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Friday, April 8, 2011
LANGUAGE TRIVIA … EDGAR ALLAN POE
Edgar Allan Poe introduced mystery fiction's first fictional detective, Auguste C. Dupin, in his 1841 story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
11-HOUR WORK DAYS WILL KILL YOU!
New research has found that people who work 11-hour days or more increase their chance of a heart attack by about 67%.
Researchers say the risk is so great that GPs should ask patients what hours they work along with how much they drink or smoke. Scientists monitored 7,000 people over 11 years, over which time 192 had suffered a heart attack.
They found that those who worked more than 11 hours a day were 67 per cent more likely to have one than those who had a nine to five job.
TRIVIA BITS ... FAHRENHEIT 451
Ray Bradbury’s famous novel Fahrenheit 451 takes it name from the temperature at which paper spontaneously combusts. It is set in a future society in which all books are banned, and if found are burned.
MOVIE NEWS … NEW TRAILERS
The Three Musketeers
Director : Paul W.S Anderson
Stars : Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelson, Gabriella Wilde, Juno Temple, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz
Synopsis: The hot-headed young D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (Matthew MacFadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson) in this reboot of Alexandre Dumas’ story. They must stop the evil Richlieu (Christoph Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and the treacherous Milady (Milla Jovovich). The action adventure is given a state of the art update in 3D.
Captain America
Director : Joe Johnston
Stars : Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke
Synopsis: “Captain America: The First Avenger” will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.
Kung Fu Panda 2
Director : Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Stars : Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber
Synopsis: Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five – Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey. But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is up to Po and The Furious Five to journey across China to face this threat and vanquish it. But how can Po stop a weapon that can stop kung fu? He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.
THE SMURFS
Director : Raja Gosnell
Stars : Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Anton Yelchin, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, George Lopez, Paul Reubens, John Oliver, Kenan Thompson, B.J. Novak, Jeff Foxworthy, Wolfgang Puck, Gary Basaraba, Tim Gunn
Synopsis:
Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, and Hank Azaria star on camera opposite an all-star voice cast. Anton Yelchin will play Clumsy Smurf; comedy legend Jonathan Winters, who voiced roles in the “Smurfs” television series, will voice Papa Smurf; Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Katy Perry will play Smurfette; Alan Cumming will play Gutsy Smurf; “SNL’s” Fred Armisen will voice Brainy Smurf; and George Lopez will play Grouchy Smurf.
In the live-action roles, Azaria will play the Smurfs’ nemesis, the evil wizard Gargamel. Harris and Mays star as an expectant couple whose lives are turned upside down when the Smurfs cross over from their magical village to New York City. Vergara plays Odile, Harris’s boss, a cosmetics executive.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
HEADLINE HOWLERS 7
These classics all really appeared in newspapers:
Churchill flies back to front
Prostitutes appeal to Pope
Miners refuse to work after death
Juvenile court to try shooting defendant
Hospitals sued by 7 foot doctors
Man Struck by Lightning faces Battery Charge
Astronaut takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
“MAMA MIA” CELEBRATES 12 YEARS ON THE WEST END
April 6th 2011 was the 37th Anniversary of ABBA's Waterloo victory at the Eurovision Song Contest; it was also the 12th Anniversary of the original production of the smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!. From the West End to global phenomenon, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer's ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs with an enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolding on a Greek island paradise.
Judy Craymer said, "It has been the most amazing journey from opening the London show in 1999 to now celebrating its 12th year. I'm so proud of the original production; it is the flagship show and so embraced by the audiences especially following the popularity of the film."
LANGUAGE TRIVIA ... SCRABBLE
The highest scoring word in the English language game of Scrabble is 'Quartzy'. This will score 164 points if played across a red triple-word square with the Z on a light blue double-letter square. It will score 162 points if played across two pink double-word squares with the Q and the Y on those squares. 'Bezique' and 'Cazique' are next with a possible 161 points. All three words score an extra 50 points for having seven letters and therefore emptying the letter rack in one go.
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