ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
1. Name these artists who performed alternate versions of their own songs on Sesame Street,
for 10 points each.
a. This rock group behind the hits “Drops of Jupiter” and “Hey Soul Sister” performed “Five By”,
an educational take on their song “Drive By” in Sesame Street’s 43rd season.
Answer: Train
b. This alternative rock band performed “Furry Happy Monsters”, a parody of their “Shiny Happy
People”, on the show. They are better known for hits like “Everbody Hurts” and “Losing My
Religion”.
Answer: R.E.M.
c. This Canadian singer performed a version of her song “1,2,3,4” with its lyrics altered to
celebrate the joys of counting. She released the acclaimed album Metals in 2011.
Answer: Leslie Feist
2. Lucius Lyon is diagnosed with ALS on this series, which leads to his life and business falling
apart around him. For 10 points each:
a. Name this 2015 Fox series about a namesake hip hop production company.
Answer: Empire
b. Lucius Lyon is played by this actor, who starred in the similarly themed film Hustle & Flow. He
also played the title character’s neighbor in the 2013 film The Butler.
Answer: Terrence Howard
c. This man directed both the pilot of Empire and The Butler, the latter of which affixed his name
to its full title.
Answer: Lee Daniels
3. For 10 points each, name these authors of popular action and thriller fiction novels.
a. This author of the DaVinci Code and Inferno claims to have ideas for 12 more books in the
series that features hero Robert Langdon.
Answer: Dan Brown
b. Hope to Die, released last year, is the 22nd book in the Alex Cross series by this author of
The Angel Experiment.
Answer: James Patterson
c. The Lincoln Myth, also released last year, was the 9th book in the Cotton Malone series by
this author.
Answer: Steve Berry
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
4. The 2014 World Cup was entertaining, but the national teams’ nicknames may have been
even more entertaining. For 10 points each:
a. “Canarinho” (can-ar-EEN-yo), or ‘Yellow Canary’, was this nation’s nickname. Despite being
the host nation and favorites, this country was eliminated in an embarrassing 7-1 loss to
eventual champions Germany.
Answer: Brazil
b. This team has used the nickname “Socceroos” for decades. They failed to win a single match
in the tournament.
Answer: Australia
c. Fans of this African nation drew attention due to their scarves that read “1000% Elephants”.
That phrase references this country’s nickname, though the reason for the ‘1000%’ is unknown.
Answer: Ivory Coast (accept Cote D’ivoire)
5. His typically dark and gothic style is seen in both his live action and animated films, such as
Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, respectively. For 10 points each:
a. Name this film director, who also helmed a 2010 take on Alice In Wonderland.
Answer: Tim Burton
b. Burton uses many of the same collaborators in his films, including this actress, with whom he
has two children. She voiced the title character in Burton’s 2005 film Corpse Bride.
Answer: Helena Bonham Carter (prompt on partial last name)
c. Early in his career, Burton directed a film named for this character’s “Big Adventure”. This
Paul Reubens-played character attempts to retrieve his stolen bicycle in the film.
Answer: Pee-Wee Herman (accept either)
6. Even among those who love video games, game levels that take place underwater are often
the subject of pure hatred. For 10 points each:
a. One of the most derided water levels is the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time, the first 3D
entry in this popular Nintendo series.
Answer: The Legend of Zelda
b. Levels in this other Nintendo series are usually played with a spaceship called the Arwing,
though one particularly unpopular level trades it in for a submarine.
Answer: Star Fox (accept Star Fox 64)
c. The underwater kingdom of Atlantica, the home of Ariel and Sebastian, appears in multiple
games in this RPG series co-created by Square Enix and Disney.
Answer: Kingdom Hearts
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
7. For 10 points each, name these celebrities who are neither Chris Martin nor Gwyneth Paltrow
but did get divorced in 2014.
a. Reality stars Bruce and Kris, who have this surname, filed for divorce in September 2014.
They have two daughters together, Kendall and Kylie.
Answer: Jenner
b. Actor Nick Cannon split with this R&B singer of “Fantasy” and “Touch My Body”, with whom
he had been married for six years. Cannon and this woman had a set of twins in 2011.
Answer: Mariah Carey
c. This Canadian rock musician, who is often backed by Crazy Horse, was divorced from his
wife Pegi for whom he had written the songs “Such A Woman” and “Once an Angel.”
