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Posted by Ricky on Sat, May 31, 2008
Trivia Trial
Filed under: Rants & Raves, Behind the Scenes
There are a few hobbies among improvisers that are universal.
The most popular seem to be an interest in past and present comedy happenings, an ethereal admiration for movies and a wealthy posession of random facts. That mishmash of information has one night where it can recieve the spotlight it deserves: Trivia Night.
Every Tuesday, a few of us unite to test our trivial prowress at ******'*, and for three hours we grapple with the greater questions of society today. Questions like, "What 80s TV show dared to do a sixth season after losing most of its cast and writers?" or "How many pieces of flair were required at the restaurant Jennifer Aniston worked at in Office Space, and how many did she have?"
We celebrate with predicted joy at every correct answer. At every wrong answer, exclamations of "Noo!" pierce the night air, upset eyes swing toward whoever supplied that answer and mental scores are quickly tabulated to determine the leader. Why so serious? The stakes: steaks.
"What fictional TV character drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls, sweats Gatorade and once saw scissor-kicked Angela Lansbury?"
That's right. The winners of the knowledge bout get their tabs picked up for free by night's end. So steaks and margaritas are deliciously downed yet cautiously. Despite large lead margin, everyone fears the sudden shift in points when their free meal becomes a $50 burden.
"What 80s horror movie had the tag line, 'Be afraid. Be very afraid.'?"
A period of dangerous suspicion always arises around the 2-hour mark when teams begin to enter the home stretch. On the surface, players are generally friendly and polite. In actuality, they create conspiracies of cheating by backroom booths and curse quietly when others pull closer.
"What 1968 Rex Harrison movie musical was remade in 1998 to an Eddie Murphy comedy?"
Our paranoia is relaxed by one of the trivia helpers who bears a striking resemblance to Rashida Jones, who plays Karen Filippelli on The Office. She's frequently beating every team playing, even though she can't legally play (probably). Her tacit nature offsets the the gaudy male emcee who reminds me of Steve Harwell, lead singer of Smashmouth, for some reason.
"Where was Oceanic flight 815 headed before it crashed?"
I enjoy the danger of losing the free check. Others fret and stop ordering when the lead is called into question. So far we've never had to pay the consequence of over confidence. We've won every time.
"From the TV show Scrubs, what is Dr. Turk's first name?"
So, come Tuesday, we'll gather our Gainesvegas forces again to defend our trivia title. It is becoming an excellent way to pass the summer. Who ever said improv wouldn't win you free things?
Trivia Answers:
1. ǝʌıl ʇɥƃıu ʎɐpɹnʇɐs
2. uǝǝʇɟıɟ & uǝǝʇɟıɟ
3. ʎʞsɐɹq llıq
4. ʎlɟ ǝɥʇ
5. ǝlʇʇılop˙ɹp
6. sǝlǝƃuɐ sol
7. ɹǝɥdoʇsıɹɥɔ
The most popular seem to be an interest in past and present comedy happenings, an ethereal admiration for movies and a wealthy posession of random facts. That mishmash of information has one night where it can recieve the spotlight it deserves: Trivia Night.
Every Tuesday, a few of us unite to test our trivial prowress at ******'*, and for three hours we grapple with the greater questions of society today. Questions like, "What 80s TV show dared to do a sixth season after losing most of its cast and writers?" or "How many pieces of flair were required at the restaurant Jennifer Aniston worked at in Office Space, and how many did she have?"
We celebrate with predicted joy at every correct answer. At every wrong answer, exclamations of "Noo!" pierce the night air, upset eyes swing toward whoever supplied that answer and mental scores are quickly tabulated to determine the leader. Why so serious? The stakes: steaks.
"What fictional TV character drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls, sweats Gatorade and once saw scissor-kicked Angela Lansbury?"
That's right. The winners of the knowledge bout get their tabs picked up for free by night's end. So steaks and margaritas are deliciously downed yet cautiously. Despite large lead margin, everyone fears the sudden shift in points when their free meal becomes a $50 burden.
"What 80s horror movie had the tag line, 'Be afraid. Be very afraid.'?"
