Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What two letters besides the 'H' are sometimes eccentrically capitalized in spelling the name of Jada Pinkett Smith's TV series Hawthorne? The answer is probably NOT the "h" and the "o." I believe that her character is a nurse, so I will say "r" and "n."
2. Next month, HarperCollins will print 1.5 million copies of Going Rogue: An American Life, a memoir by whom? Sarah Palin
3. The core of what rock band was born when Paul Hewson met Dave Evans in 1976? Paul "Bono" Hewson ---> U2
4. Which moon of the solar system--its planet's largest--is named for the Greek god of fear? Titan was not the Greek god of fear. I do not recognize Phobos as a Greek god, but it is a moon. And "phobia" fits the "fear" part of the clue.
5. The Columbus Crew are vying for their second consecutive title in what sports league? Major League Soccer
6. Who was transported using a "Black Maria"? "Who" implies that the answer is a person. Is this a Halloween question, like for Vlad the Impaler?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these states and no others? Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington. State questions are brutal because there are so many areas to explore. Is there a common thread in the state capitals - Atlanta, Augusta, Jackson, Columbus, Columbia, Olympia?

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Who or what might you find inside a Habitrail? Habitrails are, like the Internet, a vast network of tubes. They're those clear tubes that gerbils and the like can run around in. We accepted anything having to do with tiny, unhygienic pets. correct
2. Give the full name of the international nonprofit that forced a pro wrestling outfit to change its name in 2002. That cute little panda in the World Wildlife Fund (or World Wide Fund for Nature) logo is tougher than it looks: it took out Hulk Hogan! That's why the WWF is now the WWE. correct
3. Musicians Sally and Ben Taylor are the children of what two chart-topping singer-songwriters? James Taylor and Carly Simon, who were married from 1972 to 1983. Now we know the result of lots and lots of marijuana in utero: it produces folksingers! correct
4. What hit TV show did David Shore and Paul Attanasio create after enjoying Lisa Sanders' "Diagnosis" columns in The New York Times? Those columns were all about exciting and exotic medical diagnosis stories, and House was their bastard stepchild. correct
5. What's the world's largest nation that's all a single time zone? Despite spanning five theoretical time zones, China is all on Beijing time by government edict. Okay, Communism, maybe you've beaten jetlag. But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow. correct
6. Name either of the two active NBA players who have led their team in all five major stats--points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals--in a season. As B-ball fans know, this is pretty damn hard to do, but Kevin Garnett and LeBron James have both managed. Dave Cowens and Scottie Pippen are the only two other names on this list, though steals weren't officially counted by the NBA until the mid-1970s. Whew! Alex and I both got one.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Belle de Jour, Blowup, Dog Day Afternoon, Executive Suite, Interiors, Network, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, Paranormal Activity, Rachel Getting Married, Rear Window. Weirdly, these movies all have no score! The only music on the soundtrack, if any, is "diegetic"...that is, it's audible within the world of the movie, via stereos and live singers and so forth. I guess this was only unusual after the silent era...for the first few decades of film, EVERY movie fit this category! I guess that I am intrigued by the answer, but there was no way in heck that I was going to come up with that.