Gone Blogging
I'm being featured today over at APOOO Bookclub's All About Romance blog. Click on over and read a character sketch introducing Emily Yancy, the heroine of my upcoming women's fiction, A New Kind of Bliss. Yasmin has been talking with other authors this month as well, so check it out!
So far I've only had an email from one prize winner of Oscar trivia about where to send their prize. I get to the post office once a week, folks, and that day is Saturday. If you're one of the top five winners, don't forget to email me with your information!
I know this is only Thursday, but I've got a busy weekend ahead, so I'm going to wish all of you a fun and productive weekend. See you Monday!
Hmm . . . .
Y'all have probably seen Phylicia Rashad in those weight loss commercials for a diet service. I hear that celebrities can get pretty sweet deals for this, with personal weight loss coaches to make sure the weight comes off. Let's face it, there's no better endorsement than to see a rapidly shrinking famous person every few weeks (and by the same token, it would be awful for the sponsor if the person wasn't successful). Not only do they get to lose weight, they're getting paid to do it.
Which makes the curious part of my nature wonder just how these things are set up. Does the celebrity contact the company and offer their services? Or does the company have staff who scout award shows or watch television, looking out for celebrities who have visibly gained weight (like Candice Bergen) and go to them with an offer, a sort of a Fat Lookout Squad? And, if so, has anyone refused?
I seem to remember Whoopi Goldberg doing commercials for one of these services a few years back, which is why I was so surprised to see at the Oscars that she'd gained the weight back (and then some). I guess you only get one shot at the big bucks to go on a public diet.
Kind of makes me wish I were famous. I could stand to have someone breathing down my neck making sure I lose at least X pounds per week to drop these 30 pounds!
Thoughts on the Oscars
Absolutely no surprises, which for me made it rather dull. If I'd entered an Oscar prediction contest, I would have gotten every question right.
Hugh Jackman made a charming host, but that "The Musical Is Back" Production number was awful. Maybe if they'd left that out, the second half wouldn't have felt so rushed. Those presenters acted like they had to go pee as soon as they read off the names and announced the winners.
I doubt that Jennifer Anniston really could have seen Brad and Angelina sitting in the front row under those bright lights of the stage, but it did seem like she was avoiding looking to her right, where they were sitting. But the camerapeople had no problem with cutting to close-ups of Brad's face, did they? Three times during her presentation.
Is it me, or does Steve Martin never seem to age?
I liked the idea of having five past acting winners salute the five nominees. They all came off looking like winners in a time when the expression, "It's honor enough to be nominated," has become cliché.
Those kids from Slumdog Millionaire were adorable, but they must have been bored stiff, sitting through a show that ran longer than three hours. I'll bet they'd rather have been at Disneyland.
I hope that Freida Pinto, Slumdog's leading lady, has a mainstream career. What a beautifiul young lady.
Meryl Streep, who will be 60 years old this year, looks fabulous. So does Eva Marie Saint, who is over 80.
No one looked really bad, fashion-wise, aside from Mickey Rourke (which I'm surprised no one) other than Sophia Loren. That dress was awful. She's always been a big woman, both in height and in figure, and that poufy dress with its overabundance of material made her look like a runaway fabric rack. What surprised me was that no one mentioned that on the Monday morning shows, other than Barbara Walters, who very gingerly said she was "a little disappointed" in Ms. Loren's choice of such an overpowering dress before hastening to add how good Sophia looks in her senior years. Meanwhile, poor Sarah Jessica Parker was being raked over the coals for that bridal look that made her look like an overage Barbie doll (for a hilarious description of Ms. Parker's ensemble and other amusing comments, visit Donna D's blog). Could it be that Ms. Loren's iconic status shields her from criticism? Such things do happen, and in fields other than movies. I've seen one writer praised by a reviewer who gushed that her book was wonderful, casually mentioning that the author will ask readers to suspend belief and assuring that this was fine, then the very same reviewer blasting another writer's novel for being "unrealistic." Personally, I don't see the difference, and I'm convinced it has to do with the first writer being well known (and possibly personally known to the reviewer) and the second not so much. But I digress.
If anybody knows what Ben Stiller's fake beard was all about, please tell me. I didn't get it.
