NYC, Ep. 21

December 18, 2009 — Holiday hysteria filled the air at LDM NYC, Ep. 21, and participants and audience members (and audience members turned participants) seemed more than eager to inhale. Admission was free and rounds were fast; as fast, in fact, as “an atmospheric discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder” (Wikipedia).

Host and Opium’s own Todd Zuniga ushered in the first round, explaining the unique elements of the night. Representing four different holidays, the readers were allotted a skimpy four-minute time limit each. Reader James Yeh (of Gigantic), representing Tomb Sweeping Day, kicked off the proceedings with a story springing from a woman’s dubious interest in the existence of a Chinese tax system. Literary merit judge Ben Greenman (The New Yorker) expressed fondness for Yeh’s repetition of dialogue tags, citing their help in keeping him attentive.

Judges Ben Greenman (speaking), Devorah Rose and Jared Bloom

Representing National Share Your Porn with Young People Day, Jason Helm recounted a new roommate’s increasingly explicit revelations about his penchant for gay male erotica. The judges gave their praises for the story, and for Helm’s outfit, notably featuring a flannel shirt and vintage belt buckle, which performance judge Devorah Rose (Social Life magazine) deemed sexy. In what Greenman called the closest call in literary death match history, the judges picked Yeh as the finalist for round one.

Damning convention and laughing about it, Zuniga then suggested skipping intermission. The manic audience showed its support, and round two was quickly underway.

Terese Svoboda (Weapons Grade), representing National Talk Like Maple Syrup Day, read a piece composed of interacting voices. Though she didn’t grace attendees with impressions of each voice, Greenman applauded Svoboda’s skill in distinguishing between them through prose.

The second contestant of the round was Elna Baker (The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance), who represented Halloween and told a tale of misfortune caused by a fortune cookie. More specifically, it was a fortune cookie costume, and the misfortune was its accidental transformation into a vagina, unbeknownst to Baker as she made her way to a Mormon singles dance. The judges extolled the story’s virtues, and intangibles judge Jared Bloom (Full Ginsburg) offered a solution to the dilemma should it ever occur at a singles dance for Jews: fold the vagina back, forming a hamantaschen. In what Greenman called the newest, closest call in literary death match history, the judges announced Baker as finalist for round two.

Elna Baker wins over the audience and the judges

The finale pitted Yeh and Baker against each other in a battle of mad lib Christmas caroling. Each was supplied with a team of audience members, and despite a host of grammatical confusions, the 3-judge panel (also from the audience) was able to pick out a winner in Baker for her team’s rendition of Frosty the Snowman. Watch it now!

LDM NYC, Ep. 21: Mad Libs Holiday Karaoke! from Opium Magazine on Vimeo.

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Comments

[Fiona Wellington]

Looking forward to it - I've heard good things about Jason Helm!