I want to watch that news anchor lady who had a stroke or whatever at the Grammys

Search: news anchor stroke

Why: Did you see this on "30 Rock" last week? (Not this week; last week.) I know I'm late on this, but we still can't get enough of it.

Answer: Omglol. He did it so perfectly.

Well, a very, very heavay - ah - heavy durr, burtation tonight... We had a very darris, darrison? ...

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: In case you didn't follow up, Serene Branson says she suffered some sort of "complex migraine" that mimicked symptoms of a stroke. I dunno. I had a migraine today, and I sure didn't tarris tazen let's go to bet who had the pet.

What are the words to the Princeton fight song?

Search: princeton fight song

Why: On "30 Rock," Jack says there's nothing gay about the Princeton theme song:

Oh, the merry men of Princeton are charging up the rear
Holding all the balls-

Answer: They go like this!

In Princeton town, we've got a team
that knows the way to play.
With Princeton spirit back of them,
they're sure to win the day.
With cheers and song we'll rally 'round
the cannon as of yore,
And Nassau's walls will echo with
the Princeton Tiger's roar:
(And then we'll)
Crash through that line of blue,
and send the back on 'round the end!
Fight, fight for ev'ry yard,
Princeton's honor to defend.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Rah! Tiger sis boom ah!
And locomotives by the score!
For we'll fight with a vim
that is dead sure to win,
for Old Nassau.

Source: Lyrics on Demand

The More You Know: And sound like this!

Who wrote Demolition Man?

Search: demolition man

Why: We watched it last night. I hadn't seen it since about 1994, and I was re-expecting it to be a high octane action thrilla. Instead, it was a very silly something. I kind of thought it was great, but Chandler compared it to colossal embarrassment Batman & Robin (1997).

That is preposterous for so many reasons.

Answer: The story and screenplay are from the geniuses behind!:

• Heathers (1989)!
  
• Hudson Hawk (1991)!
• Batman Returns (1992)!
  
• "Hawaii Five-0" (2010)!
• Son-in-Law (1993)!
• Jury Duty (1994)!
  

These guys are Daniel Waters and Peter Lenkov.

Fun fact: I have seen Jury Duty upwards of 2 dozen times. It is one of Stanley Tucci's finest performances.

Anyway, it makes sense. The Demolition Man people sure say "Greetings and salutations" a hell of a lot. I am fined one credit for a violation of the Verbal Morality Statute.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Did you know that Wesley "Willie Mays Hayes" Snipes just started a 3 year federal prison sentence because he didn't file his income tax returns? It's true! and after only 8 days, he's already asking to be let out. Yipes!

And jicydak, the other Wesley Snipes plays that flamboyant Jareth-style all-white showman Castor (Zuse) in Tron: Legacy, which - btw- is not very good.

Who is Kevin McHale?

Search: kevin mchale

Why: Tonight on "30 Rock":

JACK: [phone vibrates] It's from Nancy. She says she's in line behind the female Larry Bird. Oh god. There's a photo.
LIZ: Come on, how is Female Larry Bird holding hands with a guy? What am I doing wrong?
[Jack takes a photo of Liz]
LIZ: What's that for?
JACK: I'm telling Nancy that I'm with Female Kevin McHale.

Answer: A 6'10 basketball player from the 80s! Also a Celtic!

Now he coaches the Timberwolves.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Other Kevin McHale is that wheelchair kid on "Glee." I already blogged about him. Remember?

When do all the TV shows start up again?

Search: [I searched for them individually. Thank me later!]

Why: Just in case my DVR is all booked up and I forget I have to actually watch some stuff when it airs.

Answer: I am using mostly the same list as last time, even though I don't watch a lot of these abominations. Here you goesies:

• 24 - Jan. 17, 2010 (Sun.)
• 30 Rock - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
• 90210 - March 9 (Tues.)
  
• American Idol - Jan. 12 (Tues.)
  
• America's Next Top Model - TBA
• Archer - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
• The Big Bang Theory - Jan. 11 (Mon.)
• Big Love - Jan. 18 (Mon.)
  
• The Biggest Loser - Jan. 5 (Tues. / tomorrow!!)
• Bones - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
• Breaking Bad - March 2010
• Burn Notice - Jan. 21 (Sun.)
• Californication - TBA
  
• Dancing with the Stars - Spring 2010
• Desperate Housewives - Jan. 3 (yesterday)
  
• Dexter - Sept. 26 (Sun.)
• Entourage - TBA
  
• Family Guy - Jan. 3 (Sun. / yesterday)
• Friday Night Lights - Jan. 6 (Wed.)
• Fringe - Jan. 11 (Mon.)
  