Where were those camerapeople during the In Memoriam segment? I couldn't see half the people's clips/photos or their names because the camera was pulled so far back. If they could zoom in on Brad Pitt every ten seconds during Jennifer Aniston's presentation, they should have been able to focus on the departed for two minutes.
Finally, I wasn't aware that Whoopi Goldberg had gained so much weight recently. Which brings me to me next blog posting.
You'll have to tune in tomorrow to see what that's about. I've already said enough today.
Oscar Trivia 2009 - The End
Without further ado:
1) Angels With Dirty Faces (1938). The classic about two boyhood friends, one of who becomes a priest and the other a crook.
2) The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Beautifully done, and I still think Henry Fonda should have won the Oscar. But Jimmy Stewart walked off with it for a decent but hardly spectacular performance in The Philadelphia Story because he'd gotten robbed the prior year. Poor Hank had to wait another 42 years, when he was on his deathbed.
3) Witness (1985). This story has been told before (Angel and the Badman, 1947) and since (The Outsider, 2002). But it's timeless.
4) The Shawshank Redemption (1994). A beautifully told ode to strength of the human spirit.
5) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). A personal favorite of mine, for my own parents were one of those thousands of couples who married when the World War II was over and my dad came home from Europe. Here's the scene where the line is spoken, beautifully photographed, and the score is one of my favorites as well.
All four of you who answered got all of the movie titles correct. As for the bonus question, you guys really kept me hopping with your guesses about what the quotes all had in common. Kia guessed said that all the directors received Oscar nods for the films. I had to research this, and for a minute it looked like this was a correct guess . . . until I got to The Shawshank Redemption. Although the film itself was nominated for Best Picture, the Academy must have felt it directed itself . . . no nomination for the director. The men who called the shots on the other four movies were all honored with nominations, and two of them won (John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath and William Wyler for The Best Years of Our Lives). But while it was a good guess, it was not correct.
Ladysilver guessed that the quotes all came from books that had been adapted into film. Of course, this would be true of The Grapes of Wrath, and Shawshank was a novelette. Donna mentions in her resposne that Witness was a book, something I hadn't known. I began my research with Angels with Dirty Faces, because I didn't recall that being a book. Imbd.com gives credit for screenwriting and for the story (meaning the plot idea which then goes to a screenwriter, not a novel; I think they call it "a treatment," but I'm not absolutely sure. So that answer is ruled out as well, but it's also a four out of five (The Best Years of Our Lives gives credit to a novelist and a screenwriter.)
The answer (which Cassandra and Donna got): They are all the final lines spoken in of the respective movies.
So, here's where it ends:
1st place: Cassandra, who had 132 points and earned another 70 = 202
2nd place: Kia, who had 123 points and earned 50 = 173
3rd place: Ladysilver, who had 90 points and earned 50 = 140
4th place: Donna, who had 59 points and earned 70 = 129
5th place: Patricia = 42
Cassandra wins an ARC of A New Kind of Bliss.
Kia wins a $10 gift certificate to either Barnes & Noble or Borders.
Ladysilver wins an autographed copy of the mass market edition of The People Next Door.
Donna and Patricia each win a gift "soundtrack" CD that I often give to people who purchase books at booksignings, and a laminated two-sided bookmark.
I need to hear from everybody, addresses for all, name to put in the book if that's what you won, which store certificate you prefer if that's what you won. Keep in mind that while I have my author copies of The People Next Door, I have yet to receive my ARCs (I'm getting a real paltry number this time around; they apparently had less of them printed because I was so late with the manuscript, although I'm not quite sure of the connection between the two.) E-mail me at bettye (at symbol) bettyegriffin.com.
Thank you all for playing along at what I think will probably be an annual tradition, provided I still have published novels to award as prizes and provided I don't run out of quotes (had quite a few from this year that I didn't use, so I don't think this is going to happen; not so sure about the first possibility, but I will be around with a new book next year at least!).
Donna, I hope your child feels better. Kia, Ladysilver and Cassandra, I hope you'll continue to drop in here at the blog every now and then.
Thanks again! I'll be back tomorrow with a regular post.
Oscar Trivia 2009 #11
It's the last one, folks! I'd like to thank y'all for hanging in and playing along these last three weeks.
