Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
I’ll blame the rain for the late publication of today’s newsletter. Someone left the minivan hatchback open overnight, so we had an opportunity to use the shop-vac, a delightful way to start a holiday-week Monday.
Everyone (also known as “no one”) was wondering if Hillary Clinton would say “happy holidays” or “Merry Christmas” at the end of her final prepared remarks at Saturday’s Democratic debate. Instead, she took the safe route, concluding with “May the Force be with you.”
Some say (in Rolling Stone) that the comment was a nod to Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, who donated half a million dollars to a pro-Clinton PAC. Others might recognize that the film didn’t need Clinton’s help, having already cleared $525 million worldwide, on its way to joining Avatar and Titanic in the total gross $2 billion club. Rather, one might say that Clinton needs the help of Star Wars. When something is incredibly popular, marketing consultants recommend that you try to link that brand to your brand, whether you are a blog, a company, or a political candidate.
This thirst for exposure, for news coverage, has driven many third-tier Republicans to attack Donald Trump. As is the case with Star Wars, the media cover what everyone’s talking about. As Rand Paul said in an interview yesterday, the constant coverage of the polls becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, with a regrettable focus on specious candidates who know how to manipulate the news cycle and who, according to Paul, are eager to entangle us in additional costly conflicts overseas.
As you may remember from my May the 4th newsletter, I have much to say about Star Wars. This week friends and acquaintances have had to hear me re-tell some of my favorite Star Wars stories, such as about seeing the first film before every other child in Washington DC, about seeing the A New Hope 19 times in the theatre (mostly at the Uptown), about meeting the cast of The Empire Strikes Back (including the three stars, though neither Alec Guinness nor James Earl Jones joined us at the Kennedy Center on that day), and about taking the kids I used to babysit to see Return of the Jedi over and over again. By the end of 1983, I had had my fill of Ewoks.
Every other Star Wars film was released in May, but The Force Awakens has been released in late December, and will dominate the theaters throughout the Christmas holiday. I previously asked you if May the 4th will someday become an actual holiday. If Disney releases the rest of the Star Wars films in December, Star Wars may come close to supplanting a holiday. Every December around the world people will be reflecting on the parentage of a boy born to humble beginnings, or of a future Jedi born to humble beginnings. For many of us, it will be both.
Although I will not see The Force Awakens 19 times in the theatre, I do need to see it again to discover what I had missed. Our shared myths deserve to be reexamined from time to time. May the Force be with you.
In addition to something mentioned above, tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions about Martians, the ends of tragedies, AYSO, strategic withdrawals, uninspiring words, self-regard, gasoline, fireworks, Djibouti, 4000 pixels of Irish green, green spikes, King John’s memorable moment, the topics discussed by women, countries of the world, nine-letter names, four-letter titles, separatists, award nominations, pedaling income, titles with four letters in them, A-E, enlightening synonyms, people who are not boxers, pans that squeak, memorable athletes, platinum rivers, popular bells, John Madden, brand name Sierra, bombing runs, Philippians on Twitter, innovation, Disney, briefings, Forbes, hopelessness and Shakespeare.
No Bothans were harmed in the creation of this newsletter. I hope you can join us tonight.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Pop Culture – Music. Of the ten Jackson siblings born in Gary, Indiana, which was the youngest?
- Sports. Born in Long Beach in 1943, what American former World No. 1 professional tennis player won 39 Grand Slam titles and founded the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation?
- Science. Starting with the letter G, what medical condition is caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood?
P.S. Congratulations to Portraits for winning the Pub Quiz last week. Soon I will let you know how you can win a copy of my 2016 Pub Quiz book. Happy holidays! I will see you tonight, and at the movies.