A period of dangerous suspicion always arises around the 2-hour mark when teams begin to enter the home stretch. On the surface, players are generally friendly and polite. In actuality, they create conspiracies of cheating by backroom booths and curse quietly when others pull closer.
"What 1968 Rex Harrison movie musical was remade in 1998 to an Eddie Murphy comedy?"
Our paranoia is relaxed by one of the trivia helpers who bears a striking resemblance to Rashida Jones, who plays Karen Filippelli on The Office. She's frequently beating every team playing, even though she can't legally play (probably). Her tacit nature offsets the the gaudy male emcee who reminds me of Steve Harwell, lead singer of Smashmouth, for some reason.
"Where was Oceanic flight 815 headed before it crashed?"
I enjoy the danger of losing the free check. Others fret and stop ordering when the lead is called into question. So far we've never had to pay the consequence of over confidence. We've won every time.
"From the TV show Scrubs, what is Dr. Turk's first name?"
So, come Tuesday, we'll gather our Gainesvegas forces again to defend our trivia title. It is becoming an excellent way to pass the summer. Who ever said improv wouldn't win you free things?
Trivia Answers:
1. ǝʌıl ʇɥƃıu ʎɐpɹnʇɐs
2. uǝǝʇɟıɟ & uǝǝʇɟıɟ
3. ʎʞsɐɹq llıq
4. ʎlɟ ǝɥʇ
5. ǝlʇʇılop˙ɹp
6. sǝlǝƃuɐ sol
7. ɹǝɥdoʇsıɹɥɔ
Posted by Filup on Wed, May 28, 2008
My Dad is on Facebook (+ WMDs)
Filed under: Rants & Raves, Look, We Found Funny, Tips on How to Live a Life, The Internets
A few days ago I got the most exciting of the Facebook notifications: the +1 Friend Request. Upon clicking the link, I suddenly found myself gazing into the low-res eyes of my father's work ID picture.
After a hesitant accepting of his request (and an adjustment of my
Privacy and Limited Profile settings), I clicked through to the book
that belongs to my dad's face and found one of the grossest misuses of social networking. He's trying to reconnect our family.
Linked from his page I was able to find profiles for my uncles, aunts, and my dad's best friends. These baby boomers (of whom my dad, born in 1947, isn't even the oldest) are reaching out to what Money magazine tells them is a cool way to connect to your kids, DiGiTaLLy!
My dad actually has twice as many applications as I do without any full understanding of what they are for. He regularly shows our difference in age and mentality by scrubbing his Facebook wall free of all comments and returning it to a nice, egg-shell white.
My dad's transition into being the cool dad isn't exactly going smoothly, but I did find a video on my cousin's Facebook (yes, found her through dad's Fb.) proving that the cool parent is not a myth. They exist, can be obnoxiously cute, and perhaps are at a level that allows them to connect more deeply to their kids. Keep reaching for those Raybans, Dad.
Read on to see the World's Milfiest Dancer / Cool Mom (TM). [CREEP-ALERT]
 Example of what kind of picture my dad used as his main profile pic. Randi G. Hiller is not my dad, despite any resemblances. |
Privacy and Limited Profile settings), I clicked through to the book
that belongs to my dad's face and found one of the grossest misuses of social networking. He's trying to reconnect our family.
Linked from his page I was able to find profiles for my uncles, aunts, and my dad's best friends. These baby boomers (of whom my dad, born in 1947, isn't even the oldest) are reaching out to what Money magazine tells them is a cool way to connect to your kids, DiGiTaLLy!
My dad actually has twice as many applications as I do without any full understanding of what they are for. He regularly shows our difference in age and mentality by scrubbing his Facebook wall free of all comments and returning it to a nice, egg-shell white.
My dad's transition into being the cool dad isn't exactly going smoothly, but I did find a video on my cousin's Facebook (yes, found her through dad's Fb.) proving that the cool parent is not a myth. They exist, can be obnoxiously cute, and perhaps are at a level that allows them to connect more deeply to their kids. Keep reaching for those Raybans, Dad.