• Glee - April 13 (Tues.)
  
• Gossip Girl - March 8 (Mon.)
• Grey's Anatomy - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
• Heroes - Jan. 4 (tonight!)
• House - Jan. 11 (Mon.)
• How I Met Your Mother - Jan. 11 (Mon.)
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - TBA
  
• LOST - Feb. 2 (Tues.) !!!!!
• Mad Men - Summer 2010
• Modern Family - Jan. 6 (Wed.)
  
• My Boys - unannounced
  
• The Office - Jan. 21 (Thurs.)
• Nip/Tuck - Jan. 6 (Wed.)
  
• Private Practice - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
• Project Runway - Jan. 14 (Thurs.)
  
• Saturday Night Live - Jan. 9 (Sat!)
  
• The Simpsons - Jan. 3 (Sun. / last night!)
• Smallville - Jan. 22 (Fri.)
  
• Supernatural - Jan. 21 (Thurs.)
  
• SVU - Jan. 6 (Wed.)
• Top Chef - TBA
• True Blood - TBA
  
• Two and a Half Men - Jan. 11 (Mon.)
  
• Ugly Betty - Jan. (Wed.)
• V - March 30 (Tues.)
• Weeds - TBA
  

Source: mostly Wikipedia

The More You Know: The Bachelor also started tonight, in case you are my mom, who is the only person on earth who actually watches that show.

Also, this was recently on Photoshop Disasters:

I want to watch the video for "Idiot Boyfriend" by Jimmy Fallon

Search: idiot boyfriend

Why: I just saw this "12 Days of Christmas" by Jimmy Fallon and the Muppets:

Answer: Lol, look who plays the girlfriend! Goodness, I haven't seen this in a long time:

Jimmy Fallon - Idiot Boyfriend

Source: Daily Motion

The More You Know: Yes yes, you "hate Jimmy Fallon." Yawn. Who I hate is Jay Leno. Please get him off my goddamn TV already before he ruins another 30 Rock.

What's the origin of "oops"?

Search: oops

Why: I corrected a flagrant spelling error in Joel's review of Avatar (11 biscuits, hell right), and he texted back:

Whups.

Answer: Firstly, upsy-daisy or ups-a-daisy was first recorded in Leeds in 1862 as "a common ejaculation [lol] when a child, in play, is assisted in a spring-leap from the ground." The phrase was probably based on an older expression up-a-daisy or up-a-day. The "daisy" part might come from:

• The flower name, which comes from the Old English daegesege or maybe "day's eye"
• (lack)aday + the adjectival suffix –sy tacked on (like lackadaisical? maybs?)
  

Some peeps use "upsadaisy" or "oopsy-daisy" when hoisting someone up. Others just use them (or "whoopsy-daisies") as variants of oops or whoops - like Hugh Grant in Notting Hill when they are climbing that fence.

This meaning has existed since 1925 when a New Yorker caption read "Whoopsie Daisy!" Oops and whoops have been exclamations of dismay since the early 1920s.

So, upsy-daisy means 'up' to almost everyone, and whoopsy-daisy means 'down' (falling or dropping), but there is a gray area surrounding oopsy-daisy.

But that isn't even what I asked. We are just learning here.

In the end, "Oops!" and "Whoops!" (but not "Whups," Joel, spelling error #2) are what the Oxford English Dictionary calls "natural exclamations" - the sort of noises that a human being naturally makes when she slices her palm with the Night Cheese knife.

Source: The Mavens' Word of the Day, Word Detective

The More You Know: My favorite flower is the daisy. I have these Andy Warhol prints in my hoos:

Are merkins a real thing?

Search: merkin

Why: On the "30 Rock" episode "The Bubble," Jenna goes on the Today Show to cut her hair:

MEREDITH VIERA: So this is for Locks of Love?
JENNA: No, Locks of Love turned me down. They said my hair was too processed for a sick person to wear. But this is for a wonderful charity called Merkins of Hope.

A merkin, in case you don't know, is a pube wig. Or something.

Answer: They used to be!

The Oxford Companion to the Body dates the origin of the pubic wig to 1450. Women would shave their pubic hair and wear a merkin to combat pubic lice, and prostitutes would wear them to cover up signs of disease, such as syphilis.

The word merkin stems from a corruption of the obsolete word malkin, meaning a lower-class woman or mop, which is derived from a diminutive of the personal name Mary (Mall, Moll and Malkin probably come from Mary).

