MadMup.com

The station I listen to is running a movie trivia contest this week.. They play an audio clip and the caller who identifies the movie wins a CD, a DVD, and is entered into a drawing for a grand prize of a home theater system. It seems like a strange giveaway for a Christian radio station, but, hey, movie trivia.

On my way to work this morning the clip was "There's no crying in baseball!" I dialed. And dialed. And dialed. Busy, busy, busy. The lady who got through was all, "Well, it's Tom Hanks and there's a women's baseball team" but couldn't come up with the answer. I'm talking to the radio at this point: "A League of Their Own! Geena Davis! Lori Petty! Madonna! Rosie O'Donnell!" I don't know how it turned out because I had to go in to work.

I've tried calling in to several radio contests and I've always had pretty much that same experience. Either it's busy or they're getting too many calls and my call won't go through. I've always been suspicious that no one ever actually wins the contests, because how could they? It seems like a racket.

On my way back to work from a later-than-usual lunch, the DJ started talking about the next clip "coming right up." He played it - an easy one - "[slap] Snap out of it!" It's Cher slapping Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck, and I would have known that even if I hadn't seen the movie, because I remember that scene and line from the ads they played back then (was that really 1987?? Yikes.)

I hit dial as soon as they clip was done, gearing up to hit redial a bunch more times and then go into work deflated yet again. Weirdly enough, the phone rang. That surprised me, but then I reassured myself that "they're looking for the eleventh caller and you're the tenth." It only rang a couple of times, and then this guy picked up:

I had no idea what he looked like before now, but I kind of think he looks a little like I might look in not too many more years.

Anyway, I told him who I was, still expecting him to say, "You were so close," and then he asked me if I knew what movie the clip was from. "Well, yeah, that's Cher talking to Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck."

"You're right! You've won the CD/DVD and are entered in the grand prize drawing!"

I was more than a little floored, and I said the first thing that came to mind: "Sweet monkey!" It's a phrase I picked up from my friends Matt & Kat a few years back, and it has stuck with me.

As soon as I said it, JD said, "Yep, an--- what did you say?!"

"Uh, 'sweet monkey'."

"I have never heard that before!"

"Well," I said, "you are more than welcome to use it!"

After that he collected my name, address, and phone number and at one point said "They must grow them smart in Indiana!" which prompted me to ask if someone else from Indiana had won earlier today. His answer was no, so I was a little confused, but we didn't pursue that any further.

So now I'm getting a DVD that I think I'll like and a CD that I don't think I will. I sense an upcoming contest here on MadMup.com for that one... On top of that, I'm entered in a big ol' contest. I don't suspect I'll win that, but it was cool to put my immense library of brain-stored movie trivia to good use for once.


(It turns out that quote was voted as the #96 movie quote by the American Film Institute. Cher slaps Nic and says the line right after he says "I love you!")