Increase in traffic...maybe?

Well, it's top 10 list time as I am sure you see from specials in the New York Times, Time Magazine, and most things published at this time of year. Alessandra Stanley's piece titled:
'Robots, Lies and Smoking for $800, Alex'has a nice message of our blog's namesake. Perhaps this will have a trickle down effect on all things Jeopardy! and in turn...this blog.

We won't hold our breath, though.

A Further Announcement...And The Question That Dare Not Speak Its Name

I feel I speak for everyone on the ABAALNJ team (that includes you, Ivy) by being happy and relieved that Alex Trebek is out of hospital after his "minor" heart attack. I've pasted the AP story below. A couple of things strike me as interesting from this (and I've discussed the first issue with Liza but as none of you live with us, it's exclusive blog content!).

1. I'm frankly staggered that Trebek, after going through his ordeal, is such a showbiz pro that his statements actually refer to the fact that the Jeopardy production had recorded enough new shows that they didn't need to go into re-runs. Now this is nuts: would anyone out there really be annoyed at sitting through old episodes...BECAUSE THE MAN SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK?!?

2. Now I'm not wishing to sound morbid but I couldn't help but think the following had Alex not pulled through (and, you know, I just mean a long layoff because clearly the guy is never gonna die). Which TV presenter would be your choice to take over from the legend that is Trebek? If Drew Carey = Bob Barker then please come forward and fill in the gap for ? = Alex Trebek. My sentimental choice (I took a photo of the man!) would have to be for Ken Jennings but I'm sure you can come up with better suggestions.


'Jeopardy' Host Trebek Out of Hospital
Dec. 15, 2007, 6:32 PM EST

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek is out of the hospital and plans to spend the holidays at home with his family as he recovers from a heart attack.

"I'm truly overwhelmed by the great show of support and compassion expressed in the past few days to me, my family and my co-workers," Trebek said Saturday after his release from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in a statement relayed by "Jeopardy" publicist Jeff Ritter.

"Even though I know 'Jeopardy' is a very popular program, I was still surprised at the number of people who took time from their schedules to call or send a note of encouragement," Trebek said.

Trebek, 67, was hospitalized Monday night after being stricken with what Ritter said was a minor heart attack.

The game show host promised to return to the "Jeopardy" studio on Jan. 14 to tape the program's "Teen Tournament." In the meantime, he said, enough episodes were taped before he was hospitalized so that people who tune in over the holidays are still seeing new shows.

"Jeopardy has been one of television's top-rated syndicated programs for more than 20 years. The Canadian-born Trebek has been its host since 1984.

He has been nominated for daytime Emmy Awards for game show host and has won twice, most recently in 2006.

Trebek, who holds a philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa, was a TV and radio reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Company before moving to the United States. He became a U.S. citizen in 1998.

An announcement...

We here are very excited about the latest comment on AALNJ blog. Someone has come through with the transcript and video of SNL's Jeopardy! 1999. (first aired 1976)
Find the transcript here and the video here. That person is our commenter and friend, Ivy.

Ivy has helped us and come through in numerous ways-- 1) this transcript 2) celebrity jeopardy contestant naming and in many other ways...

And I would like to name her, 'Official Researcher!' (Exclamation point included) This is a voluntary position and the responsibilities are totally up to you!

Thanks and hope you all enjoy the links..(that means you, Glen, Jess, maybe Jer and possibly Harley...anyone else out there reading? Dad?)

Jeopardy in Jeopardy?

This is our 100th post, people and with the news we heard today (ie Alex Trebek had a heart attack)-- I find it fitting that it's about Alex. Of course, I really wish it were under better circumstances but this post is a get well note.

Dear Alex,
I just heard that news that you are not well and we at LNJ/AALNJ wish you a speedy recovery and all the best. Also, no rush to get back to taping straight away. Get better first-- reruns are fine for a little while-- so many classics out there. (see prev posts)

Enjoy the flowers and no, I am not crazy!

xo
The gang at lastnightsjeopardy

Jeopardy Everywhere....