Source: Wikipedia, Etym Online

The More You Know: I also just learned the word pudenda. Here are some goofy merkins (but not real ones, because they are NSFW slash gross. If you really want to see, click here.)

Who is Arthur Ashe?

Search: arthur ash

Why: On the "30 Rock" episode "Generalissimo":

KENNETH: Well, you are getting older, sir. There's no reason you have to keep acting like you're 20.
TRACY: Yes, there is! Do you know what happens to a comedian when he gets old and loses his audience? He starts to get offered serious roles. And do you really want to see me play Arthur Ashe?
KENNETH: No! That would be terrible. You leave him alone!

Answer: Another tennis player!

Arthur Ashe was the first African American player to compete in the international sport of tennis at the highest level of the game. After an early retirement from sports due to heart surgery, Ashe used his sportsman profile and legendary poise to promote human rights, education, and public health.

He won 3 Grand Slam titles - 1968 US Open, 1970 Australia Open, and 1975 Wimbledon.

Source: Notable Biographies, Wikipedia

The More You Know: So Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe... how many other of these jokes have flown over my head? In October, Jenna Maroney advertised "Tennis Night in America" for NBC Sports:

How many Jews live in Canada?

Search: canada demographics

Why: On "30 Rock" this week, Danny said:

I'm sorry, are you being sarcastic? Canadians have a hard time recognizing it 'cause we don't have a big Jewish population.

Answer: 329,995 (as of 2001)! That is 1.1% of the population (which is 33,739,859 in 2009, btw)!

The USA has something like 6,444,000 Jews (est. from 2007), which is may be up to 2.2% of the population (308,139,000 in 2009).

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: According to the 2001 Census, 13 million Canadians (43.6% of the population) identify as Roman Catholic. Who knew?

Happy Hanukkah, Canada!

Who is Jimmy Connors?

Search: jimmy connors

Why: On "30 Rock" this week, Kenneth said:

These are my all-inclusive holiday decorations. Here's a little Christmas tree, a menorah, a picture of President Obama (for the Muslims), and a bowl of meat cubes with a picture of Jimmy Connors sticking out in the tradition of Verducchianism!

Answer: A tennis player from the 70s! Among his titles:

• Australian Open (1974)
• US Open (1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983)
• Wimbledon (1974, 1982)

Connors won a total of 8 singles majors, second only to Bill Tilden's 10 among American men, and tied with Fred Perry, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras for 4th on the all-time roll.

Source: Tennis Fame

The More You Know: He also coached Andy Roddick.

I want to see pictures of Alec Baldwin as a young man

Search: alec baldwin young

Why: On "30 Rock," when Jack walked in front of the hi-def camera, he looked like this:

Katrina was all, "Who was that?"

Answer: Here he is. Swarthy:

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: Alec Baldwin has freakishly pointy elf ears. You heard it here first, fokes.

What happened to Warren Moon in 1995?

Search: warren moon

Why: On "30 Rock" (Astronaut Mike Dexter played by Dot Com):

ASTRONAUT MIKE DEXTER - I'm gonna be coming by all the time, getting jealous, taking things out of context. That dude Brian will be happier moving out.
BRIAN - OK, everybody just calm down.
ASTRONAUT MIKE DEXTER - I feel angry, like Warren Moon must have felt back in 1995.
LIZ LEMON - As I've told you many times during our relationship, no one gets that reference.

Answer: Moon is a former quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos (1978-1983), the Houston Oilers (1984-1993), the Minnesota Vikings (1994-1996), the Seattle Seahawks (1997-1998), and the Kansas City Chiefs (1999-2000).

I think this is the event in question:

On July 18, 1995, Warren reportedly had a violent confrontation with his wife Felicia. She told detectives that he had slapped her, choked her, and chased her when she fled in a car. In a July 21 press conference, Warren apologized for a "tremendous mistake" and said he would seek counseling. Despite Felicia's refusal to press charges, Warren was arrested for misdemeanor assault and went to trial in February 1996; he was acquitted.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: A few weeks ago, Jenna walked into a room and said, "Beat it, Grizz or Dot Com." That's racist, but I smile every time I think of it.

During his NFL career, Warren Moon was named to nine Pro Bowl games (1988–1995, 1997). Moon currently works as a broadcaster for the Seattle Seahawks. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, becoming both the first Canadian Football Hall of Famer, first undrafted quarterback and the first African-American quarterback to be so honored. Here is in action, throwing a football:

Who played Jayden Michael Tyler tonight on "30 Rock"?

