Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What'a a 5150?


Search
: 5150

Why: In Ryan O'Connell's "Top Ten Celebrity Excuses for Acting Completely Bat Shit Insane" on Thought Catalog (I wasn't exaggerating):

Liar: Mischa Barton

Bullshit Meter: 9

Remember when Mischa Barton was placed under a 51/50 and spent two weeks in a mental hospital last year? Now, she’s telling everyone that it all stemmed from having her wisdom teeth removed. She explains, “I’d had enough (of the pain) and I went to the hospital. I am terrified of needles and they wanted to pump me full of drugs and I said, “No, absolutely not. I don’t want to be here,” and got into a fight with the nurses, and that led to my 5150.’ Okay, Mischa. No one’s going to believe that you’re afraid of needles because you look like Amy Winehouse’s wacky cousin. Also, it’s hard to believe that someone could be placed under a 51/50 for simply arguing with a nurse. Liar, Liar, skinny jeans on fire!

Answer: An involuntary psychiatric hold! Police code for "crazy on the loose"!
CALIFORNIA WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE, SECTION 5150, second paragraph:

"... an application in writing stating the circumstances under which the person's condition was called to the attention of the officer, member of the attending staff, or professional person, and stating that the officer, member of the attending staff, or professional person has probable cause to believe that the person is, as a result of mental disorder, a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled."
Source: Urban Dictionary, Wikipedia

The More You Know: Also the name of the 1986 Van Halen album that featured "Why Can't This Be Love," and also the name of a song on it.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Have I ever heard of anyone buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery?


Search
: hollywood forever

Why: We might go to another premiere of Insidious there tonight. (We went to one last night, and the film was awesome. Totes the scariest thing I've ever seen. I could not get out of my house fast enough this morning.) I have only been one time - to Día de los Muertos - and I didn't recognize a single name there. But I did do this:
(It was unseasonably warm.)

Answer: There are a few! These are on the official Interactive Site Map (and some have cenotaphs but aren't really buried there):
and also:
And probably some other people whose names I either didn't notice or didn't recognize, but you know who they are - like Elmer Berger (1891–1952), inventor of the rear-view mirror.

Source
: HollywoodForever.com, Wikipedia

The More You Know: Incidentally, I once made a spreadsheet about Hattie McDaniel and her family (her brother and sister were both actors) because I couldn't believe the number of times they were each credited as Mammy, Porter, or Maid. Rude! Read about her cenotaph and the horrible reason it exists here.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Who played Lukka tonight on "Community"?


Search
: community luca

Why: We're watching right now! But honestly - full disclosure - I already know that guy. He is one of our friends.

Answer: Enver Gjokaj! Maybe you recognize him from "Dollhouse" - he played Victor / Anthony Ceccoli.
His twin brother Demir guest starred in an episode in a dream sequence:
Source: my brain, IMDb (because I don't know how to spell his crazy Albanian last name)

The More You Know: Enver also stars in the web series "Previously on Point Dume" with our pals Ross Maxwell, Jim Constantine, and Brian Henderson (spouse of HGTV's Emily Henderson!*)! Watch em all!
*Catch "Secrets from a Stylist" Saturday nights at 9/8c!

DVR

Monday, March 7, 2011

What exactly is umami?


Search
: what is umami

Why: Bob said the reason Heinz ketchup is so addictive to Americans is because it hits all 5 taste buds. An ensuing conversation went something like this:
C: It's just the 5th taste.
A: But what does it taste like?
I: It's, like, savory.
M: What is savory?
C: Like, kind of salty...
A: But there are already salty taste buds.
I: It's the opposite of sweet.
I don't know. (I also don't like ketchup.)

Answer: Here is what science says:
Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don’t recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious.
Source: UMAMI Information Center

The More You Know: Have you been to Umami Burger yet? There are several, including one within spitting distance of the back door of my apartment. The one on La Brea doesn't sell booze, and also, the people who work there are snobby dickholes. Come to the one in Los Feliz! Try the Manly.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

What's the main music in "Christmas Canon" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra?


