Top GL'er Vegas - Projectyl

[MNOWAX]

The first Quickfire is a simple, yet very complex quickfire, you will have only two weeks to complete the making of this puzzle. You must make a puzzle using 25 words or less. It may not involve pictures, animations, or other items, just words

Cents

CAESAR JOHN VIRTUE FOUNDATION HELEN CHIMNEY CRATER CORPS THE FIRST

DISCOVERY EDUCATION FLIGHT GREAT IN INDEPENDENCE KELLER LAKE LAND LIBERTY MUIR OF ROCK RODNEY
_________________
The Man The Myth The Legend
MNOWAX

[jbvntx]

Well, the initial part of the puzzle is straightforward enough...

The words are from ten of the State Quarters

CAESAR RODNEY - Delaware
VIRTUE, LIBERTY, INDEPENDENCE - Pennsylvania
FIRST FLIGHT - North Carolina
HELEN KELLER - Alabama
CORPS OF DISCOVERY - Missouri
FOUNDATION IN EDUCATION - Iowa
JOHN MUIR - California
CRATER LAKE - Oregon
CHIMNEY ROCK - Nebraska
GREAT LAND - Alaska


I was looking for a second step and maybe came up with this? ...

The first letters of the States anagram to spell "MAP AND COIN".


I'm not 100% sure if that was the intended answer.

jbvntx
_________________
jbv

[Projectyl]

Since it's been a week with no further progress, a nudge:

The second set of words is alphabetized, which in this sort of puzzle usually means "these are not currently in the right order". What does that say about the first set?
_________________
"I am now telling the computer exactly what it can do with a lifetime supply of chocolate..."

[jbvntx]

Okay, so if for the second part, instead of what I said before, if you do this instead...


Put the states in order by the first line of the original words. You get

CAESAR RODNEY - Delaware
JOHN MUIR - California
VIRTUE, LIBERTY, INDEPENDENCE - Pennsylvania
FOUNDATION IN EDUCATION - Iowa
HELEN KELLER - Alabama
CHIMNEY ROCK - Nebraska
CRATER LAKE - Oregon
CORPS OF DISCOVERY - Missouri
THE GREAT LAND - Alaska
FIRST FLIGHT - North Carolina

The first letters of the state names spell out "DC Piano Man" which was according to google a concert in DC with Billy Joel and Elton John.


_________________
jbv

[LordKinbote]

Here's the final step:

The DC PIANO MAN in question is Duke Ellington, who is featured with a piano on the Washington DC quarter.

I'm impressed you could find a phrase that unambiguously clued your final phrase and anagrammed to something that made sense.

[groza528]

Elimination Challenge 1: What's on TV?
During this challenge players were asked to create a puzzle inspired by a favorite television program. The genre of the program was not important, but contestants were instructed to demonstrate through their puzzles why the program was worth watching.

Buggy Puzzle

This puzzle pays tribute to the main characters of a particular cult hit. The fans may do their best to dress up like them, but they seldom get it right on the first try...

Old-fashioned exclamation of dismay (A)
It's Latin for "somewhere else" (A)
He beat Bonnie's Winter Olympics record this year (A)
Titan who held the heavens (B)
November classic between Grambling and Southern (I)
Character #7 (?)
Tolerate something unpleasant (R)
Feature of a kitchen or a programming loop (A)
Davies' crime-solving magician's assistant (R)
Show that was "hurting America", according to Jon Stewart (I)
Voldemort's middle name in the French translation (A)
Character #5 (?)
Character #6 (?)
Character #4 (?)
Surname of Superman's alter ego (S)
Conway's cellular automaton game (M)
Slang term for a Brit (A)
Character #3 (?)
Not automatic, as a transmission (K)
Name given to Asteroid 1486 (E)
Fail to get, or get, lose, and regret (W)
Grew nearer (E)
New or innovative (O)
Shepard Fairey's most recent well-known subject (R)
That which cannot be improved upon (O)
Toilet, to a child (K)
Character #9 (?)
It might be weak against paper- or grass-based attacks, depending on what game you're playing (J)
Character #8 (?)
Hagia ___ (Y)
Make constantly available online (V)
Winky of the Teletubbies (L)
It sent Dorothy to Oz (S)
Australian sandstone monolith, to natives (N)
It has one hundred and ninety-two members as of four years ago (abbr.) (M)
Where Spica can be seen (E)
Character #1 (?)
Causing to become damp (Y)
Fortieth element (Z)
Character #2 (?)

