Trivia Quiz for Squiggle #5

Currently listening to: "Life After Death" by King Diamond

Sorry this is coming late in the day. I didn't write up the questions yesterday or last night because it was my birthday and I was too busy doing nothing (I took the day off work and slept until noon!)...well, I did mosey out of the house to see "For Your Consideration" which I didn't think was very good...it just wasn't funny (or not as funny as the other Christopher Guest movies)...it definitely had the most serious message (when you get to the last scene) out of all his movies, but it was kinda, just, eh...one of my Jewish co-workers said that I probably would've found it funnier if I were a Jew...so there you have it. When the day was almost over (10PM) I went back to the theatre to see "Casino Royale" which was actually very good. It took me a bit to adjust to Daniel Craig as Bond because he doesn't really look like your typical Bond, but he won me over and he's probably one of the best actors to play the role...Craig pulled off a convincing portrayal of a top-ranking secret agent and all the gritty shit they most likely have to go through...and I suppose this was intentional seeing as how this is Bond when he first gained "00" status, but not everything he does is perfect...he slips up, stumbles, makes mistakes...it made the role more human. Now for the quiz:

1. Adjusting for inflation, Cleopatra (1963), is the most expensive movie ever made to date. Its budget of $44 million is equivalent to:
A. $190 million
B. $270 million
C. $360 million

2. Although identified with Scotland, bagpipes are actually a very ancient instrument, introduced into the British Isles by:
A. The Romans
B. The Moors
C. The Celts

3. Bette Midler, Barry Manilow and many other famous vocalists got their start in a New York City club called:
A. The Continental Baths
B. CBGB’s
C. The Riviera

4. How many Oscars did Walt Disney receive between 1931 and 1969?
A. 13
B. 29
C. 35

5. Who is the first character to speak in Star Wars?
A. C3PO
B. Luke Skywalker
C. Princess Leia

6. What was the name of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s fish in Star Trek: The Next Generation?
A. Watson
B. Livingston
C. Einstein

7. Donald Duck’s middle name is:
A. Fauntleroy
B. Gaylord
C. Abernathy

8. Who was the first Beatle to have a #1 hit single following the group's breakup?
A. Paul McCartney
B. George Harrison
C. Ringo Starr

9. What was the first song to be performed in outer space, sung by the Apollo IX astronauts on March 8, 1969?
A. “Moon River”
B. “99 Bottles of Beer”
C. “Happy Birthday”

10. In 1938 Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel sold all rights to the comic-strip character Superman to their publishers for:
A. $37
B. $130
C. $690

Movie Stars, Swimmin' Pools

Currently listening to: "Voodoo" by King Diamond

SWIPED from Yasamin's blog...trivia answers are below this post...

1. Popcorn or candy?
Hmmm…I’ll say candy because it seems that all the theatres I go to already have the popcorn buttered…I hate the yellow ooze they put on popcorn when I go to the movies…and it gives me the runs… I like non-buttered popcorn, but it had better have some fucking salt on it! I don’t really like candy either…but I’d rather have a few crappy pieces Nestle’s Buncha Crunch or whatever than get the runs…

2. Name a movie you've been meaning to see forever?
In regards to Yasamin’s answer, I’d have to say ewwww to Requiem for a Dream. I had a bad experience seeing that in the theatre…not only did I feel kinda dirty walking out of the flick, but I saw it with a bad crowd…people laughed at some of the most depressing, heart-wrenching (thank Christ I don’t have a heart anymore) moments which made me want to slay everyone…it’s a really sad movie… But what have I been meaning to see? A Clockwork Orange…I’m not a big fan of Kubrick’s stuff and I’ve always been turned off by the movie’s one-sheet art…that floating eyeball on Malcolm McDowell’s wrist…can’t be a good sign of things to come…and one of the most interesting things I’ve heard about the movie is about the apparent rape scene involving the song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”…but I’m not always in the mood for watching people get raped…disemboweled, tortured (although I think the torture genre is getting out of hand), whatever…Hell, even the severed head sodomy in the unrated version of High Tension wasn’t so bad…but rape? Iduno…

3. You are given the power to recall one Oscar. Who loses theirs and to whom? Don’t care who loses it, as long as it gets sent to Gary Oldman…for anything…

4. Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe.
The demon’s green cape in the American Ballet Company’s version of Swan Lake…I can do without the cod piece though…I’d hate for some girl to get her hopes up and then find out the sad and pitiful truth…

5. Your favorite film franchise is...
EVIL DEAD!

6. Invite five living movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why'd you invite them? What do you feed them?
1. Bruce Campbell – because he’s fuckin’ BRUCE CAMPBELL!
2. Marcus Nispel (director of the 2003 version of Texas Chain Saw and countless commercials/music videos) – he’s an artist and started his career as a painter…he loves to use light and always employs dramatic lighting effects in his work…I’d just like to have him over so he can teach me how to and what set up I would need so my domicile looks bitchin’ (lighting-wise)
3. Gary Oldman – because he’s fuckin’ GARY OLDMAN!!!
4. Paul W.S. Andersen – I respect his work but at the same time I’m a bit irritated with it…I love how he believes in practical effects and only uses digital when absolutely necessary (keep Event Horizon out of that argument)…but he’s got a CASTLEVANIA movie coming up, so I’d like to be able to sit down with him and hear his ideas so I can then retort and tell him how to not fuck it up (Castlevania is one of my most favorite video game franchises ever…if the movie sucks, some heads are gonna roll)…
5. Milla Jovovich – it’s like Smurfette…you need at least one girl in the group…and Milla’s just so damn hot…I would’ve picked Mariska Hargitay, but she’s primarily a TV actress and only plays bit parts in movies…when she does them…I gotta rewatch Lake Placid…
Oh, and we’d all eat Pizza Hut Meatlovers pizza with no cheese (I can’t have dairy) and extra sauce…because I’m lazy, they have to take what I give them, and I don’t like to cook for a group of people…

7. What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cellphones in the movie theater?
Sodomy…with something hard and sand-papery…

8. Choose a male and a female bodyguard from a film:
Uh…I can’t think of any bodyguards…does Leeloo from The Fifth Element count? As for a dude? Ummm… ummm… Jason Voorhees…cuz he guarded his Mom’s severed head in the second movie…

9. What's the scariest thing you've ever seen in a movie?
Joan Rivers… =)
(But in regards to Yasamin's answer, if you want to see some SCARY boobs, go to awfulplasticsurgery.com and look up Courtney Love's scary rippling boobs...egad!)

