Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Last week, what state became the first in the U.S. to honor an official "State Microbe," Lactococcus lactis? the microbe sounds like one that might be used in a dairy process to make milk or cheese ---> Wisconsin
2. Who was the last NBA Rookie of the Year to have entered the league straight out of high school? you have to keep in mind the NBA's recent rule that forces high school players to attend college. I believe that was implemented in 2007 or so. The question also says "straight out of high school" which would eliminate European players or Yao Ming. Which leads me to one obvious answer - Lebron James.
3. During its first season, what TV comedy include the names "De Fazio" and "Feeney" in its main title screen? Laverne and Shirley
4. What are you doing in between the hypnagogic state and the hypnopompic state? hypno refers to sleep. These could be scientific terms for the beginning and ending of a sleep cycle.
5. The second highest mountain in Africa is located in, and shares its name with, which nation? Somewhere in my brain I recall that there is a Mt. Kenya
6. What history-changing event happened eight miles off Kinsale, Ireland on May 7, 1915? 1915 coincides with the start of WWI ---> sinking of the Lusitania
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these pop songs? "Complete Control" by the Clash, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen, "God" by the Plastic Ono Band, "How Many More Times" by Led Zeppelin, "In My Head" by No Doubt, "In My Tree" by Pearl Jam, "Paintwork" by The Fall, "Strange" by R.E.M. I have listened to several of these. They all seem to have a bass line or guitar line that does not change much from the beginning of the song to the end. Or maybe they each only use a minimum number of chords. I tend to think that the answer for this one is in the music itself.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The Treme neighborhood is part of what city's historic core? This was a TV question masquerading as a geography one; Treme is the name of David Simon's excellent new HBO series set in a post-Katrina New Orleans. correct
2. What famous inventor "plays the mamba," according to the lyrics of Starship's "We Built This City"? Marconi plays the mamba. Not the mambo, apparently--the mamba, a kind of snake. Did you know the great Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to this crappy song? Me neither. Obscure lyrics from a horrible song is not a good question. This is arcana, not really trivia.
3. What modern nation was the birthplace of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and dictator Joseph Dzhugashvili? Kumaritashvili was the luger who tragically died on the eve of the last Olympics; Dzughashvili you might know better as "Stalin." Both were from Georgia correct
4. The Central American basilisk lizard is sometimes nicknamed the "Jesus lizard" because it can do what? Loved all the scripturally suspect answers here ("turn water into wine"?!?) but the basilisk lizard can walk on water pretty plausibly. correct
5. Who claimed that his painting Woman in Three Stages inspired his famous countryman Henrik Ibsen to write When We Dead Awaken? Hopefully you knew one Norwegian painter here: Edvard Munch, best known for "The Scream." correct
6. The most common version of what item is coded "#2" in America, and "HB" in the rest of the world? Pencils, or their "lead" (actually graphite, but if you're playing a weekly email trivia quiz, you probably knew that). correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Annie Get Your Gun, Apocalypse Now, Back to the Future, Death of a Scoundrel, Elephant Walk, Elizabethtown, Panic Room, Shrek. In each case, the moviemakers replaced their lead actor once production had already started, with scenes (or voice sessions, in the case of Chris Farley as Shrek) already in the can. Sure, you can sort of picture Eric Stolz in Back to the Future, but just imagine how lousy he would have been in Annie Get Your Gun!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The Treme neighborhood is part of what city's historic core? New Orleans
2. What famous inventor "plays the mamba," according to the lyrics of Starship's "We Built This City"? rated as the worst rock and roll song of all time. Why ask a question about this dreck? Does the inventor's name rhyme with mamba?
3. What modern nation was the birthplace of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and dictator Joseph Dzhugashvili? Georgia.
4. The Central American basilisk lizard is sometimes nicknamed the "Jesus lizard" because it can do what? walk on water
5. Who claimed that his painting Woman in Three Stages inspired his famous countryman Henrik Ibsen to write When We Dead Awaken? Norwegian painter? I only know one. Edvard Munch.