So I was reading the new Steve Martin book, Born Standing Up and at the endish, he brings up a skit from the 70s...Jeopardy 1999! So, I immediately go to Youtube because...this I gotta see. This is unfortunate-- it was nowhere to be found. Perhaps skits from SNL circa 1976 are not allowed on youtube, just the ones that you can watch, er, like on Saturday. Anyway, if someone can find this and post it or give me details so I can visualize...please do so on this blog. Just a script would be worthy of a post! One line...the contestants...anything.

Thanks all....

'Tis the season

So it has been almost a month since the last post. That doesn't mean Jeopardy hasn't been a part of our lives. We had a great visit from the London wing of AALNJ over Thanksgiving and we did partake in not only turkey and stuffing but some quality Jeopardy home viewing gathered round the 'ol 42 incher. A week after that I was listening to an NPR podcast of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" that was a revue of sorts with guests from years past. I was lucky enough to listen to Ken Jennings answer three questions in which the writers of the show tried to stump "the man who knows everything" (the name they bestowed upon him). He got them all correct. Whatta guy.

Then we went to trivia last Monday. Our team name was Gingerbread Men, Nutmeg Woman. This was due to the gingerbread samples our teammate Dom had brought for us. Delicious! But even more delicious was our 2nd place ranking. We were in a tiebreaker and beat out the other team who due to our smarts, came in lowly 3rd place. This was out of a large number of teams though - the largest I had seen - 20!

And then there was yesterday. Doing The New York Times Monday crossword is the best way to boost your self-esteem. I urge all of you out there feeling low. . . wait it out until next Monday and then grab the paper. Go to the Arts section, find that crossword puzzle and complete it. You will. I promise.
Yesterday's 6 Across: "Jeopardy" whiz Jennings.
Nice way to start the week, huh? Your muse in the crossword puzzle.
Well, I hope the rest of the week (my second to last in business school) goes as swimmingly, starting with the final I have later tonight.

Fingers crossed. I hope it works!

That's right. There's no title to this post. I am speechless. We are speechless.
I was wondering what it would take to bring an AALNJ writer back and well, after tonight's super exciting last 10 seconds (yes, the last 10 seconds!) - - I am back.
This week and last we'd been tuning in at about 8:30 each night to watch the Tournament of Champions. Always great matches. Great challenging questions. Tonight was no different. But THIS was different. Two contestants answered Final Jeopardy correctly. The answer was "What is 8 and a half?" (for the category Movies). They each had $15,401 due to their wagers. The guy in the lead had $15,400 and answered Final Jeopardy incorrectly. So whoa - a tie! Who doesn't love a tie in Jeopardy ?! They are so very rare.
But wait.
In week two of Jeopardy's Tournament of Champions we need one winner from the Monday through Wednesday night shows so the three can compete in the two day Final.
So, what to do?!
They were ready. Those Jeopardy people. Next thing you know we are back on Alex talking a mile a minute saying that
1. There hadn't been a tiebreaker in about 20 years and
bam!
2. The tiebreaker's gonna start. It looks like final - the category is "Child's Play" and whoever buzzes in and answers correctly wins. And you must answer correctly. (well, duh) You can't win by default.

It was a tense 2 seconds and then - ding - the answer. Alex reads it.
Celeste buzzes in and as she can barely believe what has just happened (Jeopardy history!) and I can tell she can barely believes how lucky she is that she knows the answer - she answers correctly! Alex lets her know, her arms flail in the air (well, where else would they flail?) and she exclaims, "All right!" And how.

And just like that I had to post.

For those of you reading who didn't get to see it, not to worry. It's saved on our DVR. I know - how lucky are you that you know me and are staying with us this weekend?! I will gladly re-watch the 10 seconds again with you. See you soon!