Search
: transsiberian orchestra christmas canon

Why: Have y'all been listening to KOST 103.5 ("love songs on the coast") since the day after Halloween? Because it's been all Christmas music all the time. The little kids choir version of this came on tonight. I know that music, but I feel like I've heard it played in TV weddings. Is it a Christmas song? I don't know.
Answer: "Canon in D major" by Johann Pachelbel! It's also called "Pachelbel's Canon"! Hope you would enjoy!
Source: YouTube comments. Some are intelligent!

The More You Know: I'll tell you some TV shows and movies that I have heard it in:
  • 13 Going on 30
  • "The Office" (Jim & Pam's wedding, durr)
  • Ordinary People
  • Runaway Bride
  • Wedding Crashers
There are tons more, like a "Simpsons," a "House, a "Wonder Years," and a Jennifer Lopez movie.

Friday, July 23, 2010

What are those Above Cruise signs in Hollywood?


Search
: cruise above; above cruise; above depp; above street art

Why
: What are they? We saw one on Franklin and Beachwood (photo from seanstle):
Answer: There's just one, and it's part of a citywide street art installation by public artist Above!
Above flew to Los Angeles for 12 days and hung his new revised "Movie star arrow mobiles" in the heart of Hollywood giving Los Angeles a large dose of exactly what it obsesses about; movies and the actors that make the city of Los Angeles so uniquely scandalous.

Taking 50 of each the top Male and Female Actors from Hollywood's past and present, Above was able to kick off the start of his 4-month long summer tour in the city of Los Angeles. 100 brand new wooden "Movie Star Arrow Mobiles" were hung in Hollywood and Los Angeles areas.
Innovative, stimulating, and controversial! They are above the clouds, get it? Here is a video:

Source: GoAbove

The More You Know
: Datadreamer on Flickr has spotted several others:
  • Jack Nicholson - on Highland
  • Johnny Depp - on Sunset in Silver Lake
  • Burt Reynolds - on Sunset
  • Tom Selleck - on Pico
  • Uma Thurman - on Fairfax
Looks like Angelina Jolie is somewhere near my hood, and Milla Jovovich appears to be right outside my house. Who else can you find?

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Why do Priuses have those yellow stickers?


Search
: prius yellow sticker; prius incentives

Why
: We were talking about them the other day. Maybe they mean you don't have to put money in parking meters?

Answer
: First, they look like this:
And they mean you can drive in the carpool lane all by yourself - at least in California - but only until January 1, 2011. In LA and San Jose, you also don't have to pay for street parking. In New York, you can get a "green" version of the E-ZPass, and
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offers their "green E-ZPass" to hybrid owners, who pay $4 instead of $8 to use all the bridges and tunnels between New York and New Jersey, except in rush hours.
What?

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: But they're gone soon:
In California, 85,000 owners of the Toyota Prius and two other hybrids were granted special stickers providing access to High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, even with a single occupant in the car. That all ends on January 1st.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill yesterday extending certain HOV-Lane Access stickers for four more years. The yellow HOV stickers slapped to the sides of 85,000 hybrid vehicles weren't included in the extension. That means that when they expire on December 31st, it's sayonara to the smug-smile-inducing privilege.

Instead, Schwarzenegger extended the expiration on stickers plastered on a group of green vehicles that are far less common: Electric cars like the Tesla Roadster and those that run on natural gas like the Honda Civic GX or hydrogen — like the rarer-than-a-fillet 2010 Honda FCX Clarity.

Tesla vs. Honda:

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Who painted the mural on the stairs in my neighborhood?


Search
: mural hoover st la

Why: I walked up it this morning. It wasn't there when I moved in.

Answer: Ricardo Mendoza! It was dedicated March 25, 2009. That was busy time for me.