10. Your favorite genre (excluding "comedy" and "drama") is...
ZOMBIE MOVIES!

11. You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. How do you wield this power?
ZOMBIE MOVIES! But no fucking piece of shit running zombies, damn it! I liked “28 Days Later” (and those are NOT zombies, by the way) but fuck you Danny Boyle for making that film and ruining the genre…it wasn’t the first ‘zombie’ movie with running ‘zombies’ but it was the first most prominent in the public eye…

12. If Jesus were to submit a synopsis of a documentary about life in America since 9/11, what would his p.o.v. be?
“Y’all are dumb”

13. Down in front all you troublemakers!!!
I expect Doug to take a stab at this…he’s really the only one I can call out on this one…

TQFS #4 Answers

Currently listening to: "LOA House" by King Diamond

Yasamin once again conquers the competition with 6 out of 10 correct...but props to Doug for that little explanantion of acids and bases...and that bit on whale blubber, despite that that was the incorrect answer...

And not that I expect everyone to check my blog every day, but I am a little disappointed HDD wasn't able to chime in...therefore:

But I did come across quite a bit of food trivia, so maybe next time...I'll try to work on a 'tv shows anything from the 80's and warner brothers cartoons' installment for Yasamin...Doug, what do you want to be quizzed on?

1. How many flowers must a honey bee tap to make one pound of honey?
C. 2,000,000
That's a lot of tapping...

2. Astronaut John Glenn had the first meal in space when he ate what pureed food squeezed from a tube aboard Friendship 7 in 1962?
A. Applesauce
Not that applesauce is great, but if sardine paste and pureed salisbury steak was what they had to eat in space, I'd just go hungry...or eat the other astronauts...

3. Invented in 1889, what was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially?
C. Aunt Jemima pancake flour

4. Frank Epperson invented what in 1905 when he was 11 years old?
C. Popsicle

5. Capsaicin, which makes hot peppers "hot" to the human mouth, is best neutralized by what?
A. Casein, the main protein found in milk

6. How many people can China's Beijing Duck Restaurant seat at one time?
B. 9,000
I kinda want to know how big the service staff is...

7. What was worth its weight in gold during the Alaskan Klondike gold rush (1897-1898)?
C. Potatoes
Yup, according to the source I got this from it's potatoes...I never would've guessed...it said that potatoes were valued for their high vitamin C content...I didn't know they had any vitamins...

8. During World War II, bakers in the United States were ordered to stop selling what for the duration of the war on January 18, 1943?
A. Sliced bread
No explanantion was given why this was or how it helped the war effort, but there ya go...

9. What was the profession of George Jung, who invented fortune cookies in 1916?
B. Noodle maker in Los Angeles

10. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of:
B. Peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth
I would really like to know how many people are afflicted with this condition...

Trivia Quiz for Squiggle #4

Currently listening to: "Lament" by Eluveitie

OK...I said from day one of the new trivia format that I always liked the 'Trivia for Squiggle' title better...and Hell, this all started because he asked for it!...so I'm switching it back but adjusting it slightly...and I know that this isn't technically the fourth installment of what is now TQFS, but it's the fourth installment of this format... I stumbled upon some food trivia, so this one goes out to HDD:

1. How many flowers must a honey bee tap to make one pound of honey?
A. 500,000
B. 1,000,000
C. 2,000,000

2. Astronaut John Glenn had the first meal in space when he ate what pureed food squeezed from a tube aboard Friendship 7 in 1962?
A. Applesauce
B. Sardine Paste
C. Salisbury Steak

3. Invented in 1889, what was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially?
A. Lawry's seasoning mixes
B. Betty Crocker cake mix
C. Aunt Jemima pancake flour

4. Frank Epperson invented what in 1905 when he was 11 years old?
A. Lollipop
B. Cotton Candy
C. Popsicle

5. Capsaicin, which makes hot peppers "hot" to the human mouth, is best neutralized by what?
A. Casein, the main protein found in milk
B. Caffeine, the famed nervous system stimulant found in coffee, tea, cola
C. Sodium, a seasoning and preservative!

6. How many people can China's Beijing Duck Restaurant seat at one time?
A. 1,200
B. 9,000
C. 15,000

7. What was worth its weight in gold during the Alaskan Klondike gold rush (1897-1898)?
A. Whale blubber
B. Fresh beef
C. Potatoes

8. During World War II, bakers in the United States were ordered to stop selling what for the duration of the war on January 18, 1943?
A. Sliced bread
B. Goods containing chocolate
C. Danish

9. What was the profession of George Jung, who invented fortune cookies in 1916?
A. Courier in San Francisco
B. Noodle maker in Los Angeles
C. Owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in New York

10. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of:
A. Seeing an arachnid being served as food
B. Peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth
C. The 'brain freeze' effect that occurs when ice cream is consumed too quickly

I Grow Tired of Spielberg...