To win Pub Quiz, answer (some of) these questions:

Not in this order and not in their entirety, either from Monday night:
Answers to come next week

1. 50 Cent said he'd retire if what other rapper's upcoming album outsold his upcoming album. (thanks to perezhilton.com, I got this one for the team!)

2. Name one of Mars' moons (there are two).


3. Who drew this photo? (the photo seen below)

4. Name the main island in Japan (a question from our CASH CAB ride!).

5. What were the last names of the kids in Peter Pan?

6. What is the world's smallest country that is also a city?

7. Commissioner Gordon is the commissioner of what city?

8. Name one of the Lions that sit outside of the New York Public Library (actually, we didn't get this correct).

9. During the scene at the Copacabana in GoodFellas starting when they enter through the back and all the way up until they are seated at the club, what song is playing? (LOVE this question, though we did get it wrong)


10. What are

• Monterosso al Mare

• Vernazza

• Corniglia

• Manarola

• Riomaggiore

(again, we got this wrong - we answered "types of Olive Oil" - hahaha [a hahaha in hindsight, of course])

Answer: A great way to end a three-day weekend.

What is with a three-peat?!

Dear Readers,
Now seems as good a time as any to get this thing back up and rollin'. Summer's semi-officially over and the big news. . . our team placed first in the Last Exit pub quiz tonight. Again! And again! That is, we have won for the last three times.
The first time - I wasn't on the team - but the second two times I contributed. Oh yeah I did.
More to come. . .

The Password is "rhubarb"....

Hi All,
So, this was on Time.com:


15 Best Game Show Hosts. According to a Time source, (LNJ contributor, Glen) the listing isn't in any sort of order, it's just a list. I would hope this is true...because when I was scrolling, Alex was number 12 beaten out by Bob Eubanks, among others. (blasphemy!)

Also, what's this all about 'no discernible personality' -- I would advise the writer of the Alex article to refer to Wednesday, February 22, blog posting #2 when we discuss an episode where Alex mentions his pick up truck. No discernible personality. Tsk. Tsk.

May Day is a play day

It’s our anniversary – no, not this blog’s anniversary, silly!
It was on this date, approximately 720 days ago, that Jeremy and I ceremoniously wed in front of family and friends. It was also on this day that I wore a white dress – it was sparkly and white (no veil) and I felt like the luckiest person in the world.
Today is no different. Ok – there’s no sparkly dress on me (I am not wearing white either) but I was awoken this morning by an enthusiastic “Happy Anniversary!” And as I was getting ready for my day (which included a breakfast reception at school and then an 8 hour day at my new “internship summer” employer) I was called into the second bedroom where my beloved and my pet cat were sitting. He called me in and said, “Jess, come see what I got Duncan for his birthday!”
Yes. Our cat’s birthday is the same day as our anniversary. Not sure what to make of it – but it is what it is.
Anyway, it was a trick. He held a jewelry-looking box to Duncan’s confused face and said – “Here Duncan.”
I hadn’t had my coffee – what was I to think? Well, I will tell you what I thought (for about 20 seconds.)
“Hmm…that is a Claypot box in a size I have never had. How did Jeremy get it and what did he get Duncan at Claypot?”
Heh. I was really fooled. Of course, I must repeat, I hadn’t had my morning cup of Joe at this point.
Anyway, turns out the box from Claypot was for me and a beautiful bracelet lay in it for me to display. A great start to the day!
But the luck doesn’t end there. I will wrap it up quickly as the evening awaits a mere two blocks from our home (lucky). A French-bistro dinner (lucky) with a trivia night at 9 in the adjoining bar! (sounds almost too good to be true!)

