Friday Blog

As I do every November, I am presenting safe Thanksgiving conversation starters that might help avoid more controversial subjects: Tasty Morsels – Pound cake was invented in medieval times. Since most people were illiterate in those days, pound cake became popular because the recipe was easy to memorize: one pound of butter, one pound of eggs and one pound of sugar – In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket – The tea bag was not introduced until 1908 when it was accidentally invented by Thomas Sullivan in New York City. Efficiency-minded Americans quickly adopted the teabag, but it did not become popular in Britain until the 1950s.  – Mageirocophobia is the fear of cooking – Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables – Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. – If you put a can of Diet Coke in water, it will float but regular Coke will sink. Since the drinks’ formulas are a trade secret, one can only speculate that sugar causes the regular Coke to sink. – Speaking of weight, the most nutritiously dense vegetable is probably not making an appearance at your Thanksgiving dinner. One cup of raw kale has only 33 calories, yet it contains 684% of vitamin K, 134% of vitamin C, 206% of Vitamin A and two grams of protein. – Starbucks’ website proudly claims that there are more than 170,000 ways to customize beverages at their stores. However, Starbucks has created a monster(s). Sales are slumping dramatically- probably because consumers are tired of waiting in line for their $8 beverage while baristas struggle to make everyone’s complex concoctions. – There are more than 7,000 varieties of apples. – There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes. – Two-thirds of the world’s eggplants are grown in New Jersey. – Honey is the only food that will never rot (I would have guessed Twinkies). – While a can of tuna fish usually has a sell- by- date of 3 to 5 years, experts claim it will last much longer. Since the tuna is in a (pretty much) sterile environment, a nine-year-old can shouldn’t go bad or even taste worse than one that is four years old. On the other hand, you should occasionally check the sell-by-date on your mayonnaise jar. – One flute of champagne produces approximately one million bubbles. A half-pint of beer produces roughly two million bubbles. – The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher – George Washington was so strong He was able to crack walnut shells between his knuckles and forefingers (BTW, a great way to impress your relatives on Thanksgiving).  After Dinner Non-Food Trivia A “jiffy” is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second. The cigarette lighter was invented in 1823 The match was invented three years later The female lion does ninety percent of the hunting. (I guess the males are too busy combing their manes) The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in court. Interesting observations (IMHO) from Professor Lee You can bring this up over an after-dinner drink with any relatives who are Mensa members. If you shuffle a pack of cards, it’s likely that the exact order has never existed before in the history of the universe. Cassandra Lee at McGill University explains that there are somewhere in the range of 8×1067 ways to sort a deck of cards. That’s an 8 followed by 67 zeros. To put that in perspective, even if someone could rearrange a deck of cards every second of the universe’s total existence, the universe would end before they would get even one billionth of the way to finding a repeat.” If that’s too much math to absorb, Ms. Lee has a more succinct explanation: “There are more ways to arrange a deck of cards than there are atoms on the earth.” I won’t argue with the good professor. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the flourishing sales and great reviews of my book “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. This is the perfect holiday gift for anyone who loves trivia. Please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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Some evening, if you are watching a movie and thinking “this is the worst movie ever”, be aware that there is an organization that annually recognizes the worst films and performances. The Golden Raspberry Awards for Failure in Cinematic Achievement, better known as the Razzies was founded in 1980 as a joke at an Oscar Awards viewing party. A few years later, the organization started holding its annual ceremony on the evening before the Oscars gala, This ensures coverage of their event by the worldwide media that descends on Los Angelas for the Oscars weekend. Nobody’s Perfect: In 1976, Faye Dunaway won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in “Network”. Five years later she won the Worst Actress Razzie for her portrayal as Joan Crawford in “Mommy Dearest”. Dunaway blames that movie for derailing her career. Al Pacino has excelled in many films but has won only one Oscar (1992’s “Scent of a Woman”). Two decades later Pacino won the 2012 Worst Supporting Actor Razzie for his role in Adam Sandler’s “Jack and Jill”.  Although he was nominated eleven times, Lawrence Olivier’s only Oscar was for his performance in 1948’s “Hamlet”. In 1982 Olivier won the Worst Actor Razzie for his performance as General Douglas MacArthur in “Inchon”, which is considered to be the worst war movie ever made. In 2010, Sandra Bullock accepted a well-deserved Oscar for her performance in “The Blind Side”. That same weekend she accepted her Razzie in person for her performance in the odious “All About Steve”.  She graciously accepted her Worst Actress Razzie and the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple (playing opposite Bradley Cooper). Kevin Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his hilarious performance in 1988’s “A Fish Called Wanda”.  In 2000, he was awarded the Worst Actor Razzie for his portrayal of Artemis Gordon in the atrocious “Wild Wild West”. Kline and co-star Will Smith won the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple. In 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio played twin brothers in “The Man in the Iron Mask”. The Razzies membership didn’t appreciate either of the twins and handed DiCaprio the Razzie for Worst Screen Couple. Leo finally won an Oscar for his performance in 2015’s “The Revenant.”. In 2002, Halle Berry made history as the first Black actress to win an Oscar (“Monster’s Ball”). Three years later, Berry made history by being the first actress to accept her Worst Actress Razzie in person (for the dreadful “Catwoman”). Berry delivered a tearful parody of her Oscars acceptance speech while clutching her Oscar and Razzie. 1990’s “Dances with Wolves” garnered Kevin Costner Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Seven years later Costner received Razzies for “The Postman”, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Director. He has seven well deserved nominations for Worst Actor.  Sylvester Stallone is the King of the Razzies, He’s been nominated for Worst Actor fifteen times and for Worst Supporting Actor three times. Sly was also named Worst Actor of the Decade for his 1990s roles. That said, I love his current show, “Tulsa King”. After being nominated nine times, John Travolta’s finally won the Worst Actor Razzie for the 2001 bomb, “Battlefield Earth”. Travolta also won Worst Screen Couple receiving the award with “anyone sharing the screen with him”. The film has the lowest possible IMDB rating (2.5/10) and was awarded the Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010.   Madonna’s fifteen Razzie nominations are only exceeded by Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone. However, nobody tops Madonna’s nine Razzie trophies. She also edged out Brooke Shields for Worst Actress of the Century.  Redemption Ben Affleck received three Razzies for his early 2000s films, “Daredevil”, “Paycheck” and “Gigli”. In 2015, he became the first person to win a Razzie Redeemer Award for his excellent work in “Argo” and “Gone Girl”. In 1981, the Razzies’ first year, Shelley Duvall was nominated as worst actress for “The Shining”. Years later, it became known that Duvall had been subjected to constant mental abuse by the film’s director, Stanley Kubrick. In 2022, two years before Duvall’s passing, the Razzies commendably revoked her 1981 nomination. Have a great weekend. I’m going to see if “Battlefield Earth” is streaming somewhere.   Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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November 8th marks the fourth anniversary of Alex Trebek’s passing. In honor of Alex, I am recycling this blog from 2018. On November 30, 2004, Nancy Zerg, a Los Angeles realtor dethroned reigning Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings. The champ had recorded an unprecedented 74 consecutive victories and was so dominant that in 64 of his matches he entered Final Jeopardy with an insurmountable lead. In his 75th appearance. Jennings had a slight lead over Zerg going into Final Jeopardy. The category was “Business & Industry” and the clue was “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year”. Jennings incorrectly responded, “What is FedEx?”. Zerg responded correctly with “What is H&R Block?” resulting in her first and only Jeopardy victory. Jennings won over $3M during his streak and receives complimentary financial services for life from H&R Block for the free publicity he gave the company. Jennings also made it to “Letterman” where he presented the “Top ten ways to irritate Alex Trebek.” My favorite is “Ask Alex on air: So, who did your Botox”? Jennings, a computer scientist/author was a star of his quizbowl team at Brigham Young University however he claims that his greatest asset for Jeopardy were his quick reflexes. The buzzers don’t work until after the host has finished the question. Contestants are locked out if they answer too early so timing is crucial. The Franchise While on an airplane flight in 1963, emerging media mogul, Merv Griffin and his wife Julann began creating a game show called “What’s the Question?”.  It was renamed “Jeopardy” and debuted on NBC in 1964 with Art Fleming as host.  The syndicated version with Alex Trebek launched in 1984.  Jeopardy has won 30 Emmys and has adaptations in 30 countries including Japan, New Zealand, Russia, and Turkey. Griffin sold Merv Griffin Enterprises to Coca Cola in 1986 for $250M but he retained the rights to “Think!”, the instrumental played during Final Jeopardy.  Griffin originally wrote the song as a lullaby for his son entitled “A Time for Tony.” A royalty is paid every time and anywhere the song is played earning Griffin and his estate nearly $100M. More than 100,000 people take the Jeopardy online application quiz each year. Only 3,000 applicants are chosen for an interview. They are then given a 50-question test and play a live round before being chosen to appear. Only 0.4% applicants are eventually chosen causing one observer to advise that you are more likely to write a New York Times bestseller than compete on Jeopardy. It would be worth the effort if you could become the first person to win the maximum winnable sum in a single game. You only need to sweep both boards, find all three Daily Doubles, make them true Daily Doubles and then wager everything in Final Jeopardy to make $566,400. Nuggets A list of all questions and answers from Jeopardy can be found online at the J-Archive. This unofficial website is maintained by fans and covers most games from the past twenty years. It is a fountain of information: The category which appears most often is the incredibly annoying “Before and After”. Its 114 appearances edges out “Literature” (106).  “Before and After” gives you clues such as “Mouselike boy in an E.B. White story traveling through the heavens as Ursa Minor” The correct question is ‘Who is Stuart Little Dipper”. Ugh. “Presidents” has 49 Final Jeopardy appearances easily topping second place “Word Origins”. “Classical Music,” is the toughest category with just 72% of its clues being solved. “Art and Artists” at 76% and “Word Origins” at 79% are the next-hardest. Contestants have a 90% success rate solving “Sports” “Stupid Answers” “Food” and “The Movies”.  There has only been one three-way tie in Jeopardy history. The most common answer given by contestants on Jeopardy is “What is Australia?” although it isn’t the most common correct answer. If you ever find yourself on Jeopardy and are stumped for the answer, know that the most common correct response is “What is China?” This is different than the advice of my Jeopardy-loving wife who advises when in doubt, say “Who was Copernicus?”    Have a great weekend.  Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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November 2 marks the 270th anniversary of the birth of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. Born  Maria Antonia in Vienna, Austria, she was the youngest of fifteen children born to Empress Maria Teresa and Emperor Francis I. When the Austrian duchess was fourteen a marriage was arranged between her and Louis, the teenage Dauphin of France. The marriage was the capstone of negotiations to create a political alliance between traditional rivals Austria and France. The duchess moved to France accompanied by an entourage of 57 carriages, 117 footmen, and 376 horses. Her arrival in Paris was met with mixed reactions. Many in the upper class didn’t approve of her because they opposed the French-Austrian alliance. However most commoners were charmed by her striking grace and beauty. After Louis XV died in 1774, The Dauphin became King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette became queen. Marie Antoinette became known for her conspicuous displays of wealth. She grew a pouf that was four feet high. Her wigs were powdered white with flour which was an affront to many peasants who couldn’t afford bread. The royal couple were portrayed as being greedy, stupid, and immoral. Louis was often portrayed in artwork as a pig while a popular painting featured snakes in the queen’s hair- a la Medusa. The young king was not intellectually or emotionally up to the job. We are talking about a guy who took seven years to finally consummate his marriage. The public’s disapproval of the hapless king drove him into a severe depression. A woefully unprepared Marie Antoinette became more involved in day-to-day  governance. Meanwhile, she was ostentatiously spending on personal luxuries while peasants were starving to death. Marie Antoinette was accused of defrauding the state treasury in order to purchase a diamond necklace worth two million livres (about $15M in today’s dollars). The queen was proven innocent in court but the people’s discontent was bubbling over. Fearing for their safety, the royal family disguised themselves as commoners and fled Paris in June,1791. Their escape to the eastern border ended when they were apprehended in Varennes. The family was brought back to Paris and placed under house arrest in the Tuileries Palace. In January 1793, Louis XVI was put on trial and executed by guillotine. The 37- year-old queen’s execution by guillotine followed on October 16, 1793. About That Cake Marie Antoinette probably never uttered the phrase “Let them eat cake” but her alleged words became part of a vicious propaganda campaign. One hundred years before Marie Antoinette was born, Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau attributed those words to Marie-Therese, the Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV. The Queen was one of the first casualties of the Reign of Terror. A revolutionary tribunal tried her on trumped-up crimes against the republic that included high treason and sexual deviance. She was even charged with having incestuous relations with her son Louis-Charles. The ten-year-old boy was forced to testify that his mother had molested him. It took only two days for the tribunal to find Marie Antoinette guilty on all charges and condemn her to the guillotine. Classy to the end During her final days in prison, Marie Antoinette conducted herself with dignity and courage. Her last words were spoken as she ascended the guillotine stairs. She accidentally stepped on the foot of the executioner and exclaimed “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait exprès” (“Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose.”).   I am certainly not an expert on Marie Antoinette, however, my cursory view is that she was thrust into a leadership role for which she had neither the qualifications nor intellect. It’s unfortunate that she didn’t just remain in the comfort of her parent’s Vienna palace. Although, those must have been some fabulous soirees at her French palais.   C’est tout. Passez un bon weekend. Thanks to everyone who has bought my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. If you haven’t purchased your copy yet, please visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information and links to online retailers.

