WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel switch seats for the first show of March.
Last week's challenge
Start with the phrase IT'S A MIRACLE. Change one letter to a B and you can rearrange the result to spell the two-word name (seven letters, four letters) of something often eaten in Indian restaurants. What is it?
Answer: Change the L to a B and you can spell BASMATI RICE.
THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: FAMOUS FICTIONAL ANIMALS
On-air questions: This is our first show of March, which proverbially speaking, comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. That got usthinking about famous lions and lambs and the rest of the animal kingdom….so today’s show is all about famous fictional animals.
1. Among the nicknames a character named Ned Ryerson rattles off while trying to get Bill Murray’s attention in a 1993 movie are “Needlenose Ned” and “Ned the Head.” Portrayed by Stephen Tobolowsky, Ryerson goes on to explain that he got shingles senior year and barely graduated. In what film does all of this take place?
2. On a 1997 episode of the Simpsons, Homer hallucinates a meeting with a character named Space Coyote, who tells Homer to find his soulmate. Which musician — who was in the midst of a decade-long collaboration with producer Rick Rubin on a series of “American Recordings” — voiced Space Coyote?
3. Among the short stories by Walter R. Brooks, who died in 1958, were “Mr. Pope’s Thoroughbred” and “With Teeth and Tail.” These stories inspired a television series that ran for 146 episodes and a 2004 pilot of a remake. What was the series called?
4. With family members including Meg, Chris, Lois and Peter, what is the name of the dog who is a frustrated writer and playwright and first appeared on television in 1998?
5. According to a report on WAMC News in 2015, author Herman Melville worked at his home in Pittsfield, Mass., Arrowhead while gazing upon Mt. Greylock. Peter Bergman of the Berkshire Historical Society says to Melville, the mountain looked like a white whale emerging from the ocean. What literary character did this inspire?
Extra credit
1. Which cartoon character was dumped as an ad mascot by MetLife in late 2016 in favor of a new logo with a “clean, modern aesthetic?”
2. What cartoon duo, originally voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, first appeared in a 1994 Disney movie before going to on to 85 episodes of a TV series from 1995-1999 and many sequels?
This week's challenge
No anagrams this week; just a thinker. Think of a presidential pet from history. That pet’s name is also the initials of his owner. Who is the pet and who is the president?
ANSWERS
On-air questions
1. Groundhog Day (According to internet lore, an entire family of groundhogs were used as Punxsutawney Phil in the film; Bill Murray was bitten twice.)
2. Johnny Cash (the character briefly returned in a voiceless cameo in a 2014 episode, 11 years after Cash’s death)
3. Mister Ed (although Mister Ed was billed as playing himself, a horse named Bamboo Harvester was filmed for the show.)
4. Brian (from Family Guy; show creator Seth MacFarlane voices Brian as well as Stewie and Peter Griffin)
5. Moby-Dick (Melville lived in Pittsfield for 13 years)
Extra credit
1. Snoopy
2. Timon and Pumbaa
