Champagne Christmas Quiz 2012

[Guest abang]

FH I received your PM too late...

Anyway, it is not a matter of life or death here..

It is nice to share the joy of learning new things with fellow forum members.

 

Yes I may be competitive here.

But the truth is that it is rather a fun activity to do and to learn about places I've yet to visit.

 

Whether I win or otherwise is immaterial.

It is the spirit of participation.

[Guest fountainhall]

Thanks for your understanding. Let's wait now and we'll eventually see the entries from Khun thaiworthy and Khun Koko.

[Guest thaiworthy]

There has been a solid lesson to be learned which I will chalk up to experience. One of the strategies FH suggested is to "think outside the box." This is certainly true with the Bugs Bunny answer, but that is my brain thinking only on one lobe of the brain instead of all 4 at the same time. This may be why it takes me so long to do these quizzes, using each lobe successively.

 

Unfortunately, I am locked in the box for the forseeable future, since someone threw away the key! (probably ME!)

[Guest fountainhall]

 

It is a real shame I did not make it into the second round as I am 100 percent positive that I know each and every question.

 

Send them to me by pm. If all are correct, there will be a special booby prize for you

 

I also loved Tinker Tailor and was pretty sure the Hungarian Parliament Building was in the movie but wasn't sure it was in the opening scene

 

Actually it was not the opening scene as such - it was "near the start".

 

I will share that his impressions of cartoon characters are pretty fucking impressive

 

Now I will know that cartoon questions have to be very carefully worded in future! It was still mighty impressive to get the answer correct, though.

[Rogie]

Now I will know that cartoon questions have to be very carefully worded in future! It was still mighty impressive to get the answer correct, though.

 

* I became a product of the old Hollywood studio system.

* I have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was featured on a US postage stamp.

* I ate healthy food and frequently used a medical term.

* I once showed my rhapsodic skills on the piano.

* My singing was not bad either, and I attempted both Rossini and Wagner operas.

 

The problem is none of the usual suspects from the Hollywood studio system era came anywhere close to fitting all the criteria. In addition to the four directors I mentioned before, I checked up on all the actors and actresses that had featured on US stamps.

 

As a scientist I put my systematic mind to work, but it failed me.

[Guest fountainhall]

I really did have a problem with the wording of this one. I thought Bugs was a creation of the Hollywood system, but discovered he was first created by a group of independents and only later taken over by Warner Bros. I don't think any of the other answers actually fitted the piano and singing criteria. Marilyn Monroe did sing - but piano? I don't think Audrey Hepburn ever really sang much on film as she had a mezzo-soprano range which was quite low and gruff. So her singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon in the movie version of "My Fair Lady", for example.

 

I thought "medical" might have some thinking of actors like Richard Chamberlain who played Dr. Kildare - or even Dirk Bogarde who played a doctor in the Rank Organisation's "Doctor in the . . ." series of movies. He also played Liszt in "Lisztomania", but then Bogarde was not wedded to the Hollywood system and I don't think he sang much on film.

 

The nearest likely correct 'real person' guess could, I think, have been Mario Lanza. He was signed by MGM and his movies included "The Student Prince" and "The Great Caruso". He also died early aged 38 and was treated by a lot of doctors beforehand as the cause of his illness could not be determined. But that hardly accounts for frequent use of medical terminology and I can find no record of his having played the piano. Plus opera singers are rarely in the business of eating healthily!! I don't think he's been on a US postage stamp, although there have been petitions for one.

 

So only if you had seen "Rhapsody Rabbit", "Rabbit of Seville" or "What's Opera Doc?" would you be likely to get close to the right answer, I think.

[Bob]

It is a real shame I did not make it into the second round as I am 100 percent positive that I know each and every question.

 

Give you can read, I rather expected you'd know each and every question; however, I think Khun FH was looking for the answers.

[Guest jomtien]

 

 

 

 

He said it came out of left field (Jomtien). I assume from your tone you are upset that I failed to realise that Jomtien was your good self rather than a thought which happened to occur to him on Jomtien Beach. If that's the case, how did you work it out, because that was pretty tough.

 

 

Not upset at all. Sorry if it seemed that way but it was 3AM and I was returning from a night of debauchery and my eyes couldn't focus on the smileys

 

The line about "a product" had me thinking in non-human terms. Started thinking Lassie or Rin Tin Tin. The opera part brought me to Bugs Bunny. I've always been a Warner Brothers Cartoon geek. Tex Avery and Chuck Jones were brilliant!

