DailyHeights

Don’t miss this. And get there early if you want a seat.

Freddy’s Karaoke is back! Tony sent this in just under the wire:

“People often ask ‘Is karaoke Japanese for “Empty Audience” or “Empty Orchestra”? You’ll have to judge for yourself. Karaoke Big Ass Ham (KBAH) is the low-tech sing-along night at Freddy’s Bar and Backroom at 485 Dean Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Sign up and you can win a canned ham, or maybe a hand crafted iron-on T-shirt…

“…KBAH has a low-tech philosophy, using an MP3 laptop and printed lyrics.”

“Karaoke Big Ass Ham happens every third Wednesday night of the month from 9:00 until 12:00pm … Your Host Bill Carney guides you through the lo-fi singing safari. He also figures out who gets a prize, so be nice to him. This month we’re giving away a canned ham or a pumpkin as prizes. Scare up the nerve and join us tonight! Go to our web site for a list of songs and pictures from last year.

Discuss Karaoke: Prospect Heights Message Boards

Check it out! Daily Heights regulars EmilyM, Isa and Susan made it into the Brooklyn Downtown Star’s article about of Atlantic Yards Smackdown 2005, the tournament-level Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) competition we organized at Freddy’s in Prospect Heights. PICTURED: First-place finisher Midnight Rider, hailing from parts unknown, delivers a crushing blow to EmilyM.

The article is by Theodore Ross, a reporter with a great eye for detail: “…in a hotly contested final, a young man known only as the ‘Midnight Rider’ defeated the lovely Amanda, a six-foot tall blonde from Williamsburg whose day job is as a crochet and knitting instructor… Rider described his victory to a reporter from Tokyo’s ‘News Forest’ television program, which came to Freddy’s to film the Smackdown: ‘This is a fantastic victory for me, for my students, and my school. And to the rest of the world of competitive RPS: notice has been served.'”

“The Midnight Rider … was something of a media darling. I interviewed him, as did the News Forest folks, another camera crew from VH-1 of all places, and a reporter with New York Magazine [Article] (another tourney participant, who, after his elimination from the Smackdown following an unfathomable run of seven consecutive paper throws, attributed his loss to being “caught up in the passion.” And he meant it).”

LINKS: One-Handed Warriors, of a Sort [Brooklyn Downtown Star]
Rock, Paper, Psyche [New York Magazine]

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Those of you in attendance last night at ATLANTIC YARDS SMACKDOWN are surely still reeling from the adrenaline rush. For those who missed it, the outcome of the event was unbelievable.

Sadly, no one from Team ProHo made it to the final rounds–sorry, Isa, EmilyM, Susan, Heather, Chris, Lucas, Douglas, etc. etc. But if you follow professional Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) you know the outcome was huge. Huge.

In one semifinal bracket, we had Midnight Rider, an absolute newcomer hailing from Parts Unknown, in a victory against Scissoro (Ben Stein) of Manhattan’s Team All Too Flat.

On the other side of the bracket were two Brooklyn rookies: Tony Hightower (aka Chico Bangs), a rookie representing Astoria, who lost to Amanda from Williamsburg, who was nearly disqualified in the first round but re-entered the competition due to the kindness–or naivete–of RPS newbie Kasia (pronounced like the grain).

Amanda advanced to the finals, but proved to be no match for Midnight Rider, determined to win his first-ever professional RPS match. NYRPS wishes Mr. Rider the best of luck as he moves onward and upward to the Western Regionals.

The surprise of the evening was the emergence of RPS referee Blaine Perry, an unbelievably quick study with a keen eye for the borderline throw. In the leadup to the competition, Blaine proved himself to be a true self-motivator who really threw himself into the task. At Smackdown, he made some hard calls, and he stuck with them. In the opinion of NYRPS, Blaine is already one of the most promising arbiters in the East Coast conference, and I am thrilled to hear that he has been invited to preside over the Philadelphia tournament.

