That’s a good one that I didn’t know!
Unfortunately, it’s not the one I’ve been looking for. Of course I made an error in my first post. The line should be “Any sufficiently understood magic is indistinguishable from technology.”
(BTW, Moe, I’m running well under half myself. I’m sure there are lots more of us.)
Yeah, I met with my colleagues today and I think we all agreed they should be much easier, or at least there should be a fair distribution between levels of difficulty. I actually have all the questions I need now I think; I’d post 'em for your curiosity but they are saved at work.
Here are a few from my History/philosophy guy:
In 1607 English settlers founded Jamestown in what would become the colony
of Virginia. It wouldn’t be long until the first Africans were imported in
1619 initiating formalized chattel bondage in what would become the
continental United States. What cash crop fueled Virginia’s antebellum
economy and perpetuated the “peculiar institution” of slavery in that state?
TOBACCO
This Japanese filmmaker was more popular in the United States than his home
country. This should really come as no surprise considering that some of his
films provided the framework for such popular fare as A Fistful of
Dollars, The Magnificent Seven, and Star Wars .
KUROSAWA
“God Is Dead” claimed Friedrich Nietzsche in the late nineteenth century
ending what he considered the tyranny of a Christian slave mentality. In
thus Spoke ____________ Nietzsche laid out his ideas of the übermensch,
later grossly appropriated by Adolf Hitler. This book also provided the
inspiration for a ballet written by Richard Strauss, which in turn inspired
a space opera directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Zarathustra
Thomas Jefferson would have it that every white man has the right to pursue
“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His statement was largely
indebted to this 17th century contract theorist who actually wrote that
every man had the right to “life, liberty and property.”
John Locke
“I Sing the Body Electric” and “Songs of Myself” are but two of the most
famous poems in this larger work composed by Walt Whitman. He dedicated the
first edition of the work to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but Walt Whitman
continually edited and expanded this large work until his death.
Leaves Of Grass
Put on trial for “corrupting the youth” and “making the weaker argument the
stronger,” Plato’s Crito details the encounter between this
philospher and a disciple in his prison cell. THe disciple offers to break
him out of prison, but instead he insists that his civic duty is to accept
the fate that the jury has assigned him.
Socrates
Credited with creating the most accurate calendar of ancient times, these
Yucatan-dwelling peoples were virtually extinct by the time of Spanish
conquest.
Mayans
The most famous of the slave narratives written by this man contains this
famous example of chiasmus: “You have seen how a man became a slave; you
shall see how a slave becomes a man.”
Frederick Douglass
A special hard drive was developed for the digital video camera they used. Because it was only one take, it was rehearsed as a play, with the cameraman’s path through the set aggressively choreographed. NPR did a great piece on the making of the film, but I know it’s been over a year since that aired.
There was post-production work done, and they did all the sound afterwards because the smallest mistake (a curse from the cameraman) would ruin it otherwise.
By the by, there is a Sagan’s Law. It is used here often, though rarely named. It is: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
More extreme pedantism, for 5 time champ and Moe’s “history guy”:
Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra is not a ballet; it is a “tone poem.”
Rhapsody in Blue does not open with an oboe, it’s a clarinet.
Sorry, drawing a blank on good trivia for you. 
Well swat my hind. I remeber the whole screen going dark at points in Russian Ark. I just assumed they were being sneaky with edits at those points.
OMG I’ve been threadspotted!!!
(that’s #2 for me)
For those of you interested, I present to you the first (annual?) College Bowl for the College of Arts, Culture, and Humanities at my university:
College Bowl Clues
Directions: Work with your group to answer the following questions about arts, culture, and the humanities. In each answer, one letter will be in . Take that letter and write it in the black space on the answer sheet that corresponds to the number of the question. There are 56 letters in the final answer phrase and 56 clues. The first five groups to decipher the phrase will win a prize.
This word is often used to refer to the music used in a movie, but it actually means the collection of all audio used in a movie.
_ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _
This term is often used to refer to classical dance, but is defined as any dance that tells a story or uses elements of theatricality.
[] _ _ _ _
The sharped note in the G major scale.
When a film actor flubs a line the director yells “cut!” and they simply do it over. But in live theatre an actor doesn’t have this luxury. In that case he may have to do _______ his way through it. This is an abbreviation of a Latin expression meaning “at pleasure” and it refers to improvisation that masks an onstage blunder
_ _ []_
What is the name of the actress who kisses Roseanne in a highly controversial and highly publicized 1994 “Roseanne” episode"? (Hint: her grandfather won the Nobel prize in literature in 1954).