[Guest thaiworthy]

Music by Carl Stalling has always made these cartoons especially enjoyable.

[Guest fountainhall]

I've always been a Warner Brothers Cartoon geek.

 

Have you seen the Tom & Jerry classical music cartoons - also, I think for MGM? "The Cat Concerto", their take on the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody, won the Oscar in 1946, as did another later one "Johann Mouse" about the Waltz King, Johann Strauss II. The one I like best, though, is "Tom & Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl" also set to the music of Johann Strauss. Brilliant animation perfectly synchronised to the music and very obvious real-life 'conductor' touches' make this a classic.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsv8IT8UlSI

[kokopelli]

Here is my entry. First of all I do want Abang to know that I did not use any of his answers or modify my results based on his submission. I had intended to post my results today and had advised FH that was my intent prior to Abang's post. . Last night I had 8 of the 10 answers and believe them to be correct. This morning I received more info and am sure I am correct on one other. The last remaining answer I am unsure but it is a 50/50 decision and I am going with Oxford rather than University of Paris in C. The crest above the door is either a crown with crossed oars/Oxford Boat Club or a crown with crossed scepters/France or a fleur d e lis/France. The horse and carriage look more British than French but have seen that exact same carriage in Berlin! The drivers sure are not attired in French chic but have seen similar drivers in Paris wearing baseball caps; so they do seem very British.

 

A1 - 1 Aruba

B1 - Orange

C1 - Oxford England

D1 - University of Aberdeen

E1 - 2 Asia

F1 - Indian-Pakistan Border

G1 - The Beatles LOVE /Cirque du Soleil

H1 - 4 Sydney

I1 - 1 France

J1 - 5 King Wenceslaus

[Guest abang]

In the spirit of this festive season (no, make it everyday),

I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all you guys to my "rather restricted and expensive" city state.

 

Singapore isnt one of the cheapest and most relaxing destination but if you do need a visa run, please

consider Singapore. This is one of the easiest place to navigate as most signs are in English.

 

And to extend my hospitality and if you are willing, I do have a spare room in my apartment at this moment.

So, be my guest.

 

Allow me to indulge... from which famous musicals are these songs from:

 

Q1.

Put down the knitting,

The book and the broom.

Time for a holiday.

 

Q2.

Welcome, Monsieur, sit yourself down

 

Q3.

All I want is a room somewhere,

Far away from the cold night air.

 

Q4.

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears

I'm here, nothing can harm you

my words will warm and calm you

 

Q5.

Come on babe

Why don't we paint the town?

 

Once again, welcome to Singapore.

[Guest fountainhall]

I've seen them - so will give others a chance! At least 4 of the 5 have played in Singapore.

 

You obviously enjoy musicals. Have you read the Stephen Sondheim Book titled "Finishing the Hat"? It's basically the collected lyrics from his works from 1951 thru 1981 along with his "comments, principles, heresies, grudges, whines and anecdotes." He tells a lovely story about what has become one of my favourite shows "Company". One character was written for the great Elaine Stritch, along with one show-stopping number for her, "Ladies Who Lunch". Stritch, who always has liked a drink or two (or three), drinks throughout the number and is clearly drunk by the end.

 

Sondheim writes about a time she and a friend entered a well-known New York hotel bar at two in the morning more than slightly the worse for wear. Stritch staggered over to the bartender saying, "Just send us over a bottle of vodka - and a floor plan!"

[Rogie]

In the spirit of this festive season (no, make it everyday),

I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all you guys to my "rather restricted and expensive" city state.

 

And to extend my hospitality and if you are willing, I do have a spare room in my apartment at this moment.

So, be my guest.

 

If I was living in Thailand, and had my own place, I would like to think I would extend the same invitation to you khun Abang.

 

The best I could do is to extend a warm welcome if you are ever in the UK, more specifically Manchester.

 

I wish you a joyful Christmas season.

[Guest thaiworthy]

Allow me to indulge... from which famous musicals are these songs from:

 

1. CABARET

2. LES MISERABLES

3. MY FAIR LADY

4. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

5. ALL THAT JAZZ

 

Did I beat Fountainhall?

[Guest fountainhall]

Apologies to khun kokopelli - I had not noticed his entry. Many thanks for that. I believe it would be wrong of me to say now whether this has all correct answers or not, since we still await Khun thaiworthy's entry. If it so happened it was 100% correct (and please, nothing should be read into that), then by so informing everyone, all thaiworthy would need to do is copy and submit the same answers!

 

So the entry date, time and answers are noted with thanks. All will be revealed once the last entry is received.