Read on to see the World's Milfiest Dancer / Cool Mom (TM). [CREEP-ALERT]
Posted by Erik on Mon, May 26, 2008
Count down the days... Strike Force'll Strike Back this July
Filed under: Improv, Tips on How to Live a Life, Announcements, News
Hey everyone,
Erik Voss here. I'm currently studying abroad in London, spending the first half of my summer visiting museums, seeing plays on the West End, frequenting pubs... and going bankrupt in the process. Since every dollar is only worth half a pound, I'm twice as bankrupt as I thought I was.
The only thing I haven't been doing is improv. None. My talk radio call-in name would be "Improv-less in London." I'm taking a much-needed hiatus from an obsessive two-year relationship with the mother of all ball-and-chains, which we know as Theatre Strike Force.
But enough creepy romance metaphors (I've got issues). The day when the Strike Force dragon wakes up from its Summer A hibernation and purges the sinful is rapidly approaching. The Summer B semester at UF begins in July, and with it, our improv class, TPP 3124, goes back into session for those overachieving upper-classmen and "special" Summer B freshmen who are stuck in town over the summer. That means improv with TSF will go from being a wet dream to an awkward reality.
So if you'll be in Gainesville this July, check out TSF. Register for the class -- it's a lot of fun and a great way to spend those long, summer days. And it's in an air conditioned acting studio in the Nadine Maguire, a cool sanctuary from the assault of swampy heat outside. We'll also be doing some after-hours jamming sessions; look out for those as well. I also want to look into doing some sketch, for all those writers out there.
We'll keep you posted. Check your e-mails, the Web site and the Facebook group for notifications about any developments over the summer, and for news about the upcoming year.
Now, back to sobbing over the heartbreaking pound/dollar exchange rate.
Though we know it's TSF that really broke my heart...
Regards,
Erik Voss
Erik Voss is the President of Theatre Strike Force, but he still makes his mother dress him every morning.
Posted by Ricky on Mon, May 26, 2008
Caption Contest
Filed under: Announcements, News
I was talking with Maxx Mann, who recently fought and defeated the Epstein-Barr virus, and he mentioned previous TSF historian Kate Matarese held a caption contest back in 2006.
Well, now that the 18th Amendment has been repealed and photos are legal again, the Caption Contest is back!
We take the most peculiar snapshots and invite you to come up with the best caption - a phrase, a summary, a bit of dialogue, etc. So get ahead and get a move on! The submissions cut-off will be after Wednesday at midnight.
http://apps.facebook.com/theatrestrikeforce/caption01.php
The winner will recieve some prize yet-to-be-determined. Only current members in TSF are eligible for prizes, though comments are welcome from anyone.
Posted by Filup on Thu, May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones: he's named after the dog.
Filed under: Rants & Raves, Unneccessary Gadgetry, Things that are Awesome
As I prepare to be Crystal Skull-F'ed tonight, I have to admit, I'm seeing this movie more because it's my civic duty.
Anytime an established American franchise spits a frontier style PING! into the face of the Nazis/Russians (or really, the Brits... We prefer our drinks whipped, Mr. Bond) I feel like I have to go, just for the obligatory U.S.A. chant at the end. People still do that, right? Ok, good.
I still regret not making my parents conceive me five years earlier, so I could've gotten this out in the 1980 Olympics.
That said, the only movie I remain truly excited for is The Dark **********ing Knight.
For all you Batfan-boys, here's a trailer for an Animatrix style DVD being released a few weeks before the film. Normally, I'm not a fan of anime, but by the Ark of the Covenant, this looks bad ass.
Batman Gotham Knight - Official Trailer
Anytime an established American franchise spits a frontier style PING! into the face of the Nazis/Russians (or really, the Brits... We prefer our drinks whipped, Mr. Bond) I feel like I have to go, just for the obligatory U.S.A. chant at the end. People still do that, right? Ok, good.
I still regret not making my parents conceive me five years earlier, so I could've gotten this out in the 1980 Olympics.
That said, the only movie I remain truly excited for is The Dark **********ing Knight.
For all you Batfan-boys, here's a trailer for an Animatrix style DVD being released a few weeks before the film. Normally, I'm not a fan of anime, but by the Ark of the Covenant, this looks bad ass.
