Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - March 30
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Hiccups are caused by spasms of which muscle? Is the pharynx a muscle? Or is that the passageway? It is something in the throat but I cannot think of any muscles there.
2. What uniform number did NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson begin wearing in 2001, his rookie year? Ocho cinco - 85
3. What does the United Nations observe every spring equinox, though the rest of the world celebrates it a month later? Earth Day
4. What 1678 literary work begins in the City of Destruction and ends in the Celestial City? sure sounds like Paradise Lost. Unless it is Pilgrim's Progress. But I suspect that John Bunyan wrote that later than 1678.
5. What state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on U.S. soil? assuming that KJ means US soil at the time of the battle, this is not Alaska or Hawaii. I like this question even though I am not sure of the answer. For some reason, I think of New Jersey. A submarine got trapped and the Germans came ashore perhaps?
6. What award-winning 2009 film changed its name to avoid confusion with another movie, the superhero flop Push? Precious perhaps? But the name of the book on which it was based was also Precious. How about The Hurt Locker. Push could mean detonation or the urgency to defuse.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Accidentally on Purpose, Dexter, Eight is Enough, The Flying Nun, Gossip Girl, Homicide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sex in the City, True Blood, The Unit. Richard Belzer was in all of them. No? It just seems like he is in everything. If this is something about the theme song or the credits or something, then I will give up now.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? "Framboise" is French for raspberry. I should have remembered from the ice cream flavors at Berthillon (except that I always went for miel nougat).
2. The second- and third-longest rivers in Africa each have two nations named for them. Name both rivers. Niger and Nigeria are both named for the Niger, and the Congo lent its name to the Republic of Congo and, uh, some other kind of Republic of Congo. correct
3. The 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer ends with its protagonist putting the past behind him by asking out a girl with what first name? Joseph Gordon-Levitt finally gets over Summer when he meets Autumn. correct
4. What corporate move have Accenture, AT&T, and Gatorade all recently made? They all dropped Tiger Woods as a spokesperson...for some reason or other. I haven't really heard much about it. correct
5. Who ruled alongside her son Caesarion for the last fourteen years of her life? Caesarion was the son of Cleopatra...named after his father, I guess. Or his favorite kind of salad. correct
6. If a cell has a flagellum, what does it use it for? Getting around. The flagellum is the thrashing tail-like thing that some cells (spermatazoa, for example) use for locomotion. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these languages, and no others? Chinook Wawa, English, French, Greek, Hawaiian, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. These are the eight languages you'd need to speak to understand the official mottoes of all 50 U.S. states. My home state of Washington has the awesome Chinook motto, by the way: "Alki," meaning, more or less "Manana." The laziest of all state mottoes! close, but not quite
1. Hiccups are caused by spasms of which muscle? Is the pharynx a muscle? Or is that the passageway? It is something in the throat but I cannot think of any muscles there.
2. What uniform number did NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson begin wearing in 2001, his rookie year? Ocho cinco - 85
3. What does the United Nations observe every spring equinox, though the rest of the world celebrates it a month later? Earth Day
4. What 1678 literary work begins in the City of Destruction and ends in the Celestial City? sure sounds like Paradise Lost. Unless it is Pilgrim's Progress. But I suspect that John Bunyan wrote that later than 1678.
5. What state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on U.S. soil? assuming that KJ means US soil at the time of the battle, this is not Alaska or Hawaii. I like this question even though I am not sure of the answer. For some reason, I think of New Jersey. A submarine got trapped and the Germans came ashore perhaps?
6. What award-winning 2009 film changed its name to avoid confusion with another movie, the superhero flop Push? Precious perhaps? But the name of the book on which it was based was also Precious. How about The Hurt Locker. Push could mean detonation or the urgency to defuse.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Accidentally on Purpose, Dexter, Eight is Enough, The Flying Nun, Gossip Girl, Homicide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sex in the City, True Blood, The Unit. Richard Belzer was in all of them. No? It just seems like he is in everything. If this is something about the theme song or the credits or something, then I will give up now.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? "Framboise" is French for raspberry. I should have remembered from the ice cream flavors at Berthillon (except that I always went for miel nougat).