[LordKinbote]

Well, I've got the answer, though I'm only about 2/3 done with the puzzle: HOLE IN ONE.

I still want to put everything together how I'm supposed to, however.

[ralphmerridew]

Old-fashioned exclamation of dismay (A) alas / alack.
It's Latin for "somewhere else" (A) alibi.
He beat Bonnie's Winter Olympics record this year (A) apolo.
Titan who held the heavens (B) atlas.
November classic between Grambling and Southern (I) bayou.
Character #7 (?) book.
Tolerate something unpleasant (R) brave?
Feature of a kitchen or a programming loop (A) counter.
Davies' crime-solving magician's assistant (R) creek?
Show that was "hurting America", according to Jon Stewart (I) crossfire.
Voldemort's middle name in the French translation (A) elvis.
Character #5 (?) inara.
Character #6 (?) jayne.
Character #4 (?) kaylee.
Surname of Superman's alter ego (S) kent.
Conway's cellular automaton game (M) life.
Slang term for a Brit (A) limey.
Character #3 (?) mal.
Not automatic, as a transmission (K) manual.
Name given to Asteroid 1486 (E) marilyn.
Fail to get, or get, lose, and regret (W) miss?
Grew nearer (E)
New or innovative (O) novel?
Shepard Fairey's most recent well-known subject (R) obama.
That which cannot be improved upon (O) perfection.
Toilet, to a child (K) potty.
Character #9 (?) river.
It might be weak against paper- or grass-based attacks, depending on what game you're playing (J) rock.
Character #8 (?) simon.
Hagia ___ (Y) sophia.
Make constantly available online (V)
Winky of the Teletubbies (L) tinky.
It sent Dorothy to Oz (S) twister.
Australian sandstone monolith, to natives (N)uluru.
It has one hundred and ninety-two members as of four years ago (abbr.) (M) un.
Where Spica can be seen (E) virgo.
Character #1 (?) wash.
Causing to become damp (Y) wet.
Fortieth element (Z) zirconium.
Character #2 (?) zoe.

[Projectyl]

Four of your guesses are wrong - they're the ones that aren't in alphabetical order.
_________________
"I am now telling the computer exactly what it can do with a lifetime supply of chocolate..."

[referee]

stone and tornado. Also I can see manual, perfect, UN, and maybe zinc.
_________________
Jan 21st, 2008: The pillaging continues.
Mar 4th, 2008: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax. May your dice always roll a natural 20 wherever you are.

Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!

[Quailman]

I'd guessrock where you had stone. I think ralphmerridew's paper was a brain fart. And Ayres Rock is called Uluru by the Aborigines.

...and Spica is in the constellation Virgo.

[LordKinbote]

[ralphmerridew]

Post updated.

[Oscar]

I don't know any of the programs featured in these questions but this one appears to be Firefly

Also:
Latin for "somewhere else" alibi
Feature of a kitchen or a programming loop counter?
And surely 'Fortieth element' is zirconium?

[referee]

Then it must be twister. I agree about rock.
_________________
Jan 21st, 2008: The pillaging continues.
Mar 4th, 2008: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax. May your dice always roll a natural 20 wherever you are.

Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!

[MNOWAX]

Quickfire #2: Hang by a Thread

Quickfire for the next round is another classic from the last round

You must pick a Topic in the Grey Labyrinth to base a puzzle off of. VSP is banned from being picked, as are the GL's front page puzzles. Additionally, a topic can not be picked that has been made after the start of this quickfire.

You may not use visual aides for your puzzle. it must be in all text, and the words may not be used to create a visual puzzle.

