SCREEN TEST
NST residents gather for a cinephiles Battle Royal
STORY AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN VRATTOS
The 91st annual Academy
Awards may have been presented
on Sunday evening,
February 24, but North Shore
Towers residents were already
celebrating the night before with
a cinematic trivia competition,
testing their knowledge of all
things silver screen in the Country
Club VIP Room. More than ten
dozen NST-ers and friends assembled
to take part in the celluloid
set-to, sharing a mutual love of
film, partaking in some warming
camaraderie during the deep chill
of winter and joining in a friendly
fracas with their neighbors.
Club Manager Mary Anne
Langone performed her usual
masterful job of bedecking the VIP
Room to suit the faux star-studded
occasion, ably assisted by her
intrepid band of merry makers.
A velvet-roped red carpet greeted
attendees upon their arrival.
Crimson cloths draped each table,
festively strewn with colorful confetti,
gold-flecked stellar centerpieces
and clapboard-themed dinner
plates. There was even a tableau
for each participant to have their
“moment” before a luxuriously reddraped
wall, bookended by life-size
Oscar standees, the ideal spot for
a selfie to share with Facebook
friends.
Party hosts Dennis and Reina
treated the gathering to a gaggle
of goodies fit for the perfect movie
night. Mountains of chicken wings,
both spicy and sweet, showcased
the scrumptious buffet, while piping
hot pizzas were delivered to each
table. Bowlfuls of M&Ms, raisins
and peanuts were also strategically
placed upon each team’s station;
munchies for the mind whilst the
game was afoot.
Teams of as few as four and as
many as twelve filled more than a
dozen tables from one end of the
VIP Room to the other. Everyone’s
favorite party host, Michael, whose
ebullient spirit and engaging personality
has graced many a Towers
event, displayed his DJ skills,
energizing the audience with an
Show host Michael
uplifting panoply of songs, while
dinner was served.
Then, the competition began.
The use of electronic devices,
such as smart phones or pads,
was strictly forbidden. However,
the game would not progress
until every Team handed in its
response to a particular question.
Questions concerned the breadth
of Hollywood history from its earliest
days to today. Michael’s canny
conundrums included a variety of
formats: straight Q&A, multiple
choice, fill-in-the-blanks, image
identification, among others. He
wisely began the tournament with a
few “gimmes,” questions even a silver
screen neophile could suss out,
to bolster confidence among the
throngs and raise their competitive
spirits for the trickier challenges
to come.
Do you know the Disney film
whence each of the following
Academy-Award–winning songs
made their debut?: “When You
Wish Upon a Star,” “Let It Go,”
“Circle of Life,” “Belle” and “Kiss
the Girl.”
Or perhaps you can supply the
movie title to which this scathing
NST Starlets (l. to r.) Linda Gibbs,
Susie Fladell and Linda Rappaport
Name that Tune2
Can you identify these movies
posters?1
And the Oscar goes to... (l. to r.) Alex Weissman, Jerry & Joyce Laiserin, Jerilyn Weissman, Carl & Cheryl
Fass, Meri Mintz, Barry & Linda Berman, Helen Mininson, Fran Gordon, Richard Pagano
16 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ April 2019