2. The second- and third-longest rivers in Africa each have two nations named for them. Name both rivers. Niger and Nigeria are both named for the Niger, and the Congo lent its name to the Republic of Congo and, uh, some other kind of Republic of Congo. correct
3. The 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer ends with its protagonist putting the past behind him by asking out a girl with what first name? Joseph Gordon-Levitt finally gets over Summer when he meets Autumn. correct
4. What corporate move have Accenture, AT&T, and Gatorade all recently made? They all dropped Tiger Woods as a spokesperson...for some reason or other. I haven't really heard much about it. correct
5. Who ruled alongside her son Caesarion for the last fourteen years of her life? Caesarion was the son of Cleopatra...named after his father, I guess. Or his favorite kind of salad. correct
6. If a cell has a flagellum, what does it use it for? Getting around. The flagellum is the thrashing tail-like thing that some cells (spermatazoa, for example) use for locomotion. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these languages, and no others? Chinook Wawa, English, French, Greek, Hawaiian, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. These are the eight languages you'd need to speak to understand the official mottoes of all 50 U.S. states. My home state of Washington has the awesome Chinook motto, by the way: "Alki," meaning, more or less "Manana." The laziest of all state mottoes! close, but not quite
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - March 23
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? a berry of some kind. Blackberries?
2. The second- and third-longest rivers in Africa each have two nations named for them. Name both rivers. Zambezi (Zambia and ?), Niger (Niger and Nigeria). What are the other major rivers in Africa? Gambia. And the Congo! That must be #2.
3. The 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer ends with its protagonist putting the past behind him by asking out a girl with what first name? My favorite movie from 2009. Here is one reason why. The girl's name is Autumn.
4. What corporate move have Accenture, AT&T, and Gatorade all recently made? dropped Tiger Woods as a "partner"
5. Who ruled alongside her son Caesarion for the last fourteen years of her life? female ruler in Roman times --> Cleopatra
6. If a cell has a flagellum, what does it use it for? flagellum are the little tails, aren't they? They appear to be used for propulsion.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these languages, and no others? Chinook Wawa, English, French, Greek, Hawaiian, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. It has to be something about US place names, doesn't it?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Which two signs of the Zodiac have names that come from Latin plurals? One fish is a "piscis," and one twin is a "geminus." I spent about twenty minutes making sure that "libra" (scales) wasn't a plural for "librum" or something, but it's not. One balance is a libra, two are librae. Also, they're intuitive, sensitive, and charming! correct
2. Chen Kenichi, Yutaka Ishinabe, Masahiko Kobe, and Rokusaburo Michiba were the first four men to hold what TV title? These were the original four Iron Chefs. Allez cuisine! correct
3. In what appropriately-named Tom Hanks movie does Dr. J have a cameo? Wait, was Tom Hanks in The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh? No? Then this must be Philadelphia. correct
4. When air-breathing divers get "the bends," the culprit is bubbles of what gas? Nitrogen, though if you're breathing a mix of helium or some other inert gas, that can also make the deadly bubbles. Tiny bubbles... correct
5. "Klondike" is the specific name for the most popular form of what card game? We just call it "solitaire," but if you're a real hardcore solitaire fan, like those shades-wearing guys that play in the World Series of Solitaire on ESPN, you call it "Klondike."
6. What historical event was led, from 1483 to 1498, by Tomas de Torquemada? The Spanish Inquisition! No one expects...me not to make the obvious joke here. correct. Let's face it. You can't torquemada anything!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Cocteau, Archduke Ferdinand, Brian Jones, H. P. Lovecraft, Harvey Milk, Natalie Portman, Babe Ruth, Jean Paul Sartre, Andy Warhol. All have been paid tribute in the names of rock bands, from Camper van Beethoven to Franz Ferdinand to the Dandy Warhols. My personal favorite: The Brian Jonestown Massacre. My favorite name, that is. Not my favorite band. In
fact, it would probably piss them off that I just mentioned the Dandy Warhols before I got to them. There is a band called Natalie Portman's Shaved Head? And Harvey Milk? And the JPS Band? Who knew? By the way, according to Wikipedia the Cocteau Twins are not named for Jean Cocteau. They named after a song by another Scottish band (which became Simple Minds).
1. A framboise beer is fermented using what kind of fruit? a berry of some kind. Blackberries?
2. The second- and third-longest rivers in Africa each have two nations named for them. Name both rivers. Zambezi (Zambia and ?), Niger (Niger and Nigeria). What are the other major rivers in Africa? Gambia. And the Congo! That must be #2.
