Scott finishes this round like the brawny bruiser of trivia he is:
1. Scott 450+235+50+333 =1068
2. Boxjam 220+370+25+326 = 941
3. Scraps 200+450+276 = 926
4. (tie) Art 290+375+210 =875
4. (tie) Gavin 273+290+312 = 875
6. Karen 245+275+278 = 798
7. Jonathan 110+235+112 = 457
8. Laura 60+155 = 215
9. James = 55
I'll post the round-four answers in a bit.
But wait! We've got one last lightning round on some January 27th birthdays, which will be worth a total of 150 points -- just enough to allow either the second or third-place finishers to pass Scott, should they take all the marbles.
30 pts. each to the first correct answer posted to comments.
1. Miriam Spickler was born on this day in 1956. She is currently on the board of directors of the World Poker Tour. She is moderately well known for other work, by a different name, and was once the spouse of a much more famous person. By what name is she more widely known?
2. Seth Justman (born this day in 1951), joined what group (most popular in the early 1980s) as organist in 1969?
3. Born Merle Johnson Jr in 1936, his first film roles were in The Monolith Monsters and Man Afraid, both in 1957. By what name is he better known?
4. Born in Michigan on this day also in 1936, young Samuel was raised by his parents outside of the U.S. When he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1976, he was the first recipient ever to deliver his Nobel speech in what language?
5. Born this day in 1919, he scored his first success as a songwriter when he and his cousin William Saroyanm (yes, that William Saroyan) teamed up to write "Come On-a My House", which was a hit for Rosemary Clooney. You probably know him for a later musical project. Name him by either his birth name (not Saroyan) or the very different name which he used for these records.
No Googling, I beg. One guess (on each) per comment, please.
Posted by BT at January 27, 2006 11:19 AMI am shocked -- *shocked* -- to have taken the most marbles in the last round.
But alas, I need another marble, so I'm flicking my cat-eye shooter at #4 -- Esperanto.
Posted by: Scott on January 27, 2006 11:51 AMI believe #2 is the mamma-jamma-slamma J. Geils Band.
Posted by: Gavin on January 27, 2006 12:01 PM3. Peter Graves
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:01 PM4. Swedish
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:02 PM5. Blind Willie McTell
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:02 PM1. Geena Davis
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:03 PMGavin picks up 25 points -- breaking our tie for fourth place AND putting the Freeze Frame on any attempts to catch up with Scott...
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 12:06 PMNothing else right yet.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 12:08 PM#4: Basque?
#1: Linda Lovelace?
#3: Lon Chaney?
#5: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince?
1. Remington Steele
4. English
5. Artie Shaw
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:43 PM1. Spielberg's ex-wife.
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:44 PM3. Charles Bronson
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 12:45 PMnnnnnnnnnope.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 12:53 PM4. Swahili
Re Boxjam's guess at #1 -- she is the ex-wife of someone who has starred in two Spielberg films.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 12:59 PM4. pig latin
Posted by: Scott on January 27, 2006 01:01 PMClue to #3 -- perhaps his most well-remebered role was in a 1959 movie, the theme song to which was at one time vocally interpreted by the character Jasper on The Simpsons. The actor himself was name-checked in a song that was part of a 1972 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.
Clue to #4: This language has many speakers.
Clue to #5: Under his stage name, he has a #1 hit with "The Witch Doctor."
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 01:26 PM5: David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian [sp?])
Posted by: scraps on January 27, 2006 01:35 PMI should have said "had" a #1 hit -- but indeed, Alvin and the Chipmunks impresario Bagdasarian/Seville (who, incidentally, had small non-speaking roles in both Rear Window and Stalag 17, which is a pretty unique pairing, I think) is the birthday boy. 25 points to Scraps, pulling him into #2.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 01:47 PM4. Mandarin
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 01:57 PM3. Sal Mineo
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 01:58 PM4. Russian
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 01:59 PM4. Spanish
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 01:59 PM4. Latin
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 02:00 PMThe movie from 1959 is "A Summer Place," the theme song to which is "Theme....from a Summer Place..."
I have no idea who was in the movie. Let's go with Dean Jones.
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 02:05 PMBoxjam takes #4, 25 points, and second place again -- Samuel Ping was the scientist, and his parents were from mainland China, though he spent much of his childhood and early schooling in Taiwan, before returning to the U.S.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 02:05 PMAnd you're right about the movie, but wrong about the young actor in question.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 02:07 PM1) Heck, I don't know who he used to be married to...Cindy Williams?
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 02:22 PM1. Cheryl Ladd?
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 02:26 PM3. Chad Everett
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 02:28 PM3. Chad Jeremy
Posted by: boxjam on January 27, 2006 03:25 PMI'm going to call time, because I'm heading home and won't be able to check in. The other answers we were looking for were (1) Mimi Rogers (once Mrs. T. Cruise -- and yep, she's a Hubbardite) and (2) Troy Donahue (in Grease, Rizzo sings "Look at you/Troy Donahue/I know what you want to do...").
Here's the full rundown of round four quiz answers:
1. Betty Crocker/General Mills
2. Paul Bunyan
3. Tintin (in the proto-version he was, apparently "Tortor"). Also, I learned that his dog Milou ("Snowy" in the English versions) gets his name from the combined names of two girls Herge was in love with at one time.
4. My Mother the Car / Jerry Van Dyke (who finally found success as the lovable codger on "Coach")
5. The fiend's name in the press and folklore was Spring-Heel(ed) Jack. There is a band called Spring Heel Jack, and a Morrissey song "Spring Heeled Jim." Also, it stands to reason that "Jumping Jack Flash" may be something of a reference, though I don't know this for sure. Any reference to Jumping and Jack in the end got a few token points, but no one got this answer for full or even half-credit.
6. William Tell
7. Attila the Hun -- who was in his youth a hostage at the Emperor's court at Ravenna, and thus received the education that any Imperial nobleman's child would have received. The "dowry" of Honoria's which he claimed was a full half of the Imperial territories, so it's fairly certain that his announced interest in her message was, to say the least, politically motivated.
Congratulations again to Scott, who will receive the laurels, and a thanks to every single one of you for going along with this nonsense. All will be materially rewarded this time. Details to come.
Posted by: BT on January 27, 2006 05:22 PMArgh, Betty Crocker never occurred to me, but I did almost guess General Mills and then discarded the ansswer because while I could see how the name related to energy, I couldn't see how it related to the cereals, which I assumed were the businesses it acquired that were still reflected in the name.
Posted by: scraps on January 28, 2006 10:52 AMThank you Mr. Wombat for a month's entertainment!
Posted by: Scott on January 28, 2006 12:54 PMAss-kisser.
Posted by: boxjam on January 28, 2006 01:52 PMDon't forget what I do to pigs.
Posted by: Scott on January 30, 2006 09:30 AMRats. Test!
Posted by: BT on February 8, 2006 09:10 PM