Source
: LAist

The More You Know: Mendoza has done lots of murals! This is at Sunset and Echo Park:
These are on an office building somewhere in Silver Lake:
This is allegedly within about 50 yards of my house, but I have never seen it. If anyone knows exactly where it is (in the studio somewhere?), please let me know.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

How far is San Francisco from the northern border of California?


Search
: fort dick, ca

Why: Kim just called the Bay Area "Northern California," which seems weird, because - well, have you ever looked at a map?
It is, at most, maybe a third of the way down.

Answer: 365 miles, aka 6 hours 32 minutes by car! Or that is to Fort Dick, anyway, which is 15 miles south of the state line which - as far as I am concerned - is the same thing.

Also, Fort Dick is at latitude 41.868, and San Diego (at the bottom of CA) is at 32.49, which means the midpoint of California is at the 37.179 mark, here:
San Francisco is at 37.656. Just sayin.

Source: Google Maps

The More You Know: Well, turns out that if there are only 2 regions of California - Northern and Southern - then yes, San Francisco would fall into the former. Maybe it should be called just "Norther." There are 48 counties in Northern California, but only 10 in Southern California.

Also,

It is suggested that the word California may signify that it is a place that is "hot as an oven", because in Catalan, cal means "hot" and forn means "oven." (From the Latin roots calida > "hot," fornax > "oven").

Another suggested source is kali forno, an indigenous phrase meaning "high mountains."

Friday, March 26, 2010

What movies were filmed in Austin, TX?


Search
: whip it

Why: Dan is thinking of moving there to make films, even though Hollywood is in Southern California (and so is Disneyland).

Answer: Lots! Among them:
  • Friday the 13th (2009)
  • Whip It (2009)
  • Death Proof (2007)
  • Grindhouse (2007)
  • Planet Terror (2007)
  • Capote (2005)
  • Sin City (2005)
  • Friday Night Lights (2004)
  • Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
  • Miss Congeniality (2000)
  • Road Trip (2000)
  • Boys Don't Cry (1999)
  • Varsity Blues (1999)
  • Office Space (1999)
  • The Faculty (1998)
  • From Dusk Til Dawn (1996)
  • Michael (1996)
  • Waiting for Guffman (1996)
  • Mortal Combat (1995)
  • Dazed and Confused (1993)
  • What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
  • Blood Simple (1984)
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)



Source: IMDb

The More You Know: What movies were filmed in Memphis, you ask?
  • Soul Men (2008)
  • My Blueberry Nights (2007)
  • Black Snake Moan (2006)
  • Hustle & Flow (2005)
  • Walk the Line (2005)
  • 21 Grams (2003)
  • Cast Away (2000)
  • Road Trip (2000)
  • The Rainmaker (1997)
  • The People vs. Larry Flynt (1995)
  • The Client (1994)
  • The Firm (1993)
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
and episodes of these TV series:
  • Cops
  • Man vs. Food
  • Route 66 ("Give the Old Cat a Tender Mouse")
  • True Life ("I'm in an Interracial Relationship")
  • Unsolved Mysteries ("Martin Luther King")
  • WWF RAW is War
[emoticon with the shifty eyes]

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

What makes something "vintage"?


Search
: what makes something vintage

Why: There is a store down the street from my house called American Vintage (it's attached to Home, which makes my favorite pizza ever ever). Does whatever it is have to have been made before a certain year (and, if so, what year)? Does it have to be pre-owned? Rare? One-of-a-kind? Destroyed in some way? Can I call any old thing "vintage"?