3. The 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer ends with its protagonist putting the past behind him by asking out a girl with what first name? My favorite movie from 2009. Here is one reason why. The girl's name is Autumn.
4. What corporate move have Accenture, AT&T, and Gatorade all recently made? dropped Tiger Woods as a "partner"
5. Who ruled alongside her son Caesarion for the last fourteen years of her life? female ruler in Roman times --> Cleopatra
6. If a cell has a flagellum, what does it use it for? flagellum are the little tails, aren't they? They appear to be used for propulsion.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these languages, and no others? Chinook Wawa, English, French, Greek, Hawaiian, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. It has to be something about US place names, doesn't it?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Which two signs of the Zodiac have names that come from Latin plurals? One fish is a "piscis," and one twin is a "geminus." I spent about twenty minutes making sure that "libra" (scales) wasn't a plural for "librum" or something, but it's not. One balance is a libra, two are librae. Also, they're intuitive, sensitive, and charming! correct
2. Chen Kenichi, Yutaka Ishinabe, Masahiko Kobe, and Rokusaburo Michiba were the first four men to hold what TV title? These were the original four Iron Chefs. Allez cuisine! correct
3. In what appropriately-named Tom Hanks movie does Dr. J have a cameo? Wait, was Tom Hanks in The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh? No? Then this must be Philadelphia. correct
4. When air-breathing divers get "the bends," the culprit is bubbles of what gas? Nitrogen, though if you're breathing a mix of helium or some other inert gas, that can also make the deadly bubbles. Tiny bubbles... correct
5. "Klondike" is the specific name for the most popular form of what card game? We just call it "solitaire," but if you're a real hardcore solitaire fan, like those shades-wearing guys that play in the World Series of Solitaire on ESPN, you call it "Klondike."
6. What historical event was led, from 1483 to 1498, by Tomas de Torquemada? The Spanish Inquisition! No one expects...me not to make the obvious joke here. correct. Let's face it. You can't torquemada anything!
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Cocteau, Archduke Ferdinand, Brian Jones, H. P. Lovecraft, Harvey Milk, Natalie Portman, Babe Ruth, Jean Paul Sartre, Andy Warhol. All have been paid tribute in the names of rock bands, from Camper van Beethoven to Franz Ferdinand to the Dandy Warhols. My personal favorite: The Brian Jonestown Massacre. My favorite name, that is. Not my favorite band. In
fact, it would probably piss them off that I just mentioned the Dandy Warhols before I got to them. There is a band called Natalie Portman's Shaved Head? And Harvey Milk? And the JPS Band? Who knew? By the way, according to Wikipedia the Cocteau Twins are not named for Jean Cocteau. They named after a song by another Scottish band (which became Simple Minds).
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - March 16
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Which two signs of the Zodiac have names that come from Latin plurals? my own (Gemini) and Pisces. What would the singular of each be? With a little research - piscis and geminis
2. Chen Kenichi, Yutaka Ishinabe, Masahiko Kobe, and Rokusaburo Michiba were the first four men to hold what TV title? Iron Chef
3. In what appropriately-named Tom Hanks movie does Dr. J have a cameo? Dr J was a longtime 76er -- > Philadelphia
4. When air-breathing divers get "the bends," the culprit is bubbles of what gas? nitrogen
5. "Klondike" is the specific name for the most popular form of what card game? can't be poker. Gin rummy? Pinochle? Klondike sounds like Alaska gold rush but that does not evoke any card games.
6. What historical event was led, from 1483 to 1498, by Tomas de Torquemada? nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! (what an easy set up)
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Cocteau, Archduke Ferdinand, Brian Jones, H. P. Lovecraft, Harvey Milk, Natalie Portman, Babe Ruth, Jean Paul Sartre, Andy Warhol.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In what field of the entertainment industry does a "roustabout" work? "Roustabouts" just SOUND like sex workers. They're actually circus laborers. It's a glamorous life, what with all the sawdust and elephant pee and whatnot. In LA, "the entertainment industry" generally implies TV, movies, music, not the circus.
2. What piece of fruit did Andy Warhol put on the cover of the rock album The Velvet Underground & Nico? It's the most famous banana in the history of rock.