[Guest thaiworthy]

A1 - 1

B1 - Orange

C1 - Oxford

D1 - Scotland

E1 - 2

F1 - India

G1 - The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil

H1 - 4

I1- 1

J1 - 5

[Guest thaiworthy]

I found question I1 especially challenging. The scene was too clean to be Venice, so I zoomed in on a portion of the picture:

 

 

All I couid read was: LES ______ PRISON.

 

After I googled with a wild card character: les vielles prisons came up (the old prisons). They are located in Annecy, France. They have a website with a picture of the canal here:

 

http://www.lesvieill....com/page3.html

 

 

The only question I have doubts about is C1. FH said there was a clue in the picture and the insignia on the coach was not easily discernible. And all that red regalia on the horse and carriage, I must have looked at 1000s of pictures. No, it had to be on the building above the door, crossed swords, scepters, and finally oars with the crown on top. My best guess is that this building is somehow connected to the Oxford University Boat Club. They redesigned the logo last September, and probably over the last 173 years even then some. (It could be Cambridge, too. But I didn't find as many images of the crown in their art as I had for Oxford.)

 

 

The building edifice seems to indicate its original design of the oars is more vertical than horizontal, the way it is now.

 

For all I know, they could be flutes, and maybe this is the building for the Oxford University Flute Club! (But fortunately, there is no such thing!)

 

That's it for me. I'm all in.

[Guest fountainhall]

Now that we have the entries from all three finalists, let me first go through the answers and then announce the results. It has taken a few minutes to clarify the scores and the judges (!) needed to consult on a few issues which I outline below.

 

Interestingly, no entrant got Questions C, E or F correct. But we do now have our two winners.

 

ANSWERS

 

A1. 3

Curaçao

 

B1. Orange

The amphitheatre is located in the French city of Orange. The Royal household is the Dutch House of Orange.

 

C1. Krakow

The Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, founded in 1364. The clue is the University crest above the door which is repeated on the side of the carriage.

 

The main clue in these two Questions is “more than 500 years.” A quick check of oldest extant universities on wikipedia would have provided major clues with names of universities, countries, flags and crests. The Krakow crest is clearly portrayed.

http://en.wikipedia....nuous_operation

 

D1. Scotland.

The University of Aberdeen’s King’s College was founded by Papal Bull in 1495. Scotland was an independent nation until it merged with England in 1707.

 

I am really sorry but I cannot accept Kokopelli’s answer. This question specifically asks “Name the country in which it was founded.” Yes, it is Aberdeen University, but the country was then the Kingdom of Scotland. Either Scotland or Kingdom of Scotland is the correct answer.

 

E1. 1

Africa

 

F1. Either Morocco or Algeria

The nearly 1,000 mile border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994. You cannot travel between these two countries.

 

India/Pakistan seems an obvious answer. Yet it is not closed, as there is a crossing point open to all near Amritsar and Lahore. I would have had zero clue about this and could not find it out from the internet. But I saw a TV programme a few months ago titled “Mediterranean from the Air” – basically helicopter shots from around the area. It was mentioned on the sound track. When you check the specific border, you can then find some internet entries. The Morocco/Algeria border is totally closed with no crossing points. To get from one country to the other, you either have to take a ferry across the Mediterranean to Almeria in Spain and then ferry back to Algeria, or exit through Mauretania to the south and enter from there.

http://www.al-monito...ts-refusal.html

 

G1. “Love”

This is one of the fabulous Cirque du Soleil shows based on music of The Beatles playing at the Mirage in Las Vegas. A photo in last year’s quiz had a sculpture of a heart!

 

 

H1. 4

The clock is in the Queen Victoria Building in George Street, Sydney.

 

I1. 1

France

It really does look rather like the obvious answer – Venice. It is in fact part of the beautiful old Roman centre in Annecy, a town situated between Lyon and Geneva. This is a better-known photo of the town centre –

 

 

J1. 5.

The tomb of King Wenceslaus (907 - 935) is in a chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague.

 

 

THE WINNERS

 

Congratulations to all. The points scored in order of submission are –

 

Abang – 5

Kokopelli – 5

Thaiworthy – 6

 

For clarification, I must make a few points re abang’s entry.

 

1. It seems he did not notice the wording in Rule 2 of the original Quiz – “When you answer a multiple-choice question, please only include the Question letter and the Answer number – not an explanation (providing explanations may give the game away to other entrants).”

