A Whole New "World Series of Pop Culture"

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

Today we had the honor of popping in on the quarterfinals for Entertainment Weekly and VH1's 2007 World Series of Pop Culture as spectators — not competitors. Like last year, the popular tournament features 16 three-person teams answering pop culture related questions such as "What was Monica Gellar's nickname when she when she was a goalie for her field hockey team?" until only two remain and then those teams battle it out for $250,000. ("Big Fat Goalie" was the answer.) From what we saw, this year's competition is gonna be a doozy! Lots and lots of tiebreakers. Tension!

From our balcony seat, we were rooting for the all-girl team Fragily ("Fragily. That must be Italian!") who were clad in matching hoodies. Although The Slug participated in a version of the contest last year, it didn't compare to the real thang. When contestants step up to the mic, a huge light sitting in the audience blasts them while a crane camera continually swings overhead. And there's lots of stopping and starting for production purposes that must only add anxiety. See who has the knowledge and the steel nerves when the 2007 World Series of Pop Culture airs on VH1 in July.