And this isn’t really lucky but a mere coincidence that I would be celebrating a special day and this headline appears on the cnn.com page – “New US citizenship test reads like ‘Jeopardy’”! It was a video – find it here (for a little while anyway) and while I am usually not a CNN video-downloader (hate the commercials and you know what, sometimes it just takes too long) of course, I watched. As it was downloading I thought, "Hmm what does this mean. Will people really have to respond with a question? "
Answer: “Red, White and Blue”
Question: “What is the American Flag?”
It didn’t really make sense. And as I was told (by the video I watched only ½ of) it is just that the test is more difficult now that it was in the past.
So, that’s the update and that is the Jeopardy news.

Good night and good luck.

West Virgina is for Loers

We thought it was a great name. Tonight we went to Last Exit on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn to play trivia.

Basically, when West Virginia won the NIT basketball tourney earlier this week, the T-shirts that had been pre-made saying West Virginia NIT champs had spelled Virginia with one less "i" making it an incorrect spelling.

So, we named our team "West Virgina is for Loers". The Emcee regarded it as "very clever". This AFTER he read it wrong and asked if there was a misspelling! (There was and it was deliberate.)

Whether or not West Virginia is for Lovers (or Virginia for that matter), I do not know. But I do know that we came in first place tonight!! And there was an all important question regarding the March 16, 2007 Jeopardy game. Why did it make history? Oh please. Challenge me, would ya?! Challenge me!!! Three way tie for those readers who have not read recent posts.

So as I write this, I am thinking about the 40 bucks I won (and Jeremy won 40 too!) and listening to Ohio State U lose to Florida in the NCAA basketball tournament. Usually I wouldn't care but had OSU won, I would be in the money of something to the tune of 250 MORE bucks (more than than 40 already in my pocket.) As it turns out, I will have come in second place so I will be getting something to the tune of 60 bucks.

Woo hoo! Though there was no searching for the afikomen in my Passover celebrations of late, I certainly have some extra gelt!

This is it!

This is live blogging. . . Category - Women of the 1930s.
1 of the men who shot her realized when he saw her body that she'd often waited on him at a cafe in sallas. Jeremy's guess: Who is Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde.

(Bonnie Parker - thanks to Anders who doubled his $8000.)
Jamey - also go it right. (and now he too has $16000)
So did Scott!! And he bet so that he also had $16000!! A three way tie! Wow. That is so anti-climatic that I can't even write anymore. Comments?

Jeopardy! in Pop Culture

This is one of the Double Jeopardy categories. How cool.

So - the end of Double Jeopardy and the scores are
Scott
$13,400
Anders
$8000
Jamey
$8000
It is not clear what the historical event will be. So we wait. . .

Lean Green Jeopardy Machine

(Title is in honor of St. Patty's Day)

Ok - the champ has $0, Jamey $1800 and Anders $3600 at the start when we are back from the first commercial break
He (Anders) has donated blood 170 times!! Wow. A good samaritan. And a guy who can get on Jeopardy, too. Nice combo.

Champ is losing.

So far

Nothing to see here. Scott had $45,001 after two days. His opponents, Anders and
Jamey. . . The first round is in honor of St. Patty's Day. Ireland, Green Beers, "Lep"rachaun, Parades . . . etc. Ok I am getting excited for the whole "history will be made" thing!

Live blogging!! (during the commercials)

I wonder why it is called live blogging when you can't really pay attention to what else is going on while you type. I mean, I can look up at the TV and type at the same time but if I do it like I am doing it now then I will ineveitably have a spelling mistake or two. (I just looked down - - didn't do so bad). The above "test" notwithstanding (or is it standing?) this blogger here (this guy here can stay with me. . . ) will not be live blogging but I will make remarks during the commercials. I will be back.

Exciting_Times

This post might as well be written by a guest blogger, Bill Braine! Thanks for the spot!
Well, it seems that this news may put our blog to shame as this is the type of thing we're supposed to be 'reporting' on. Get with the program people! Something exciting is going to happen in Tomorrow Night's Jeopardy so on Saturday... I expect a post! Apparently, it's something that's never happened in Jeopardy! 's history.