_ _ _ _ _ _ [] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What classic musical comedy starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds highlights the troubles of silent film stars attempting to adjust to the advent of “talking pictures?”
_ _ []_ _’ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
An acrobatic stunt in which the body rolls forward or backward in a complete revolution with the knees bent and the feet coming over the head.
_ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _
In 1607 English settlers founded Jamestown in what would become the colony
of Virginia. It wouldn’t be long until the first Africans were imported in
1619 initiating formalized slave bondage in what would become the
continental United States. What cash crop fueled Virginia’s pre-Civil War
economy and perpetuated the “peculiar institution” of slavery in that state?
_ _ _ []_ _
This pop artist first achieved fame for his piece, 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans. From then on, most of his best work was done over a span of about six years, finishing in 1968, when he was shot. And it all flowed from one central insight: that in a culture glutted with information, where most people experience most things at second or third hand through TV and print, there is role for affectless art; Instead of art that is passionate, hot, and full of feeling, his art was supercool. Marilyn Monroe was a subject of another of his famous works.
_ _ [] _ _ _ _ _ _
Throughout a professional career lasting 50 years, he played the trumpet in a lyrical, introspective, and melodic style, To examine his career is to examine the history of jazz from the mid-'40s to the early '90s, since he was in the thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic development in the music during that period, and he often led the way in those changes, both with his own performances and recordings and by choosing sidemen and collaborators who forged new directions. His landmark album, Kind of Blue in 1959, is considered the first “modal jazz” album whereby solos are based on scales rather than chord changes. In 1969 and 1970, In a silent way and Bitches brew were released respectively and these were important in launching the jazz fusion movement of the decade that followed.
_ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _
Any word, phrase, or action that serves as a signal in a performance for something to occur, such as an actor’s entrance or exit, or a change in lighting, is called a
[]_
On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, what appears on Buffy’s tombstone the second time she dies?
_ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ( _ _ _ _ )
This Japanese filmmaker was more popular in the United States than his home
country. This should really come as no surprise considering that some of his
films provided the framework for such popular fare as A Fistful of
Dollars, The Magnificent Seven, and Star Wars . Clearly a hard worker, the IMDB credits this man as writer on 64 films, director on 32, and even as an actor on 4. Early films include ‘No Regrets for Our Youth’ and ‘Drunken Angel’, but international acclaim came after he won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival of 1950 with Rashomon. Name this Japanese director, whose later successes include The Seven Samurai.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _
According to The Wizard of Oz, this substance is a great way to kill a wicked witch (in the event you have no house to drop):
_ []_ _
A French word referring to a spin on one foot, as performed by a dancer.
_ []_ _ _ _ _ _
Arguably America’s most influential and innovative poet, he was born into a working class family here on Long Island on May 31, 1819. Leaves of Grass, his famous collection of poems was released and re-released in several editions throughout his life. There is also a residence hall on campus named for him.
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This artist’s iconic 20th century painting, The Scream, was stolen last Sunday from an Oslo museum.
_ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _
What kind of theater company may perform two or more different plays on alternate nights or weeks?
[]_ _ _ _ _ _ _
What’s the name of the nightclub where David Silver works on Beverly Hills 90210?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [] _ _ _
Put the murder weapons in the correct order to correspond with the following movies:
I Know What You Did Last Summer, Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Basic Instinct
A. Kn*fe, Ice Pick, Chainsaw, Hook
B. Ho[o]k, Knife, Chainsaw, Ice Pick
C. Ic[e] Pick, Hook, Chainsaw, Knife
D. Ch[a]insaw, Hook, Knife, Ice Pick
To wish an actor good luck, what are you supposed to say?
_ _ _ _ _ _ []_
This horror film, spoofed by The Simpsons, takes place in a large, all-but-empty hotel. The film was based on the novel by Stephen King, directed by the great Stanley Kubrick, and featured a haunting performance by Jack Nicholson.
_ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _
The highest male singing voice is the tenor, the lowest is the bass. There is one in the middle of those 2 called the
_ _ []_ _ _ _
In theatre it is sometimes necessary for the audience to get a window into the mind of a particular character. To do this a playwright might write into the script a section where the character speaks out loud to him/herself so that the audience may hear, but none of the other characters can. (A famous example of this begins: “To be or not to be…” and is said by Hamlet). A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener is called a
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ []
How much does Richard Gere pay Julia Roberts to be his Pretty Woman for a week? (spelled out)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _ dollars
One of Orson Welles’s masterworks, this film dramatizes the rise and fall of a newspaper magnate based on the real life experiences of William Randolph Hearst.
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In art, quality matters more than quantity. Only 36 paintings are known to exist by this famous 17th century Dutch artist who was the subject of a recent book and film titled Girl with a Pearl Earring.
_ _ _ [] _ _ _ _ _
In what kind of comedy do people step into paint buckets, run into doors, and fall over chairs?
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) began composing in the Classical style, but by breaking conventions of the day regarding harmonic motion and form, his music looks ahead towards Romanticism. He is best known for his songs but, despite dying so young, he still managed to compose 9 symphonies. His 8th is perhaps the most recognizable today, with themes being used in the 80’s cartoon series The Smurfs, and in the recent blockbuster movie Minority Report, but unlike the typical 4-movement symphonies of the day, this one had only 2 movements. He had a sufficient number of years before his death to write 2 more movements, and he did go on to complete another quite large symphony known as the “Great” symphony, leading many to speculate that perhaps Schubert at some point decided the 8th was a complete work as is. Despite this possibility, history has named this work
The _ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Symphony
“On my own, pretending he’s beside me” comes from this popular musical:
A. [L]es Miserables
B. [M]iss Saigon
C. [P]hantom of the Opera
D. [R]agtime
Which everyday device provides a pathway out of the Matrix?
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Put on trial for “corrupting the youth” and “making the weaker argument the
stronger,” Plato’s Crito details the encounter between this
philosopher and a disciple in his prison cell; The disciple offers to break
him out of prison, but instead he insists that his civic duty is to accept
the fate that the jury has assigned him. One of the things the philosopher in question is so famous for is his method of teaching by answering each question with another question instead of an answer.
_ _ []_ _ _ _
Music that is sung without any instrumental accompaniment is performed
_ _ _ _ []_ _
Name the form of acting in which body movement, facial expression, and gesture are relied on exclusively to tell a story.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ []
Solve the equation: The number of Backstreet Boys x the number of N’Sync-ers + the number of Thompson Twins = (spelled out)
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Oscar is to Hollywood as what award is to Broadway?
[] _ _
This British playwright had a vocabulary of over 29,000 words. Throughout his plays, he added several thousand words and phrases to the English vernacular. Among them are the words fashionable, sanctimonious, bedazzle, vulnerable, and well-bred.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _
This director/actor/writer directed the 1974 noir masterpiece Chinatown which was nominated for 11 academy awards and won best screenplay. His film, The Pianist, won an academy award for Best Director in 2002. Trouble is, he couldn’t attend the Oscars because he’s been exiled from the U.S due to his conviction for the statutory rape of a 13-year old girl. (Adrien Brody, however, made up for his absence when Brody made his splashy acceptance of his own academy award for the same movie.) Who is the director in question?
[]_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The familiar modern piano, a stringed keyboard musical instrument that utilized a hammer-and-lever action letting the player modify the intensity of sound by the stronger or weaker touch of the fingers, was first developed in the early 18th century. But another stringed keyboard instrument, in which the strings were plucked instead of struck, was around as early as the 14th century. This instrument is called the
_ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
An afternoon performance of a play or movie, often at a reduced price, is called a
_ []_ _ _ _
What secret history do Sarah Michelle Gellar, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore and Meg Ryan share?
A. All appeared in Tom Cruise [f]ilms
B. All were married to famous [s]tars
C. All did soaps earlier in their [c]areer
D. All dated Scott **aio
This popular ballet composed by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky is frequently performed during the winter holiday season, and it features pieces known as the Russian Dance, the Arab Dance, and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
_ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The charting by the director of an actor’s movements on stage is called
_ []_ _ _ _ _
Credited with creating the most accurate calendar of ancient times, these
Yucatan-dwelling peoples were virtually extinct by the time of Spanish
conquest.
_ []_ _ _
This popular film composer has over 100 film scores to his credit. He has written scores for just about every single one of Tim Burton’s movies including Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetle Juice, and Edward Scissorhands to name just a few. He also composed the theme to the popular TV show The Simpsons.