Currently listening to: "Fuel My Fire" by The Prodigy

In today's IMDB entertainment news, there was the headline "Spielberg Blasts "Irresponsible" TV Industry"...here's the full story:
Steven Spielberg has blasted today's television industry for exposing children to gruesome shows. The Saving Private Ryan director spoke out at the International Emmy's directors meeting in New York on Monday, warning producers to act more responsibly. He singled out graphic trailers which showed "blood and people being dissected" such as for forensic drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Spielberg said, "I'm a parent who is very concerned. Today we need to be as responsible as we can possibly be, not just thinking of our own children but our friends' and neighbors' children. We certainly need to be responsible and careful about what we put into that box, because what comes out the other end truly has changed the world and will continue to change the world, for better or worse."

Now, not that everything Spielberg's done is uber-violent (I mean, the man did bring us Animaniacs), but when the guy does action, it's graphic, so he shouldn't even be talking... I haven't seen "Saving Private Ryan" because war movies and movies with Tom Hanks (a double whammy!) bore me...but everyone who has seen it always says I should at least watch the beginning...something about a cannon...or an exploding head...or both...or some shite like that... And let's not forget that Spielberg is the same asshole who brought us Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom...that was some sick shit, dude. So fuck off Spielberg...don't come out swinging with this whole "I'm a concerned parent" babble when some of your sickery is available in rental/retail outlets nationwide and on the movie channels on TV and in mommy and daddy's DVD collection...for every little girl and boy to 'enjoy'... You're just jealous because you haven't done anything entertaining since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and that programs like CSI are better than your schlock...well, except for those times like in CSI: New York when there was a murder at a rave-like party on a subway train and Gary Sinise said something like "And the next stop was murder"...or in CSI: Miami when David Caruso had three minutes to get an SUV with a timed bomb out of the building and onto the sands of an empty beach (yup, an EMPTY beach in MIAMI)...only to park the car, casually exit the vehicle, and non-chalantly walk away while putting his sunglasses on (in slow motion)...those were some pretty wretched moments...

Soundtrack, Vol. 2 - Take Cover!

Currently listening to: "Go to Hell" by GWAR

Trivia answers are listed in the post below this one!

For the second installment of this 'Soundtrack' feature, I've made it easy again...make a list of cool cover songs...either your favorites, ones that you feel were done remarkably well, whatever...and here's a repost of the, uh, 'rules':

A few guidelines: there really are no rules, but I figured I'd give this experiment some sort of structure...to keep it simple, come up with a list of ten songs. That seemed like the most reasonable number to me. I know you could fit more than ten 'standard length' songs onto a recordable CD, but, um, yeah...and be reasonable in not choosing like ten concertos or symphonies that are 20 minutes in length each...try to make it not go over 80 minutes...

1. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash (originally by Nine Inch Nails)
Yasamin and I have already had discussions about this song, but this is seriously one of the best covers ever. I love the original NIN version and somehow this stripped down version (and the accompanying music video) by Cash is even more depressing and just makes you want to slit your wrist and put an end to this miserable existence...just so hauntingly depressing and beautiful...

2. "Down With the Sickness" by Richard Cheese (originally by Disturbed)
I didn't like this Disturbed song...but then I heard the Cheese version in the "Dawn of the Dead" remake and thought it was just brilliant...the song alone and the use of it in the flick...then I used it in the alternate cut of my first short 'film' for a filmmaking class I took a couple years ago...

3. "Devil Woman" by Cradle of Filth (originally by Cliff Richards)
I love CoF...and it's interesting that they took this (goth) folk song by 70's Brit folk troubadour Cliff Richards and made it completely their own. I love how they always choose random songs to do covers of...like Heaven 17's "Temptation," Sister of Mercy's "No Time to Cry," or Shakespeare's Sisters's "Stay"...the riff on "Devil Woman" is just monstrous AND King Diamond does guest chorus vocals and banshee wails...you just can't go wrong with King...

4. "Gypsy" by Emperor (originally by Mercyful Fate)
This is one of my favorite MF songs from their "Don't Break the Oath" album and Emperor stays faithful to the original while leaving their own stamp on it. The make the main riff more driving and less galloping (if that makes any sense) and Ihsahn's vocals can reach all the vocal ranges that King Diamond can (although NO ONE does it better or quite like King) but doesn't try to blatantly copy King...Emperor also added their own synth whooshes and symphonic elements...the song (from the "In the Nightside Eclipse" album) was recorded in the Grieg Memorial Hall which was probably a contributing factor to the track's 'epic' sound...

5. "Eleanor Rigby" by gODHEAD (originally by The Beatles)
gODHEAD has actually covered this song twice. Once on an indie label release and rerecorded it under Marilyn Manson's direction when they were picked up by Manson's short-lived Posthuman Records. It's an interesting cover and both versions have their own good, unique qualities. They always play the Manson-ized version live...probably because that's the version that most people know... Mike Miller's guitar work on this song live far exceeds both recorded versions of this track...

6. "Wandering Star" by Kid Beyond (originally by Portishead)
Dude, look this guy up on YouTube or go to KidBeyond.com. Kid is a beatboxer/vocalist/one-man band...if you ever get a chance to see him live, go for it. He does some kick-ass live-looping and this is going to sound sorta wrong, but the sound that comes from that man's body is just, well, beyond anything you'll ever most likely experience...just amazing...

