Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What legendary label-mate wrote Mary Wells's "My Guy" and the Temptations' "My Girl"? Besides Berry Gordy, can you name another song writer for Motown? I'll guess Gordy.
2. What nickname is shared by South Dakota, Florida, and Australia's Queensland? Queensland has a gold coast.
3. What pastime is technically termed "rhinotillexis"? rhino means nose. The only pastime involving I can think of involving the nose is nose humming.
4. What star of a TV megahit is also a department chair at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City? Ty Pennington is the only host of a makeover show whose name I know. Or is this someone like Jeff Probst, Phil Keoghan or even James Lipton? I will guess Lipton. I think the Actor's Studio is part of the New School.
5. What are "all alike," according to the famous first sentence of Anna Karenina? unhappy families
6. What movie classic almost produced a sequel called Brazzaville, set exactly 3,000 miles to the southeast? Casablanca. Learned this from the Pub Quiz.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these people? Tony Danza, Berry Gordy Jr., Sammy Hagar, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Nelson Mandela, Harry Reid, Roy Scheider, and George Wallace. I think this has something to do with boxing.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two words that can each mean "a lock of hair" are also the first names of voice actors on The Simpsons? Those would be "hank" (Azaria) and "tress" (MacNeille). I wish I'd realized ahead of time that there's a "Harry Shearer" pun to be made here. I got 1/2 of this on my own.
2. Whose Westminster, Maryland pumpkin patch was named a national historic landmark in 1988? That was Whittaker Chambers's family pumpkin patch, where he briefly hid the famous Alger Hiss "Pumpkin Papers." This is really obscure US history. Never heard of the Pumpkin Papers before.
3. What's the only NFL team that now plays a game every season outside the U.S.? The Buffalo Bills recently announced a deal to play one home game every season in Toronto. Poorly worded question. Buffalo has not played any games in Toronto so you can't say that they now play a game every season outside the US. Should have used future tense.
4. What did an Arles, France prostitute named Rachel receive wrapped in newspaper as an early Christmas gift on December 23, 1888? Part of Vincent Van Gogh's left ear. Merry Christmas! Good thing Rachel wasn't Jewish...you probably don't want eight days of holiday gifts when someone's sending you body parts. Correct
5. Because of the posture it requires, what household fixture takes its name from a French word for "pony"? "Bidet" means "pony." Ride 'em cowboy. I think this should have read, "because of the posture required to use this household fixture . . ." I was thinking of an appliance shaped like a horse like a mixer.
6. Jain monks of the Digambara sect are unusual in that they wear what? Digambara monks are "sky-clad"--that is, they wear nothing at all. No clue on this one.
7. Who comes last in this sequence? Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Tatum O'Neal, Valerie Perrine, Carol Kane, Mariel Hemingway, Cathy Moriarty, ______. This turned out to be harder than I thought it was. These are the last seven women to be Oscar-nominated for performances they gave in black and white (the movies are The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Lenny, Hester Street, Manhattan, and Raging Bull). This hasn't happened since 1980...until this year! The answer is Cate Blanchett, for the (mostly color, actually) I'm Not There.

Why do we use shameful and shameless synonymously? I have thought of this as I hear the democrats and republicans throw the words back and forth at one another. Is the President more shameful or shameless? And what about Congress?

One of the best mass stunts/pranks you will see was executed by an improvisational performance group in Grand Central Station in late January, 2008

the video

the story

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What two words that can each mean "a lock of hair" are also the first names of voice actors on The Simpsons? I thought first of Hank Azaria. But the second one can't be Harry Shearer. Hairy is an adjective, not a noun. Thanks to imdb, I now know that one of the voice actors is Tress MacNeille.
2. Whose Westminster, Maryland pumpkin patch was named a national historic landmark in 1988?
3. What's the only NFL team that now plays a game every season outside the U.S.? I think that the Giants and Dolphins played at Wembley this past season. Could be one of them unless the "game" is an exhibition game and this refers to a team like the Cowboys playing in Mexico.
4. What did an Arles, France prostitute named Rachel receive wrapped in newspaper as an early Christmas gift on December 23, 1888? Vincent Van Gogh's ear
5. Because of the posture it requires, what household fixture takes its name from a French word for "pony"?
6. Jain monks of the Digambara sect are unusual in that they wear what?
7. Who comes last in this sequence? Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Tatum O'Neal, Valerie Perrine, Carol Kane, Mariel Hemingway, Cathy Moriarty, ______.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What estate sits just four miles away from Thrushcross Grange? It's Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights : Thrushcross Grange :: Tara : Twelve Oaks. I was right about 19th century British novels but I had the wrong one.
2. Who was named the First Viscount of Alamein in 1946? General Bernard Montgomery was so honored his victory at El Alamein. I'm a little leery of these made-up titles though. Could Victoria Beckham be made First Duchess of Posh? Will Daniel Day-Lewis be the Earl of Milkshakes? grr - I guessed the wrong WWII general
3. What's the only hard part of an octopus's body? Its beak. correct
4. Who invented the famous paper bucket still used by KFC today, despite being more closely associated with a different fast food chain? Dave "Wendy's" Thomas, back when he was still a KFC franchisee. correct
5. What nation, whose borders closely hug its namesake river, is the smallest on the African continent? The Gambia, though the Seychelles are smaller if you're counting islands as well.
6. What rock star, appropriately, plays himself in Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie? Sting is outed as "Gordon Sumner" on the witness stand in that flick. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these songs? "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton, "Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang, "Fade Away and Radiate" by Blondie, "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC, "Love Potion No. 9" by the Clovers, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett, and "Night Moves" by Bob Seger. All name specific years in the lyrics--1814 in "Battle of New Orleans," 1969 in "Hotel California," etc. Yea!! I got another question 7 correct