_ _ _ _ _ [] _ _ _ _
An actor versed in another’s part, ready to fill in if needed, is a(n)
[] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Johnny Depp has legions of adoring fans because of his great performances in films like “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Chocolat,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” But his film career had an interesting start. In what movie did Depp make his film debut? (Hint, he played the boyfriend to the leading lady in this horror movie that spawned 7 sequels and made actor Robert Englund famous)
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This play, often considered one of the greatest in the French theater, was written as a showcase for the famed actress Sarah Bernhardt. It’s the male lead who everyone remembers, though, a swordsman and poet known for a phyiscal deformity. (Hint: In 1987 actor/comedian Steve Martin wrote and starred in a modern day movie version playing opposite Daryl Hannah).
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The wedding march traditionally used when the newly-married couple exits was composed by this German Romantic composer in his incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One of our residence quads on campus shares his last name (or would if not for having only a single letter “s” where this composer doubles it).
_ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Who said, “What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me.” HINT: He has been played on film by Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Ethan Hawke, and Kenneth Branagh.
[] _ _ _ _
A huge 1950 painting by this artist hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Titled Autumn Rhythm it has prompted more people to say, “But I can do that!” than any other artwork in the museum. He was the subject of a movie in 2000 directed by and starring Ed Harris.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _
When lit from behind, it appears transparent. When lit from the front, it can appear as a solid wall. Identify this thinly woven cotton or linen curtain used for special effects on the theater stage.
[] _ _ _
Released in 1966, this song took 17 recording sessions and more than $50,000 to produce, an unheard-of investment for a time when entire albums would typically be recorded in a single day. Among its ground-breaking elements was its use of the Theremin, an experimental electronic musical instrument that until that time had been chiefly used to provide sound effects for science fiction movies.
_ _ _ _ []_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In this book, late 19th philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche laid out his ideas of the übermensch (“overman”) as one who is willing to risk all for the sake of enhancement of humanity, as opposed to the “last man” who only cares about his own comfort. (The idea of the ubermensch was later grossly appropriated by Adolf Hitler). This book also provided the inspiration for a tone poem (a symphonic piece of one movement that tells a story) written by Richard Strauss of the same name. You’ve no doubt heard it before as the main theme to director Stanley Kubric’s sci-fi masterpiece 2001; A Space Odyssey, not to mention countless commercials, cartoons, and parodies. The title of this book (and tone poem) is:
T H U S S P O K E _ _ _ _ _ _ []_ _ _
2004 ACH College Bowl Answer Sheet
16 46 34 42 21 7 35 32 13 41 5 22
55 11 23 45 29 2
27 39 20 31 38 6 49 44 3 19 56 51;
9 52 47 ' 1 18
8 15 50 12 36 4 28 54 14 25 24 53
37 17 40 30 43 48 26 33 10
Apologies for the coding. It looks much better in word.
Yeah, I know. (as you can see from the question I used). James is a history guy, but fortunately I’m a music guy.
blinks
Um, all I see is a bunch of numbers. Am I missing something?
Oh, and my answers for the quiz bowl, skipping the ones that were already spoiled above and the ones I don’t know:
)I’m pretty sure I’ve botched the spelling or word length on some of these answers, though. :o
It’s not an oboe - it’s a clarinet. Also, in some arrangements the opening notes are on piano.
What provides the opening notes to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring?
I forgot, is it a bassoon?
Which of these individuals won the most Academy Awards for Best Director: Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, or Martin Scorsese.
Of the following 1968 films, which wone the Academy Award for best Picture: 2001 A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, The Odd Couple, The Producers, or Bullit.
Ummmm…actually, it’s Clarke’s Law.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke, “Technology and the Future”
I can’t tell you who said it, but I’m pretty sure it was the lead-in teaser for a story in Analog. Which would make it either the stories author (if it was plucked from the story) or the editor at the time (if not). Now all you have to do is find the right back-copy and there you are.
Hey, i’m a new member, and I can’t figure out how to read what’s blacked out by the spoilers. I’m trying to see how many I got right and I don’t know. I did get enough to guess the missing letters in the final quiz though.
I missed most of the art ones, but hey, I was too busy practicing for orchestra for my arty roommate to teach me anything.
K, never mind, I figured it out on accident. And yes, it is a bassoon.