Search: jaden michael tyler; jayden michael tyler

Why: Who?

Answer: I couldn't find it anywhere! Thanks for nothing, Internet!!

But lucky for everyone, I did rewatch on my DVR and discover that it was Nick Fondulis! This information is so new, it's not even on his IMDb page yet!

Source: none! bah!

The More You Know: I think he mostly does plays. Check out these sweet headshots:

UPDATE 3/19/11!! - I just saw him on a Chevy Cruze commercial about real-time Facebook status updates!

When do the new seasons of all my shows start?

Search: [i searched for each show separately]

Why: I like summer and everything, but man, do I miss TV.

Answer: Whew, I am just in time:

• 30 Rock - Oct. 15 (Thurs.)
• American Idol - January 2010
  
• America's Next Top Model - Sept. 9 (Wed.)
  
• The Biggest Loser - Sept. 15 (Tues.)
• Burn Notice - TBA (on hiatus)
  
• Dexter - Sept. 27 (Sun.)
• Family Guy - Sept. 27 (Sun.)
  
• Frisky Dingo - never,
• Glee - Sept. 9 (Wed.)
• Gossip Girl - Sept. 14 (Mon.)
• LOST - Jan. or Feb. 2010
• My Boys - unannounced
  
• The Office - Sept. 17 (Thurs.)
  
• Saturday Night Live - Sept. 26 (Sat!)
• The Simpsons - Sept. 27 (Sun.)
• SVU - Sept. 23 (Wed.)
• Ugly Betty - Oct. 9 (Fri.)
  

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: I am watching the new "Melrose Place" right now, and I guess - at the very least - it's not as stupid as "90210."

But anyway, here are some other shows people watch, though I am not one of those people:

• 24 - Jan. 17, 2010 (Sun.)
• 90210 - Sept. 8 (tonight!)
  
• The Big Bang Theory - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
• Bones - Sept. 17 (Thurs.)
  
• Californication - Sept. 27 (Mon.)
  
• Dancing with the Stars - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
• Entourage - July 12 (Hope you watched!)
• Friday Night Lights - Oct. 28 (Wed.) on DirecTV, then on NBC in summer 2010
  
• Fringe - Sept. 17 (Thurs.)
• Grey's Anatomy - Sept 24. (Thurs.)
  
• Heroes - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
• House - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
  
• How I Met Your Mother - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
  
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Sept. 17 (Thurs.)
• Mad Men - Aug. 16 (Catch up quick!)
• Monk - Aug. 7 (This one too!)
  
• Private Practice - Oct. 1 (Thurs.)
• Project Runway - Aug. 20 (Thurs.)
  
• Supernatural - Sept. 10 (Thurs.)
• Top Chef - Aug. 19 (Wed.)
  
• Two and a Half Men - Sept. 21 (Mon.)
  

Seems like every show I don't care about comes on Mondays. Set your DVR!

What celebrities guest starred on Friends?

Search: friends guest stars

Why: I just watched one of the episodes with Elle Macpherson.

Answer: Here are the people you and I both know:

• Jason Alexander (1 episode)
• Christina Applegate (2 eps.)
• David Arquette (1)
• Hank Azaria (5)
  
• Alec Baldwin (2)
• Selma Blair (1)
  
• Eddie Cahill (7)
• George Clooney (1)
• Jennifer Coolidge (1)
• Kristin Davis (1)
• Danny DeVito (1)
  
• Tate Donovan (5)
  
• Morgan Fairchild (5)
• Dakota Fanning (1)
  
• Anna Faris (5)
  
• Jon Favreau (6)
• Soleil Moon Frye (1)
  
• Teri Garr (3)
• Adam Goldberg (3)
• Jeff Goldblum (1)
  
• Elliott Gould (20)
• Jennifer Grey (1)
• Charlton Heston (1)
  
• Helen Hunt (1)
• Chrissie Hynde (1)
• Chris Isaak (1)
• Penn Jillette (1)
• Greg Kinnear (1)
  
• Jay Leno (1)
• Hugh Laurie (1)
• Jon Lovitz (1)
  
• Elle Macpherson (5)
• Dermot Mulroney (3)
  
• Gary Oldman (1)
• Donny Osmond (1)
• Chris Parnell (1)
• Sean Penn (2)
• Brad Pitt (1)
• Freddie Prinze Jr. (1)
  
• Michael Rapaport (4)
• Leah Remini (1)
• Giovanni Ribisi (9)
  