7. "Enjoy the Silence" by Lacuna Coil (originally by Depeche Mode)
I'm not a big Depeche fan and it seems like whene other people cover their stuff, it actually sounds good...well, DM isn't HORRIBLE, but, um, yeah... Lacuna makes the track sound more, um, industrial-ish...heavy guitars, other-worldly synth work...but what makes this special is that Lacuna has two MCs, one male and one female vocalist, and I love Cristina's vox in general, but her voice just so amazing on this track...sounds great live, too

8. "I Put a Spell on You" by Marilyn Manson (originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
This was supposed to be the first single off of "Smells Like Children" but got replaced by "Sweet Dreams" which was a remarkable cover since Manson completely reinvented the song and gave it new life...and it's an excellent cover, but it's so damn over-played...it's like every Manson show you go to, you are guaranteed to hear this fucking song...ugh...but his version of "I Put a Spell on You" is just gritty, dirty, and sleazy...me likey...

9. "Suicide is Painless" by Marilyn Manson (the M*A*S*H theme song!)
I sorta did a double take when I found out Manson was covering this song. It's just a weird mix...Manson and M*A*S*H...eh? The lyrics to this song are actually very dark and depressing and the music sounds sad as well, but the music is also sort of relaxed and airy...and in the movie it's the guy with the guitar singing it like it was some kind of fucked up campfire song... Manson's version is very minimalist...just vox, a keyboard, and some backgroudn ambience...and there's something about just vocals and a keyboard that, when done well, can be so full of despair and, not unlike "Hurt," just makes you want to slit your wrist because life just ain't gonna get any better...

10. "Stripped" by Rammstein (originally by Depeche Mode)
Yet another DM song on the list...I really like Rammstein's version and Charlie Clouser's "Heavy Mental Mix" remix of Rammstein's version was one of the best remixes I've ever heard. But seriously, one of the best covers ever done...the video was kind of, uh, weird though...

TASAI #3 Answers

Currently listening to: "Eighth Lock" by GWAR

It looks like the almighty Squiggle is this week's winner with a score of 6 out of 10...although there really is no prize, other than that warm and squishy feeling you get knowing that you kicked all ass...

Sorry this is coming so late in the day...the computers in my immediate working area were out of commission for a while due to some electrical problems...

1. In "Die Hard," when Sgt. Al Powell (the cop played by Reginald VelJohnson) is at the am/pm and looks up at the Nakatomi Tower, what is the cost of Regular gasoline?
A. $0.74 9/10
Yup, almost $0.75 back in the late 80's. Last time I paid for gas (4 days ago) I paid $2.41 per gallon. I have a picture from 2001 of my (now ex-)girlfriend flipping me off (because I told her to...not because she was mad at me...all that came later in the relationship) and you can see a gas station price sign in the background...and the regular stuff was only something like $1.15 or $1.17 back then...so sad...

2. The term vibrissae is the scientific name for:
B. The whiskers of a feline
I'm glad answer A got one guess...mucus membrane of a goat...hehehe...

3. What was the middle name of Dharma Montgomery (Jenna Elfman) on TV's "Dharma & Greg"?
A. Freedom

4. The African nation of Mali was once known as:
C. French Sudan

5. Despite there being 10 "Friday the 13th" films (11 if you count "Freddy vs. Jason"), which sequel is titled "The Final Chapter"?
A. Part IV
Part VI was also known as "Jason Lives" and Part VIII was one of my personal favorites...the ever ridiculous, ever retarded, whythafuckdidtheydothat? schlock disasterpiece "Jason Takes Manhattan" (which was notable because it was Kelly Hu's big screen debut as the nerdy Eva Watanabe...who is peer-pressured into doing coke by one of the slutty chicks in the movie...so she dies...although I just like the film because it's stupid and Kane Hodder's in it)...

6. Bea Arthur's real name is:
B. Bernice Frankel

7. What is the subtitle of the Marvin Gaye song "Mercy Mercy Me"?
B. The Ecology
I wish the Bacon & Sausage answer were true...

8. What is Bart Simpson's middle name?
A. Jo-Jo

9. What was the original name of the Baby Ruth candy bar?
C. Kandy Kake
Sorry it wasn't anything exciting like Nut Crunch...and Sleuth's Bar was the name of the bar and grill in the setting of this fine waste of celluloid.

10. The masked crimefighting alter ego of Quick Draw McGraw is:
B. El Kabong

Take A Stab At It #3

Currently listening to: "Nothin' But a Good Time" by Poison

I think I'm most proud of question number one for this installment...

1. In "Die Hard," when Sgt. Al Powell (the cop played by Reginald VelJohnson) is at the am/pm and looks up at the Nakatomi Tower, what is the cost of Regular gasoline?
A. $0.74 9/10
B. $0.91 9/10
C. $1.02 9/10

2. The term vibrissae is the scientific name for:
A. The mucus membrane of a goat
B. The whiskers of a feline
C. The toes of a sloth

3. What was the middle name of Dharma Montgomery (Jenna Elfman) on TV's "Dharma & Greg"?
A. Freedom
B. Karma
C. Petal

4. The African nation of Mali was once known as:
A. French Ghana
B. French Somaliland
C. French Sudan

5. Despite there being 10 "Friday the 13th" films (11 if you count "Freddy vs. Jason"), which sequel is titled "The Final Chapter"?
A. Part IV
B. Part VI
C. Part VIII

6. Bea Arthur's real name is:
A. Elizabeth Barrett Browning
B. Bernice Frankel
C. Brett Francis

7. What is the subtitle of the Marvin Gaye song "Mercy Mercy Me"?
A. Bacon & Sausage
B. The Ecology
C. Heart of Glass

8. What is Bart Simpson's middle name?
A. Jo-Jo
B. Marion
C. Francis

9. What was the original name of the Baby Ruth candy bar?
A. Sleuth's Bar
B. Nut Crunch
C. Kandy Kake

10. The masked crimefighting alter ego of Quick Draw McGraw is:
A. Señor Fisticuffs
B. El Kabong
C. The Kingfish

Answers tomorrow!!!

