Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What is the more familiar name of Bart Howard's classic cabaret song "In Other Words," which the Apollo 10 crew played for Mission Control in May 1969? Fly Me To The Moon
2. Name one recent hit TV show and one recent hit movie that both center on the reality-bending adventures that interrupt a commercial air flight between Sydney and Los Angeles. tv show is Lost. Movie - ??
3. In early February 1940, a retired Vermont schoolteacher named Ida May Fuller was the first person to receive what in the mail? A social security check
4. What is Michelangelo's David holding in his left hand? he has something over his shoulder. A sling?
5. Where are you, most probably, if you see people greeting each other with a "shaka" sign? shaka like shaka zulu? Kenya?
6. What's the more common name for the extinct smilodon? A guess - saber toothed tiger
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these world nations, and no others? Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, and the U.K. Interesting that there are no countries in Africa or South America. All Northern Hemisphere countries.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What U.S. state has the largest state flower, with diameters up to 32 inches? Sunflowers can get up to almost three feet wide, so this is the Sunflower State, Kansas. Louisiana and Mississippi postcards sometimes claim that their state flower, the magnolia, is the largest, but the biggest sunflowers are literally twice the size of the biggest magnolias. Quit lying, Mississippi and Louisiana! correct
2. Hal Needham and Yakima Canutt are among the most famous examples of what Hollywood profession? Both were at the top of the stunt performer field. Canutt did that famous slide under the horses in Stagecoach; Needham made Smokey and the Bandit II. Question for discussion: which accomplishment was more painful? correct
3. Before this week's NFL lockout, which was the most recent of the big four North American professional sports organizations to order a lockout? The NHL lockout of 2004 was the most recent. Unless you're Canadian, you probably remember how the public met this drastic announcement with an acute sense of...uh, complete apathy. correct
4. What end product is produced by "tatting"? No points for those who guessed "a tattoo." Tatting is a way of making lace. correct
5. What TV show's protagonist is a veteran of the King County, Georgia Sheriff Department, and a veteran of the Cynthiana, Kentucky Police Department in the original comics? Unlike his TV predecessor Barney Fife, Southern sheriff's deputy Rick Grames, on The Walking Dead, has brains. Wait, I said it wrong. Brraaaaaains. correct
6. What ancient city was also known as Ilium? Homer's Iliad was named for its setting, the city of Troy. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these bands? Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Backstreet Boys, Hall & Oates (sorta), INXS, Judas Priest, Kool & the Gang, the New Pornographers, 'N Sync, Poison, and the Ramones. As C.F. Turner, A.J. McLean, G.E. Smith, J.D. Fortune, K.K. Downing, J.T. Taylor, A.C. Newman, J.C. Chasez, C.C. DeVille, and C.J. Ramone could tell you, these are all bands with members who go by their initials. This list took me a while to put together...who did I forget? Alex's answer was cryptic but now I understand. J.K. Rowling on lead guitar.