Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. A "fungo" is a type of what piece of sports equipment? a bat
2. The French national anthem was popularized in Paris in 1792 by volunteer soldiers from what city? Marseilles
3. Much the Miller's Son, Alan-a-Dale, and Will Scarlet were members of what legendary group? either Ken Kesey's merry pranksters or Robin Hood's merry band. I'll go with Robin Hood.
4. What leaves behind drumlins and moraines when it leaves? glaciers
5. What title character of a 1986 film defeats the Supreme Leader by singing "We Are Here to Save the World" with his crew, Fuzzball, Hooter, and the Geex? this isn't Howard the Duck, is it? Never saw the movie, but it did come out around 1986.
6. In terms of area, what's the world's largest principally Spanish-speaking country? Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Peru. probably not Phillippines. Leaning toward Argentina.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these celebrities? Desi Arnaz, Ted Kennedy, Jack Lemmon, Jerry Lewis, Walter Matthau, Al Pacino, Edward G. Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Mike Tyson. Kennedy and Tyson are especially noteworthy members of this list. They don't seem to fit with the actors. But thanks to a hint from Alex and help from imdb, I think I have it. Each celebrity inspired the voice of a character on The Simpsons. Arnaz - Dr. Nick Rivera; Kennedy - Mayor Quimby; Pacino - Moe; Robinson - Chief Wiggum; Stallone - Lou the Cop; Matthau - Homer; etc.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two letters besides the 'H' are sometimes eccentrically capitalized in spelling the name of Jada Pinkett Smith's TV series Hawthorne? Not "HO," but you're all very funny. Christine Hawthorne is a nurse, so TNT sometimes capitalizes the "RN." correct
2. Next month, HarperCollins will print 1.5 million copies of Going Rogue: An American Life, a memoir by whom? Ghostwriter Lynn Vincent. Well, that would have been the "mavericky" answer, anyway. This is the upcoming Sarah Palin bio. correct
3. The core of what rock band was born when Paul Hewson met Dave Evans in 1976? These two are better known today as "Bono" and "The Edge." This was a little band called...Coldplay. No, wait. What's that band that's always ripping off Coldplay? Oh yeah, U2. correct
4. Which moon of the solar system--its planet's largest--is named for the Greek god of fear? Our word "phobia" comes from the same god that Mars's largest moon is named for: Phobos. correct
5. The Columbus Crew are vying for their second consecutive title in what sports league? You don't follow Major League Soccer? Well, Columbus, Ohio isn't going to be too happy about that. There's not a lot of other sports in which Columbus is going to be winning a championship anytime soon. correct
6. Who was transported using a "Black Maria"? That's the old-timey name for a "paddywagon," or police van. We accepted all manner of criminals, prisoners, drunks, and hooligans. very trivial. Why was it called a "Maria"?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these states and no others? Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington. These are the U.S. states whose official (or at least most familiar) nickname is the name of a tree. (A buckeye is a kind of chestnut, by the way.) I had to make a couple tough judgment calls, but ended up including Georgia (even though the Peach State is presumably saluting the fruit more than the tree) and left off Nevada, the Sagebrush State (because it has a couple better-known nicknames and, let's face it, sagebrush isn't much of a tree anyway). It was a squishy answer, but Alex got it.