It was a surprise, and a huge burden lifted off the NYRPS, to have so many RPS Enthusiasts take such an active role in putting this together. We can’t thank you enough. Give yourself a hand, because you helped spring the Pandora’s box: Competition-level Rock Paper Scissors has finally come to New York!

THANK YOU FOR THE IMAGE: C. Urbanus, who made it to the second round.

Attend the ATLANTIC YARDS SMACKDOWN Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) Tournament, TONIGHT, Thursday, May 26th at Freddy’s in Brooklyn, NY. Go here for the full announcement, directions, etc. GET THERE BY 8 PM to sign in and throw!

I know what you’re thinking – “How can I possibly compete in Atlantic Yards Smackdown: The Dailyheights.com Rock Paper Scissors Pro-Am Invitational on May 26 at Freddy’s when my RPS skills are so rusty? I haven’t trained all winter!”

Good news! TONIGHT at around 9:30 PM, a group of SMACKDOWN competitors will be gathering at an undisclosed location in Prospect Heights for a Pre-AYS Strategy Meeting. RPS will be thrown, and small quantities of money will be wagered (and large quantities of beer will be consumed).

We don’t have the location nailed down quite yet, so to get on the notification list for this (and other) pre-Smackdown trials, e-mail [email protected].

Were you thinking about competing in (DAILY HEIGHTS presents the) ATLANTIC YARDS SMACKDOWN: THE ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS PRO-AM INVITATIONAL on Thursday, May 26th at Freddy’s on Dean St.?

If so, you may want to reserve your spot now! Twelve of the 32 spots have already been taken. If there is overwhelming interest, we may add a second round of 32 (or do a round of 64 with a $400 first prize), but for now, if you hesitate, you may lose your chance to make RPS history! Visit the official blog of the New York Rock Paper Scissors Association (nyrps.org) for details, or simply e-mail [email protected] with “SIGN ME UP!” in the Subject line.

PICTURED: Daily Heights is pleased to confirm that international RPS champion C. Urbanus, accompanied by RPS trainer Lauren H., will be competing in ATLANTIC YARDS SMACKDOWN. “This is excellent news,” Urbanus said after receiving word that his pre-registration had been accepted and approved. “I don’t miss a tournament if I can at all help it. The limited size intrigues and excites me.”

C. Urbanus is inventor of the “Urbanus Defense,” a risky gambit in which a player intentionally loses the first throw of a match in order to (1) give the opponent a false sense of security and (2) gain insight into the opponent’s throwing style.

Urbanus will also be featured in the DVD Playing RPS to Win: Secrets of the Masters. In this video excerpt, he explains Pro Tip #75, Sicilian Reasoning:

“(Sicilian Reasoning) has a lot to do with how much they know about you, and how much you know about them. If they know you’re apt to lead with rock, they’re gonna throw paper. So if you know that they know that you’re gonna throw rock and they’re gonna throw paper, you can throw scissors. But then you have the other thing going, where they could know that you know that they know that you know. And then you just have to play it by ear.”

… when you could have a 1 in 32 chance of winning $200 in the Dailyheights.com ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS tournament on Thursday, May 26 at Freddy’s? For more details, please visit our RPS Blog at: New York Rock Paper Scissors Association (nyrps.org)

Signups are stupendously limited (32 competitors), and we have already promised 10 of the 32 slots!! (Maybe we have to widen the field to 64 and have a $400 cash prize, or else hold two separate rounds?) To sign up in advance, send $6.50 per competitor ($6 + .50 Paypal fee) using the “MAKE A DONATION” button to the right. Or save 50 cents by making alternative arrangements: cash, check, drinks, a bottle of pinot noir, expensive Spanish candy bars, etc. (contact us the usual way).

PICTURED: Hand to Hand Combat: Down and dirty at the World Rock Paper Scissors Championship [Rolling Stone]