TASAI #2 Answers

Currently listening to: "Väkirauta" by Korpiklaani

And it looks like Yasamin has once again captured the high score of installment #2 of TASAI with 6 out of 10 correct!

Here are the answers:
1. The theme song to the show "M*A*S*H" is titled:
B. "Suicide is Painless"
Marilyn Manson did an excellent cover of this song for the “The Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows” soundtrack…I don’t think it actually appeared in the flick…which sucked huge donkey dick by the way…

2. In "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," the foe of the title character was:
A. Nuclear Man

3. A 'myriad' refers to the number:
A. 10,000
Y’know, I thought it would be more than that…

4. The vacuum cleaner that cleans up after the Teletubbies is named:
A. Noo Noo
I am expecting some kind of remark from one of you on this, but I’ve never seen the Teletubbies…I mean, I know who they are, but have never seen the show…this was a random find…I’ll have another really random question on Monday’s installment!

5. L. Frank Baum's first novel was:
A. Father Goose

6. What was the original name of "Nova" magazine?
B. Omni

7. Who said "I need sex like I need food"?
A. Barbra Streisand
Does anyone remember that episode of “South Park” that they presented in like Spooky Vision (or was it Scary Vision?) or some shite like that? They had the little Barbra Streisand heads in the corners of the TV screen…scary…

8. What was the catch phrase for the cartoon frog in TV commercials for Kellogg's Sugar Smacks?
C. "Dig 'em"
I just love that there was a cereal called “Smacks”…do they still make it? Probably no…

9. The average length (in inches) of an erect penis according to American men is:
C. 10
Yup, American men are reporting some rather high numbers when it comes to the size of their trouser snakes…

10. ...and the average length according to women?
A. 4
…but the womenfolk are reporting that it’s more like a trouser larva…

Take A Stab At It #2

Currently listening to: "Field in Flames" by Korpiklaani

TASAI's first installment's high scorers were Yasamin and Samurai Frog with 6 out of 10 each...nothing against Frog, but I think Yasamin should get extra credit for that taint comment...and beef curtains...that's some good shite... I think I'm going to try to post the answers the next day from here on out...I sort of feel like no one's gonna give a shit if they have to wait a couple days between the question and the answer...

TASAI #1 Answers:

1. "Avocado" actually comes from a Nahuatl word meaning:
C. Testicle
Think about that the next time you eat guacamole!

2. Esperanto has how many irregular verbs?
A. 0
And no, I know neither what Esperanto is nor what irregular verbs are...

3. Axilla is the medical term for what body part?
C. The armpit

4. The number 138,435 can represent:
A. The length of a marathon in feet
The typical quantity of quills on a porcupine is 36,000 and the weight of the Washington Monument in tons is 90,854

5. What was the original name of the Peach colored Crayola crayon
before it was changed in 1962?
C. Flesh
I made up the other two colors...I don't know if they actually officially exist in the Crayola world...

6. What did the color Prussian Blue become when Crayola changed its
name in 1958?
A. Midnight Blue
Those other two shades of blue are actual Crayola colors...

7. How often does the title character in "Dumbo" speak?
C. Never

8. The sitcom "Just Shoot Me" involved people working at what fashion
magazine?
B. Blush

9. The name Darwish refers to:
B. The last name of pop singer Tiffany
I was kinda hoping somebody would've guessed the seaQuest dolphin (whose name is Darwin)...alas...

10. A log-rolling tournament is known as a:
A. Roleo
Yup, a roleo...I'm just as surprised as you...doesn't seem like it would be a real word...but then again, loggery wasn't a real word...I made that one up completely...but it sounded good, ja? I tried to look it up on dictionary.com and found nothing...then I looked it up on urbandictionary.com which got one search result for the term 'vagina logger' which apparently means "Someone who likes to bang pussy"... ... ...


OK, so here's the new set of questions!

1. The theme song to the show "M*A*S*H" is titled:
A. "Over Hill, Over Dale, Our Love Will Never Fail"
B. "Suicide is Painless"
C. The Swamp"

2. In "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," the foe of the title character was:
A. Nuclear Man
B. Lex Luther
C. Radioactive Man

3. A 'myriad' refers to the number:
A. 10,000
B. 100,000
C. 1,000,000

4. The vacuum cleaner that cleans up after the Teletubbies is named:
A. Noo Noo
B. Boo Boo
C. Whathafuck?!?

5. L. Frank Baum's first novel was:
A. Father Goose
B. The Mystery of Bonita
C. By the Candelabra's Glare

6. What was the original name of "Nova" magazine?
A. Quasar
B. Omni
C. Starlight

7. Who said "I need sex like I need food"?
A. Barbra Streisand
B. Truman Capote
C. Woody Allen

8. What was the catch phrase for the cartoon frog in TV commercials for Kellogg's Sugar Smacks?
A. "Crunch 'em"
B. "Smack 'em"
C. "Dig 'em"

9. The average length (in inches) of an erect penis according to American men is:
A. 7
B. 9
C. 10

10. ...and the average length according to women?
A. 4
B. 7
C. 9

Answers tomorrow!

CC!

Currently listening to: "Under Huntress Moon" by Cradle of Filth

This is my 200th post!

So for no reason whatsoever other than that 200 = CC in Roman numerals, this post is dedicated to C.C. Deville from Poison!

Open this link in a new window so you can listen to a midi of "Fallen Angel" while looking at this post!!! Oh holy bejeezus!!!

Cecil Cornelius DeVille was born as Bruce Anthony Johannesson in Brooklyn, New York on May 14, 1962. He moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and played in various bands before joining Poison...and uh, had his hand in writing hit songs that went on to sell millions of records but was out of the band for a looooooong time because the dude likes the drink and the 'magic powder' if you know what I mean...blah blah blah, OK, here are more pictures:




"All right! I won't go within 50 feet of your blow! Just don't, um, hit me, with your, uh, big skull guitar..."




