history and pop culture. (Nothing associated with the holiday season will be part of this category, as we will do that on a future Trivia Night.) The Q Train lightning round will be "1-10 Trivia." I will ask you ten questions where the answer will be a number from 1 to 10, and every answer will be a different number.

The Sneak Peek question for this week is:
"The game of mah jongg originated in what country?"

I look forward to seeing many of you this Tuesday night for another splendid night of Trivia!