Answer: Neil Young
8. Each year, Consumerist conducts a bracket-style contest to find the worst company in
America. For 10 points each:
a. The 2014 “winner” of the contest was this Philadelphia-based cable and internet company.
This company acquired NBC Universal in 2012.
Answer: Comcast (prompt on ‘Xfinity’)
b. Comcast narrowly beat out this controversial manufacturer of herbicides and genetically
engineered seeds in the contest’s finals.
Answer: Monsanto Company, Inc.
c. In the final four, Comcast defeated this company, who received significant public backlash
after it was the subject of the 2013 documentary Blackfish.
Answer: SeaWorld Entertainment
9. She made her American television debut performing her song “Share the World” on the Late
Show with David Letterman. For 10 points each:
a. Name this turquoise-haired Japanese pop star, a creation of Crypton Future Media, who
“performs” via a digitally projected hologram.
Answer: Hatsune Miku (accept Miku Hatsune)
b. Hatsune Miku’s voice has been applied to over 100,000 songs, including the original version
of a song associated with this internet meme that depicts an animal with a Pop Tart body
leaving a rainbow trail.
Answer: Nyan Cat
c. The use of holograms to depict famous musicians has risen in recent years, including a
notable “appearance” by this deceased rapper during a performance by Snoop Dogg at the
2012 Coachella music festival.
Answer: 2Pac (accept Tupac Shakur)
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
10. The NBA’s All-Star Weekend frequently includes competitions with unusual formats. For 10
points each:
a. For two years, the league held an event in which pro players competed in this popular shottaking-and-mimicking competition. The Thunder’s Kevin Durant won the competition in both
years.
Answer: H-O-R-S-E (accept G-E-I-C-O, which it was named for one year)
b. Since 2004, the Shooting Stars Competition requires small teams of current, former and
WNBA players to make a series of four shots, ending with one from this distance.
Answer: half-court shot (accept 47 feet or 14.325 meters)
c. Separate H-O-R-S-E and Shooting Stars contests have been held by this league, who holds
its own All-Star Game during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Teams in this league include the
Bakersfield Jam and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Answer: NBA Development League (accept D-League)
11. For 10 points each, give the following about a 2014 graphic novel that follows the
experiences of an African-American regiment of soldiers..
a. Name that book that is a fictionalized account of the experiences of the 369th Infantry from a
neighborhood in northern Manhattan.
Answer: The Harlem Hellfighters
b. Harlem Hellfighters is illustrated by Canaan White and written by this author of “The Zombie
Survival Guide”.
Answer: Max Brooks
c. Harlem Hellfighters is set in France during this war. Early in the novel, the soldiers spend a lot
of time digging trenches and doing “pick and shovel” work.
Answer: World War I
12. It begins with the suicide of Elizabeth Childs, one of over a dozen clones introduced
throughout the series. For 10 points each:
a. Name this Canadian science fiction series centered on another of those clones, the con artist
Sarah Manning.
Answer: Orphan Black
b. Orphan Black is produced in Canada, but is aired in the US on this network. Other shows
airing on this network include The Graham Norton Show and Torchwood.
Answer: BBC America (do not accept or prompt on ‘BBC’)
c. All of the cloned characters in Orphan Black are played by this actress, who also appeared as
Lily in The Vow.
Answer: Tatiana Maslany
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
13. He is set to appear as John Gregory in the 2015 fantasy film Seventh Son. For 10 points
each:
a. Name this actor who recreated a role previously played by John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn
in 2010’s True Grit.
Answer: Jeff Bridges (prompt on ‘Bridges’)
b. In 2014, Jeff Bridges appeared as the title character in this film, an adaptation of a Lois Lowry
novel.
Answer: The Giver
c. Bridges won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of country singer Otis “Bad” Blake in this
2009 film, which also starred Colin Farrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Answer: Crazy Heart
14.The music video for this artist’s song “Hello Kitty” was widely decried as being racist and,
according to Billboard, “even more abhorrent than the song”. For 10 points each:
a. Name this Canadian pop singer, whose other hits include “Here’s To Never Growing Up” and
“Complicated”.
Answer: Avril Lavigne (la-VEEN)
b. “Hello Kitty” was co-written by Chad Kroeger, Lavigne’s husband and the vocalist of this
Canadian rock band. This band released its eighth album, No Fixed Address, in 2014.
Answer: Nickelback
c. Avril Lavigne also drew controversy for this 2007 single due to its strong similarities to a song
by The Rubinoos. In this song, she notes that “I don’t like” the title person.
Answer: “Girlfriend”
15. Identify the following similar internet memes, for 10 points each:
a. This meme shows an animated character holding up a handful of dollar bills. The six-word
phrase that names this meme is used in response to seeing a desirable product or idea.
Answer: “Shut up and take my money!”
b. This other meme, typically used to indicate skepticism, features an animated character
squinting. This image has also been used in “I see what you did there” memes.
Answer: “Not sure if” (accept anything reasonably close to this; accept “Fry squinting” but do
not note that this is an acceptable answer if it isn’t given)
c. The “shut up and take my money” and “not sure if” memes both feature this character, a
cryogenically frozen delivery boy who wakes up in the year 3000 on Futurama.
Answer: Phillip J. Fry
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
16. Answer these questions about Dancing With The Stars, for 10 points each:
a. Since its inception, Dancing With The Stars has been hosted by this man, who has also
hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos since 2001.
Answer: Tom Bergeron
b. The fall 2014 season of Dancing With The Stars was won by Alfonso Ribiero, best known for
playing Carlton Banks on this series, in which he co-starred with Will Smith.
Answer: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
c. Competitors on the show are each paired with professional dancers. Two of the show’s most
successful are brothers Maksim and Valentin, who share this last name. Maksim won the Spring
2014 season of the show alongside Meryl Davis.
Answer: Chmerkovskiy (shmare-KOV-skee)
17. Films made in this manner include a version of Iron Man in which Tony Stark builds a suit of
armor out of cardboard. For 10 points each:
a. Name this activity, in which popular movies are re-made despite an extremely low budget. Its
name is derived from a film that claims that movies made in this way are actually imported from
a Scandinavian country.
Answer: sweding (SWEED-ing) (accept word forms)
b. Another example of a sweded film is a remake of this 1993 Steven Spielberg film that, at least
in sweded form, features a plethora of cardboard dinosaurs.
Answer: Jurassic Park
c. The concept of sweding comes from this 2008 film. In this film, Jack Black and Mos Def
create sweded movies to replace ones that were accidentally erased at the title video store.
Answer: Be Kind Rewind
18. For 10 points each, answer these questions about video game designer Tim Schafer.
a. Schafer’s newest original game is 2014’s Broken Age. The game was initially funded via this
crowdfunding website, where it raised a then-record $3.5 million.
Answer: Kickstarter
b. Schafer’s Double Fine Studios created Happy Action Theater, a downloadable game that
makes use of this Microsoft peripheral that allows for gameplay without a controller.
Answer: Kinect
c. Another of Schafer’s acclaimed works is this 2005 platforming game starring Raz, a boy with
telekinetic powers at a summer camp for similarly gifted kids.
Answer: Psychonauts
ACRONYM VIII - Round 9
bonuses
19. For 10 points each, answer these questions about athletes named Joe Smith.
a. A basketball player named Joe Smith was the first pick in the 1995 NBA draft out of this
school, who joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014. This school’s nickname is the Terrapins.
Answer: University of Maryland
b. A swimmer named Joe Smith is the oldest British man to swim across this body of water. The
record-setting swim concluded at Cap Gris Nez (‘cap gree nay’).
Answer: the English channel
c. A running back named Joe Smith most recently played for the BC Lions of this professional
sports league.
Answer: Canadian Football League (accept CFL)
20. It opened in 1958 with an initial placement of eight stars. For 10 points each:
a. Name this installation, located in a namesake region of Los Angeles. It aims to honor
entertainers in multiple fields, including music, film and radio.
Answer: Hollywood Walk of Fame (prompt on partial answer)
b. A lawsuit concerning the inclusion of this man in the Hollywood Walk of Fame delayed its full
installation. This predominantly silent film actor also starred in “The Great Dictator”.
Answer: Charlie Chaplin
c. Among the 2015 Walk of Fame honorees is this actress, who has won multiple Emmy awards
for playing Alicia Florrick in a current CBS drama.
Answer: Julianna Margulies