Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Who began an 1819 sonnet, "Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art"? 1819 seems early for Robert Browning. However 1819 is about right for Shelley.
2. The professionals who smuggle people across the U.S.-Mexico border are given what animal name? coyotes
3. Who's the only filmmaker that won two Best Director Oscars during the 1980s? Both were movies about the same historical period. KJ means "only filmmaker WHO won." I presume that the filmmaker was/is a person, not an object. Same historical period. Chariots of Fire and Ghandi? Is that Richard Attenborough? Don't recall him directing Chariots of Fire. Milos Forman won for Amadeus. Trying to think of other historical award winners from the 80s. Who directed Out of Africa? Platoon was Oliver Stone. Born on the 4th of July was Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone.
4. What moved from the U.S. to Malaysia in 1998, Malaysia to Taiwan in 2003, and from Taiwan to the United Arab Emirates this week? home of the world's tallest building
5. Sweet Adelines International is one of the world's largest organization for devotees of what kind of music? barbership harmony or barbershop quartet
6. Controversy erupted last month after the Philadelphia Eagles gave a "courage and sportmanship" award to whom? I did not hear about this so I can only guess. Ken Jennings! No probably not. Terrell Owens is no longer an Eagle. Among current players, none might generate controversy. Is this someone who is not even a pro athlete, like President Obama? ---> of course! Mike Vick has not played enough for me to think of him. I saw the Eagles play vs. the Chargers earlier this year and completely forgot that Vick was on the roster.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Hill Street Blues, Malcolm in the Middle, The PJs, The Rookies, Scrubs, Starsky & Hutch, S.W.A.T., T.J. Hooker.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In a nod to his middle name, what American general was affectionately nicknamed "Cump" by his men? "Cump" was short for "Tecumseh," the middle name of General Sherman. There is no "p" in Tecumseh.
2. The Billboard Catalog Chart ranks the sale of albums that aren't new releases. During 2009, what two acts each had an unprecedented nine of the top ten albums on a weekly chart? The Beatles and Michael Jackson, though 3/5 dead, each managed to monopolize the Catalog Chart last year. correct
3. Who is now the only man currently hosting one of the three major U.S. network prime time newscasts? I enjoyed all the straight-faced answers of "Katie Couric" (but not "Diane Sawyer," because I like here, so that's just mean). Brian Williams is the lone Y-chromosome of the nightly news now. correct
4. What Persian poet is best known for a thousand "ruba'i" stanzas he wrote around 1100 AD? Those "ruba'i" were collected into his "rubaiyat." (Or "ruby yacht," for Bullwinkle fans.) This is Omar Khayyam, who was, during his lifetime, more famous as a mathematician and astronomer than as a poet. correct
5. Seventeen of the twenty most attended sports or entertainment events in the world are held by what organization? Maybe if more FIFA or NFL fans starting bringing their trailers to the games, they would have had a shot at this, but no, NASCAR fans hold the record. a modern day version of bread and circuses
6. What part of the body can be replaced using gingival grafts? Your gums. Generally a piece of your soft palate is cut out and stretched over the receding gumline. Ick. My dental hygienist always threatens me with the possibility of this surgery someday if I don't switch to softer bristles, or something. I don't know. They have TVs there now so I just tune her out. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. states, and no others? Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Virginia? These are all the U.S. states whose largest cities start with the same letter as the state itself, alliterative cities like Anchorage, Honolulu, and beautiful Newark. Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia? That I did not know.