6. The most common version of what item is coded "#2" in America, and "HB" in the rest of the world? pencils or pencil lead
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? Annie Get Your Gun, Apocalypse Now, Back to the Future, Death of a Scoundrel, Elephant Walk, Elizabethtown, Panic Room, Shrek. I'm going to publish the other answers while I research this one.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In 2009, meteorologists proposed that "asperatus" should be added as a new variety of what, the first new category discovered in over fifty years? There's finally a new kind of cloud! I guess they are not counting that one I discovered when I was nine, even though it TOTALLY looked like a Brontosaurus. correct
2. Who or what are you supporting if you're sporting a button that reads "Team Coco"? You are supporting Conan O'Brien, but I think you're a couple months too late. I read this in a headlined story in the LA Times last week, but I did not think that it was in the spirit of the game to change my answer based on that.
3. Whose speeches are collected in the 2007 book Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat? Winston Churchill was the cataloguer-of-bodily-fluids in question. correct
4. The U.S. contains six of them; last month, Russia dropped two of its own, and now only has nine. What are they? Facebook fans of Yakov Smirnoff. Just kidding; time zones. correct
5. What 2010 film's taxonomy includes Gronckles, Zipplebacks, Nadders, Nightmares, and Night Furies? These are among the title creatures being (spoilers!) trained in How to Train Your Dragon. not sure I can take credit for a correct answer here.
6. Who took his famous stage name in 1978 after a TV host marveled at how he dwarfed his fellow talk show guest, body builder Lou Ferrigno? This is how Terry Bollea became Hulk Hogan. If his fellow guest on that talk show had been Dick Van Patten, he would be called "Eight Is Enough Hogan" to this day. Incredible Hulk --> Hulk Hogan. Ok, now I get where this was supposed to go.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these books? Blindness, Hunger, Invisible Man, The Road, Sounder, The Time Machine, The Turn of the Screw, The Virginian. The main character in each book is never named, which is a pretty tough authorial trick, if you think about it. The phrase "this one dude" must appear a lot. I guess I could have included Rebecca in this list, though she at least gets a married name. correct

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In 2009, meteorologists proposed that "asperatus" should be added as a new variety of what, the first new category discovered in over fifty years? sounds like a Latin word that is similar to names of clouds - cirrus, nimbus, stratus, etc.
2. Who or what are you supporting if you're sporting a button that reads "Team Coco"? Is this a reality tv reference? I will guess that Coco is a contestant on American Idol.
3. Whose speeches are collected in the 2007 book Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat? David Clayton Thomas. Wait, no. Winston Churchill
4. The U.S. contains six of them; last month, Russia dropped two of its own, and now only has nine. What are they? time zones
5. What 2010 film's taxonomy includes Gronckles, Zipplebacks, Nadders, Nightmares, and Night Furies? sounds like a movie based on a book or comic book. If this this a movie that has been released already, it could be the Percy Jackson movie. But those references do not sound very Olympian. I have seen ads for the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Bleah. I hope that KJ is not asking questions about movies still to be released like the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film. Ok, I just walked past a movie theater and noted How To Train Your Dragon. Also Clash of the Titans. Either could be the answer. Is that considered prohibited research?
6. Who took his famous stage name in 1978 after a TV host marveled at how he dwarfed his fellow talk show guest, body builder Lou Ferrigno? The Incredible Bulk. Is that Arnold Schwarzenegger?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these books? Blindness, Hunger, Invisible Man, The Road, Sounder, The Time Machine, The Turn of the Screw, The Virginian. Wikipedia, here I come. I think that Wikipedia delivered. Each has an unnamed narrator or lead character.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What comedian did Iggy Pop phone up in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? Iggy wanted to call his new band The Stooges, so he made sure that was cool with Moe Howard. (Moe's their leader!) Moe reportedly barked, "I don't care what they call themselves, as long as they're not the THREE Stooges!" and hung up. correct
2. In what profession are "pointe shoes" worn? Pointe shoes let ballet dancers stand on their toes. Big deal, I can totally do that in any kind of shoe. No, really. I can stand on a ballet dancer's toes in ANY KIND OF SHOE. correct
3. The Hemlock Society, a U.S. right-to-die organization, took its name in honor of what philosopher? Socrates died by drinking hemlock, but it was a state-ordered execution, so I think the Hemlock Society might be sending the wrong message there. Might as well call yourselves the "Logan's Run Society." nowadays they could call themselves the Kevorkian Society. correct
4. On what TV show did The Office's Melora Hardin appear ten times, despite her character having been killed by a car bomb in the pilot? She was the second actress to play Tony Shalhoub's late wife on Monk. correct
5. Sargassum muticum and Sargassum filipendula are two common species of what type of organism? The Sargasso Sea was named for the Sargassum seaweed that early Portuguese sailors found floating there. I said kelp which is a type of seaweed. 1/2 credit.