You have one week to complete this puzzle

Oh and one last thing. If you win this challenge, you can not be eliminated in the next elimination challenge.


Deathwatch 2010

I've made a tradition of picking a super-short themed list every year, but this year I'm sitting out because I could only come up with one person. Pretty sure that won't backfire on me, right?

BRITISH OPEN WINNERS
Bob Charles, 1963
Max Faulkner, 1951
Kel Nagle, 1960
Gary Player, 1959, 1968, 1974
Peter Thomson, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965

CARTOON LEGENDS
Joseph Barbera, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
Ralph Bakshi, notorious animator
Don Bluth, creator behind "An American Tail", "The Land Before Time", and "Dragon's Lair"
Peter Fernandez, "Speed Racer" producer/voice actor/theme arranger
June Foray, voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Tweety's owner Granny

COUNTERCULTURE FIGURES
Wavy Gravy, hippie icon
Tom Hayden, one of the Chicago Seven
Albert Hoffman, inventor of LSD
Joel Rosenman, conceiver of Woodstock
Bobby Seale, Black Panther Party co-founder

DAMES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
Shirley Bassey, singer
Barbara Cartland, romance novelist
Merle Park, ballerina
Diana Rigg, actress
Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano

DICTATORS
Hugo Banzer, Bolivia
Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti
Alberto Fujimori, Peru
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe
Mohammaed Omar, Afghansitan

EARLY TELEVISION CELEBRITIES
Dick Clark, famous Dick Clark
Mitch Miller, singalong leader
Jack Paar, Tonight Show host
Joyce Randolph, Trixie Norton of "The Honeymooners"
Dick Van Dyke, sitcom pioneer

FIGURES OF SCANDALS
John Dean, "master manipulator" of Watergate
Norman Lloyd, blacklisted actor
Robert McFarlane, National Security Advisor tainted by Iran-Contra
Addie McPhail, wife of disgraced comic Fatty Arbuckle
Herb Stempel, whistleblower of the quiz show scandal

NOBEL LAUREATES
Henry Kissinger, 1973, Peace
Wassily Leontief, 1973, Economics
Gabriel García Márquez, 1982, Literature
Frederick Sanger, 1958 and 1980, Chemistry
Charles Townes, 1964, Physics


SITCOM STARS
Bea Arthur, "The Golden Girls"
Ed Asner, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
Russel Johnson, "Gilligan's Island"
Charlotte Rae, "The Facts of Life"
Abe Vigoda, "Barney Miller"

SPORTS MOVIE SUBJECTS
Lawrence "Crash" Davis, portrayed by Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham"
Jake LaMotta, portrayed by Robert De Niro in "Raging Bull"
Jack Lengyel, portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in "We Are Marshall"
Rudy Ruettiger, portrayed by Sean Astin in "Rudy"
Gale Sayers, portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in "Brian's Song"

SUBJECTS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL GAFFES
Michael D. Brown, who did a "heckuva job"
Michael Dukakis, taker of an ill-fated tank ride
Kiichi Miyazawa, Japanese PM upon whom George Bush Sr. vomited
Dan Quayle, whose gaffes are innumerable
Ken Starr, thorn in Bill Clinton's side
_________________
The Man The Myth The Legend
MNOWAX

[LordKinbote]

This was the idea that I was going to go with, but I backed out. Now I'm glad I did!

[LordKinbote]

Okay, it might be a tad unfair for me to solve this one, because I really did have pretty much the exact same idea (and that is in no way knocking the puzzle or the idea. If anything, great minds think alike! Ha).

Each list has exactly 4 living members and one dead one. You need to take the dead members, find out how old they were when they died. Then you need to translate that into a score by subtracting that number from 100 (taking into account that Albert Hoffman was 102, so he only is worth 1 point by Deathwatch rules).

Then, change each score alphanumerically into a letter, and order by the year they died, which are nicely from 1999-2009, and you get Projectyl's pick from 2010...

GBRY COLEMAN!

Or, rather, Gary Coleman. According to Wikipedia, Barbara Cartland was 98 when she died, not 99.