Answer: First, in wine - where the word comes from (vin, doy) - a "vintage" is a yield of grapes from a specific growing year. From Yahoo! Answers:
Vintage wine means it comes from the same specific growing year. Some wines are non-vintage, meaning they can or are a blend a wines from more than one year, as is common with non-vintage ports and champagnes.
When referring to clothes (or cars or, like, lamps), this seems to be one of those words stores just use when they feel like it. In general, it means "old or looks old." Here is an eloquent description, some words of advice, and a suggested experiment from a fellow named flightstrip:
i think if somethings old or looks old people generally refer to it as vintage.think its up to the individual to check it out and sift the valuable from the naff.
id say my balls are vintage cos theyre old but pretty well preserved and in full working order though id recommend u try them out to see if they work ok.
BUT! on Etsy, an item must be at least 20 years old to be considered vintage.

Source
: Merriam-Webster, Yahoo! Answers, FastFude.org, Etsy

The More You Know: A Google Image search (on a non-work computer) yields quite a bit of vintage porn. Figures. And also this:

Monday, March 1, 2010

Can I watch Captain EO online?


Search
: captain eo youtube

Why: We watched it twice yesterday at Disneyland. Val and I are going to learn the dance and perform it... sometime.

Answer: Omg yes!! It's not 3D obvi, but to be honest, the 3D is sort of shitty in the hurts-your-eyes kind of way. We're goin in.
Source: YouTube

The More You Know: Some notes about Captain EO (1986):
  • Written by George Lucas, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
  • The 17-minute film cost $30 million to produce, i.e. $1.76 million per minute. At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis.
  • "We Are Here to Change the World" was not officially released until 2004 as part of Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection. Here are the lyrics.
  • Captain EO yells "Hooter!" at least 9 times.
  • My favorite part is on 2/2, at 3:06. I did it last night on Splash Mountain.
  • Hey! It's Anjelica Huston! She was 35 when this came out. Also, she was in a relationship Jack Nicholson from 1973 to 1989. Who knew!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Who sings "Sparkle and Shine" in that Nivea commercial?


Search
: nivea sparkle andshine

Why: I was singing it the other day. I kind of hate it.

Answer: Delfina! The whole song is on her MySpace. I can't find much else about her, but here are some reviews on Yelp. She is based in Manhattan Beach, CA (LA County). She looks relatively young:
Source: Yahoo! Answers

The More You Know: Here is the original song by Steve Earle from his 2007 album Washington Square Serenade.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Where did Zenyatta get her name?


Search
: breeders' cup

Why: I just saw a commercial for Santa Anita Park that said something like, "From Seabiscuit to Zenyatta." That's a funny name, even for a horse. It kind of sounds like "Santa Anita."

Answer: From the name of The Police album! In 2005, Zenyatta was purchased as a yearling by recording exec Jerry Moss, who co-founded A&M Records in 1962. That label signed The Police in 1978. The Police released their 3rd album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in 1980.
Zenyatta Mondatta are invented portmanteau words, hinting at Zen, at Jomo Kenyatta, at the French word for the world ("le monde") and at Reggatta, from the previous album's name, Regatta de Blanc.
"Don't Stand So Close to Me" is on it, PS.

Source
: Wikipedia

The More You Know: This is darling, from BreedersCup.com:
Strengths: Massive filly can make her own race, not needing pace help, and finishes with a flourish like few before her. She’s a picture of perfection over varying racing surfaces and circuits...

Weaknesses:
Immense talent has scared many challengers away, so she’s not well-versed against a big field of top-class rivals. Given her late-running style, she could be challenged if a big field showed up at the Grade 1 level; though she did rally to beat 11 sprinters in her maiden debut. Simply put, there are few flaws.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

What is in Thousand Island dressing?


Search
: thousand island

Why: Jeff said that in Utah, fries are served with "fry sauce," which is made of ketchup, mayonnaise, and sometimes pickles. To my knowledge, those are the ingredients in Thousand Island.