More details are on the Jeopardy! website and here. (This guy suspects a three way tie....)

UK Quiz Channel-- Scandal!

It's about time...the crazy quiz shows here in England are under fire. And apparently, these shows weren't very honest..shocker. However, I will miss listening to the callers and wondering what the hell they're saying. I could barely understand their accents let alone their answers. Poor Nigel from the Midlands I feel like he called a lot.

Here is one of many articles.

And now it's time for a little break.

From trivia that is. The break came on Tuesday, February 13 when we entered a Name That Tune Contest at Union Hall, which happens to be on my newly formed list of favorite places in Brooklyn to hang out. Still hanging on to #1 . . . my apartment, of course.

We first found out about this contest on a Brooklyn message board query that asked - "what are the best trivia nights in Brooklyn?" and while we have yet to venture to any of the others on the board, we did make it to Union Hall as the snow began to come down. It was more like ice, really when we left our place at about 8:30. We arrived at Union Hall at about 8:40 (yes, it is THAT close to #1 (our apt.)). Since it was the first ever Name that Tune at Union Hall & we'd never been to the facility before, we weren't sure what to expect, including how many people would be there and what not. We entered the warm pub place with book-filled bookcases lining the walls of the upstairs and found a primo table. As we sat, smiling to be inside after the ice-coming- down thing we had just trekked through, I was trying to decide if we were, in fact, in the right area of the facility. Would a Name that Tune presentation happen right here in the main of the bar space? After inquiring, we discovered the fun was to be had downstairs and when we arrived to aforementioned downstairs, I could see it was a better venue. Basically, there was a stage and a microphone set up and I would be lying if I didn't say it reminded me of a movie-oake setting from about 10 months back. That of course, didn't make me feel good as the movie-oake, while fun - and yes, I am glad we did it - wasn't all that.
Anyway, we took seats and oh by the way, we were the only ones in the seating area! We trudged on and Jeremy went to the bar for drinks. Sitting with with our drinks we wondered if Name that Tune would be cancelled due to ice falling from the sky. There were people, insiders it seemed, sitting at the bar and two bartenders hanging out.
Anyway, we confirmed Name that Tune was happening and shortly afterwards, our host approached, gave us our answer sheet and a pen. She said each team only gets one pen and Jeremy joked, "right don't want to not have enough for everyone." Hmm. . . while we weren't still the only ones there we were at that point one out of two (two!) teams. She didn't get the joke - this is Name that Tune people! - but she did smile and say, "No really, we totally forgot pens and had to run around asking people upstairs for their own." So that was kinda funny - not that she didn't get Jeremy's joke - maybe she was in denial - but just the fact that an event would be planned where few items are needed and pens are one of them and pens are forgotten. Now, this entry is not about pens but about tunes.
The photo is our score sheet and you will see our name "I'm With Stupid" which only I can take credit. It struck me as especially silly (I am after all a big fan of silly) considering we were practically the only ones there and as luck would have it - we were with each other - but calling each other stupid, while not very nice, makes for a funny team name. (Together at Last! Together Forever!) It was also a good way to divert attention from our quiz winning ways. Jeremy after all has been on a streak - First Place at Camdentown's Oxford Arms on January 15 and Second Place at Brooklyn's Last Exit on February 5. I mean, if we are each with Stupid then our team doesn't have a chance, right? WRONG!!
OK so the game starts and by this time people have streamed in (really - it did happen pretty fast) and there were 6 teams in all. The first round of 20 questions was name that tune straight up - list artist and song name. The first clue was to Justin Timberlake's Sexyback and it was a good one to start with, warming the crowd up because in the end everyone did get that one right. There was one tune the hostess played and afterward she said, "if you don't know this one, I pity you." Well, we are to be pitied. I did think prior to this event starting that we could get rocked hard (in terms of losing and not get one right) and it was because of indie groups and songs like this. It was Arcade Fire which I guess if you are anyone and if you are anyone in Brooklyn, you can name these tunes from a small amount of notes. The thing is we wouldn't have been able to name it if she played the entire song and told us the album or even the title of the song! This was number 5 or 6 and by that time we had already answered most of the tunes so I was not worried it would be all music I didn't know. Speaking as someone who has the Rent and Avenue Q soundtracks on my iPod with very high "times listened to" numbers, I was hoping for that showtune track. What I got instead was the soundtrack from a movie and a TV show. Neither of which we answered correctly. Answers: Rudy and The Incredible Hulk. Our guesses: Titanic and Heroes. I think we should have gotten points for Heroes since wasn't that Hulk guy a good guy? Sure, no cape but he did help out the town now didn't he?
We got a good dose of 80s music - Martika's Toy Soldiers, Violent Femmes' Kiss off, and my personal fave (since I got it without taking a breath) Cameo's Word Up. And Jeremy was the only one (so said our leader) to get Jackson Browne as the artist of song Running on Empty. Number 17 was a man saying "And now it's time for a little break" and our hostess called out to the ladies - "you should get this one ladies!" The pressure was on and I choked. It was from En Vogues' Never Gonna Get It. (no, you're never gonna get it). Which in hindsight since I didn't get it, is well, poetic, no?!