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Most people are on pins and needles as election day approaches. So it is a good time to step back, count our blessings and maybe have a laugh or two. To that end, here are some observations from two comedic giants: George Carlin and Steven Wright. George Carlin – Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things. – Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. – I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. – Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. – One nice thing about egomaniacs: they don’t talk about other people – The reason I talk to myself is that I’m the only one whose answers I accept. – I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me – they’re cramming for their final exam. – Think of how stupid the average person is and realize half of them are stupider than that. – Here’s all you have to know about men and women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. – Not only do I not know what’s going on, I wouldn’t know what to do about it if I did. – The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. – What was the best thing before sliced bread? – When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny? – If the “black box” flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn’t the whole damn airplane made out of that s–t? – I’m desperately trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets. Steven Wright: – I intend to live forever … So far, so good. – The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. – Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. – Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. – My mechanic told me, “I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” – Why do psychics have to ask you for your name – I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. – Borrow money from pessimists — they don’t expect it back. – Half the people you know are below average. –  99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. – A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. – OK, so what’s the speed of dark? – How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink? – Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. – What happens if you get scared half to death twice? – A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. – Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. – The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread. – If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you. – The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up. – The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. – I almost had a psychic girlfriend, ….. But she left me before we met. – They say it’s a small world, but I wouldn’t want to paint it.   Hope you got to chuckle. Have a great weekend My book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed” does not reach the genius levels of George or Steven. However, the reviews on Amazon are great and many buyers end up ordering additional copies for family and friends. Visit www.tedcurtinstories.com for more information, review snippets, and direct links to Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