And now, for the answers to Thursday's lightning round:
1) Jackie Brown (1997). This was said by Samuel L. Jackson, who I used to think of as the hardest working man in show business because he appeared in so many movies, and in large roles. And yes, Patricia, you are so right; I can just picture him saying that!
2) Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). Rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford co-starred for the first and only time. I never understood why they felt they were in competition; while Joan Crawford was more than adequate, I always felt Bette Davis was the superior actress. As at least three of you stated, Bette Davis' daughter Barbara Merrill (who later wrote a book about Mom the same way Joan Crawford's daughter wrote about her) played the small role of the neighbor's daughter.
3) Here's the video:
James Cagney shocked audiences in 1931 when he struck his wife in the face with that grapefruit. The movie, incidentally, is The Public Enemy. (The next shocking moment probably came in 1947 when Richard Widmark pushed the woman in the wheelchair down a flight of stairs in Kiss of Death.)
4) This is the only quote I've used throughout that no one got the answer to. This was from Saratoga Trunk (1945) and starred Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper. It's not shown that often, and I think the plot had something to do with both stars being grifters out to rook the rich folks visiting Saratoga Springs, New York, in the 19th century, then hooking up to work together. Audiences were not crazy about Ingrid Bergman's character, who was of mixed race, being romanced by Gary Cooper, which should surprise no one. The title refers not to Ingrid Bergman's luggage, but to a railroad.
The other movie these two co-starred in was For Whom the Bell Tolls. I believe it might have been Gary Cooper who said that he and Ingrid were "very close" (insert your own meaning to that) during filming, but after the film wrapped he couldn't get her on the phone. At any rate, the only man she had more onscreen chemistry with than Coop was Cary Grant, at least in my opinion. Ever see Notorious?
5) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), said by Cary Grant. This was his least favorite of his films, and he did overact, but it was still a funny movie. He was supposed to re-shoot some of his scenes to tone down the mugging, but WWII broke out (the movie was actually filmed several years before its release and held until the Broadway show upon which it was based concluded its run) and Frank Capra, the director, got involved in the war effort and couldn't get to it.
The latest scores:
Cassandra - 132 (she got all questions and bonuses correct except #4, and on that one she made a damn good guess)
Kia - 123 (she missed #4 and also missed out on 2 bonus points for not mentioning James Cagney in her answer to #3)
Ladysilver - 90 (like Cassandra, she got everything except #4)
Donna - 59 (unchanged)
Patricia - 42
Here's the final round. I'm just looking for movie titles only. Ten points for each correct answer. Keep in mind that all these quotes have something in common (can't even give you a hint on this one or else I'd give it away). If you can say what it is you'll get 20 bonus points.
1) “It's true, boys. Every word of it. He died like they said. All right, fellas. Let's go and say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could.”
2) "We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out. They can't lick us. And we'll go on forever, Pa . . . 'cause we're the people.”
3) “You be careful out among them English.”
4) "I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”
5) “You know what it'll be, don't you, Peggy? It may take us years to get anywhere. We'll have no money, no decent place to live. We'll have to work, get kicked around . . .”
6) What is the common thread for all these quotes? (20 points)
Remember, movie titles only; don't bother with who said it or any of that other stuff. Don't forget to say what you think these quotes all have in common!
Answers and winners will be announced Monday night after I'm home from work (which will be very late, since I'm usually up past midnight Central Time).
Enjoy the Oscar telecast if you watch it tomorrow night. If we lived in the same area I'd invite all of y'all over to watch the awards (but then again, I might not even watch it myself!)
Good luck!
Oscar Trivia 2009 #10
And then there were two (questions, that is). Actually, both today and on Saturday I'm doing lightning rounds, since you'll have part of the weekend to answer the questions.
But first, to the answers to Tuesday's questions.
"O'Lan, you are the earth," was said in The Good Earth (1937). Luise Rainer, like Yul Brynner an actor of European descent who looked vaguely Asian, played O-Lan.
The quote about Caterina being such a gloomy Gertie came from Marty (1955). Marty was played by Ernest Borgnine.