3. Who was the only U.S. president to appoint more than one Chief Justice to the Supreme Court? A tough one, since everyone forgets about the pre-Marshall Chief Justices. George Washington nominated no less than four Chief Justices, though one (William Cushing) declined. I remembered John Jay, the 1st Chief Justice, but I did not know that there were others before John Marshall.
4. By what nickname is TV's Mike Sorrentino now better known? Down on the Jersey Shore, they call him "The Situation." Or so and his abs would have us believe... I am so over Jersey Shore trivia. Can we please move on? Let's go. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
5. What do you call an ellipse whose eccentricity is zero? BORING! Also, a circle. correct
6. What two rivers join forty miles northwest of Basra to form the Shatt-al-Arab? Since Basra is Iraq's major port, you might have guessed these to be the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, cradles of ancient civilization. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movie directors? Bernardo Bertolucci, Roland Emmerich, Stanley Kubrick, Harold Ramis, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-Wai. Each directed a movie named for a year: 1900, 2012, 2001, Year One, 1492, 1941, and 2046, respectively. Kubrick's and Scott's names were semi-cheats, since both those movies had subtitles after the colon, but they're more commonly known by just the year. correct!
1. Which two signs of the Zodiac have names that come from Latin plurals? my own (Gemini) and Pisces. What would the singular of each be? With a little research - piscis and geminis
2. Chen Kenichi, Yutaka Ishinabe, Masahiko Kobe, and Rokusaburo Michiba were the first four men to hold what TV title? Iron Chef
3. In what appropriately-named Tom Hanks movie does Dr. J have a cameo? Dr J was a longtime 76er -- > Philadelphia
4. When air-breathing divers get "the bends," the culprit is bubbles of what gas? nitrogen
5. "Klondike" is the specific name for the most popular form of what card game? can't be poker. Gin rummy? Pinochle? Klondike sounds like Alaska gold rush but that does not evoke any card games.
6. What historical event was led, from 1483 to 1498, by Tomas de Torquemada? nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! (what an easy set up)
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? Ludwig van Beethoven, Jean Cocteau, Archduke Ferdinand, Brian Jones, H. P. Lovecraft, Harvey Milk, Natalie Portman, Babe Ruth, Jean Paul Sartre, Andy Warhol.
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In what field of the entertainment industry does a "roustabout" work? "Roustabouts" just SOUND like sex workers. They're actually circus laborers. It's a glamorous life, what with all the sawdust and elephant pee and whatnot. In LA, "the entertainment industry" generally implies TV, movies, music, not the circus.
2. What piece of fruit did Andy Warhol put on the cover of the rock album The Velvet Underground & Nico? It's the most famous banana in the history of rock.
3. Who was the only U.S. president to appoint more than one Chief Justice to the Supreme Court? A tough one, since everyone forgets about the pre-Marshall Chief Justices. George Washington nominated no less than four Chief Justices, though one (William Cushing) declined. I remembered John Jay, the 1st Chief Justice, but I did not know that there were others before John Marshall.
4. By what nickname is TV's Mike Sorrentino now better known? Down on the Jersey Shore, they call him "The Situation." Or so and his abs would have us believe... I am so over Jersey Shore trivia. Can we please move on? Let's go. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
5. What do you call an ellipse whose eccentricity is zero? BORING! Also, a circle. correct
6. What two rivers join forty miles northwest of Basra to form the Shatt-al-Arab? Since Basra is Iraq's major port, you might have guessed these to be the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, cradles of ancient civilization. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movie directors? Bernardo Bertolucci, Roland Emmerich, Stanley Kubrick, Harold Ramis, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-Wai. Each directed a movie named for a year: 1900, 2012, 2001, Year One, 1492, 1941, and 2046, respectively. Kubrick's and Scott's names were semi-cheats, since both those movies had subtitles after the colon, but they're more commonly known by just the year. correct!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - March 9
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In what field of the entertainment industry does a "roustabout" work? I know roustabout as someone who does the dirty work in an oil field. In the context of the entertainment industry, it sounds like something a stuntperson might do.
2. What piece of fruit did Andy Warhol put on the cover of the rock album The Velvet Underground & Nico? no idea, so I will guess something simple. An apple.
3. Who was the only U.S. president to appoint more than one Chief Justice to the Supreme Court? You might think an early president would have done so. But John Marshall was Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835. It probably was a president who served for a long time like FDR.