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What estate sits just four miles away from Thrushcross Grange? This sounds like something from a 19th century British novel. Northanger Abbey perhaps?
2. Who was named the First Viscount of Alamein in 1946? Patton or Montgomery. I'm going with Patton.
3. What's the only hard part of an octopus's body? its beak
4. Who invented the famous paper bucket still used by KFC today, despite being more closely associated with a different fast food chain? Dave Thomas
5. What nation, whose borders closely hug its namesake river, is the smallest on the African continent? I accidentally saw an answer posted on a bulletin board - Gambia. never heard of the Gambian River.
6. What rock star, appropriately, plays himself in Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie? Sting
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these songs? "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton, "Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang, "Fade Away and Radiate" by Blondie, "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC, "Love Potion No. 9" by the Clovers, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett, and "Night Moves" by Bob Seger. They do all have years in their lyrics. Is there a pattern in the years? Battle of New Orleans - 1814. Mustang Sally - 1965. Fade Away and Radiate - 1955. Night Moves - 1962. Hotel California - 1969. Love Potion No 9 - 1956. Let There Be Rock - 1955. Can It Be All So Simple - 1993.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Roger Federer has now matched what player's open era record of five Wimbledon singles titles in a row? Bjorn Borg won Wimbledon every year from 1976 to 1980. correct
2. The title of what 2007 film originally described a reason to sail "to Byzantium" in a famous W. B. Yeats poem? "Sailing to Byzantium" begins, "That is no country for old men."
3. What kind of seed gives tahini its distinctive flavor? Tahini, used to flavor hummus and other Middle Eastern foods, is a paste of crushed sesame seeds. correct
4. As titles go, it's not quite as catchy as "Living History" or "The Audacity of Hope," but which U.S. presidential hopeful is the author of "Evaluation of Renal Biopsy in Pregnancy Toxemia"? Ron Paul is, as far as I can remember, the only gynecologist ever to run for president. Ron Paul is a doctor. Who knew?
5. What element, used in atomic clocks, has the largest atoms yet measured by science? Cesium is one of the most reactive elements on the periodic table due to its large atomic radius.
6. Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures are spin-offs of what venerable TV science-fiction series? No Doctor Who, no Torchwood. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. states, and no others? Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming? (As a hint, Bill had Massachusetts in his original list, but I now believe that it doesn't *quite* qualify.) These are the U.S. states that have no part of their border formed by a river. Massachusetts would qualify, but it looks to me like there's a tiny jog just south of Springfield that follows the Connecticut River for less than half a mile.

A very clever video of Don McLean's American Pie. Pay close attention to the images used for each set of lyrics.

The image for "the marching band refused to yield" was very predictable.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. Roger Federer has now matched what player's open era record of five Wimbledon singles titles in a row? I believe that Bjorn Borg won five in a row from 1980-84
2. The title of what 2007 film originally described a reason to sail "to Byzantium" in a famous W. B. Yeats poem? I did not recall the first line of Sailing to Byzantium, but I do know it now. "This is no country for old men."
3. What kind of seed gives tahini its distinctive flavor? sesame seed
4. As titles go, it's not quite as catchy as "Living History" or "The Audacity of Hope," but which U.S. presidential hopeful is the author of "Evaluation of Renal Biopsy in Pregnancy Toxemia"? this sounds like Bill Frist. Is he a presidential hopeful?
5. What element, used in atomic clocks, has the largest atoms yet measured by science? uranium-238 (this is a guess)
6. Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures are spin-offs of what venerable TV science-fiction series? Venerable TV science-fiction series? I can think of a couple - Star Trek, Dr. Who, The Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica. I'll guess Dr. Who.
7. What unusual distinctin is shared by these U.S. states, and no others? Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming? (As a hint, Massachusetts was originally on the list, but I now believe that it doesn't *quite* qualify.)

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What elite military force was long headquartered in Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Algeria? The French Foreign Legion. Nowadays, you *can* be French and still join the "foreign" legion, but you must make at least a token attempt to pretend to be from Monaco or something. correct
2. Why did headlines this month refer to Mia Hamm as the "Jerry West of women's soccer"? Her silhouette will be used as the logo for Women's Professional Soccer, a nascent league. Jerry West is the dribbling guy in the NBA logo. correct
3. What was a career for Sir Edmund Hillary and an avocation for Sherlock Holmes? Both were beekeepers. Also Henry Fonda, Archie Moore, Leo Tolstoy, and Viktor Tushchenko! (Yes, this was an abortive Question Seven that proved too Google-able.) correct
4. What future journalist was crowned "America's Junior Miss," representing Kentucky, in 1963? Diane Sawyer was a teen beauty queen. (And speaking of morning show hosts, the future Kathie Lee Gifford was in the same pageant a few years later.) I guessed Phyllis George. She was Miss Texas in 1971.
5. What expression meaning "everything" derives from the three main parts of a musket? The proverbial "lock, stock, and barrel" make up a rifle. correct
6. What title activity of a 1982 song began "as soon as the shareef had cleared the square"? Rockin' the Casbah. (I hear the shareef don't like it.) correct - more Clash questions please
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Milton Berle, Steve Earle, Eminem, Melanie Griffith, Stan Laurel, Joe Louis, Frida Kahlo, and Lana Turner. All were married twice to the same spouse. Fred "Rerun" Berry was married to the same spouse *three* times, but I couldn't find enough of those to fill out a question. I really like Steve Earle's music (I have 10 of his CDs), but I did not know this about his personal life

Still catching up on things I liked in 2007. More Arcade Fire.

This video lets you see the band up close as they perform Neon Bible in an elevator and Wake Up unamplified in the middle of the crowd at the Olympia Arena in Paris much as you might hear them on a street corner in Montreal. Yes, this group is different. You better look out below!