I was surprised that anyone got the second quote, which was a toughie. (Donna made a great stab at it.) The connection, as both Kia and Cassandra guessed, is that Luise Rainier and Ernest Borgnine are the surviving Best Actor and Best Actress winners with the performances dating back the farthest. By coincidence, both of them celebrated birthdays in January. Luise Rainer is now 99 years old; Ernest Borgnine (you might have seen him presenting an award at the Golden Globes) is now 92. One of you forgot to include the Best Actor/Actress category in your answer, but I think it would be nitpicking to not give credit for what was a very difficult question (although I do believe a couple of supporting actor winners are alive and older than Ernest - Karl Malden and Eli Wallach come to mind).
I'd like to say hi to Kwana and thank her for commenting. Next year consider joining us!
The latest scores of the top 5:
Cassandra - 102
Kia - 95
LadySilver - 60
Donna - 59
Patricia - 28 (she hasn't played lately, but she'll still get a special gift if she remains in the top 5)
Get ready for today's quotes. Will Cassandra retain her lead? Will Donna surpass LadySilver? Your answers to these quotes will determine where everyone stands going into the last question:
1) "My ass may be dumb, but I ain't no dumbass."
Name the movie for 5 points. Two bonus points if you can name the actor who made this matter-of-fact assessment.
2) "You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me if I weren't still in this chair."
Name the movie for 5 points. Two bonus points if you can name the two co-stars. Three bonus points if you can correctly state which of the co-stars' daughter had a small part in the movie.
Hint: This movie had a theme song that was eerily (did I spell that right?) similar to that of the above-mentioned Marty.
3) Husband: "Ain't you got a drink in the house?"
Wife: "Well, not before breakfast, dear."
Husband: "I didn't ask you for any lip. I asked you if you had a drink."
Wife: "I know Tom, but I, I wish that..."
Husband: "There you go with that wishin' stuff again. I wish you was a wishing well. So that I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya."
Wife: "Well, maybe you've found someone you like better."
I'm sure you're thinking this exchange is kind of blah, and you're right. It's what happened next that has become a cinematic legend. Five points if you can correctly describe the husband's reaction to his wife's comment, and 2 bonus points if you can name the actor who played the husband.
4) Man: “You’re very beautiful.” Woman [smiling broadly]: “Yes, isn’t it lucky?”
I think this one's a real toughie. Not a well known scene, but a charming one, thanks to the leading lady. Five points for the name of the movie. Two bonus points if you can name the male and female leads, who had great chemistry. A bonus 5 points if you can name what the title refers to.
I'll give y'all a hint: This actor and actress made a movie together a few years before this one, for which the actress' hair had to be dyed blonde and cut short. For the film referenced above her hair was dyed black and she wore dark makeup to play a woman of mixed race. She looked absolutely stunning both ways. Curiously, only the earlier film was shot in color.
5) "Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops!”
Five points for the name of the movie. One bonus point for the name of the star (who said the line above).Answers are due by noon-ish (Eastern Time) on Saturday. There is a possibility that I might be late posting them that day, because I have something to do Saturday morning. If this happens you will have extra time.
Oscar Trivia 2009 #9
I'm posting a little earlier than usual today. Still feeling bad about publishing the last answer too early and having to disqualify that question.
Today's quotes is a two-fer, from two different movies. I personally think they're toughies, but you guys have been getting everything else, so here goes!
1) "O-Lan, you are the earth."
Name the movie for 5 points. Name the actress who played O-Lan for 5 bonus points.
2) "Caterina, Caterina . . . where you go, rain go. One-a day you gonna smile and we're gonna have a big holiday."
And no, I'm not making fun of Italian-Americans. I merely copied the dialect in which the line was spoken, which might (or might not) help you identify it. Name the movie for 5 points. Name the actor who played the title role for 5 bonus points.
There is a connection between these two actors related to the Oscars. Ten bonus points if you can tell me what it is. There's a possible 30 points for all the right answers.
The answers to be published on Thursday, noon-ish Central Time. No matter how early Cassandra responds, I promise not to publish her answer until after I post the answers. The time that will show the post was made might appear as though she answered after the deadline, but I assure you she did not.
Good luck!
I GOOFED
Cassandra has been having difficulty posting her answers direct to the blog, so she's been e-mailing me and I have been cutting and pasting them. Somehow I accidentally published her answers to question #8 before others had a chance to answer. I have no other recourse but to cancel that question. I'm so sorry. I still don't know how I did that.
