the buzz log

Monitoring gas prices, Democratic votes, and marathon numbers has made for an exhausting week. It's time to freshen up the gray cells with a quiz based on what's spiking in Search. Your reward if you get them all right? A deep grunt of self-satisfaction.

Select the correct answer.

1. Which show may be moving back to television?
   A. "The O.C." B. "Beverly Hills 90210." C. "Twin Peaks."
2. To qualify for low-income housing, Chicago families must compete in the following: A. Bingo Night. B. Bowl-a-thon. C. A lottery.
3. Who didn't break a record recently? A. Georges St. Pierre (UFC). B. Danica Patrick (IndyCar) C. Lance Armstrong (Boston Marathon).

True or False.

4. The asteroid Apophis will glance off the Earth on April 13, 2029.
5. A UFO was spotted during the Pennsylvania primaries, calling into question the results of the Democratic contest.
6. Detective Ed Green (Jesse Martin) bids farewell on "Law & Order" because of sexual orientation.

           Answers

    1. B. Searches for "beverly hills spin-off" spiked after reports that Jennie Garth could head to the CW, which has been working on a pilot for some time.
    2. C. The site "www.rentbetter.org" surged 3,700% in Search, and the site crashed after the Chicago Housing Authority announced a lottery system for rental vouchers.
    3. C. The Tour de France champ was a simple participant. St. Pierre is the youngest two-time UFC champ and Patrick is the first female to win an IndyCar event. 
    4. False. Despite a German boy's assertion of a 1 in 450 chance of a collision, NASA projects only 1 in 45,000.
    5. False. Skywatchers in Florida and Arizona reported sightings, although the latter turned out to be a hoax.
    6. False. However, Elisabeth Rohm famously shed her role as axed ADA Serena Southerlyn with the utterly random "Is it because I'm a lesbian?"

Filed under: Quizzes

Every February well-known African American figures soar in Buzz. Over the last week, we've started to see increases in queries for Thurgood Marshall, Benjamin Banneker, and Maya Angelou, to name just a few.

But what we dig about African American History Month is unearthing information about lesser-known figures. To help ring in a month-long pursuit of knowledge, we present you with the Buzz Log's First Annual Black History Quiz. Our little test features folks who aren't necessarily top of mind, but who pop up up every year around this time. Enjoy...

Question #1: Bessie Coleman left behind Jim Crow and race riots in Chicago to learn how to fly in France. What didn't the first black pilot do in her short 34 years?

a. Daughter of a sharecropper, she helped the family out during the cotton harvest.
b. She supported herself as a beautician in 1920s Chicago.
c. She lied about her age on her passport.
d. She opened up a pilot school for blacks.

Answer: d. Queen Bess, as she was known, intended to open up a pilot school, but died tragically before she could do so, although her namesake does live on.

Question #2: As we still bask in the glow of Serena's triumph over Maria, we look back at a pioneering swinger, Althea Gibson. Which statement below about the all-around athlete is true?

a. The feisty Harlem native picked up tennis in an exclusive girls' school in the upper East Side.
b. She was knighted for being first black player to win at Wimbledon.
c. Her patron was the same man who helped tennis great Arthur Ashe.
d. She also became the first black woman to earn an LPGA card, then tried to break into the PGA—40 years before Michelle Wie's attempt.

Answer: c. Dr. Walter Johnson coached Althea and mentored Arthur. Althea did win Wimbledon and was an LPGA first, but no dame honors (women don't get knighted) or men's golf for her.

Question #3: Which African-American artist made his name with a series of vivid paintings called "The Migration of the Negro"?

a. Romare Beardon
b. Jacob Lawrence
d. John James Audubon
c. Archibald Motley

Answer: b. Jacob Lawrence, who died in 2000, produced a number of painting series around social themes. Yes, Audubon was a trick answer.

Question #4: Prolific inventor Garrett Morgan held a number of fascinating patents including the following:

a. Peanut butter and gas tanks
b. Heated toothbrush and sewing machine
c. Gas mask and traffic signals
d. Permanent hair dye and crosswalks

Answer: c. Garrett Morgan, a successful businessman, newspaperman, and inventor held patents for a smoke protection device and a traffic signal, among other inventions. He wasn't the first person to invent these devices, but found ways throughout his life to experiment and improve upon existing designs.

Question #5: Entrepeneur Madam C.J. Walker created a larger-than-life persona, which sparked many myths. Which of the statements below is true?

a. She invented the straightening comb.
b. Her beauty products made her American's first black millionaire.
c. She created a special line when she found her products proved surprisingly popular with drag queens.
d. She obtained the Walker surname from husband number three, but the marriage only lasted six years.

Answer: d. As for her millionaire status, her "official" source notes that depends on whether one combines adds personal and business assets.

 

Filed under: Black History, Quizzes

The blue eyeshadow. The puffy shoulder pads. And that was just the '80s guys. The girls just wanted to have fun. We remember it as the blockbuster decade: big movies, big hair, and everything over the top. No wonder the decade refuses to die: Retread "Miami Vice" stylishly triumphed over "Pirates" in the box office. Bic lighters are clicking worldwide in honor of MTV. The Coreys are working on their magnum opus. Do we need any other excuses to launch into our '80s Buzz Quiz?

Who has withstood the test of time or, at least, snagged more Buzz lately?

In pop culture…

Commodore 64 or Apple Macintosh?
Buzz goes to: Macintosh. OK, a no-brainer. People still have fond memories of the cool Commodore killing the video game console. But the PC alternative stood the test of time and its cousin became the successor to the Walkman.

Rubik's Cube or Tetris?
Buzz goes to: Tetris. But both earn props for being time wasters, lessons in spatial arrangement, and devices of mass hypnosis.

In personalities...

Hulk Hogan or Larry King?
Buzz goes to: Hulk Hogan. Ummm, why did we put these two together in the ring? Because both are showmen who fake it.

Oprah or David Letterman?
Buzz goes to: Oprah. She's not only the queen of daytime, she's the queen of everything, with her powers extending into film, magazines, books, and that Legends Ball. 

In music…
 

Madonna or Cyndi Lauper?
Buzz goes to: Madonna. She-bop gal Cyndi has crafted herself a respectable career on stage and in the director's chair, but the Material Girl has become an empire unto herself.

George Michael or Boy George?
Buzz goes to: George Michael. Boy George made his preferences known early on, but George took a little more time to get outed. Scandals plague these naughty boys, but George Michael seems to be getting the worst of it lately.

On the boob tube…

Don Johnson or Philip Michael Thomas?
Buzz goes to: Don Johnson. They may have been partners, but Crockett always snagged more attention than Tubbs. What's worse, even Don's ex, Melanie Griffith, beats Phil's buzz. Youch.

"The Golden Girls" or "The Wonder Years"?
Buzz goes to: "The Golden Girls." Who would've thought that the girls would have gay appeal and Fred Savage would play a gay man? We're already buying our tickets for "Golden Girls: The Musical."

On the big screen…

Eddie Murphy or Roseanne?
Buzz goes to: Eddie Murphy. The "Raw" performer and the domestic goddess fueled the '80s standup comedy boom. But Eddie was the one who took his act to the silver screen.

Corey Haim or Corey Feldman?
Buzz goes to: Haim. Although Feldman's had more of a career, relatively speaking, people may just want to know what the heck happened to the other Lost Boy. We know you're going to tune into "The Coreys."

 

Filed under: Celebrities, Quizzes, The '80s