• Denise Richards (1)
• Julia Roberts (1)
• Rebecca Romijn (1)
  
• Isabella Rossellini (1)
• Debra Jo Rupp (6)
• Winona Ryder (1)
• Susan Sarandon (1)
  
• Jennifer Saunders (2)
• Harry Schearer (1)
  
• Tom Selleck (10)
• Charlie Sheen (1)
• Brooke Shields (1)
  
• Sherri Shepherd (1)
• Jonathan Silverman (1)
  
• Cole Sprouse (5)
• John Stamos (1)
  
• Ben Stiller (1)
• Christine Taylor (3)
  
• Marlo Thomas (3)
• Lea Thompson (1)
  
• Kathleen Turner (3)
• Aisha Tyler (9)
• Jean-Claude Van Damme (1)
• Michael Vartan (1)
• Bruce Willis (3)
• Reese Witherspoon (1)
  
• Noah Wyle (1)
• Steve Zahn (1)

In that list, I count at least 7 Oscars and 18 nominations - not to mention all the other Emmys, Golden Globes, Aftonbladet TV Prizes, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, etc.

Source: FanCast.

The More You Know: Here are other people you would probably recognize. I put them down here because they either weren't celebrities at the time, aren't famous now, had very small roles, or some other arbitrary reason:

Scott Adsit, Sasha Alexander, Eva Amurri, Alexis Arquette, Bob Balaban, Doug Benson, Shelley Berman, Alex Borstein, Richard Branson, Dan Castellaneta, Megan Cavanagh, Sarah Ferguson, Willie Garson, Kyle Gass, Beth Grant, Evan Handler, Melora Hardin, James Hong, Kyle Howard, Nicky Katt, James LeGros, Thomas Lennon, Alec Mapa, Debi Mazar, Eddie McClintock, Kevin McDonald, Michael McKean, Dina Meyer, Ivana Milicevic, Sarah Murdoch, George Newburn, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Emily Osment, Ellen Pompeo, Brian Posehn, Missi Pyle, Craig Robinson, Rena Sofer, Marla Sokoloff, Fisher Stevens, Allison Sweeney, Gabrielle Union, Fred Willard, Olivia Williams, Mae Whitman, Chris Young

Who named Boring, Oregon?

Search: boring oregon

Why: Maria Thayer was born there. She was the randy newlywed in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the blind girl in "30 Rock," and she is on the episode of "SVU" I'm watching right now.

Answer: It was plotted as "Boring Junction" in 1903 after one of its first residents, W.H. Boring. Soon there was a Boring post office and a whole Boring community.

Boring is an unincorporated area, which means it's not part of any municipality. No Boring local taxes!

Source: BoringOregon.com, Wikipedia

The More You Know: 600th post!

Who were all the performers of Kidney Now!?

Search: nbc 30 rock

Why: I recognized maybe 71% of the singers on last week's episode.

Answer: These folks:

• Adam Levine
• Clay Aiken
• Cyndi Lauper
  
• Elvis Costello
• King Adrock
  
• Mary J. Blige
• Michael McDonald
• Mike D
• Moby
• Norah Jones
  
• Rhett Miller
• Robert Randolph
• Rachael Yamagata
• Sara Bareilles
• Sheryl Crow
• Steve Earle
  
• Talib Kweli
• Wyclef Jean
  

Source: NBC.com/30_Rock

The More You Know: Edgar Winter was on my plane this morning. He is pretty easy to spot:

Who played Donald on last week's "30 Rock"?

Search: 30 rock tracy's son donald

Why: That actor was pretty funny. If he did stand-up, I would watch it.

Answer: Michael Benjamin Washington

Source: Zap2It

The More You Know: He barely has any credits on IMDb, but that's because he's a stage man! He performs in drag as a gal named Mahogany. Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock"'s Jenna Maroney) saw his performance as early as 2005 and thought he was brilliant. Washington was also in the Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!, which happened to be the title of last week's episode.

How old is Tracy Morgan?

Search: tracy morgan

Why: In last week's "30 Rock," Tracy Jordan insisted he was 39, but peeps suspected maybe he was 60 or even 70 because:

• He can't rap
• He has diabetes
  
• A lot of his friends are dead
• He falls asleep in chairs
• He doesn't know how to use a computer
  
• He's always mad at the TV
• His favorite show is "NCIS"
  

Answer: 40. He was born Nov. 10, 1968.

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: In 1996, Morgan was diagnosed with diabetes in real life, but refused to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree fever on the set of "30 Rock," Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders.