Bube's: Happy Hallow-ack-ack-ack!

You're looking at the winner of this year's Costume Contest. I'm still not sure if she was human or alien, since she stayed "in character" all night long. Don't know if the fifty bucks will do her any good back on Mars, though. She was assisted by the Wolfman (see below) and the scariest costumed one of the night, College Archives Assistant Man. A few teams had to bug out early to take the famed Bube's Ghost Tour, so they missed seeing the grand finale. Luckily the Smashing Squash team stayed, since they placed fifth and chose Neil Young as their theme. The Nutsack of Amontillado placed fourth and chose transcendentalism (yes, you read that right). M&M (AKA Mike and Melissa) played for the first time and tied for second with Where's Ainsley Hayes When We Need Her. But it was TDC's night for the first time in a good while. Just Me enjoyed her orange jello, Sexless in the City enjoyed their mild heckling and Cyainac really loved her Halloween Barbie. And lastly, thanks to Sam who provided some swag for our costumed winners.

Second place went to Kate and her interpretation of the term "Dixie Chick." (Those are Dixie Cups attached to her bodice).

Third Prize went to Nate "Is He Man Or" Wolf?

Fourth Place went to Dr. McSteamy (or is it Dr. Frankenstein?)

Bube's: Costume Contest Tonight!

Don't forget that I'm handing out 50 bucks to the best costume at tonight's trivia show! (You know you can do better than this guy!)

Thank you, Mr. Ivey!

Thanks to Chris Ivey for ably filling in for me this past week while I was performing at Appalachian Brewing Company's Halloween Radio Comedy show. This is his favorite time of year and he enjoys stepping back into the trivia pool from time to time. Hopefully no small children were frightened by him this year.

$50 for Best Costume at Bube's

Don't forget that I'm giving $50 to the best individual costume at Tuesday night's Halloween Bube's show! (cue creepy music...)

Chuckles: Oh Bla Dee, Oh Bla Da

Here's a pic of half of Laffy Taffy, hepped up on sugar. They had a really good night, placing third, only one question behind the recently-renamed Joe's Team (you know them much better as the Rainmakers). But it was the David-Bowie obsessed Lethal Amoebas who were tonight's victors. In fourth were the Beatle-challenged Ubersmack team, who decided that the music questions need to skew younger. So they chose "gangster rap" as their theme. (Yes, you read that correctly). The Price Is Right took fifth (beating the Tidy Bowlers by one point) and chose "Kevin Spacey movies" as their theme. Please note: since guest host world champion juggler Chris Ivey will be filling in for me on October 29th, these themes will not be featured until Nov. 5. Chris has an extra-special Halloween show planned for Sunday, so be afraid. Be very afraid.

VFW: Put A Sock In It

Tom of Shitz and Giggles and Friends models his newly acquired Spongebob Frankenstein socks from the Trashbag of Deelite. They didn't help, however, since his team was bested by the Chicks and Dicks (AKA the Scooby Gang). We're Here for the Beer Special Reunion Edition, with Dave and John and Frank took third. Ted and Janie and Cal of the Stick A Fork In It Posse took a hike. Tom and Nick, meanwhile, were missing Andrew's Civil War expertise. Dennis and Mel chose horse tack (that's saddles and bits and whatnot) as their theme, while Room 2 are going with beer jingles and logos. These themes won't be featured until Nov. 1st, since Chris Ivey will be guest-hosting next week (Oct. 25th).

Bube's: The Return of Linuscratchitt

Here we have a pic of the MAM team, two fine ladies from Pittsburgh, along with their friend from Hellam (or is that Hallam?). They were unsure at first, but got into the whole trivia experience as the night went on. Thank you, MAM. On the action front, it looked like the returning Linuscratchitt team was going to be the victors, especially after they aced two rounds (a spectacular feat nowadays). But Paging Senator Foley's Nutsack, one of the theme choosers for this week, charged hard at the end and beat them by one question. The Fool Monkey Considers Not Winning a Declaration of War thankfully came in third. In fourth was TDC, who chose the classic film "Dazed and Confused" as their theme. And J's Girls, who came in fifth, are going with "Gilbert and Sullivan" as their choice. These themes will be used on our special Halloween show on Oct. 31, since guest host Chris Ivey will be filling in for me on the 24th. Also, don't forget we are having a Halloween costume contest on the 31st, with a whopping $50 going to the best one!