For the record, the movie was Carmen Jones (1954). The star was Dorothy Dandridge, and the actresses who spoke the lines in the quotes were Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. The movie's distrinction is that it was the first to feature an performance by an African-American actress that was nominated for a leading role. Cassandra got all parts of the question correct.
Tune in tomorrow for the first of the last 3 questions.
Oscar Trivia 2009 #8
(See my post from Monday, February 16th. This question of the contest has been canceled. Tune in on Tuesday the 17th for the next quote.)
Is it that time already? It almost slipped past me!
Let's get down to brass tacks and go over the answers to Friday's lightning round questions. For some reason Blogger is not allowing me to add movie posters, so the list of answers is going to look pretty boring, I'm afraid.
1) Frankenstein (1931). This was a remarkably chilling screen version that brought Mary Shelley's 19th century novel to life.
2) Life (1999). Martin Lawrence co-starred with Eddie Murphy (who played Ray), and that line might be his most memorable.
3) The Fugitive (1993). Tommy Lee Jones was the deputy who nicknamed himself "the big dog."
4) Splash (1984). Tom Hanks was the unlucky man who fell in love with a fish.
5) Sabrina (1954). The stars of the first screen version of this play were Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn. This is, in my opinion, the last film William Holden made before excessive drinking ruined his good looks. Bogart looked markedly unwell to me in this film, I think the cancer that would kill him within a few years had already formed. It's said he considered Holden an overripe juvenile and Audrey Hepburn "awright . . . if you don't mind a dozen takes." And he was miffed when critics suggested he was a little long in the tooth to get the girl from Bill. As for Audrey, all I can say is, what a wardrobe! She truly looked exquisite.
Anyway, LadySilver was the only one to get all five answers and all five bonus questions correctly. Cassandra said "Young Frankenstein" instead of Frankenstein, which was the original and the answer I was looking for, but she does gets the bonus points for correctly naming the author. Kia got all but the last question. We did not hear from Donna this round.
So . . . here are the latest tallies:
Cassandra - 82
Kia - 75
Lady Silver - 60
Donna - 49
Patricia - 28
Wow. What a difference two days makes.
Here's today's quote, the answer to which will be provided on Tuesday, noon-ish Eastern Time. There are only four more sessions, and the last two, those of Thursday and Saturday, will both be lightning rounds. Winners will be announced on Monday, February 23rd. I also want to announce that fourth and fifth place winners will receive special gifts from me as well.
There are two quotes, both from the same film:
1) "We'll be livin' off the fatheads of the land."
2) Woman #1: "Somethin' tells me Chicago's gonna be real good for you." Woman #2: "Somethin' tells me you're gonna be real bad for Chicago."
Five points for the name of the movie. Two bonus points for the actress who played the title character. Three bonus points for the names of the two actresses who made the comments in these quotes (and no, you do not have to specify who said what). Five more bonus points if you can state this film's distinction with regard to the Academy Awards.
That's a total of 15 possible points to be had, folks! Good luck, and see you Tuesday!
Oscar Trivia 2009 #7
My apologies. I was supposed to post an updated score last night, but I ended up going out with my husband on a spontaneous outing, so blame it on Bernard. The updated scores are below.
Shelia informs us that she was writing and had Turner Classics on in the background when she heard Ann Blyth speak the very words to Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce just in time to answer the question! Neat, huh?
I also heard from Reon, who told me this is a busy time for her and she's not able to join us this year. But Donna, you have formidable opponents in both Cassandra and Kia!
As for the one-legged gentleman who gave three different versions of how he lost his leg, I'm sure most of y'all will say that one was a toughie. The answer is the classic Mutiny on the Bounty, the first version from 1935 (Oscar, Best Picture). The tall tales were told by the ship's doctor (or, as Kia pointed out, "surgeon" was the term of the day), who brought cases and cases of liquor aboard for the 2-year voyage.
This film set an Oscar record that still stands today in that all three stars, Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, and Franchot Tone (love that name, is it any surprise that he came from a wealthy New York family?) all received Best Actor nominations (none of them won).
Anyway, Donna knew the name of the movie, but Cassandra (she's back, y'all) and Kia both got the bonus question (that it was the ship's surgeon speaking) as well. I'm impressed that three of y'all knew this one.
Here's where everyone stands, including the above answer:
Donna had 28 points going in, she answered three questions/two bonuses correctly and earned 15 points plus 6 bonus points. New total: 49
Cassandra had 28 points going in, she correctly answered two questions and bonuses and earned 10 points plus 7 bonus points. New total: 45
Kia had 18 points going in, she answered all three new questions and bonuses correctly (the only one to get everything) and earned 15 points plus 10 bonus points. New total: 43
Patricia had 12 points going in and correctly answered two questions and bonuses, earning 10 points plus 6 bonus points New total: 28
Lady Silver had 10 points going in and answered one question correctly, earning 5 points plus 3 bonus points. New total: 18
Shelia is just having fun!
For the weekend I am posting 5 quotes/exchanges, and they might shake things up a bit. You don't have the entire weekend, but you do have until Sunday noonish (Eastern Time) to get in your answers. Some of these you'll probably recognize right off.
1) "It's alive! It's alive!"
Name the movie for 5 points. 3 bonus points if you can name the author of the novel upon which the movie was based on.
2) Man: "Why you got to say nasty shit, Ray?" Ray: "'Cause I'm a nasty motherfucker."
Name the movie for 5 points. Name the actor who played Ray (and who delivered that response with such snark that's it all but guaranteed to break you up) for 3 bonus points.
3) "Let that be a lesson to you, boys and girls. Don't ever argue with the big dog, because the big dog is always right."
Name the movie for 5 points. Name the actor who said it (the "big dog") for 3 bonus points.
4) "I don't understand. All my life I've been waiting for someone and when I find her, she's... she's a fish."
Name the movie for 5 points. Name the actor who expressed this lament for 3 bonus points.
5) “David, the last pair of legs that was something cost the family $25,000.”
Name the movie for 5 points. This movie had three stars. 1 bonus point if you can name one, 3 points if you can name two, and a whopping 5 bonus points if you can name all three.
Good luck, and have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow! (I'm going to celebrate by giving my house a really good cleaning.)
Oscar Trivia 2009 #6
A ripple ran through the publishing world yesterday with an announcement about job cuts and restructuring at Harper Collins. Just when I thought the ax was finished falling, at least in the world of publishing. I'd better make my next proposal irresistible . . . and realize that even that might not be good enough.
All of you guessed that Monday's quotes came from Mildred Pierce (1945). I think most of you, if not all, knew that the daughter-from-hell was so disrespectully addressing her mother. Donna told me she thinks I used this movie in last year's trivia. It's one of my favorites. Still, I'll have to watch that repeating.
Interestingly, Shelia said the movie was playing as she posted her answer. Shelia, did you know the answer ahead of time, or did you happen to hear Veda bash her mother while watching the movie? Incidentally, I don't think the movie has been remade. If they were to remake it, they'd probably follow the plot of the James M. Cain novel more closely. The mother of the boy Veda tricked into marrying her recognized Mildred from when she'd applied for a job as a maid in her household, and Veda ended up getting away with the whole enchilada, her mother's money, control of her business, and her husband!
Donna, I totally agree with your comments. You and I will have to get together for lunch one weekend and chat about old movies and their wonderful structuring.
And now for today's quote. This time there's three of them, all from the same film and by the same character:
#1, "I lost my leg with John Paul Jones back in '78."
#2, (five minutes later) "Now, if you’d lost a leg . . . I lost mine in action against the French off Jamaica. A French surgeon did the trick for me. He apologized in French, and I cursed him in English."
#3, (a day or two later) "Now, if you’d lost a leg, my lad . . . I lost mine with a Spanish pirate off the coast of Trinidad. A bullfighter did the trick for me. He was so drunk he nearly cut off the wrong leg."
Five points for the name of the movie. A big 4 bonus points if you can name the occupation of the one-legged man sprouting all this hyperbole (yes, he had a function other than spinning tall tales and, of course, drinking).
The answer will be provided on Friday. Sometime tomorrow, probably in the evening (I'm off tomorrow but am meeting friends for lunch and have a dental checkup), I will publish the tally of where everyone stands through the Mildred Pierce question. On Friday we'll do a "lightning round" of five questions, since it's the weekend.
I'm outta here! Have a good one!
