Friday, August 5, 2011

Pop Culture and a Quiz

Thanks to everyone who shared stories of connecting online on Wednesday’s Post! Some of the comments were very moving. You guys rock!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is at eighty-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so I’ll probably see it this weekend…


Now for some interesting things I discovered this week…


Ben & Jerry’s has a new flavor - Boba Fett's Carbonite Crunch!

Complete with chocolate frozen Han Solos.

Too bad it’s a fake - I’d eat that!


IPad rumors…

The iPad 3 could come out around Thanksgiving. But there’s also an iPad 2 HD in development that might push it back to next year. Hey, I’ll take either!


And a Swedish man was arrested for trying to split atoms at home. Claimed it was just a hobby. And I thought my hobbies were weird…


Now for a short Pop Quiz! Winners will receive a warm, fuzzy feeling:

What was the band Blue Oyster Cult’s original name back in the sixties?

Which movie franchise boasts the most film titles?

When did the first VCR appear on the market?

How many movies have made over a billion dollars? And can you name them without cheating?

All right, let's hear your answers! And your thoughts on the ice cream. Would you eat a chocolate Han Solo?

95 comments:

The Happy Whisk said...

Sadly, I'd have to cheat to answer. And also, Ben and Jerry used to make a coconut vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate chunks. They took it away and it was my favorite.

In answer to your question yesterday, running when chased counts.

Cheers.

Gail said...

I could be sneaky and look all these up but...I will just say, never expect someone who can't find their glasses to answer trivia questions.

Laila Knight said...

If it's got chocolate and it's ice cream I'd eat it with or without Han Solo. I'm going to let you answer the questions or run the risk of sounding ignorant or cheating. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Whisk, that's good to know.

Gail, that's funny!

Aw Laila, they're not difficult!

Anonymous said...

I love it!

Old Kitty said...

I know that Blue Oyster Cult used to be Soft Underbelly or something like that! Yay!! Don't fear the Reaper or Ice cream - whatever flavour!! Yay!!!

Erm... Harry Potter made squillions of monies?!?!

VCR.. 1978? LOL!

Erm...can I google the answers now please?!?! Take care
x

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I don't think I could eat the ice-cream, we haven't got that flavour over here -yet.

I am still trying to get an Ipad 1 and you're on about Ipad 3.

Have a lovely week-end Alex.
Yvonne.

Heather M. Gardner said...

I would eat that ice cream! That would be awesome! Think of all the flavor varieties they could come up with. Damn.
(Jabba Wabba- Mint ice cream w/ chocolate frogs)
(Ewok Tracks)
(Princess Leia Swirl- Cinnamon swirl w/ cinnamon buns)

I am going to fail this quiz miserably but I will answer your pop quiz questions just the same.

BOC = Soft White Underbelly (I'm just old enough to know that)

Movie Franchise: My first guess is Friday the 13th but Rambo can't be far behind.

VCR: Early eighties? If I have to nail a year I would guess 1983.

Billion dollar movies: "can you name them?" As in more than one? Sheesh. I'm thinking Titanic. Maybe LOTR.

Laura Eno said...

I'd fail this quiz miserably. :)

Han Solo is yummy! I'd...oh, you were talking about ice cream. Never mind.

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm in for the ice cream!!

My guess for the movie franchise would be Star Trek :)

VCR would be 78 or 79 I think...

Billion dollar movies? Hmm... LotR? HP? Avatar? ... I'm never good at pop culture quizzes!!!

Anonymous said...

Ice cream sounds intriguing, but being a Ben & Jerry's I'd probably give it a whirl:)

Amy said...

Looking forward to (maybe) watching Rise of the Apes this weekend, if I can convince mt fiance to take me. As for the frozen chocolate Han Solo ice-cream - Of course I'd eat it! Ben and Jerry's is the best frozen treat, as it comes in so many flavors!

Have a great weekend! :)

Libby said...

No clue on the answers to those questions, but I want that ice cream to be real!

Matthew MacNish said...

Kenneth Turan gave the ape movie a great review on NPR this morning, which is pretty rare. Plus, it has Andy Serkis - er, I mean Gollum/Smeagol as the chimp, so I really need to see it.

Bkloss said...

Thanks, now I'm bummed about the ice cream. I'd totally buy that, and eat it, too. BUT you have redeemed yourself by giving me a movie to go and see. I was wary before.

