duh-rye-won Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 LETS PLAY. Pride yourself on movie trivia? Try this game. story by STEPHANIE FUQUA t starts innocently enough. Name a movie actor -- say, Pierce Brosnan. Then, link actors together by the movies they costar in. Say Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire." Robin Williams and John Lithgow in "The World According to Garp." John Lithgow and Kevin Bacon in "Footloose." You've just played the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The point of the game is that Kevin Bacon is the center of the movie universe, and everyone can be linked back to him. Nonbelievers scoff, saying, "Surely there is someone who can't be linked. I'm going to find it." And that's how the game turns nonbelievers into believers. "It's addictive. Very addictive," Erisson Hastur, of Tempe, Ariz., said. Hastur is the webmaster of a World Wide Web page devoted to the Kevin Bacon game. "Although, come to think of it, it's not so much an addiction as it is a magnet. I mean, when I'm telling people about it, and they say something along the lines of 'Oh, get a life!' and then they come back five minutes later and start playing it, that's something beyond addiction," Hastur said. The temptation to challenge a group of players can be high. Ethan Sampson, senior at Kent Denver High School in Denver, Colo., has also met disbelievers who try to test the believers. "The other thing that is interesting is pretty much every time I have played, there has been some kid around -- not involved in the game or conversation or whatever -- and he or she will start yelling out random people and testing the group," Sampson said. However, dealing with the unbelievers is the best part of the game, said Stephanie Salm, a Harvard sophomore who also maintains a Bacon web page. "It's fun to meet someone unfamiliar to the game since they can never believe that it is only Kevin Bacon that this applies to. 'No, but you could do that with anyone.' Not true," Salm said. "Dealing with a new person can be fun because they think of lots of people to link that may seem hard but can be made easy when you pull out some obscure film like "Queen's Logic" or the all-time best linker -- 'JFK.' Everyone in the world was in 'JFK.'" Once you're hooked into the game, the natural thing is to ask what the rules are. There's no instruction booklet for this game, because it's mainly learned through word of mouth. Instead, it depends on which group you are playing with and what part of the country you are in. Some people allow television crossovers. Others allow cameos. Some purists say there is no way they would ever allow television appearances. "Using television is absolutely against the rules. Under no circumstances can you use TV," Salm said. "It's like using family relations: Gary Oldman was in 'The Scarlet Letter' with Demi Moore, who is married to Bruce Willis. It just doesn't work that way." The rules can be even more stringent than that. Hastur is a member of the Baconsortium, a group of people from across the country who play the game together via the web. A self-proclaimed purist, he insists that mainstream movies are the only one to be used. "To wit, they have to have been in a mainstream movie, not just little "art" films, not just pornographic films, etc. Hopefully, they've been in at least one film that has been released in America. Not a requirement, certainly, but it helps a lot," Hastur said. "The way the Baconsortium plays, you can use only movies. No television shows, no made-for-television movies, no miniseries. Just movies." Cameos are fine to use, Hastur said, but people who are extras cannot be used. Voice credits, such as Whoopi Goldberg in the "Lion King," are also questionable. "If that's the quickest -- or most stylish -- route, then go for it, but be prepared to come up with an alternate route, in case the person you're playing with doesn't like voice credits," he said. Jeff Macfee is a graduate of University of Texas at Austin and also maintains a Kevin Bacon game page. He said he plays the pure variety. "Maximum of six hops. No television, no directors, no relations," Macfee said. "I've played less 'strict' variations where TV and directors and relatives are all allowed, or where there are no limits on links. I prefer to play the 'pure' way only without a limit on links. It's just more impressive the shorter you make it." And in case you're wondering, the players explain that six degrees means six steps, not six people. Bacon counts as the first person, and you're allowed five other people to connect with him. Simple links, one or two people, can often be the best. "It's most enjoyable to play the Kevin Bacon Game with simple links," Matthew Bennett, junior at North Springs High School in Atlanta, Ga., said. "Probably connecting Spike Lee in one step was the most fun. Spike Lee was in 'Malcolm X' with a John F. Kennedy look-alike. That same JFK was in the movie 'JFK' with Kevin Bacon." Once you start playing though, it can be hard to find challenges. Most of the people who have web pages say they only get challenged by requests on the page. Others find challenges even more difficult. "Walking down the street with a friend, we passed by the poster for 'To Wong Foo,'" Macfee said. "In the time between when I could read it, and when I actually passed it -- about 10 seconds -- I had solved all three of the actors on the poster," Macfee said with a sigh. "That's how I get most of my challenges these days, through inanimate objects." But don't think that once you've played or worn out all the challenges you can think of that you can just stop. Once the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is in your head, it's there to stay. "It's hard to stop," Macfee said. "It is the heroin of the gaming world." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- i'll go first. Christina Ricci. well, i want to answer this one so i'll do it. Christina Ricci was in Laramie Project with... Laura Linney, who was in Mystic River with... THE BACONATOR ----------------------------------------------------------------- ok, next one... Crispin Glover. anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloner Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 i'd rather shit out a porcupine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duh-rye-won Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 been there, done that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Rocksalot Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 How is Mel Gibson connected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overtime Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 i dont know actors and actoresses names to play this game, but ive known about it for a long ass time, i heard it was 7 degrees, sometimes 6..... laraime project was a good documentary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seppuku Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Crispin Glover was in "What Is It?" with Kelly Swiderski. This stupid fucking game is OVER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fermentor666 Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Crispin Glover was in The People vs Larry Flynt with: Woody Harellson who was in Wag the Dog with: Robert DeNiro who was in Sleepers with: Kevin Bacon. How about: Patrick Stewart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seppuku Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 You fucking idiot, haven't you ever heard of turn order? I just ended the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatita Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I think Im the next Kevin Bacon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Dazzle Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 On a side note, Christina Ricci is smoking..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fermentor666 Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Originally posted by seppuku@Jan 27 2005, 04:59 AM You fucking idiot, haven't you ever heard of turn order? I just ended the game. Quoted post OMGWTFBBQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Priest Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Fermentor just made seppuku shit a brick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadpig Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 why did they show kevin's bacon in this movie? why!!?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAustin Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 hell, I can connect myself to Kevin Bacon in less than 6 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I can connect myself to Kevin Bacon in 2 degrees. (having met people, not having acted with them or anything) and btw.... I hate this game. I went to film school and all the dweebs (yes.. the word suits them perfectly) would play this shit for hours on end. Eventually they'd all be chanting the connections in unison. The rest of us decided to get jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_El Mamerro Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I am Kevin Bacon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 I was Kevin Bacon, but it was time to move on. Then I was the Dread Pirate Roberts for a while, but not the first Dread Pirate Roberts. Gotta keep it fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoblow Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I wonder how Kevin feels about all this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_El Mamerro Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 I'm OK with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 haha... good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethreadzny2 Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Originally posted by Dr. Dazzle@Jan 27 2005, 06:19 AM On a side note, Christina Ricci is smoking..... Quoted post bing bing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethreadzny2 Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 lets play 6 degrees of ethreadzny, lets try micheal jackson. Never ever land never was so good.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoblow Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 "But come on, we all want to know. What about “The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”? Does the actor ever get completely tired of hearing about it? “No, I don't get tired of hearing about it. It's out there, out in the world.” He's not even so sure he'd win if he played it, confessing that he isn't much of a movie buff at all and never has been." Kevin Bacon interview about something or other, i don't really know............... Apparently he doesn't really care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowkid Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 :love2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppa.k Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 Originally posted by SteveAustin@Jan 27 2005, 11:12 AM hell, I can connect myself to Kevin Bacon in less than 6 degrees. Quoted post sama same.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overtime Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 i think we need another simpsons trivia.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermdog Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 She was great in this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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