4. By what nickname is TV's Mike Sorrentino now better known? I don't know this person. Is he on one of those reality shows on basic cable - Dirty Jobs or Shark Week or something.
5. What do you call an ellipse whose eccentricity is zero? a circle
6. What two rivers join forty miles northwest of Basra to form the Shatt-al-Arab? Tigris and Euphrates
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movie directors? Bernardo Bertolucci, Roland Emmerich, Stanley Kubrick, Harold Ramis, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-Wai. They each directed a movie that contained a year in the title - 1900, 2012 (or 10,000 BC), 2001, Year One, 1492, 1941, 2046
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Only twice in Oscar history have two performers both been Oscar-nominated for playing the same character in the same movie. Name the actress who was part of the pair in *both* films. Everyone love questions that are just as hard to parse as they are to answer! Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart were both Oscar-nominated for playing Rose in Titanic, and Winslet and Judi Dench were later both nominated for playing author Iris Murdoch in the biopic Iris. Speaking of which, my brother swears that TCM's Robert Osborne sometimes pronounces the word "biopic" to rhyme with "myopic." Just thought you would like to know. correct
2. The U.S. presidential briefcase containing nuclear launch code is nicknamed for what piece of sports equipment? This is the president's "nuclear football." Which doesn't necessarily mean you want an ex-football player to have the launch codes--yes, I'm looking at you, Gerald Ford! correct
3. What profession is shared by "Escamillo" in the opera Carmen and "Pedro Romero" in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises? Escamillo is the guy who sings the famous "Toreador" song from Carmen, and of course Hemingway was a big bullfighting nut. Both Escamillo and Romero were bullfighters--matadors, in fact. correct
4. What company recently put out a press release entitled "Floor Mat Entrapment"? Toyota. Turns out floor mats that can jam your accelerator AREN'T a good idea. Who knew? correct (but KJ it also is not a good idea to provide solutions like fix the floor mats when other factors are causing the problem)
5. The Luzon Strait separates Taiwan from what nearby nation? This one was a little tricky, since Taiwan's nearest neighbor is the People's Republic of China. But that's the Taiwan Strait that separates the two rival Chinas: Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines, Taiwan's nearest neighbor to the south. correct
6. A year ago this week, who become the only American Idol winner ever to top the UK pop charts? Britain's life would suck without Kelly Clarkson. ok, I have heard of her. But I still don't care about this factoid. Yawn.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Girlfriends, Heroes, The Jeffersons, Lost, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Six Feet Under, Thief. Each features an interracial marriage--a black-white one, in fact, but we accepted any answer revolving around multiracial romance. Including Six Feet Under was a little tricky, but fans might recall that Keith and David were legally and lawfully wed in the futuristic montage that ended the series. Then they zoomed off in a little flying car to honeymoon on Mars. Ah, yes. Bernard and Rose on Lost. I don't think that they came up in any of the potential answers that I brainstormed.
1. In what field of the entertainment industry does a "roustabout" work? I know roustabout as someone who does the dirty work in an oil field. In the context of the entertainment industry, it sounds like something a stuntperson might do.
2. What piece of fruit did Andy Warhol put on the cover of the rock album The Velvet Underground & Nico? no idea, so I will guess something simple. An apple.
3. Who was the only U.S. president to appoint more than one Chief Justice to the Supreme Court? You might think an early president would have done so. But John Marshall was Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835. It probably was a president who served for a long time like FDR.
4. By what nickname is TV's Mike Sorrentino now better known? I don't know this person. Is he on one of those reality shows on basic cable - Dirty Jobs or Shark Week or something.