I don't really want to know what the "OR" involves...




Um, ewww... C.C. Deville sporting a homeless chic look... Gee...I'm not sure why but this pic reminded me of this exact picture of David Lee Roth:





The man has seen better days...oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Take A Stab At It #1

Currently listening to: "Enslaved and Condemned" by Old Man's Child

OK, I'm really going to need feedback on this one. I was trying to come up with a new approach to the trivia and came up with "Take A Stab At It"...and quite honestly I'm already missing "Trivia for Squiggle"...it had a nicer ring to it...

So in this second era of useless facts I'm going to ask 10 questions per installment and you can all answer in the comments section. I can already see how this might be a problem in that you can all look up the answers online or whatever before posting responses...so I suppose I'm hoping you'll all just take a stab at the questions without (well, it's not necessarily, but I'll still call it) 'cheating'...hehe...

If I go this route, I suppose I'll shoot for two installments per week...maybe once on Monday and again on Thursday with the answers to the old questions at the bottom of the new post...of course, this idea might totally suck and we'll just end up seeing "TFS: Era II" in no time... Even though it takes a little longer to do, I had fun writing the questions for "TASAI #1"...it's either this or I could post five trivia bits along with every normal post I do (so there's always useless bits of random info and it'll get you all to read my posts!...)...or I could just go back to posting 25 questions per week in one long post... I'll let the people decide...you're the ones who have to look at this crap...

OK, so here goes...feel free to be brutally honest with your feedback...!

1. "Avocado" actually comes from a Nahuatl word meaning:
A. Jewel
B. Rock
C. Testicle

2. Esperanto has how many irregular verbs?
A. 0
B. 6
C. 13

3. Axilla is the medical term for what body part?
A. The lower jaw
B. The area between the genitals and the anus
C. The armpit

4. The number 138,435 can represent:
A. The length of a marathon in feet
B. The typical quantity of quills on a porcupine
C. The weight of the Washington Monument in tons

5. What was the original name of the Peach colored Crayola crayon
before it was changed in 1962?
A. Light Orange
B. Yellow Pink
C. Flesh

6. What did the color Prussian Blue become when Crayola changed its
name in 1958?
A. Midnight Blue
B. Cadet Blue
C. Denim

7. How often does the title character in "Dumbo" speak?
A. Once
B. Twice
C. Never

8. The sitcom "Just Shoot Me" involved people working at what fashion
magazine?
A. Flirt
B. Blush
C. Bull's Eye

9. The name Darwish refers to:
A. The talking dolphin on "seaQuest DSV"
B. The last name of pop singer Tiffany
C. The wharf where the Boston Tea Party was held

10. A log-rolling tournament is known as a:
A. Roleo
B. Loggery
C. Turnabout

Sacrelicious...?

Currently listening to: "God of Wind" by Korpiklanni

Check out this new candy...it's a marshmallow lollipop that's made to look like you're toasting a marshmallow...apparently the stick part of it FEELS LIKE A REAL STICK!!!



The idea of a marshmallow lollipop kinda disgusts me...it would be WAY too sweet and that thar's a helluvalotta sugar...but there's something interesting and creative about the idea/packaging/execution of it all that it kinda makes me want to buy it...

Now what does this have to do with the headline you ask? Well, I began to think about what other well-known things on sticks you could make a marshmallow pop out of...? I'm sure you already know where I'm going with this and I'm so going to Hell just for thinking of it, but...crucifixion pop anyone? There I said it...but to redeem myself, you could also do a witch trial version...
"What do you do with witches?"
"BURN THEM!"
"And what do you burn apart from witches?"
"MORE WITCHES!"

This all reminds me of one of the more offensive pictures I've seen on the internet...probably shouldn't open this one at work. I'm sure you've all seen something worse (I know I have!), but this, to me, was really bad...

I'm hoping to have the trivia up in an all new format later on today!

Soundtrack, Vol. 1 - The Road Trip

Currently listening to: "American Witch" by Rob Zombie

So here's a new 'feature' I'm trying out here on the blog...I'm still planning on bringing the trivia back, thanks for your patience!... Every two weeks each Tuesday (because that's when CDs come out! hehe...), starting today, I'm going to come up with a theme to create a soundtrack to...like "Songs for a Rainy Day" or "Songs to Slit Your Wrist By"
or "Songs to March Through Hell With"...I kinda dig that last idea...hmmm...but you get the picture. I'll come up with my list of songs and hopefully you'll come up with yours...please leave them in the comments section of this post.

A few guidelines: there really are no rules, but I figured I'd give this experiment some sort of structure...to keep it simple, come up with a list of ten songs. That seemed like the most reasonable number to me. I know you could fit more than ten 'standard length' songs onto a recordable CD, but, um, yeah...and be reasonable in not choosing like ten concertos or symphonies that are 20 minutes in length each...try to make it not go over 80 minutes...

For the first installment, I chose the easiest possible theme I could think of: a road trip compilation...

For me, especially since I haven't done a road trip alone yet, I find that I have to play a mix of stuff that would please not just myself, but the passengers in my car. With my friends, Rammstein is generally a rather safe choice...and we also like to listen to some country-ish type shite (or classic rock, particularly Southern rock) for when you get to those 'middle of nowhere' stretches of road...but I didn't want to make a CD that was just half Rammstein and half, say, Johnny Cash...so I mixed it up a little...

Now, if this were a stoned road trip, substitute all the non-industrial tracks with any random mix of Slim Whitman songs and replace all the rock tracks with covers Rammstein has done or any of their good remixes...or TATU songs (but only in their native tongue...not the shitty English versions)...in this particular case, I would try to make the 'rock' stuff as reasonably Euro-trashy as possible...