Christine Danek said...

WEll, I want that ice cream. SO, yes, I would eat it.
Now I'm off to go buy some Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia.
Have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

I didn't receive any warm fuzzy feelings! I guess I'll have to go console myself with ice cream.

Sarah McCabe said...

Well, I must confess I can't answer any of those, but I would totally eat chocolate Han Solos. :)

Summer Frey said...

Hmmm....I've never actually had any Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Poor Han...

I don't know the BOC answer, so I'll skip it.

As for the movie franchise, well, Star Trek would be a good, solid guess.

As for billions of dollars, I'd guess Star Wars, Titanic, LoTR, and...

Yeah, I'm no good at this.

Jeff Beesler said...

I need to be excused from this pop quiz because my doctor says taking tests hurts my brain. You can find all of the information on the note here, properly forged for your benefit.

Luanne G. Smith said...

I'm usually the queen of trivia, but you've stumped me. Except I know that Deathly Hallows crossed the one billion dollar mark (worldwide) after like one week. Wow.

Chris Phillips said...

Who's blue oyster cult?

Jeremy [Retro] said...

i know nothing... my monkey knows nothing, though i gave him a drink of this unknown liquid... now he is making my pancakes.

b.o.c. were once: the hammers?
movie franchise: james bond?
vcr: in my house yesterday?
billions: potter, star wars, star trek, etc.

happy day
jeremy

Anonymous said...

I'll say James Bond as the franchise boasting the most films. The VCR ... let's see. We had this huge beta box in the early 80s. We thought we were styling with that monstrosity. I'll say 1982. I know HP topped the one billion mark. I'll throw in James Bond as well. No idea about Blue Oyster Cult.

And I'm still trying to make mini-black holes in my garage. I'll have to get ahold of that Swedish guy.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Alex, that is some final question for a Friday *double wink*

~Sia McKye~ said...

Chocolate Did I hear the word chocolate? Sure I'd eat a chocolate Hans Solo--aside from icky things and insects, I'll eat most things chocolate.

And speaking of eating,the only one I know, Alex, is BOC (Which my parents listened to as did I) although I payed more attention to them as Blue Oyster Cult than Underbelly. Mom said they were food oriented and I remember a conversation about the soft white underbelly being the choicest of food in the wild. This was just speculation on our part.

Sorry to have missed Wednesday. I'm battling a serious staph (MRSA)infection and some serious fatigue. I just run out of energy or a brain to think with at times. Just bear with me.

Sia McKye's Thoughts...OVER COFFEE

Ting Kubby said...

I know of Soft white underbelly but the rest will be just a guess. I'll say - James bond, 1979 & 5 movies

Tara Tyler said...

here are my bad answers...
who is blue oyster cult?
20th century fox
1976
2, toy story 3 and avatar

and who wouldnt want some chocolatey han solo goodness?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kitty, you nailed a couple! And how much is a squillion?

Yvonne, you know me and my tech toys.

Heather, I like those ideas for ice cream flavors! You got a couple, but not the movie franchise. That answer will blow everyone's mind.

Jemi, Star Trek is up there, but not with the most movies.

Matthew, they say he's the best part of the movie.

Clarissa, go for it.

Summer, not Star Trek.

Jeffrey, nice try!

LG, actually it just crossed a few days ago...

Jeremy, Bond is a good guess, but it's number two.

Stephen, not Bond! And don't let anyone catch you...

Sia, you got it!

Ting, more movies than that, and two just hit it this week.

Tara, so close!

Ciara said...

I remember buying our first VCR! OMW - I feel old now.

Bossy Betty said...

Did you have a little caffeine before writing this post, Alex? I am just wondering. You've got a lot going on in that brain of yours!

Charles Gramlich said...

the only one I'm ashamed of not knowing is Blue Oyster cult's original name.

Budd said...

I would love to eat chocolate han solos. on to the randome guesses for the quiz.

1. The indigo clam religion
2. This is either James Bond or Godzilla. unless we are using the future from Back to the future, then the answer is Jaws.
3. 1978
4. 5- Gone with the wind, ET, Star Wars IV, Lord of the rings I, HP VIII.

Suze said...

I am off to buy a chocolate Han Solo, TODAY!

And as for when the first VCR was released, I am going to hazard a guess (love trivia quizzes, btw.)

How about, 1979? No, '81.

No.