Oscar Trivia 2009 #5
It's the second of three weeks of trivia, and this week's movie quotes might be a little more difficult (but then again, we've got some real pros playing). Let's get straight to it. The line about the murderous, thieving Grogan posted on Saturday came from Romancing the Stone (1984). It was actually dictation of a book from a romance novel, so the occupation was romance novelist.
Only three people answered this one. Patricia missed Thursday's quote, but she's back in it. Kia joined us a little late, but she's still going strong. And, since I did not hear from Cassandra, who posts as VAM170, Donna is the one to beat!
Now for today's quotes (there are two of them):
#1 "With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture, and this town and its dollar days, and its women who wear uniforms and its men who wear overalls. "
#2 "You think just because you made a little money you can get a new hairdo and some expensive clothes and turn yourself into a lady. But you can't, because you'll never be anything but a common frump whose father lived over a grocery store and whose mother took in washing."
Answer on Wednesday, noon-ish (Eastern Time), so get those answers in!
Oscar Trivia 2009 #4
First of all, let me say that although I drafted this post this morning, it's not being published until close to 1PM Eastern Time, so don't let the time of publication throw you off.
Okay, now for Bettye's observations of the day. How 'bout that woman in California who just gave birth to octuplets and now has a total of 14 kids! No sane person would want to do this, even with a husband. What kind of doctor would even consent to implanting more eggs in a situation like that? It's like plastic surgery addicts, but even worse. At least with plastic surgery you're only messing up yourself. There are 14 young psyches to be nurtured here. God help them.
Now (finally) for Thursday's quote. "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera," was famously said by Yul Brynner in his signature role of the King of Siam (now known as Thailand) in The King and I (1956). He shaved his head to star in the stage production and pretty much kept it shaved the rest of his life. Yul Brynner was also famous for filming anti-smoking ads with the caveat that they be aired only after his death (from lung cancer), which made them very powerful. It's said he had to be given oxygen after filming the strenuous Shall We Dance number (he was just 39 years old at the time).
I had to laugh when someone included in their answer a fondness for the song Getting to Know You, because that is also a favorite of my husband's (although he'll be quick to add that he was in the 2nd grade at the time). This movie was set in 1862, so anyone who said 1860s was correct, and anyone who said 1862 gets double bonus points.
Here's where everyone stands (and this took longer to figure than I thought it would!):
Donna is tied for 1st place with 28 points:
5 +2 bonus for Question #1
5 + 3 bonus for Question #2
5 + 2 + 6 bonus for Question #3)
VAM170 is tied for 1st place with 28 points:
(same as Donna above)
Kia is in 3rd place with 18 points:
5 + 3 bonus for Question #2
5 + 2 + 3 bonus for Question #3
Patricia is in 4th place with 12 points:
5 + 2 bonus for Question #1
5 for Question #2
Ladysilver is in 5th place with 10 points:
5 + 2 + 3 bonus for Question #3
Carol is next with 7 points:
5 + 2 bonus for Question #1
Shelia (who is very busy with two upcoming novels to promote and is playing for fun only) is last:
5 for Question #2
By the way, I want to wish Mrs. Goss (Shelia's mom) a very happy birthday tomorrow!
I will next post a tally on Thursday, because I'm off that day. It isn't a normal question/answer day, but that's when I'm going to do it. Those of you who are behind, don't worry, because: First, next weekend we're going to have "lightning rounds" of 5 quotes at a time, which can change the dynamics of this whole thing (although Donna and VAM seem to be movie experts). Second, a more pratical circumstance: People have been known to simply forget to check my blog and post their answers. Finally, finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd means you get something out of playing (did I mention my author copies of The People Next Door came yesterday?) So carry on!
Here's the quote for today:
"That was the end of Grogan... the man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible!"
Five points for the name of the movie. Three bonus points for the occupation of the person speaking. Good luck!
Your answers and my answer will be published noon-ish Eastern Time on Monday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Oscar Trivia #3
I just realized that in my comments about the entertainment at Sunday's Super Bowl I referred to Jennifer Hudson as Jennifer Holliday (who was prominent in the 1980s). Sorry 'bout that. Chalk it up to age. It's fitting, I guess, since the President of the United States is younger than I am!
