Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Ken Jennings Tuesday Trivia - April 13
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.
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.