6. Who was Oscar-nominated for playing a woman named Julia 32 years after making her film debut in the movie Julia? Meryl Streep made a splash in both Julia AND Julie & Julia. She also acted opposite Raul Julia in one of of her big stage breakthroughs. Not that you asked. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what European city is most obviously missing from thie list of world cities? Amsterdam, Bangkok, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale, Hamburg, Recife, St. Petersburg. These are all cities with extensive canal networks, so all you had to do was say "Venice" and there you go. See, that wasn't so hard, right? Correct. Yes, this one was not hard.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What comedian did Iggy Pop phone up in 1968, seeking approval for his band's new name? Iggy and the Stooges --> Moe Howard
2. In what profession are "pointe shoes" worn? dancing or ballet dancing
3. The Hemlock Society, a U.S. right-to-die organization, took its name in honor of what philosopher? Socrates
4. On what TV show did The Office's Melora Hardin appear ten times, despite her character having been killed by a car bomb in the pilot? car bomb was the key clue that helped with this question. Monk
5. Sargassum muticum and Sargassum filipendula are two common species of what type of organism? Sargassum --> Sargasso Sea. moss or kelp?
6. Who was Oscar-nominated for playing a woman named Julia 32 years after making her film debut in the movie Julia? Meryl Streep
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, what European city is most obviously missing from this list of world cities? Amsterdam, Bangkok, Birmingham, Fort Lauderdale, Hamburg, Recife, St. Petersburg. Is that Birmingham, Alabama or England? Amsterdam has a lot of canals. I see that Recife is at a delta mouth. Birmingham, England apparently has extensive canals. If that is the common thread, the answer would probably be Venice.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Hiccups are caused by spasms of which muscle? One of many reasons to love your diaphragm. (That's what she said.) A good question. I should know this.
2. What uniform number did NFL All-Pro Chad Johnson begin wearing in 2001, his rookie year? As Spanish-speaking Dancing with the Stars fans know, the former Mr. Johnson now calls himself "Chad Ochocinco," in honor of his uniform number: 85. correct
3. What does the United Nations observe every spring equinox, though the rest of the world celebrates it a month later? The U.N. is losing the Earth Day branding battle. Don't feel bad, U Thant. I know you tried. correct
4. What 1678 literary work begins in the City of Destruction and ends in the Celestial City? That's Pilgrim's Progress. I don't know why everyone thinks the Pilgrim is so great, though. I mean, wouldn't you leave the "City of Destruction" too? Just something about that name, I guess. Pilgrim's Progress, voted the most boring classic in a poll a while back. Perhaps that is why I did not know that Bunyan wrote it in 1678.
5. What state is the site of the only World War II land battle fought on U.S. soil? The Aleutian island of Attu, now part of the state of Alaska, was occupied by the Japanese until U.S. troops forced them out in 1943. I guess that Alaska was US soil in WWII even if it was not yet a state.
6. What award-winning 2009 film changed its name to avoid confusion with another movie, the superhero flop Push? That's why Precious now has that unwieldy subtitle "Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire." Doh!
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. These are TV shows based on books. I can't wait to do a Question Seven on all the books based on TV shows I used to have as a kid, like MacGyver on Ice and Alf Summer Camp Adventure. I knew this fact about Eight Is Enough and Sex and the City. But it seemed too obvious and easy.