1. "The Gift" by Godhead
There are so many Godhead tracks I could've chosen to start off my disc, but I went with this one because it's got a great riffs and I love The Method's programming...it stands out, but it's subtle...doesn't overpower the song. A great starter that I think most people (who like the rock) would be able to enjoy...

2. "Rock 'N Me" by Steve Miller Band
A classic rock tune about going places!...how fitting...and I love this song...rockin' music and Steve Miller has a great voice...The Dave Brockie Experience (the guys in GWAR sans the costumes) would always tag on a cover of this after they played the X-Cops's "You Fucked Up"...

3. "Mann Gegan Mann" by Rammstein
One of many Rammstein songs with a sort of double meaning...you can either take it as a man against man battle...or a man against man sausage fest...but the chorus and the interlude-type-thing in the middle of the song are some of the most driving (no pun intended) riffs they've ever composed...

4. "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
Now, who doesn't like Johnny Cash? At this point in the trip (considering the times I leave for road trips), I should be flying down the 101...heading towards Ventura County...still the city, but I'm vastly approaching the road through nowhere...might as well start the country/Southern stuff...and would choose the demo version of this song opposed to the album cut...

5. "Sturm" by Front Line Assembly
My favorite FLA song...kinda makes me wish the Twisted Metal tournament actually existed so I could kill people whilst listneing to it...creepy, dark, industrial...yummy...

6. "It Takes People Like You (to Make People Like Me)" by Buck Owens
I love Buck Owens...and this is one of his lighter/fluffier tunes...figured I needed something to bring me back to reality after Front Line Assembly...

7. "Das Modell" by Rammstein
A cover of a Kraftwerk tune...this is about as Euro-trashy as this particular compilation gets. Again, and no pun intended, but the riff is very fast and very driving...it's one of those songs you could drive 90mph to...

8. "Midnight Rider" by The Allman Brothers
Southern...fucking...rock...at it's finest. I don't even really feel I have to say anything else about this song...

9. "Decadent & Desperate" by Mortiis
Mortiis's music just gets me fucking AMPED...! That man's got so much energy and his music is like a sonic assault on your ears...just brutal...and awesome...one last screaming industrial track before our final offering:

10. "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
The epic. I always have a copy of this song on hand when I drive long distances because I generally pass by a smattering of cows at some point...and I insist on listening to something white-trashy when I see cows...somehow "Freebird" became that song...

The Score: Scott 1, Stupid Cartoon Dog 0

Currently listening to: "(Nothing But) Flowers" by Talking Heads



...and the rest of Strawberryland shall follow suit...

I'd just like to state here at the beginning that I have no pictures of the account that is to follow...there was no time...it was a spur of the moment massacre...besides, if some retarded five year old were to see images of what transpired, I'm not ready to pay the therapy bill for it...

So we had this four foot tall Pupcake (one of Strawberry Shortcake's pets and the dumbest cartoon dog in existence) in our lobby at work. It was in the Rose Parade or something of that equivalence a few years ago...and seeing as how it was made mostly out of organic materials, it's been getting rather funky and today was the day they decided to chuck him... So I'm at my desk doing paperwork of some sort when I hear my name called from down the hall. I had no idea they were planning to get rid of it and when I found out the plan I knew my day had come.

I've been dreaming about punching the shit out of this thing since day one of working here. It sucks coming in every morning and leaving every day having that damn dog stare at me...mocking me... The guys throwing it out had it on rollers and were ready to get it the Hell out of the building that very minute...so I went with them and we took it down to our parking structure and mutilated the fucker. I got first crack at it and did indeed punch Pupcake in the eye...and I hit him hard...cut my hand, too, but I didn't care...must've been because of all that adrenaline and hatred flowing through me. What followed afterwards was, well, let me paint you a picture: four grown men with boots on with two of us packing blades (boxcutters, of course) trying to behead this steel-framed, coconut-crusted giant lawn ornament. We slit its throat area with our blades but also stomped the head in several times to try to get it to come off...but to no avail...the somewhat disembodied head was held on to the body by a steel rod spine...alas... We kicked his ass, though...

So I wound up with a bloodied hand, my right ankle hurts from the football-like punt I attempted while two other guys held Pupcake in place, and the pants I just washed are filthy from all the foam dust and coconut bits (or rather, Pupcake's sweet sweet blood)...but it was so worth it...in all my nine months of working at DIC, that was THE highlight of all my time at this company and a memory I will treasure forever...

And while we weren't able to decapitate the mutt completely, we were able to break an ear off, which I kept as a trophy...and I've sort of affixed it in a cape-like way on the mannequin (her name is Angie) at my desk here at work...

Today was a good day...

Trip to the Music Store...

Currently listening to: "The Portrait" by King Diamond

So I was at a used record shop this weekend and purchased four items...and not a single damn one of them is anything alike whatsoever. I like a lot of different shite, mainly metal (and nobody in this or any other dimension does it better than King Diamond), and if it sounds good or interesting to me, I'll listen to it. Here's what sounded good to me whilst killing time on a Saturday afternoon:

Find #1: "Clerks II" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture
Kevin Smith is one of those directors who always puts together amazing soundtracks. Even if you don't like his movies, you'll probably like the soundtrack albums to his movies...there are also great audio clips from the movie on this one. I'll start by saying that there is not only one, but there are TWO King Diamond tracks on this collection...as well as an audio clip ("The First of the Fallen") that has Randal and Jay singing lines from the KD songs in the flick. There's also Q Lazzarus's "Goodbye, Horses"...which many of you many know as "The Silence of the Lambs song...it's an incredibly well-written song with a great meaning. Not only amazing for its genre, but just damn good period...I used to only have this as an mp3 that somebody gave me on a mixed CD and now that I hear it in its entirety with CD quality sound, I'm even more blown away by this track. To finish up, I'll say that another notable track known from another movie is "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid")...you also get keen stuff from Samantha Fox, Soul Asylum...hell, even the Alanis Morrisette song is good!