Batman Gotham Knight - Official Trailer
Posted by Ricky on Mon, May 19, 2008
TSF Eats Moe Than You
Filed under: Fundraisers, Behind the Scenes, Tips on How to Live a Life, Press, News
This past Saturday, TSF was represented by 3 different teams at the Moe's Burrito Eating Contest. The teams ("EMoe's," "Team Chris Mullet," and "Theatre Strike Force") were mostly competing against themselves, as the fastest player on each team to eat 3 Moo Moo Mr. Cow burritos, won Free Burritos for a Year.
While all the members of the EMoe's and Team Chris Mullet were in it to win it, Team Theatre Strike Force did what it does best and rigged their own competition in order to guarantee team member, Filup Molina, free burritos for a year. Molina, a too old to still be in school TSF member, recently paid his way back into UF and wiped out his bank account in the process. TSF was there for him and have guaranteed that he will die young and obese, but with his appetite fully satiated.
Filup represented Strike Force well by placing fourth overall out of 150 contestants.
Check out the article I wrote about it for my reporting class:
"Kid-sized burritos too much for some at eating contest"
by RICHARD KLOPFENSTEIN
The best part about losing on purpose is how badly you get to do it.
Read on for pictures of the various methods Strike Force members used to lose.
Posted by tsfimprov on Sat, May 17, 2008
New TSF Website: Fully Operational
Filed under: Behind the Scenes, The Internets, News
The TSF website has been completely redesigned from the ground up.
You might have noticed.
Anyway, take a look around, get comfortable, this is your home now. We've finally decided to pay some attention to website design and have hopped on the current trend of fully integrating a blog into your website. Being such gloryhogs, sharing what we write with all 14000 people on the internet was a no-brainer.
The major difference with this design is that the blog is not simply for TSF's diary entries--
Dear blog,
It's hard being a not-for-profit. I think I'm quickly falling for another organization... She's brilliant, sexy, useful and rich. But alas, Google and I just come from different sides of the digital tracks (|==|==|==|==|==|==|). That kinda looks like a penis, hee.
--
TSF's such a perv. The blogs also serve as a quick way to post interactive updates for various categories. For example, if you are browsing the "Shows" page, you'll be kept up to date with upcoming shows, get a recap of some of our bigger shows from the stage perspective, and be able to leave comments telling us what you thought as well.
We've done our best to create some back log blogs (b-log blogs?) but keep revisiting the site as we'll constantly be generating more material. In the meantime, take a look around and try to get a feel for the girl.
See ya,
TSF
You might have noticed.
Anyway, take a look around, get comfortable, this is your home now. We've finally decided to pay some attention to website design and have hopped on the current trend of fully integrating a blog into your website. Being such gloryhogs, sharing what we write with all 14000 people on the internet was a no-brainer.
The major difference with this design is that the blog is not simply for TSF's diary entries--
Dear blog,
It's hard being a not-for-profit. I think I'm quickly falling for another organization... She's brilliant, sexy, useful and rich. But alas, Google and I just come from different sides of the digital tracks (|==|==|==|==|==|==|). That kinda looks like a penis, hee.
--
TSF's such a perv. The blogs also serve as a quick way to post interactive updates for various categories. For example, if you are browsing the "Shows" page, you'll be kept up to date with upcoming shows, get a recap of some of our bigger shows from the stage perspective, and be able to leave comments telling us what you thought as well.
We've done our best to create some back log blogs (b-log blogs?) but keep revisiting the site as we'll constantly be generating more material. In the meantime, take a look around and try to get a feel for the girl.
See ya,
TSF
Posted by Filup on Sat, May 17, 2008
Recent TSF grads doing well at iOWest... Take current members with them?
Filed under: The Future, Alumni
Not long ago, Theatre Strike Force spawned some great performers, who spun off into their own troupe, called The Norsemen.
These performers graduated at the height of their popularity and split ways, some heading to Chicago and others to L.A.
Catching up with the L.A. crew shows that they're doing pretty well. 3/5 of The Norsemen (Zach Huddleston, Brandon Barrick, and Eddie Geller) formed the iOWest Harold troupe: Local 132.