The next round was a multimedia event that being the first time, went off with a hitch. We had to look at the screen and identify the album cover based only on a snippet of that cover. Unfortunately, whoever was workin' the DVD/Computer thing in the back (I think I heard someone call him Skippy?) showed us the answers for the first two (out of 5).

The last round was lyrics and the hostess' friend made his way to the stage and read lyrics from songs in a dramatic voice. That was totally fun though we only got two of 'em. Downeaster Alexa by Billy Joel and Run DMC's You Be Illin'. I am sure everyone got that last one but I was still pleased in my memory of one trip up to Vermont in the 80s when Liza and I and a friend spent the entire 4.5 hour trip learning that song and singing it aloud!!

One limitation of the evening, aside from the on-the-low side turnout (I don't want to say low turnout since I have no idea what the hostess' expectations were and it was icing and all - that is, ice was coming down from the sky that night), was that fact that all three rounds were played without a break and it wasn't too long but it might have been better if there was some competition added by adding up team scores and knowing going into round 2 or 3 who were the ones to beat. But alas, on the other hand of course, I have gotten annoyed at one too many pub quizzes where you are just sitting around for minutes(heh) waiting to get the next round going. Maybe you just can't win. Or can't you?!

So - we did well. And came in second place which scored us free tickets (tickets that normally cost $5) to the Upright Citizen's Brigade comedy place in Chelsea. The Upright Citizen's Brigade where we went in December and because the show was so horrible we tried to block it out from memory!! But I would never look a gift giver (horse) in the mouth so yay! we rock!

You win some

And win we did.

A brief post to gloat in the fact that for a week we were the reigning Pub Quiz Champs of The Oxford Arms, a pub in the Camden Town section of London. That's right. You heard it here first. The four of us who keep up with this site and Glen's mate, Greg, met in the northwestern townlet of Camden on Monday, January 15 and wiped the place clean. The pub quiz place, that is. We cleared three points to take first prize - 15 pounds ! Which is 30 bucks to you and me.

Let's back up a bit and first set the scene. We walk from the tube, past the storefronts to the pub on the corner (aka The Oxford Arms). In we walk to a bevy of smokers (no Mayor Bloomberg over in London to defumagate the city), lads and lassies chattin' it up in their part of town. There are no available seats, nor spaces to stand near the bar, no tables. It looks like a regulars place right away and I sense my teammates feel as I do - "Well, everyone here is probably here every Monday and probably already knows what the questions will be" and no sooner than you can say "We're doomed!" does a friendly waiter come up to our group and say, "You looking for a seat? I will be right back" And faster than you can say, "Huh? Was he talking to us?" aforementioned friendly waiter now turns into a table-bearing waiter (not so much bearing it as carrying it). He places it down and like a scene where you ask for a pen in the middle of twenty pen salesmen (it has happened to you - hasn't it?) there are four - nay, five! - stools and chairs around our table.
And so we sit.