5. What do you call an ellipse whose eccentricity is zero? a circle
6. What two rivers join forty miles northwest of Basra to form the Shatt-al-Arab? Tigris and Euphrates
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movie directors? Bernardo Bertolucci, Roland Emmerich, Stanley Kubrick, Harold Ramis, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-Wai. They each directed a movie that contained a year in the title - 1900, 2012 (or 10,000 BC), 2001, Year One, 1492, 1941, 2046
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Only twice in Oscar history have two performers both been Oscar-nominated for playing the same character in the same movie. Name the actress who was part of the pair in *both* films. Everyone love questions that are just as hard to parse as they are to answer! Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart were both Oscar-nominated for playing Rose in Titanic, and Winslet and Judi Dench were later both nominated for playing author Iris Murdoch in the biopic Iris. Speaking of which, my brother swears that TCM's Robert Osborne sometimes pronounces the word "biopic" to rhyme with "myopic." Just thought you would like to know. correct
2. The U.S. presidential briefcase containing nuclear launch code is nicknamed for what piece of sports equipment? This is the president's "nuclear football." Which doesn't necessarily mean you want an ex-football player to have the launch codes--yes, I'm looking at you, Gerald Ford! correct
3. What profession is shared by "Escamillo" in the opera Carmen and "Pedro Romero" in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises? Escamillo is the guy who sings the famous "Toreador" song from Carmen, and of course Hemingway was a big bullfighting nut. Both Escamillo and Romero were bullfighters--matadors, in fact. correct
4. What company recently put out a press release entitled "Floor Mat Entrapment"? Toyota. Turns out floor mats that can jam your accelerator AREN'T a good idea. Who knew? correct (but KJ it also is not a good idea to provide solutions like fix the floor mats when other factors are causing the problem)
5. The Luzon Strait separates Taiwan from what nearby nation? This one was a little tricky, since Taiwan's nearest neighbor is the People's Republic of China. But that's the Taiwan Strait that separates the two rival Chinas: Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines, Taiwan's nearest neighbor to the south. correct
6. A year ago this week, who become the only American Idol winner ever to top the UK pop charts? Britain's life would suck without Kelly Clarkson. ok, I have heard of her. But I still don't care about this factoid. Yawn.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Girlfriends, Heroes, The Jeffersons, Lost, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Six Feet Under, Thief. Each features an interracial marriage--a black-white one, in fact, but we accepted any answer revolving around multiracial romance. Including Six Feet Under was a little tricky, but fans might recall that Keith and David were legally and lawfully wed in the futuristic montage that ended the series. Then they zoomed off in a little flying car to honeymoon on Mars. Ah, yes. Bernard and Rose on Lost. I don't think that they came up in any of the potential answers that I brainstormed.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - Tuesday, March 2
THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Only twice in Oscar history have two performers both been Oscar-nominated for playing the same character in the same movie. Name the actress who was part of the pair in *both* films. Trying to understand this question. So two actors/actresses nominated for playing the same character in one movie? Like Kate Winslett and Gloria Stuart both playing Rose in Titanic?
2. The U.S. presidential briefcase containing nuclear launch code is nicknamed for what piece of sports equipment? it is called the football
3. What profession is shared by "Escamillo" in the opera Carmen and "Pedro Romero" in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises? I would guess something to do with bullfighting. Matador, toreador.
4. What company recently put out a press release entitled "Floor Mat Entrapment"? Toyota
5. The Luzon Strait separates Taiwan from what nearby nation? Luzon --> Philippines
6. A year ago this week, who became the only American Idol winner ever to top the UK pop charts? I will learn the answer next week and I really won't care. I don't think I have watched more than one episode of that show. I'll guess Carrie Underwood because I have at least heard of her.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Girlfriends, Heroes, The Jeffersons, Lost, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Six Feet Under, Thief. Two of my all time favorites - Lost and Six Feet Under. Wonder what this could be. Something about ghosts or dead people as characters?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Name either of the two airlines that flew the Concorde from 1976 to 2003. Both British Airways and Air France flew the Concorde from their respective European hubs into JFK. correct
2. What dot-com once operated an indie film distribution company called Red Envelope Entertainment? Netflix, which sends out its DVDs in the aforementioned red envelopes. This question was inspired by watching a great Netflix-distributed documentary called "Street Fight" the other night. correct
3. What do you add to rum to make a Cuba Libre? Coke. Or Pepsi, I guess, if you're SOME KIND OF COMMUNIST. I guess that would be a Cuba No Libre or something. I was correct about the sugar. It is just delivered by way of a soft drink.
4. What former senator and Secretary of War was officially made a U.S. citizen on October 17, 1978? This might have been easier if I'd mentioned that this politician *had* actually been a U.S. citizen most of his life. President Carter restored Jefferson Davis's citizenship 89 years after his death. This is an absurdly tricky question, but there is probably some good trivia within it. Was Davis the only Confederate whose citizenship was stripped?