The troupe shot to success very quickly, winning last year's Harold Competition, making the rookie team into a bonafide iO House Team. This is a pretty big deal.
Look them up right now and you'll see they're taking part in this year's Harold Competition as well, though now as a veteran team. They just completed their first round and defeated [troupe name removed to soften their shame]. If you're in L.A. do your best to get out there and watch some recent TSF and UF grads do their thing.
Local 132 with their trophy last year.
Continue reading this story to see how one TSF freshman suddenly appeared on the iO West scene. INSANE.
These performers graduated at the height of their popularity and split ways, some heading to Chicago and others to L.A.
Catching up with the L.A. crew shows that they're doing pretty well. 3/5 of The Norsemen (Zach Huddleston, Brandon Barrick, and Eddie Geller) formed the iOWest Harold troupe: Local 132.
The troupe shot to success very quickly, winning last year's Harold Competition, making the rookie team into a bonafide iO House Team. This is a pretty big deal.Look them up right now and you'll see they're taking part in this year's Harold Competition as well, though now as a veteran team. They just completed their first round and defeated [troupe name removed to soften their shame]. If you're in L.A. do your best to get out there and watch some recent TSF and UF grads do their thing.
Local 132 with their trophy last year.
Continue reading this story to see how one TSF freshman suddenly appeared on the iO West scene. INSANE.
Posted by tsfimprov on Sat, May 17, 2008
Bill and Danny come to town.
Filed under: Improv, Shows, Alumni
Hey... Bill Arnett and Danny Mora came back into town. They did a great 2 man show and taught some workshops too. I've gushed about them enough recently, but please, if you're ever in Chicago, seek these guys out (3033 and The Armando Diaz Experience).
Seriously... read Bill Arnett's improv blog. It's enlightening.
Seriously... read Bill Arnett's improv blog. It's enlightening.
Posted by tsfimprov on Sat, May 17, 2008
Results are in...
Filed under: UF, Shows, Fundraisers, Behind the Scenes, Announcements, Things that are Awesome, News
Our major event to close out Spring semester was our annual 12 HOURS OF IMPROV. All semester we raised money (deadly games of ASSASSIN, sexy Date Auctions, etc.) leading up to our main fundraising event. As was the trend, this year's 12 Hours was our most lucrative one yet.
Some great troupes performed, including the debut of the brand-new TSF musical troupe: AM-Radio.
At the end of the night our voices were gone and our minds were mush, but it was all worth it, because we raised $680. If you add in the $1800 (!) from our Date Auction, and money raised by individuals as well as at Relay For Life, then you get... our final total... which was.... drumroll please... ... ... I don't know exactly. BUT, I know what it was very near. Going by TSF bylaws, we round up to the nearest thousand, so... WE DID IT!!! We raised $5000 for the American Cancer Society. We are the champions... 2 Legit 2 Quit... Un Dos Tres, Ale Ale Ale.
That is by far the most money TSF has ever raised for our Relay For Life team. In fact, we were the 3rd highest grossing team (of 55) that participated. We had some extra pride walking that track this year.*
Special thanks to Catherine Alford and Samantha Kanal for all their help putting the fundraisers and events together.
*-TSF walking with pride.
Some great troupes performed, including the debut of the brand-new TSF musical troupe: AM-Radio.
At the end of the night our voices were gone and our minds were mush, but it was all worth it, because we raised $680. If you add in the $1800 (!) from our Date Auction, and money raised by individuals as well as at Relay For Life, then you get... our final total... which was.... drumroll please... ... ... I don't know exactly. BUT, I know what it was very near. Going by TSF bylaws, we round up to the nearest thousand, so... WE DID IT!!! We raised $5000 for the American Cancer Society. We are the champions... 2 Legit 2 Quit... Un Dos Tres, Ale Ale Ale.
That is by far the most money TSF has ever raised for our Relay For Life team. In fact, we were the 3rd highest grossing team (of 55) that participated. We had some extra pride walking that track this year.*
Special thanks to Catherine Alford and Samantha Kanal for all their help putting the fundraisers and events together.
*-TSF walking with pride.
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