Find #2: "Family Tree" - Bjork
A greatest hits/rarities/b-sides collection brought to you by Bjork...damn, she's hot...but I digress... I resisted buying this when it came out a couple years ago because the collection is five mini discs (four/five songs per disc) and one regular size CD...and it was expensive for what is really three CDs worth of material...and the regular size CD is just a 'greatest hits as chosen by Bjork' disc (which I basically already have because I own all her albums)...I even have quite a few of the rarities...so I didn't see any point in getting it when it was first released, also because this 'box set' is not any larger than a standard double CD case and carries a price tag of around $50 to $60 for a new copy...you can go to Amazon.com right now and buy it for $59.98! But at the used price of $12.99 for the whole set? Absofuckinglutely!

Find #3: "Stand Up and Shout: The Anthology" - Dio
I've seen Ronnie James Dio live in concert once and, though creepily elfin he may be, he can fucking rock harder than any new young band today. I dig everything about this collection, and upon seeing it I realized that I don't own any Dio albums!...so I kind of HAD to buy this... I think Dio's great, but with living in L.A. and listening to KLOS, you get to hear him a lot for free on the FM...so it's not like I'm lacking in his greatness...but the album artwork on this collection is killer and it has all the Elf/Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio essentials. I think this would probably be a good buy if you are lacking in the Dio department as well...

Find #4: "Anthology" - Franki Valli & The Four Seasons
This may surprise most people, but I DIG pop music from the 50's and 60's. It could be because this is what my parents listened to, so while I was growing up that was all I heard...well, that and opera... Back then people were, for the most part, doing music for the sake of the music...and there were no crazy digital effects or Pro Tools or the ability to fix complete fuck-ups in post...musicians ACTUALLY HAD TO BE TALENTED AND SOUND GOOD!...it's all so organic and soulful and brilliant...and ahhh, the wall of sound... Hearing this music always makes me happy...yet sad at the same time because I miss my childhood...

So, there ya go...a soundtrack with metal, new wave, Alanis Morissette, and audio clips about dark forces and donkey shows...the experimental/industrial/techno vox and beats of a sexy Icelandic chick...the man on the silver mountain...and 60's pop music ("Sherr-eeeeeeeeee...Sherry, baby..."...come on, you know you love it, too)...

Blessed Be Thy Name

Currently listening to: "Riddles" by Blessed Be Thy Name

I've really been digging a band called Blessed Be Thy Name as of late...I think they're from Arizona... They're kind of a goth industrial metal feral beast...or as they describe themselves, "the hymns of whores and heretics...the Devil's lonely tear. The hammer and the nail. The miscarriage Mother Mary had before her only son..."...come on, now how can you go wrong with that? It's evil, killer sound (kinda makes me want to have sex...no, it doesn't make me horny...it would just be interesting to have sex to), and the band's got a great image...and they're just plain fucking weird. Me likey the freaky... Eddie (the vocalist) is a trip...one guy at my office said he wanted "to be Eddie...for Halloween and forever!" Here's an image of BBTN's lead demon:


hehehe...

Check out blessedbethyname.com or myspace.com/blessedbethyname

Well, what the Hell else are you supposed to do with it?

Currently listening to: "Living Among the Remains of Dead People" by Vond

I don't really understand the phrase "He/she wants to have his/her cake and eat it, too!" Well, what the Hell else are you supposed to do when you have cake? Are we just supposed to pass it around and let everyone hold it so we can all marvel at the glory and wonder that is baked goods? Would it be so greedy and wrong for one to eat a piece of cake that is in one's possesion? I know it's all metaphorical, but still...that's dumb...

The Gift

Currently listening to: "The Endless Ocean" by Rabid Panda

I spent the majority of my day yesterday (11/1) away from my desk, but when I went to go check to see if I got any emails that needed to be tended to I found this on my desk:


Click on the image to enlarge...I tried to upload two other pictures with more close up details, but it was a pain in the ass just getting this one up...I saw a lot of 'This page cannot be displayed'...ANYWAYS, for those of you who know me, you know that my ONE weakness is anything having to do with eyeballs. I've seen some rather disgusting shite in my lifetime (real and fake) and I can handle virtually any gory scene a horror movie throws at me, but if it involves eyeballs in any way (popping out, getting stabbed, etc) I just can't take it and I have to turn away...it's all because of that 'flyball' scene in Evil Dead 2 that scarred me at a younger age.

So when I saw this eyeball bowl (it's ceramic, has eyeballs on the sides and has one ceramic eye attached on the inside of the bowl) with chocolate eyeball candies, I damn near had a fit in the office. Many people in the office know of my occular sphere aversion, so I thought this was some joke but I was not cool with it. I asked the other assistant who sits across from me "Who the Hell put this on my desk!?" and she said it was our boss...so damn it, I can't get mad at my boss...especially because the boss I have now is probably the best boss I've ever had...and she wasn't around at the time so I just went back to doing what I was doing in another part of the building. When I talked to her later and thanked her for the gift she told me that she didn't know about my, uh, 'problem' and had just found out about it after getting the bowl...she had bought one for the other assistant, too, by the way. My boss figured that with all the creepy stuff I'm in to, I would probably enjoy something like an eyeball bowl...so as it turns out it was a very thoughtful gift and she thinks it's funny as all Hell that I'm such a pussy when it comes to eyeballs - she didn't actually call me a pussy, but you know what I mean, ja? It's nice when you have a cool boss...