Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What number appears in the title of two of the last five Best Picture Oscar winners? Million - Million Dollar Baby and Slumdog Millionaire
2. What's the only inanimate object to get a verse in "The Farmer in the Dell"? isn't there a verse about cheese - the mouse gets the cheese, the mouse gets the cheese . . .
3. The historical "Orange Free State" is found in what modern-day country? South Africa
4. What shoulder condition related to tennis elbow and first diagnosed in 2007 is one of the only words in English to contain a triple letter? I am very curious to learn the answer here because I did not know there were any words with a triple letter
5. Derailleur systems are the "gears" on what type of device? bikes
6. What 1981 song has been recently revived twice as a hit, once on the last episode of The Sopranos, and once on the first episode of Glee? I can only think of one song from the last episode of The Sopranos. Don't Stop Believing by Journey. Have not seen Glee yet.
7. What pair of closely related distinctions is shared by these U.S. presidents, and no others? Teddy Roosevelt, Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Nixon on the one hand, and McKinley, Coolidge, and Clinton on the other? The first thing I notice is that all were presidents in the 20th century. That could be a red herring, but it is a place to start.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In the titles of #1 hits, what did Andy Gibb and Tommy Paige both want to bge, and Wham! and Vertical Horizon both offer you? The songs in question are "I Just Want To Be Your Everything," "I'll Be Your Everything," "Everything She Wants," and "Everything You Want." correct
2. Except for Novak Djokovic's Australian Open win in 2008, the last four years of men's Grand Slam titles have all been won by players from what two countries? Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are from Switzerland and Spain, respectively. correct
3. What popular stationery item is packaged using the tartan of the Wallace clan? That tartan is the plaid that gives Scotch tape its Scottish look. correct
4. What hit comedy of 2009 was recently released on DVD with a free Cinnabon coupon included? Cinnabon = malls + fat guys. So the answer is that immortal screen classic Paul Blart: Mall Cop. correct
5. What famous item, worn from around 1699 to 1703 in French history and liteature, was actually made of a much more comfortable material: black velvet cloth? The iron mask worn by the mysterious "Man in the Iron Mask" was actually just a piece of velvet. I know, pretty lame, right? correct
6. What South American capital city was named for August 15, 1537, the Catholic feast day on which it was founded? Asuncion, Paraguay was named for the feast of Assumption. Because when you "Asun," you make an "as" out of U and N. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these mammals in this order, and (as far as I can tell) no others? Monkeys, mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, chimpanzees, guinea pigs, humans, and cats? That's the order in which different species of mammals first entered outer space. (The cat was Felix, sent up by the French in 1963, not "Jake" from the awesome 1978 Disney flick The Cat from Outer Space.) If you think I missed any missions, let me know. That was the full list I came up with by comparing NASA's web page with a couple books on the subject. No "pigs in space" yet. Alex nailed it