Okay, now for the answer to Tuesday's quote. "I hope she has a magic coochie" came from the charming interracial romantic comedy Something New (2006). Sanaa Lathan's character was snapping at her brother, whose rapidly changing stream of women on his arm is a running gag throughout the movie, right up through the very end.
If you're a fan of romantic comedy and haven't seen this movie, please seek it out. If my recall of your answers, which I will post immediately after getting this column up, is accurate, all who entered got the name of the movie correctly, but everyone did not know that the relationship between the speaker and the person being addressed was that of siblings. On Saturday I will post up-to-date score tallies so everyone knows where they stand.
Now, for today's quote:
"Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."
This may have been said in more than one film, so let me clarify that I'm looking for the movie in which the character says this numerous times, not just once.
Five points for correctly naming the movie. Two bonus points if you can correctly name the country where it is set (by the name it was known as at the time, not the name it is known by today.) Three more bonus points if you can name the decade (the century alone is not sufficient) in which it is set, and if you name the exact year I'll double those bonus points to 6.
Your answers will be published, and the answers revealed, by about noon on Saturday, so don't wait too long. I'm getting answers posted just before publishing the answers. One answer came in literally at the same time (just one more minute later and their response wouldn't have been counted). And if you haven't played yet, it's never too late to get in. A movie lover can always catch up.
See you here in 48!
Oscar Trivia 2009 #2
Hello movie lovers,
Hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl, the other entertainment aspects if not the actual game. Springsteen still rocks, and Jennifer Holliday's voice soared. God bless her; she's a brave woman.
I for one took one look at the Steelers as they walked toward the field and said, "No way are they going to win." They looked more like a bunch of middle-aged couch potatoes with plenty of extra flesh around their middles than young professional athletes, especially after I got a look at their competition. I guess they fooled me!
Okay, let's get to quote #1. The exchange from February 1st came from, as all of you predicted, The Untouchables (1987).
Great movie, huh? Robert DeNiro scared me to death as Al Capone. And all of you (there were just a few entries, considering I told half the world about this contest) got the bonus question correct as well: It was Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) who was asked what he would do if Prohibition was repealed and who gave the obvious reply, "I think I'll have a drink." So full points for everyone.
And now for today's quote:
"I hope she has a magic coochie. "
I guess it's pretty obvious this line didn't come from a movie from Hollywood's Golden Age, but I want to put some variety in here. Besides, if I make the questions too easy, I'll end up with a tie!
Five points for the name of the movie. A 3-point bonus if you can name the relationship between the speaker and the person being spoken to.
Good luck! Tune in Thursday around noon (Eastern Time) for the answer and for a new quote. Remember, it's still anybody's game, and if you haven't played yet, it's not too late to get into it.
Oscar Trivia 2009, #1
I guess the first thing I should do is clarify the title of this contest. I call it Oscar Trivia, or Academy Award Trivia, simply because this is the award season, between the announcement of the nominations and the revealing of the winners. It does not mean that all movie quotes in this contest come from Oscar-nominated films.
How to respond: Right here on the blog. No comments are published until I publish them, which I will do immediately after I publish the next question/previous answers. Several people have reported having difficulty posting to my blog. If this happens, you may respond by e-mail (Bettye at bettyegriffin.com) and I will cut and paste your response into a comment. All replies must be clearly visible to everyone; I can't let anyone to think this is a crooked contest.
Now, let's go over the prizes:
1st prize: An ARC of my upcoming novel, A New Kind of Bliss (you can listen to my reading of an excerpt on the left side toolbar).
2nd prize: A $10 gift certificate to either Barnes & Noble or Borders (if neither of these are in your area, I will substitute an autographed copy of one of my mass market titles).
3rd prize: A copy of the mass market edition of The People Next Door.
And the frequency:
Every two days between February 1st and February 21st. Most new questions/answers to previous questions will be posted by 11AM Central Time. If I haven't posted the answer to the previous question, you still have time to get your answer in. I will provide periodic scores, and winners will be announced on February 23rd.
Okay, here we go with quote #1 (actually an exchange between two characters):
"Word is they're going to repeal Prohibition. What will you do then?"
"I think I'll have a drink."
Name the movie for 5 points. Extra credit of 2 points for the name of the character (not the actor) to whom this question is posed (and from whose mouth the answer above comes from).
Answers and a new question will be posted by Tuesday, February 3rd. Good luck!
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