Speaking of Robert Palmer...

Here's a scan of his bestselling 1985 album, Riptide.

Chuckles: A Darned Good Night of Trivia

Tonight we answered the classic question "(The)Who kilt (Stan) Laurel (Robert) Palmer?" Of course, it was (Builder) Bob." (You had to see the picture round to get that Twin Peaks groaner). Bill and Marge returned from a two-week hiatus all fresh-eyed and bushy-tailed and took the championship, besting Skirtland by two points. The Lethal Amoebas, led by Robert Palmer's biggest fan Jay Barry, took third. Ubersmack chose "Bon Jovi" as their theme for placing fourth, followed by the Assassins, who chose "Beatles lyrics." Team Nipplewinger was overjoyed to trade their pumpkin-carving kit for some much-needed baby wipes. The Talent Scouts were all prepared for fifth, but missed it by one question. The Price Is Right, meanwhile, were wondering where their birthday compatriots were. The Bowman said, "we're outta here!." And we welcomed Deidre, who graciously allowed Debbie to only have to work 25 days straight.

Freakish autumn sun tonight in Mountville.

VFW: What's Black and Tan All Over?

Pottstown or Pottsville? That was the question. But most of our beer drinkers knew where Yuengling comes from. Tonight the competition see-sawed, but Room Two charged ahead at the end. Nix Lix and Son used their lager knowledge to take second, followed by Kirk and the Lincoln Road Gang in third. Chicks and Dicks, with special guest star Don, took fourth and chose 70s TV cartoon characters as their theme. In fifth was the Shitz and Giggles gang, who chose the Civil War. Addison and Robert loved the jam music (leftover from Sunday's jamtastic Chuckles' show). The coconut-hating Chad from the B52s proved to be their strongest player. D & M once again were vocal in their opinion of the picture round. And the Foreplayers, led by birthday boy Arlen, once again retired (but they'll be back when we least expect it).

Bubes: Thirty Questions Lead to One Question

And that one question was "Will you marry me?" Congrats to Seth and Missy of Team Discovery Channel, who had their first date three years ago at our trivia show. Little did they know then that they would end up married! The big event is this weekend. Their team tried desperately to give them a win as a pre-wedding present, but TDC came in sixth. At fifth by their lonesome was the Tesla Death Rays. Then we had a three-way with Monty Python and the Holy Nutsack vs. The Fool Monkey Says Saturday Night's Allright For Fighting vs. How Did My Ovaries End Up in North Korea. Using a special tie-breaking round, the 'sacks came in fourth, followed by the Ovaries. Charles' height-guessing abilities helped his team claim second. (Themes for next week are two TV series: Arrested Development and the Iron Chef). But the big news of the night was the Boognishers, whose perfect picture round helped them to their first victory ever! The MDs, on the other hand, were not too keen on cult movies. And the team from Spain, Juan and Rebecca, were not too keen on American trivia, but were delighted to claim the three-feet tall stuffed frog prince. The Johnny 5 Is Alive team bolted after the second round, but left an apologetic note on their sheet ("He made me leave :-(")

There's Nothing Like a Dame

Some women cause poets to write sensual sonnets. Some launch a thousand ships. But only one woman inspired a man to create little pieces of dry, slightly burnt toast. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Dame Nellie Melba, the muse of Melba Toast!

