Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - February 24
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. True vanilla comes from a species of what flower? I think vanilla comes from a species of orchid.
2. Which two numbers are usually spelled out in word form in the "countdown" leader before a film begins? This question is bogus. I don't recall ever seeing a number spelled out in word form in a countdown. See this video . Since 9 and 10 are not included in the video, I will guess nine and ten.
3. What group was named for the address of David Sancious's mother's home in Belmar, New Jersey, where the band used to rehearse? It took about a minute of noodling on this, but I now recall that David Sancious was an early member of the E Street Band.
4. What onetime Time and Sports Illustrated cover boy was buried in 2008 in a churchyard in Laugardaelir, Iceland? Iceland --> Bobby Fisher
5. The "Saladin tithe" was an English tax levied to finance the third of nine what? Saladin --> crusades
6. What comedian is starring in the current Broadway hit "You're Welcome, America"? I have no idea. Is "you're welcome" a reference to Barack Obama (hence a black comedian)? A reference to Latinos (hence someone like George Lopez)? I'll take a guess - Chris Rock.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these novels? The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Cat's Cradle, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Day of the Locust, The House of the Spirits, The Natural, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Year of Living Dangerously. no ideas here yet. I have only read The Natural. I know that The Day of the Locust includes a character named Homer Simpson. But nothing connects.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two South American nations begin with the same letters as their respective capital cities? Brasilia, Brazil is presumably the easier one. The other is Georgetown, Guyana. Correct with a lucky guess on Guyana.
2. What hit 1994 documentary features cameo appearances by John Thompson, Mike Krzyzewski, and Rick Pitino, among others? Those were all influential NCAA basketball coaches of the era, so this is Hoop Dreams. correct
3. What do you tend to do in bright light if you have "Autosomal-dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst syndrome"? The whimsically named disorder is, you might have noticed, a "backronym" for ACHOO syndrome. ACHOO sufferers are the freakish 24% of humanity that sneezes in bright light. My name is Ken Jennings...and I have photic sneeze reflex. after the PAM question recently, I should have been looking for acronyms
4. What modern holiday is believed to be descended from the Roman festival of Lupercalia? Lupercalia was a mid-February fertility festival, so the answer here is...Presidents Day. No wait, Valentine's Day. correct
5. On TV, what "middle ground" "lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge"? The Twilight Zone, according to Rod Serling's second season intro. correct
6. Dan Simmons' new book Drood is based on the troubled last years of what writer? The Mystery of Edwin Drood was the unfinished last novel of Charles Dickens. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what baseball player could be added to this list of performers, and why? Benjamin Bratt, John Derek, Richard Gere, Peter Sellers, Charlie Sheen, Ringo Starr, and Robert Wagner. All these performers had (or have, in four cases) the enviable distinction of being married to "Bond girls." So the missing ballplayer is David Justice, the former Mr. Halle Berry. Robert Wagner is the only person who is also a brother-in-law of a Bond girl, a less enviable distinction which he happens to shares with Richard Harris, Stephen Baldwin, and...Timothy Leary! Halle Berry would have been a big help. I guess it also would have helped if I had seen a Bond movie since 1983.
1. True vanilla comes from a species of what flower? I think vanilla comes from a species of orchid.
2. Which two numbers are usually spelled out in word form in the "countdown" leader before a film begins? This question is bogus. I don't recall ever seeing a number spelled out in word form in a countdown. See this video . Since 9 and 10 are not included in the video, I will guess nine and ten.
3. What group was named for the address of David Sancious's mother's home in Belmar, New Jersey, where the band used to rehearse? It took about a minute of noodling on this, but I now recall that David Sancious was an early member of the E Street Band.
4. What onetime Time and Sports Illustrated cover boy was buried in 2008 in a churchyard in Laugardaelir, Iceland? Iceland --> Bobby Fisher
5. The "Saladin tithe" was an English tax levied to finance the third of nine what? Saladin --> crusades
6. What comedian is starring in the current Broadway hit "You're Welcome, America"? I have no idea. Is "you're welcome" a reference to Barack Obama (hence a black comedian)? A reference to Latinos (hence someone like George Lopez)? I'll take a guess - Chris Rock.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these novels? The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Cat's Cradle, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Day of the Locust, The House of the Spirits, The Natural, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Year of Living Dangerously. no ideas here yet. I have only read The Natural. I know that The Day of the Locust includes a character named Homer Simpson. But nothing connects.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two South American nations begin with the same letters as their respective capital cities? Brasilia, Brazil is presumably the easier one. The other is Georgetown, Guyana. Correct with a lucky guess on Guyana.
2. What hit 1994 documentary features cameo appearances by John Thompson, Mike Krzyzewski, and Rick Pitino, among others? Those were all influential NCAA basketball coaches of the era, so this is Hoop Dreams. correct
3. What do you tend to do in bright light if you have "Autosomal-dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst syndrome"? The whimsically named disorder is, you might have noticed, a "backronym" for ACHOO syndrome. ACHOO sufferers are the freakish 24% of humanity that sneezes in bright light. My name is Ken Jennings...and I have photic sneeze reflex. after the PAM question recently, I should have been looking for acronyms
4. What modern holiday is believed to be descended from the Roman festival of Lupercalia? Lupercalia was a mid-February fertility festival, so the answer here is...Presidents Day. No wait, Valentine's Day. correct
5. On TV, what "middle ground" "lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge"? The Twilight Zone, according to Rod Serling's second season intro. correct
6. Dan Simmons' new book Drood is based on the troubled last years of what writer? The Mystery of Edwin Drood was the unfinished last novel of Charles Dickens. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what baseball player could be added to this list of performers, and why? Benjamin Bratt, John Derek, Richard Gere, Peter Sellers, Charlie Sheen, Ringo Starr, and Robert Wagner. All these performers had (or have, in four cases) the enviable distinction of being married to "Bond girls." So the missing ballplayer is David Justice, the former Mr. Halle Berry. Robert Wagner is the only person who is also a brother-in-law of a Bond girl, a less enviable distinction which he happens to shares with Richard Harris, Stephen Baldwin, and...Timothy Leary! Halle Berry would have been a big help. I guess it also would have helped if I had seen a Bond movie since 1983.
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#2 -- This other video confirms what I would have guessed. But based on the amount of countdown videos out there without those two numbers spelled out, I would say Ken's use of the word "usually" is out of line.
#3, #4 -- Great job. Both make sense, I feel I should have gotten both of them (especially with the New Jersey hint for #3!) but I just couldn't come up with them.
#6 -- I feel like I should know this. I'll think about it.
#7 -- A search through Wikipedia doesn't seem to help. Do these get harder toward the end of each ten-week period? They sure seem to this time.
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#3, #4 -- Great job. Both make sense, I feel I should have gotten both of them (especially with the New Jersey hint for #3!) but I just couldn't come up with them.
#6 -- I feel like I should know this. I'll think about it.
#7 -- A search through Wikipedia doesn't seem to help. Do these get harder toward the end of each ten-week period? They sure seem to this time.
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