WWTBAM Bored

Richard Simmons
Allentown, PA
Insurance manager

Richard was once a Stripping Pop-O-Gram delivery guy. He would have his body covered in balloons. The recipient of the telegram would be given a hatpin to pop the balloons to get Richard down to his speedo.

Today’s ATE is Baratunde Thurston, a Web editor of “The Onion” and host of “Popular Science’s Future of” on Science Channel.

Topic Tree:

Internet Origins
Womankind
Painters
Capital Cities
U.S. Presidents
South Carolina
World Regions
Novel Ideas
Cartoon Characters
Big Business
In the News
Cable TV
State Parks
Star Athletes
Air Force One


$500 What country’s name appears in large letters on each side of the presidential airplane known as Air Force One?
A. New Zealand
B. United States of America
C. Sweden
D. Former Republic of Dubya

Spoiler

B. United States of America (7)

$1K In a poster promoting literacy, Serena Williams holds a copy of “A Raisin in the Sun” while standing where?
A. Basketball court
B. Ice skating rink
C. Tennis court
D. Golf course

Spoiler

C. Tennis court (9)

$2K Delaware Seashore State Park lies on the shore of what body of water?
A. Pacific Ocean
B. Caribbean Sea
C. Atlantic Ocean
D. Gulf of Mexico

Spoiler

C. Atlantic Ocean ( 8 )

$3K The term “Fangtastic!” appeared in a headline describing the ratings of the 2009 season premiere of what cable TV series?
A. True Blood
B. Weeds
C. Damages
D. Big Love

Richard doesn’t get cable, so he decides to ATA.

ATA ( 8 )

92% A. True Blood
5% B. Weeds
1% C. Damages
2% D. Big Love

Spoiler

A. True Blood (6)

$5K In 2009, as part of an effort to reduce bribery, Nepal’s largest airport reportedly forbade employees from wearing pants with what?
A. Belt loops
B. Legs
C. Zippers
D. Pockets

Spoiler

D. Pockets (10)

$7.5K What retailer’s do-it-yourself approach was once the subject of a Time magazine article titled “The Store That Runs on a Wrench”?
A. IKEA
B. Target
C. Staples
D. Best Buy

ATE (17)

Baratunde says he’s not 100% sure, but from the do-it-yourself and wrench parts of the question, he would eliminate all of the choices but IKEA.
Baratunde says he has felt the pain himself of assembling IKEA furniture with a wrench.

Spoiler

A. IKEA (14)

commercial break

$10K Played by Brendan Fraser in a 1999 movie, Dudley Do-Right is a cartoon character with what unusual day job?
A. Elephant trainer
B. Canadian mountie
C. Hot air balloonist
D. Kung fu instructor

Spoiler

B. Canadian mountie (21)

$12.5K What best-selling novelist copyrights his books under the name “Garp Enterprises Ltd.”?
A. James Patterson
B. Tom Wolfe
C. John Irving
D. Nicholas Sparks

DD (5)

Richard’s first choice, Nicholas Sparks, is incorrect.
Richard’s second choice is correct.

Spoiler

C. John Irving (3)

$15K Often in the headlines in recent years, the Anbar Province is a violence-torn region in what country?
A. Colombia
B. North Korea
C. Somalia
D. Iraq

Richard doesn’t know and doesn’t want to take the risk.

Richard leaves with $12.5K.

Spoiler

D. Iraq (12)

commercial break

Answers:
$500 B. United States of America
$1K C. Tennis court
$2K C. Atlantic Ocean
$3K A. True Blood
$5K D. Pockets
$7.5K A. IKEA
$10K B. Canadian mountie
$12.5K C. John Irving
$15K D. Iraq

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Today’s ATE is Baratunde Thurston, a Web editor of “The Onion” and host of “Popular Science’s Future of” on Science Channel.

It takes a really smart guy to work at and write for The Onion, so hopefully, Baratunde will be an actual expert.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:$15K Often in the headlines in recent years, the Anbar Provice (sic) is a violence-torn region in what country?
A. Columbia
B. North Korea
C. Somalia
D. Iraq

I am so glad that they didn't have more than one Middle Eastern nation amongst the choices. I would've had to use a lifeline if Iran or Afghanistan had also come up.

Nihil obstat®

It didn't actually say Columbia, did it?

Thousandaire wrote:It didn't actually say Columbia, did it?

No... that was a transcriber typo.

Can't blame the question-writers for that walk at $12.5K.

They pratically screamed out the answer to the question by only including one of the two ME countries we've been fighting in, AND included the clue "in the headlines in recent years".

BBTranscriptTeam wrote: Richard Simmons
Allentown, PA
Insurance manager

Richard was once a Stripping Pop-O-Gram delivery guy. He would have his body covered in balloons. The recipient of the telegram would be given a hatpin to pop the balloons to get Richard down to his speedo.

Today’s ATE is Baratunde Thurston, a Web editor of “The Onion” and host of “Popular Science’s Future of” on Science Channel.

Never heard of him although I read "The Onion" every week. As a quasi-geek he actually might know some things. Especially should Richard get to the $1M question.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote: $3K The term “Fangtastic!” appeared in a headline describing the ratings of the 2009 season premiere of what cable TV series?
A. True Blood
B. Weeds
C. Damages
D. Big Love

Richard doesn’t get cable, so he decides to ATA.

ATA ( 8 )

92% A. True Blood
5% B. Weeds
1% C. Damages
2% D. Big Love

Spoiler

A. True Blood (6)

Without TDC® perhaps Richard might have been able to associate "fang" with "blood". But we'll never know.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote: $7.5K What retailer’s do-it-yourself approach was once the subject of a Time magazine article titled “The Store That Runs on a Wrench”?
A. IKEA
B. Target
C. Staples
D. Best Buy

ATE (17)

Baratunde says he’s not 100% sure, but from the do-it-yourself and wrench parts of the question, he would eliminate all of the choices but IKEA. Baratunde says he has felt the pain himself of assembling IKEA furniture with a wrench.

Spoiler

A. IKEA (14)

How refreshing - an expert who actually reads and analyzes the question rather than asking what the contestant thinks.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote: $15K Often in the headlines in recent years, the Anbar Province is a violence-torn region in what country?
A. Colombia
B. North Korea
C. Somalia
D. Iraq

Richard doesn’t know and doesn’t want to take the risk.

Richard leaves with $12.5K.

Spoiler

D. Iraq (12)

I guess since Afghanistan has been in the news so much our collective memories of Iraq have faded.

Here's a column about Richard's appearance. The columnist comes to the startling conclusion that SyndieBAM's prize budget isn't as high as in primetime days!

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nick-fa ... eside.html