At about ten to nine we receive a pen and five sheets of paper stapled together. This is when we learn it is a five round game and it's about to begin soon.

Our team name is "Who ate all the pies?" which is a shout-out to our East Village days at the Baggot Inn (Tuesdays 2004 - 2005). That wasn't ever our team name stateside but there was always a team who did have that name and every now and then there was also a "We ate all the pies" team. On a side note, Who ate all the pies? is a football (UK) call so we are immediately endeared to those around us by our topical and locale friendly name (although I should say that is an embellishment on my part as no one knows the other teams' names in this version of pub quiz as the names are only read out at the end of the five round game). But in my own way, I like to think we were endeared and found to be lovable by those around us anyway.

There are 12 questions in each round and once the second round is complete I am having that - "we are awesome!" feeling. Unfortunately, in the third round (or maybe it was the fourth?) we answer a total of 4 questions correctly. FOUR!
Oh well.

So onto the next rounds where we are faced with questions such as Name the two countries with the letter X in their names. I quickly get Luxembourg owning up to the fact that I had recently had that question in another bar quiz night never mentioning the fact that a mere two days before we had been in Paris at the Jardins du Luxembourg. Ah - Americans! Never appreciating the wonders of the world. Although, when at the aforementioned Luxembourg Gardens (see photo) I was "wondering" why is this such a recommended site?! (Of course it could have everything to do with the fact that we chose to visit it in the dead of winter. A GARDEN.)
The other one is Mexico - which we also write down.

There is a music round with the Emcee stating the singer and the song and asking for the year in which it hit number one and/or was released. There's Born to Run (by Bruce), U2's Vertigo, and others that are escaping me now.

Taking a break from the questioning, the Emcee asks a football (soccer) related question that I just don't get but it seems people are raising their hands and guessing at the answer - the answer turned out to be 20 but people are guessing 50? 52? Two people guessed 67 which is a bad bad thing and only means that the 2nd person to guess wasn't listening and/or is severely drunk. When the Emcee selects a person in the bar to answer, usually that person's hand is raised and he asks the answerer where s/he is from. Liza (as in Minelli) ganders a guess but first, when she says she is from New York (as opposed to St. John's Wood, which as you may know is the townlet in which Heather Mills (old name, Heather Mills McCartney - as in Sir Paul) just received custody (alimony?) of the 7.8 million dollar (3.9 million pounds?) home she once shared with aforementioned Sir Paul) there is a roar from the crowd. Yes, the whole bar cheered for her. Our Liza! It was great fun.

The last round of questioning is the sports round and this is where I really have no recollection. Probably because I have just decided that trivia (ahem, pub quiz) should only be 4 rounds long. By the 5th I am tired out, brain mushed, burnt out. I turn to Liza and we chat like only sisters can. Along the lines of - huh? I am leaving tomorrow, that kinda stinks and hey - he's goin' be a socah playah (not talking about anyone in particular but just relaying our favorite random movie lines back and forth). Lucky for us Glen and Jeremy are working diligently on the round, next thing we know our game sheet is in and the tallying begins. By the scorers, that is. I have kept track of some of our scores and think we are in the 43 - 45 point range.

The first team is announced to have some 20 odd points in 12th place and I am feeling optimistic. Once the Emcee gets to the 4th placed team at 30 odd points I am smiling widely – we are in the top three! We placed and we won't be going home empty-handed!
And then it all happens so quickly, though I do have time to warn my teammates that when we are announced the winners (as we know it is coming and the Emcee takes his time to blurt it out) I exclaim we must cheer and we must be loud!

So we cheer, we are not that loud, and we take our 15 pounds and scram.