1980.

Talli Roland said...

Would I? I SO would! Bring it on!

Tonja said...

I have seen an iPad 2 in action - cute, but I'll keep my laptop. I dunno on the answers, but I can say my dad bought our first VCR when I was a young kid - late 60's or early 70's is my guess. It was a top loader and still worked when I was 25 years old. I can't seem to get a DVD player to live for more than a year.

Arlee Bird said...

It's funny, I was just researching that video question the other day and I already forget the answer. I'm thinking it was about 1975, but maybe that was the first commercial VHS tape and the VCRs might have actually come a little earlier for home use.

Movie Franchise? -- Tarzan? There were a lot of Tarzan films if that counts as a franchise.

Love BOC, but I didn't know they were something else before that.

Couldn't tell you about the billion dollar films, but I guess Titanic must be one of them.

And the day someone starts splitting atoms in their garage is when we are really in big time trouble.


Lee
Tossing It Out

Unknown said...

Boba Fett ice cream, that is awesome. My favorite ice cream is from my hometown and it is inspired by smurfs- blue with white marshmallows. I wonder if they are seeing an uptick in sales of this flavor because of the Smurf movie this summer

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ciara, our first one was a beast!

Betty, more than usual, right?

Budd, you got a couple!

Suze, we'll go with no.

Tonja, they don't make them like they used to.

Lee, you should know the BOC one! And Titanic is one of those films - can you guess the film that beat it?

Ella said...

Damn, I don't know...
I so want that ice cream and why isn't Ben n' Jerry capitalizing on this..where is the Planet of the Apes Ice cream..banana with chocolate apes and vanilla moons, sorry no stars, leaves of clover :D

First thought Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, then reality slammed me aside the head...it is "Harry Potter"~

Be sure to report back Captain and tell us your take on the Apes flick! I'm so curious; No I'm not George ;D

Mark said...

Wow, I don't think I can answer any of these questions, but I do like Blue Oyster Cult and the Boba Fett ice cream thing was pretty cool:)

Lydia Kang said...

Too bad about POTA. I'd want anything Andy Serkis to be in to do well.

I'm failing your pop quiz, so I'm not going to post my answers. LOL.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, it seems RT is your main movie guide, huh? :) Green Lantern was labled "rotten", but you still enjoyed it, didn't you? Do not always realy on critics opinion - we all know most of them are grumpy old man. :)

...And iPhone 2 comes out in the near future as well. I don't really care actually, as I prefer BlackBerry ;)

Over a billion.... hm, let me think... Avatar /of course/, Titanic, Alice in Wonderland, POTC: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, and the latest Transformers movie.

I've never tasted Ben & Jerry, but it looks freaking delicious!

Carol Kilgore said...

I know none of answers to your questions :(

Oh, well. Happy weekend anyway!

Arlee Bird said...

I guess if a film beat Titanic it might have been one of the Harry Potter films?


Lee
Tossing It Out

Arlee Bird said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
L. Diane Wolfe said...

I know the two biggest money making movies and loved both of them. And I don't eat chocolate, so no Han Solos for me.

Maurice Mitchell said...

Alex, how dare you tempt me with Carbonite Crunch ice cream and take it away! ;) I never eat "Ben and Jerry's" since they found blasting caps in it, but this was the one flavor I was determined to buy. A man can dream. I decided not to cheat and guess that James Bond has the most titles and the VCR was 1976.

John Teal said...

What's wrong with splitting the atom at home, Nothing wrong with a little recreational magic mushroom CLOUD !!

Nancy Thompson said...

What the hell does Hans Solo taste like anyway? I'd eat just about anything chocolate!

Oh, oh, I know this one: Soft White Underbelly! (I'm so old)

I remember I had a rich friend who had a VCR when I was in 7th grade so that would be like '76-'77. (See, I a really am old)

I love movies but I have no idea.
Harry Potter, I'd bet.


Oh, and uh, I left a challenge for you on my blog. Hope you try it out.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ella, that sounds like a great flavor. And I will report back Monday as ordered!

George, it's just one stop shopping for reviews. I also check JoBlo's site. And your movie guesses are correct - of course!

Lee, I'll give you a hint - only a Cameron film could beat another Cameron film!

Maurice, you're close!

RJR, that's one way to look at it!

Nancy, you know your BOC. And a challenge? Must look!

Laila Knight said...

