Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I learned from a 2014 article in Variety that “U.S. teenagers are more enamored with YouTube stars than they are the biggest celebrities in film, TV and music.” Does that make any sense to you? When I read that, I feel like the parents of the first Beatles fans might have felt, wondering what all the fuss is about.
We are lucky to live in a city where our celebrities are thinkers, such as the professors at UC Davis or the authors of popular novels, such as John Lescroart and Kim Stanley Robinson. Once here in a Davis restaurant I ran into Henry Louis Gates. I called out to him, “Professor Skip Gates!” I didn’t know if he was more surprised to be recognized in Davis, or that someone in Davis knew his nickname.
Sometimes the airport is the only place you can run into celebrities. I had a conversation with personal hero Paula Poundstone in the Sacramento Airport once, and another time I encountered Marilu Henner at LAX. She probably remembers that encounter.
My favorite airport celebrity story takes place at O’Hare airport in 1992. About to get married, I was dispatched to O’Hare Airport to pick up some of my high school friends a couple days before the ceremony. Because the plane was late, I spent much more time than expected in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, finishing my book, and then wondering if I would see any celebrities. Walking the huge corridors of the O’Hare terminals, at first, the only celebrities I saw were those posing on the huge Gap “Individuals of Style” posters on the walls of the cavernous terminal. We saw Luke Perry, Naomi Campbell (remember her?), Spike Lee, Evander Holyfield, and Lenny Kravitz.
Because I was waiting for friends from high school, I decided to make some trouble, just like we used to do back in the day. We were often scallywags. I got a piece of paper from the airport bookstore, and then wrote in huge, block letters the name of the most famous of the Chicago celebrities. Can you guess who it was? No, not Al Capone, but Oprah Winfrey. My sign said simply “OPRAH W.”
I was not dressed like a chauffeur. Nevertheless, the arrival time of the late flight neared, a large crowd of people who also wanted to see Oprah gathered around us. When the plane finally landed, I recognized the first person off the plane because I had seen him recently. It wasn’t Oprah.
You know that phenomenon that occurs when you meet someone famous and only realize later what witty thing you should have said? For instance, when I met Stevie Wonder, all I could say was this: “Stevie, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Kate.” Evidently, Stevie Wonder hears all the time that couples danced to his music at their weddings. Clearly, I should have said something about that.
Using my Pub Quiz Quizmaster Voice, this is what I wanted to say when I saw the first person off the plane: “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Main Event of the Evening. From Atlanta, Georgia, appearing in gate A-17, wearing a three-piece suit that he probably got at the Gap, standing at 6’2” tall, weighing in at 205- and one-half pounds, with a professional boxing record of 28 wins and no losses, he is the reigning, defending, Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world: Evander, “The Real Deal” Holyfield!”
Instead, I said nothing, for I wanted to see how long I could sustain my Oprah gag for the huge audience that had assembled around me. Seeing my silly sign, Evander Holyfield spoke first, sharing with me a kind of a warning against investing too heavily in the lives of the accomplished, rather than finding our own answers to life’s most important questions.
Evander Holyfield said these six words to me: “Oprah ain’t on that plane, man.”
Thanks, Evander.
In addition to topics raised above, tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on final films, bad storms, indigenous peoples, focal actresses, Stanford University professors, differences in density, everyday Italians, notable hairdos, difficult topics to explain, fonts, population differences, football, gender differences among the accomplished, the things that mirrors do, fast-growers, shipping matters, ways that Germans no longer speak, things named after dogs, an unexpected place to encounter Florida, Victorian hazier flatbeds, voices, places many would hope to visit, overzealotry, people seemingly named after weapons, changing waves, panthers, Richardsons, protein, dead heats, troubling announcements (for some), volunteer helpers for those needing it most, and Shakespeare.
Dozens of people say they are interested in the book release party Thursday night for Jackie Carroll’s first full-length poetry book, titled KUBABA! There will be wine and cheese, and performances by actors and musicians. You should join us at 8 at the John Natsoulas Gallery to be part of the fun!
Meanwhile, I hope to see you this evening. We start at 7, but come early to secure a table.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Space Programs. Which of the following lasted the longest? The Apollo program, The Space Shuttle program, The International Space Station.
- Pop Culture – Music. Born in 1998, Melissa Viviane Jefferson is an American rapper, singer, actor, flautist, and songwriter whose albums include Lizzobangers and, released last week, Cuz I love You. What is Jefferson’s stage name?
- Science. What A word do we use for the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land reclamation?