5. Inspired by the story in John 20:24-29, Caravaggio painted a 1602 masterpiece called "The Incredulity of" what figure? The most famously incredulous guy in the Gospels: St. Thomas, whose name we remember in the modern expression "doubting Thomas." correct!
6. What animal appears on both sides of the letter 'Q' in the band Queen's logo crest, representing John Deacon and Roger Taylor's astrological sign? Deacon and Taylor are Leos, which no doubt explains their confidence and passion and...aw hell, I can't even pretend to care about this astrology stuff. Anyway, that's why Queen albums usually have those dumb lions on them. correct
7. What unusual distinction is represented by this list of countries, in this order? Luxembourg, Turkmenistan, Vatican City, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Malta, Iraq, Syria... These are the northernmost countries not participating in the Vancouver Winter Olympics, listed in order from north to south. I thought this was a pretty great Question Seven idea when reader Greg McFarlane sent it in, but if you disagree, your beef is with me, not the clever Mr. McFarlane. Ken-Jennings.com accepts full responsibility for all Tuesday Trivia content, even the stuff we steal from someplace else.
1. Only twice in Oscar history have two performers both been Oscar-nominated for playing the same character in the same movie. Name the actress who was part of the pair in *both* films. Trying to understand this question. So two actors/actresses nominated for playing the same character in one movie? Like Kate Winslett and Gloria Stuart both playing Rose in Titanic?
2. The U.S. presidential briefcase containing nuclear launch code is nicknamed for what piece of sports equipment? it is called the football
3. What profession is shared by "Escamillo" in the opera Carmen and "Pedro Romero" in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises? I would guess something to do with bullfighting. Matador, toreador.
4. What company recently put out a press release entitled "Floor Mat Entrapment"? Toyota
5. The Luzon Strait separates Taiwan from what nearby nation? Luzon --> Philippines
6. A year ago this week, who became the only American Idol winner ever to top the UK pop charts? I will learn the answer next week and I really won't care. I don't think I have watched more than one episode of that show. I'll guess Carrie Underwood because I have at least heard of her.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Girlfriends, Heroes, The Jeffersons, Lost, My Name Is Earl, The Office, Six Feet Under, Thief. Two of my all time favorites - Lost and Six Feet Under. Wonder what this could be. Something about ghosts or dead people as characters?
LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Name either of the two airlines that flew the Concorde from 1976 to 2003. Both British Airways and Air France flew the Concorde from their respective European hubs into JFK. correct
2. What dot-com once operated an indie film distribution company called Red Envelope Entertainment? Netflix, which sends out its DVDs in the aforementioned red envelopes. This question was inspired by watching a great Netflix-distributed documentary called "Street Fight" the other night. correct
3. What do you add to rum to make a Cuba Libre? Coke. Or Pepsi, I guess, if you're SOME KIND OF COMMUNIST. I guess that would be a Cuba No Libre or something. I was correct about the sugar. It is just delivered by way of a soft drink.
4. What former senator and Secretary of War was officially made a U.S. citizen on October 17, 1978? This might have been easier if I'd mentioned that this politician *had* actually been a U.S. citizen most of his life. President Carter restored Jefferson Davis's citizenship 89 years after his death. This is an absurdly tricky question, but there is probably some good trivia within it. Was Davis the only Confederate whose citizenship was stripped?
5. Inspired by the story in John 20:24-29, Caravaggio painted a 1602 masterpiece called "The Incredulity of" what figure? The most famously incredulous guy in the Gospels: St. Thomas, whose name we remember in the modern expression "doubting Thomas." correct!
6. What animal appears on both sides of the letter 'Q' in the band Queen's logo crest, representing John Deacon and Roger Taylor's astrological sign? Deacon and Taylor are Leos, which no doubt explains their confidence and passion and...aw hell, I can't even pretend to care about this astrology stuff. Anyway, that's why Queen albums usually have those dumb lions on them. correct
7. What unusual distinction is represented by this list of countries, in this order? Luxembourg, Turkmenistan, Vatican City, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Malta, Iraq, Syria... These are the northernmost countries not participating in the Vancouver Winter Olympics, listed in order from north to south. I thought this was a pretty great Question Seven idea when reader Greg McFarlane sent it in, but if you disagree, your beef is with me, not the clever Mr. McFarlane. Ken-Jennings.com accepts full responsibility for all Tuesday Trivia content, even the stuff we steal from someplace else.