Answer: Gag:
  • Ketchup
  • Mayonnaise
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Finely chopped vegetables, like pickles, onions, bell peppers, and green olives
  • Chopped hard-boiled egg (optional)
The name is mentioned in a 1900 cookbook, meaning it was well-known by then. One theory says it was named after the specks of pickle in the sauce that look like archipelagos. Another says some lady gave it to a guy at the Thousand Islands resort, and he gave it to the maitre d' at the Waldorf-Astoria, who put it on the menu.
Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Jeff would have me tell you that fry sauce tastes very little like Thousand Island, and that even the guy on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" - who expected the same thing - said so.

Also, In-N-Out spread is Thousand Island almost exactly. I don't like ketchup and I detest mayonnaise, which is probably why I don't go apeshit over In-N-Out the way other people do:

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Who is Justin of shitmydadsays?


Search
: shitmydadsays

Why: On Twitter, his bio just says "I'm 29. I live with my 73-year-old dad. He is awesome. I just write down shit that he says." Some highlights:
  • We're out of Grape Nuts... No, what's left is for me. Sorry, I should have said "You're out of Grape Nuts."
  • Son, no one gives a shit about all the things your cell phone does. You didn't invent it, you just bought it. Anybody can do that.
  • You're like a tornado of bullshit right now. We'll talk again after your bullshit dies out over someone else's house.
  • The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain't spitting it out.
  • Jesus it's hot in here? Right? No? It's fucking hot, you people looking at me like i'm crazy. You're crazy.
  • Who is this woman?....Kate Beckinsale? Well, you can tell Kate Beckinsale she sucks.
Answer: Justin Halpern! His father is Sam. They live in San Diego. Some notes:
Before retiring, Sam worked in nuclear medicine for the University of California, San Diego.
Growing up, Justin and his two brothers were pretty scared of Sam. Heck, they're still scared of him. After telling Justin's brother, Dan, about Stuff My Dad Says, Justin remembered Dan laughing hysterically to the point of tears. Then, Dan's tone changed. "Dude, you can't tell Dad."
When he finally confessed:

"I told him, 'OK, there's this site called Twitter.' And he was like, 'I know Twitter.' And then he was like, 'Now, do you have to go onto the Internet to access Twitter?' "After providing a basic overview of the project, Justin prepared for the fallout. "I should have seen it coming," Justin said. "He gave the most perfect response. He laughed for, like, 10 seconds, and then he goes, 'I can't find my cellphone. Can you call it?'"

Funny stories:

There was the time Sam coached Justin's little league team and got so frustrated with the players that he quit the gig on the spot, leaving a 9-year-old Justin to walk a few miles home.
"Even at 9, I knew this was going to end terribly," Justin said. "It was just me walking home, and I saw him driving. And he pulls up next to me and says, 'Aw, I forgot to pick you up, didn't I?' ... 'I'm not coaching that [expletive deleted] team anymore.' "
And then there was the time Justin filled Sam's Alfa Romeo Spider convertible with water. Or the time Sam had a bad day and declared, "I'll wear clothes if I want to wear clothes, and I won't wear clothes if I don't want to wear clothes," Justin recited. "And the fact that your friends are coming over soon is inconsequential."
Contrary to the "28-year-old guy living with his parents" stereotype, Justin is, in fact, employed. (He says he moved back to San Diego to get away from the big city life in L.A.) He recently left his job writing for the humor website he founded, called Holy Taco, to write for "Maxim."

(He's in the middle.)
Source: LA Times blogs

The More You Know: From Mashable.com:

The author of the account, Justin Halpern, simply tweets the quips and funny off-the-cuffs from his live-in 73-year-old dad. The results are hysterical enough to have already landed him a book deal, and now with a CBS option deal the concept will be finding its way to the other small screen, the television.

The creators of "Will & Grace," David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, are already on board to executive produce the show, planned as a family comedy. Halpern will co-write the script with Patrick Schumacker.

The show will join “Texts from Last Night” as the second internet meme to get picked up by a broadcast network this season, both intended as half-hour series.

I dunno about that.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

How tall are the yetis in the Matterhorn?


