Celebrity

While visiting friends in Atlanta this past weekend, we played a game called "Celebrity". Each of the six of us wrote the names of fifteen celebrities (living or dead) on pieces of paper which we dropped into a bowl. Teams were then chosen by picking matching numbers out of a pile.

The purpose of the game was to draw papers out of the bowl, and using any descriptions or plays on words, get your partner to correctly identify as many celebrities as they could in one minute.

For better or worse, Tim and I ended up being partners.

This was definitely to our advantage for certain names: "Your cousin Peggy's dead sister (Helen of Troy) (I thought of going for historical context here, but the dead cousin angle was the better bet), or "Your favorite actor" (Danny Kaye) (I actually put that one in, hoping another team would get it and neither person would know who it was--he he.)

Then there were the times when it was clearly a disadvantage to be together. Neither one of us knew who Nora Cross was (yes, Pat, before you can post your anonymous, snarky comment, I know we are old.)

Also, despite my best efforts over the years to educate Tim with regard to the names of each and every star in Hollywood, I knew we were sunk when I pulled out Debbie Allen: "Dance teacher in Fame " (um, what?) "Phyllicia Rashad's sister" (Uh, something Rashad?). It was sort of like the Odd Couple episode where Felix and Oscar go on Password and can't get any of the clues. Needless to say, we ran down the clock on that one, and let's just say I can sympathize with Felix. (Everybody should know that pencils have graphite and not lead.)

Our fellow players were, of course, very helpful pointing out to me afterwards that if I had simply said Blank Does Dallas, Tim would have gotten it right away. (Of course! Why didn't I immediately think of a porn movie for my first clue? I feel so stupid!)

We did pull out a few that surprised even us though, like Tim Horton (we are still both a bit unclear on who he is), but his first name sure made it easier. And Ghengis Khan (I am sure the guys could have come up with a porn reference for this one too, but we chose to take the historical route, although if Tim hadn't gotten it from "an invading Mongol", I'm not sure where I would have gone with it since I don't know his sister's name.)

Overall, it was quite an eclectic mix of names with only a few repeats: Olivia Newton John "Let's Get Physical" (interestingly that seemed to be the first song the guys associated with her, but I'm sure it had nothing to do with the skin tight leotard she wore in the video. Right.)
George Washington "Father of our country" (Even the Canadian got that one right off the bat)And I think Robin Williams may have been mentioned more than once (but, oddly, I don't believe Mork from Ork was even used as a clue. Go figure.)

Tim and I tried our best, but we came in second, for which I blame his lack of Hollywood trivia (This is the man who once had dinner with Norman Lear and had to call me to ask me if he was anybody big. Um, yeah. Kind of.)

Anyway, I am already thinking up names for next time. Oh, and we will definitely be watching more ESPN and E! Television. There may even be a subscription to People Magazine in Tim's future.