LOL. I was just at Nancy's blog. And to think I spared your sensitivities and didn't challenge you. :D Have a great weekend!

Lynnette Labelle said...

I'm not a big chocolate fan, so I wouldn't eat that. Funny idea though.

On my blog you mentioned a car... What kind???

Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com

Karen Lange said...

The only question I even can take an educated (maybe!) guess at is the VCR one. I'd say around 1980-84. Ask me something about hockey. Or cooking. I might fare better there.
Happy weekend!

Bob Sanchez said...

What's the matter with Sweden? Do they have a law against splitting atoms? They're so tiny, I can't imagine who'd notice.

M Pax said...

Mmmm, carbonite crunch.

I saw one of the film makers talking about Planet of the Apes earlier. I wasn't tempted to see it after the last remake, but now I am.

I heard about the dude making nuclear reactors in his kitchen.

Did you hear about the possible UFO found in the Baltic Sea [another Swede]? There's a photo and it roughly resembles the shape of the Milenium Falcon.

Donea Lee said...

Those darn Swedes...(having dan brown flashbacks...)

Blue Oyster Cult original name? No clue.

Most movie titles? Ummm... Friday the 13th?

VCR's - well, I remember Julia Gulia got one of the first ones from her boyfriend on the Wedding Singer, so...1985?

Movies made over a billion? Titanic, Star Wars, Harry Potter, LoTR, Spiderman, maybe?

I'd totally eat a chocolate Hans - yum! :)

Donea Lee said...

(or did Julia get a cd player? doh!)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

oh noes, does that mean I miss out on warm fuzzy feelings??? Because I can't answer any of those questions...except yes, I would eat a chocolate Hans Solo.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Um, I guess: C. (?) And of course I'd eat a chocolate Hans Solo but I prefer a chocolate chubaka.
xoRobyn

LEon said...

nice quiz but i cant answer much without cheating. :)

as for hansolo chocolate han solo...like boba said "He's no good to be dead." LOL

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Laila, thanks - you played nice.

Lynnette, that's two people who don't eat chocolate now. And it's Hyundai's turbo charged sports car.

Karen, I could come up with some hockey questions for you.

Bob - yeah!

Mary, I'll have to look that up!

Donea, you got a couple of the movies right. And yeah, think it would've been the first CD player.

Lynda, that should be warm fuzzies enough!

Robyn - but, the fuzz!!!

Liza said...

I'd eat Ben and Jerries anything!

Rusty Carl said...

To answer your questions:

1) Um, Blue Oyster Heresy
2) I'm tempted to say The Land Before Time, because, damn. But I'll go with James Bond.
3) VCR's. It feels like an early 80's sorta thing. I think laser disks came out in the 70's though. Of course that would have been a high end sort of device. I'll say... 1980.

I'm not much of a fan of Ice Cream. I'd probably buy because of the name though.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rusty, there were a lot of Land Before Time movies... but that's not it! Yup yup yup!

Chuck said...

Soft White Underbelly. I liked to say in the early 70's that I discovered BOC. I had their first two albums and played them endlessly...much to my mother's chagrin. No one was listening to them at the time and I turned ALL my friends onto Hot Rails to Hell, et al. I made it to all the parties as the cool music dude. Thanks for taking me back with that one.

No clue on the rest by the way.

Unspoken said...

OMG, no! I would not eat chocolate Han Solo, but I would eat chocolate Luke Skywalker! mmmm :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

I don't do ice cream these days, but it does sound delish.

Major trivia questions Alez....

You just got your IPad !! Why would you want another? I LOVE MINE!

julie fedderson said...

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to discover this ice cream was fake. Ruined my morning, however, I spent the evening making Fruity Pebbles flavored ice cream (homemade!) so I am totally going to right this wrong.

BOC was Soft White Underbelly. Don't fear the reaper, baby! I failed the rest of your quiz. I am not pop culture worthy.

John Teal said...

You have an award call and collect

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Chuck, I didn't think you'd have a problem with that! Buck Dharma is an amazing guitarist and songwriter.

She Writes, you need to suggest that flavor.

Michael, because the next iPad will be even better! Must have new technology...

Julie, Fruity Pebbles ice cream sounds interesting. And even if you don't know pop culture, you do know humor!

Unknown said...

No idea about any of this without looking on the internet, but I have to say that I would totally dig the frozen Han Solos!

Glynis Peters said...

LOL, I eat anything chocolate, Alex!

Enjoy your weekend.

Aleta said...

I think I'll pass on the chocolate Han Solo. Lol. But if you want to try something fantastic - Chocolate Trio by Blue Bell - even Greg is hooked on it. :)

I wasn't sure about the Planet of the Apes.. but hey, at 85 % (Greg goes by Rotten Tomatoes too), it's worth a matinee price!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kris and Glynis, I'm finding most of the ladies won't turn down chocolate Solos.

Aleta, saw it last night - excellent film. Very dark though, so be prepared.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

The only question I can answer is that I wouldn't eat the ice cream. Not a big fan of chocolate and trying to avoid ice cream.
The only thing I remember about the first VCRs is how much they cost.

Powdered Toast Man said...

I'd rather eat Chocolate Chewbaccas.

snswers

1. Red Clam Gang

2. The Muppets

3. 1947

4. 10 movies reached a billion
- Freddy Got Fingered
- Tremors 3
- Yogi Bear
- Catwoman
I don't know the others

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, they were expensive!

PTM - trick questions! All answers were 'blue.'

Cheeseboy said...

Yeah, that actually sounds quite good. I'd totally eat it.

Unknown said...

I'd eat chocolate Han Solos for sure. ;) This is an awesome quiz so I'm going to take a stab at answering.

Movies that made a billion Hmm...what can I name without cheating Avatar, Titanic, Lord of the Rings (all three individually?) The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars.

Most film titles in a franchise? Friday the 13th or James Bond, don't know for sure. Not cheating, I can't say for sure.

Donna K. Weaver said...

VCRs were so cool (and expensive) when they came out. But I also remember the first video game I ever owned ... Pong. It was also expensive. $22!

Dani said...

Quit diverting our attentions. We just want to know about some of your weird habits! LOL.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Melissa, you got some of them!

Donna, my brother and I played Pong all the time. Stunned you remember the price.

Dani, is my Hot Tamales obssession not weird enough?

Denise Covey said...

Hi Alex. The only comment I'll make (as I don't know any answers to your ?s) is that I was surprised to see a huge Ben & Jerry's opposite Notre Dame in Paris, right on the main drag in the Latin Quarter. Always full too!

Denise

PK HREZO said...

I'd love to chomp on some lil chocolate Han Solos! :)
As for the trivia: Titanic could only be beaten out by Avatar. I'm pretty sure Avatar is the biggest grossest film of all time.
As for the most films in a franchise, I'd have to say Star Wars.
And VCR?? Wow I remember renting them from the grocery store as a kid. Prolly came around 1980??

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Denise, I guess Ben & Jerry's ice cream is a universal favorite.

Pk, you're right about the Cameron movies! All answers tomorrow morning.

Rhonda @Laugh Quotes said...

Mostly I fail your quiz. I am still wondering if the Swedish story was true. And as for ice cream, I will eat just about any chocolate flavor, but I have never heard of chocolate Han Solo. what is it?

Catch My Words said...

If it ain't chocolate, it ain't worth the calories!

Joyce
http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

Lola X said...

Great blog!!!!! Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lola x
http://lola-x.blogspot.com

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rhonda, unfortunately, it's not real.

Joyce, I take it you approve then?

alexia said...

I'd totally eat that icecream! How fun. Alas, I don't know the answers to your questions. Except I'm sure the HP movies made over $1bil.

Also, there's an award for you on my blog!

Cheryl said...

Are you trying to make me feel old Alex? I remember a world before VCRs even! As for a chocolate Hans Solo - sounds like double heaven to me! Are you Nanoing again this year? I can't believe it's rolling towards us so quickly!

Pat Tillett said...

I'd eat that flavor in a quick minute! In fact, I'll eat any flavor of ice cream that doesn't have fish in it... I missed the quiz, but didn't do that well.

sfdada said...

So sad. We might have to mix up our own Star Wars ice creams. Love the suggestions above.
How about 9D9's Droid Torture Sundae: Vanilla with ribbons of fudge and caramel mixed with C-3PO's (real cereal) and topped with Pop Rocks and hot fudge 'oil' as a good explosive treat. Anyone still have a box of C-3PO's?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Alexia, just one Harry Potter movie!

Cheryl, I'm not sure yet, but most likely I will.

Bryan, those sound good! And good to hear from you.