Chuckles: Only One Can Survive

Unfortunately, the one to survive was not Veda, but her team, the Tidy Bowlers, did score a whole roll of body tattoes, which is what she is sporting on her cheek. I wish I had brought my real camera, instead of the cell, so that you could see her team in all its glory. And the Highlander to survive was not Chris of the One Low, Low Low Price (Is Right) team, who missed his team's memo that they were not coming (or, perhaps he beheaded them all). Bugman was so flushed with victory, leading with Laffy taffy going into the picture round, that his head exploded (ewww.., more gruesome imagery). The Lethal Amoebas and Skirtland tied for fourth, so Special Agent Phil chose the TV series Twin Peaks and the Skirts (after some discussion) chose mixed drink recipes as their themes. Ubersmack, lead by Tim's knowledge of female anatomy (specifically Allysa Milano and Pamela Anderson), took third. And the whole theme thing worked nicely, as the two teams who chose them placed second and first. The Talent Scouts jammed the night away into second and the Rainmakers (finally!) were the last team standing.

Happy Birthday, Curtis!

Everybody sing!

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too--yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party.

I would like you to dance--Birthday
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance-Birthday
I would like you to dance--Birthday
Dance

You say it's your birthday
Well it's my birthday too--yeah
You say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

VFW: The Single Point Theory

I thought last night was an exciting night of trivia (and it takes a lot to get me excited). We had one of the closest endings ever, with only a single point difference between each of the top three. The Foreplayers (pictured above) were the victors, which was bittersweet, since it was supposedly their last game before they did their annual winter migration back to their homes in West Lawn. Happily, the gift certificate has conviced them to play one last game next week. Now, if they keep winning, we might get to spend Christmas with them.

The Speaker Made Us Late team was content with second place, since they like cold hard cash. Room 2 took third. In fourth was Nix Lix and Son, minus Major Leroy. They chose the Yuengling brewery as their theme, since Tom is in the industry (brewing, that is, not drinking). Last week's victors, Chicks and Dicks, took fifth and chose child stars. And Dennis and Melanie chose the wrong Rocky.

Bube's: A Bumper Crop

The balmy outdoor weather extended inside as we had a sultry night at Bube's. Project Runway and crops were the themes. Stayin' Alive were the winners of the coveted McDonald's shake Halloween costume, and they are busy making plans to alter it. Our Chamber of Cobwebs was doing well until the last round and some bad changes. Ditto to the Olives, this week abetted by Juergen and Judy. The Solo Boognisher bolted after the third round, in search of his teammates. The Wise Men charged at the end to claim fifth and chose "Who Starred in the Following Three Movies" as their theme. The two-person A Dirty Shame team (see below) were leading all night, but ended up in fourth. They chose cult movies as their theme (So it's movie night next week). Next up was Team Discovery Channel. Then the Tesla Death Rays and J.D. Salinger's Nutsack in the Rye tied for first. Josiah's birthday luck came through and the 'sacks took first. That's Josiah with his Trashbag prize, Snotnose Glasses in the pix above, along with teammates Nathan and Marie.

Also: I've discovered a bad answer from last night, but it did not affect the final tallies, since only one team put down Hanoi for the current Ho Chi Minh City. The correct answer is, indeed, Saigon, which is what everyone else had down. My apologies.

I warned the Dirty Shame Team that this picture wouldn't work. (Perhaps they're vampires?)

Chuckles: Oh, Won't You Stay A Little While Longer

Famous Wyomingite J.C. "You Can Call Me Cash" Penney would have approved of everyone's knowledge of his state, but it was the Doo-Wop Kings of Skirtland who took home the grand prize. Three points behind was the prune-powered Ubersmack. Laffy Taffy of the Hinterlands had one of their highest placings, taking home the bronze. They were followed closely by the Rainmakers and the Talent Scouts, who chose jam bands (like Phish and the Grateful Dead) and the Highlander movies as their themes. Lisa of the Bald Beauties used her keen powers of observation to score some Peppermint Patties. Carol of KCC enjoyed my birthday serenade, and said she would bring her twin sister Connie next time. The Tidy Bowlers, AKA the Lapps, are also looking forward to the next time and will bone up on their jammers. Debbie was renewed by her 36 hour vacation. And those lucky enough to stay around were treated by Debbie to peanut butter and chocolate cake to celebrate the Barnstormers' Atlantic League Championship!