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!

Cutbacks, Closings, and Oscar

I admit it. I'm as fond of Going Out of Business/Store Closing sales as the next person. I picked up some wonderful things for the house at Linens & Things (some as high as 60% off original price). But this is getting ridiculous. Everywhere I look, a store is closing. A heck of a lot of folks are being thrown out of work. Wisconsin is reeling from the closing of a GM plant in Janesville, and big layoffs at Harley-Davidson, and the uncertain future of the Chrysler plant here in Kenosha, which I believed is closed "temporarily."

The cutbacks extend to every area and in every field. I learned this week that I'm going to be losing my editor to cutbacks and cost-saving measures. We've only worked together a few years, but it's been a pleasant collaboration from the start. I don't have to worry about a new editor; I've already worked with the person I've been assigned to.

Times like this call for hope. And some fun. Which brings me to my next point.

On this Super Bowl Sunday, be sure to drop by the blog for the first day of Oscar Trivia. I'll be posting questions every two days, and you will have 48 hours to get in your answers before they are published. You can win an ARC of A New Kind of Bliss and some other stuff. With my editor gone it might be a little difficult to get my hands on ARCs, but I'll get a set out if I have to photocopy each page of the galleys.

So make it a point to participate. It'll be fun, and better yet, it's free!

Three Months to Go!

My latest, A New Kind of Bliss , will be in stores on April 28th. I finally got around to updating my website, so click here to visit my Books page and learn more about this novel. There's an excerpt you can read there as well.

See you at the bookstore!

Ella Curry's Black History Literary Affair has begun

The 2nd Annual Black History Literary Affair"Give the Gift of Knowledge" runs from January 25-March 7, 2009. It includes radio shows, blogs, giveaways, countless networking opportunities . . . all free.

I tried to post the announcement I received, but unfortunately there's a trouble tag in there somewhere and I don't have the time to figure out where it is. You can read and post to the blog here: and hopefully that will get you started.

Three Weeks Into the Year

I have grudgingly accepted that it's winter. There are no more pretty lights celebrating the holiday to soften the blow, and the snow no longer looks picturesque, it's just a nuisance. And it's coooooooold! We're going back down below zero this weekend.

That aside, I'm pleased to report that I'm sticking to my resolutions for self-improvement. I'm doing very good with my goal to get in shape. I've been getting on my treadmill every day for 20 minutes or more, walking at least a mile. I'm eating cereal with skim milk for breakfast, a heavy lunch, and a light dinner. I haven't weighed myself yet, but I feel lighter. Now I've got to start getting on the floor and doing crunches for my tummy, since it won't get toned by itself.

I'm also better organized, writing everything down in my day-timer and keeping a written record of all writing-related mileage.

The writing is on track. My WIP is moving along, plus I finished the one of the proposals I was working on. As for the other one, I abandoned it when I finally figured out that the reason I kept putting it off was that I'd lost enthusiasm - not for the project itself, which I feel is a good one and which I've already decided to incorporate into another proposal - but for the targeted publisher, whose invitation to me had met with rejections for the other two proposals I'd sent them. We don't mix. Period. And that's fine.

Finally, I'm continuing to use natural products for housecleaning, to clean the oven, toilets, laundry, even in the dishwasher. When I pack my husband's clothes for his business trips, I starch his shirts with homemade spray starch. And I spray my car windows with a mixture of vinegar and water to prevent icing. The spray bottle is my new best supply item.

I figure if I can keep up with everything (and it really isn't that much) for another three weeks, it should become habitual.

In other news, the 2008 Academy Award nominations are out, and two talented actresses' reputations have been raised a notch (so have their fees). Go, Viola Davis! Go, Taraji P. Henson! Be sure to join me starting February 1st for 3 weeks of Academy Awards Trivia. The winner will get an ARC of A New Kind of Bliss, my May release; and a second prize winner will get a small gift certificate to either Barnes & Noble or Borders.

Speaking of bookstores, I was sad to hear that one of the bookstores closest to me, the Waldenbooks at Regency Mall in Racine, Wisconsin, is closing this weekend. Fortunately, there is a Barnes & Noble a block away. The small mall bookstore is becoming a rarity.

My small steps for improvement are nothing compared to my favorite part of this young year . . . hearing those two glorious words, "President Obama."

I hope your 2009 is going well. Did you make goals, and are you keeping up with them?