Search
: height snowman matterhorn; matterhorn snowman facts; height yeti matterhorn; how big harold matterhorn

Why: Gavin wore a furry white sweater, and I said he should hide in the Matterhorn to scare childrens. Kat said the one in the Matterhorn is BIGGER than Gavin, who is 6'7', by the way. I said no way, those things are tiny. Then we went to Disneyland the next day obvi, and Kat agreed that those things were like 3.5, maybe 4 feet tall. Teeny. But exactly how big?

Answer: Omg I just don't believe this.
Ever since 1978, a seven-foot tall Abominable Snowman has lurked in the Matterhorn's largest cavern, roaring and waving its arms at riders as they zoom past in their bobsleds
Unless it is hunched over or something. Or they are counting its arms. Maybe.

Because in an interview on Disney and More, Imagineer Pat Burke says:
The Matterhorn Abominable Snowman served as a Gorilla in his former job in the Jungle Cruise! Part of Mark's new show for DL included the Gorilla Camp with the tents, overturned jeep and the family of gorillas unpacking and turning the camp inside out. So, the older previous tenant Gorilla vacated the DLJC. Some time later,the Matterhorn was coming down to be upgraded while we were doing the new Big Thunder in 88/89... It was also decided to put some show in the interior mostly for the Skyway buckets that passed through the Matterhorn more slowly. The Bobsleds of course at speed could see the new icy interiors and crystals about as well as the new Abominable snowman/alias Mr Gorilla that came out of retirement and put on a new suit!
Seven feet, my a.

Only if this is the world's tallest man:
Source: Travels.com, Daveland, Disney and More

The More You Know: Look how hilarious. These images from Daveland are from 1959 and 1967:
Hey, it's Twiggy!

Also, Dave has some pictures of the legendary "basketball court" (aka hoop) in the top of the Matterhorn. Scroll on down.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

I want to see some trees by Axel Erlandson


Search
: gilroy gardens axel; axel erlandson

Why: In Reader's Digest, "Four Ways of Looking at a Tree":
Inspired by his observations of tree limbs that had naturally fused together (a phenomenon called inosculation), he began to cut and meld together different trees' trunks and branches into a single, fantastical tree... "The Basket Tree" - the result of grafting six sycamores at 42 different points - is one of 19 of his living artworks on display at Gilroy Gardens, a theme park in California.
Answer: Omg neat:

Source: Google Images

The More You Know: Gilroy Gardens (in Gilroy, CA, sorta near Santa Cruz) is the only California theme park with a horticultural theme. The park is a non-profit organization created and designed to educate guests and foster a greater appreciation of the natural world and man's ability to shape it. Who wants to go play in the Tree Top Sprayground?
Waterslide!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Is there a website that makes fake license plates?


Search
: make a license plate

Why: A novelty plate is a real dream of mine, except I am poor / cheap.

Answer: Haha Vinz Decals will do all that and more!

Vin will make just about anything, including decals for your caliper and 3rd brake light. However, I should note that Minnesota and California appear to be the only US states for which he makes plates.

Source: VinzDecals

The More You Know: We went on Tower of Terror twice yesterday. Another dream of mine:
(Omg, there is a 1997 made-for-TV movie called Tower of Terror - based on the ride - starring Steve Guttenburg? Kat, are you reading this? I will come to that Movie Night for sure.)

Monday, November 9, 2009

What is that catchy song in Splash Mountain?


Search
: splash mountain

Why: We went on it twice yesterday because it is my favorite. That song has been in my head ever since. It's from Song of the South, which I have only watched once.

Answer: It is called "How Do You Do?" Here is a video from Disney World, not Disneyland. Everything appears to be completely backwards. Br'er Bear's giant ass should for sure be on the other side:


How do you do?
Mighty pleasant greetin'
How do you do?
Say it when you're meetin'
How do you do?
With everyone repeatin'
Pretty good sure as you're born
Source: Disney Themes

The More You Know: Eeeeeeee!!!