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The list of people born on October 18 is extraordinary. Check out this roster.

Actors and Musicians

Dawn Wells

In 1964, the former Miss Nevada beat out 300 other applicants (including Racquel Welch) to win the role of Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island. Surprisingly Dawn’s career stalled after  “Gilligan’s Island”. She was briefly married in the sixties and never had children. In 2018, a Go Fund Me page was set up to help Wells to cover her medical expenses. The dementia patient died of Covid in 2020. Sad ending but Dawn still wins the men’s barroom question – “Ginger or Mary Ann?”

Chuck Berry 

Rolling Stone Magazine ranks Chuck Berry as the fifth greatest rock artist of all-time. What can you say about the composer of “Johnny B. Goode “and “Roll Over Beethoven” except he’ll get his own blog soon.

Wynton Marsalis

Not only is Marsalis a master of the jazz trumpet but he is also a renowned symphonic musician. When he was 14, Wynton performed with the New Orleans Philharmonic. Three years later he began classical music studies at Juilliard in New York City. It was there that Wynton fell in love with jazz. He has produced many great jazz albums but be sure to check out his wonderful symphonic compilations.

Jean-Claude Van Damme 

As a teenager. Brussels born Van Damme won the 1978 Belgium bodybuilding title and the 1979 European professional karate championship. He then moved to Hollywood to study acting. Van Damme’s films have grossed over $1B.

Victor Sen Yung

Victor portrayed Hop Sing on the iconic western series, “Bonanza”. Prior to that, he played Jimmy, the Number Two Son, in the 1940s Charlie Chan movies.  

Melina Mercouri

Nicknamed the “Last Greek Goddess”, Mercouri was an iconic 1960s actress. An early women’s activist, she was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1977 and later became the first woman to hold a cabinet post in Greece.

George C. Scott

Scott received Oscar Nominations for “Anatomy of a Murder” and “The Hustler” before amusing audiences in “Dr. Strangelove”. In 1971 Scott became the first person to decline an Oscar (Patton) as he was philosophically opposed to acting awards. After his death in 1999, Scott was buried in an unmarked Los Angeles grave.

Peter Boyle

Prior to pursuing acting Boyle spent three years in a Christian Brothers seminary. After appearing in many successful movies including “Young Frankenstein”. Boyle capped his career with his supporting performance in “Everybody Loves Raymond”.  Boyle received seven Emmy nominations for that role but never won. He died of heart disease at the age of 71 in 2006.

Pam Dawber

Pam dropped out of college in the early seventies and moved to NYC where she became a successful model. Despite Pam’s lack of acting experience she won a title role along with an unknown Robin Williams in the  sitcom “Mork and Mindy”.  Dawber married actor Mark Harmon in 1987 and they have two sons.

 Athletes

Martina Navratilova

The tennis phenom won a record nine Wimbledon titles. She also won four U.S. Opens, three Australian Opens, and two French Opens.

In 2023, Navratilova was diagnosed with both throat and breast cancer. After months of radiation, she was declared cancer-free.

Thomas Hearns

Thomas “Hitman” Hearns’s is the only boxer in history to win titles in five weight divisions. Hearns’ tall, slender build and oversized arms allowed him to move up fifty pounds during his career.

Hearns waged epic fights against Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler and was the first man to ever knockout Roberto Duran. Unfortunately, Thomas has run into significant financial difficulties which stem from his overwhelming generosity.

Mike Ditka

Ditka excelled at football, baseball and basketball at the University of Pittsburgh. Oh, and somehow, he found time to win the university’s intramural wrestling championship.

Ditka was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame after being selected five-times to the Pro-Bowl as a tight end. He is also renowned as a successful coach, broadcaster, restauranter, and overall  bad-ass.

Happy birthday to all of these accomplished people. Have a great weekend.

If you enjoyed this blog, you will love my recent book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. Visit www.tedcurtinstoreis.com for more information and direct links to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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