 

2. In the Run-Off, he answered only 9 of the 10 questions. He failed to answer G1 and then misnumbered Questions G and H. Since these were multiple-choice questions, had he provided only the answer numbers, I would have had to disqualify the answers. However, I looked again at the wording of Rule 2 outlined above. Two points here. The first is that the Rule was not repeated in the Rules for the Run-Off and so there could be some doubt as to whether it applied or not. Secondly, as it stands, it can rightly be interpreted as being in the form of a request rather than a mandatory obligation. So, since abang amplified the answers by giving descriptions in addition to numbers - and both descriptions are correct, there is therefore no doubt of his intentions. After some deliberation, I therefore decided to allow his answers for H1 and I1 to stand.

 

3. There is another issue with the answer to the second last question where he answered 4 – France. This proved more difficult because his answer number 4 is the number for Spain, not the number for France. That should have been 1. Here it could be argued that he was providing two entries. Even though I do not think that is the case, I have had to rule that it would be unfair to the other entrants to let this answer stand as “France”. Accordingly,that answer must be counted as incorrect.

 

Although we have two entrants gaining 5 points, abang was the first to submit his entry. Under Rule 4, he wins the second prize.

 

The winners are therefore –

 

THAIWORTHY – Bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne Vintage 2003 or Bt. 4,000 in cash

 

ABANG – Bottle of non-vintage Moet et Chandon Champagne or Bt. 1,000 in cash

 

I will be in touch by pm about whether you wish champagne or cash and how this can be obtained.

 

As with the first round, if there are any objections to the scoring, please let me know within the next 24 hours. If there is any change, I will make a further post thereafter.

 

My thanks once again to all who took part or considered taking part. I hope it was fun, even if it was tricky - and perhaps a little infuriating at times!

[Guest fountainhall]

les vielles prisons came up (the old prisons). They are located in Annecy, France

 

I stared at that photo for ages to make sure there was nothing to distinguish where it was located!!! That was quite amazing detective work! Annecy is a gorgeous place. I read about it in an in-flight magazine, and so went to visit the next time I was in France.

 

In the photo I posted when providing the answers, the building in the middle was indeed a prison in days of old!

[Guest fountainhall]

And a final post to show how close the logos for Oxford University and the Jagiellonian in Krakow are. Here is the Polish one -

 

 

Krakow is very close to where the late Pope John Paul II was born and he studied at the Jagiellonian University. It is also very close to what remains of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Even today, walking through the Jewish Quarter of the city is a very moving experience.

[Guest thaiworthy]

I want to thank Fountainhall for his encouragement at the outset, without which I may not have participated at all. Frankly, I really wanted Kokopelli to win, because he has richer appreciation for finer things like vintage champagne, which is clearly the more valuable prize and because he is a really cool and wonderful guy. But I am really a team player, actually-- and do enjoy some challenges when they present themselves.

 

There were a lot of hours invested and feel like I nearly broke the laws of physics or ripped through the time-space continuum to find the answers. Didn't even make a passing grade with the quizzes, either-- but now know the devious tactics employed by the venerable quizmaster. Like I said in the beginning, truly a contest worthy of a Fountainhall, not this lowly dolt.

 

Congratulations to Abang as well, whose words about the spirit of participation were very inspirational. And to Jomien who participated without even entering. Good work! Bugs Bunny will never look the same again.

 

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

[TotallyOz]

Congrats to the winners! Very impressive guys!

 

FH, most enjoyable! I really had a great time and look to it again next year. You must have put in a great deal of work in this. Thank you!

[kokopelli]

Congrats to Thaiworthy and Abang; nice job. And thank you to Fountainhall for running another very challenging contest.

[Guest abang]

Oops, this calls for a Sally Field's moment.

 

Remember her speech when she won the Oscar for the 2nd time?

It was in 1985 when Sally won for her role in Norma Rae...

Am I the only one who can't forget the moment when she says "you like me, you really like me"?

 

I am proud to be a part of the gay community and prouder to be in the midst of fine gentlemen like many in this forum.

I want to thank FH for taking his time to organise these quizzes and yes, it was a lot of fun doing it.

 

Well as life is a learning curve, perhaps the next time we can design a quiz with

1. A simple form where answers are simply added/Excel spreadsheet

2. All answers must be submitted via private messages

3. Beat the clock...

4. Spread the prizes a little..

 

I am unable to be in Bangkok due to family committments at this time of my life.

My 86-years old mother has just recovered from a bout of flu and she needs my presence.

 

So FH, keep the money for me and when I do make the trip up in Thailand, let us use it for our drinks at the bar.