Tag: entertainment

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How: 26 February

The following Who, What, When, Where, Why and How all relate to this date: 26 February.

Who

A singer-songwriter born this day in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, US. recorded songs such as Hey, Porter; Cry, Cry, Cry and I Walk the Line and in the 1950s became the top country and western recording artist. He later became a champion for social justice and penal reform.

  • Who is being described?
    • Johnny Cash
    • Jim Reeves
    • Hank Williams

What

From Here to Eternity by James Jones was published today in 1951 and later was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film of the same name.

  • What was the novel mainly about?
    • Roald Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition
    • Roman Catholic Church’s Papal Conclave
    • US Army in Hawaii

When

Grand Canyon
[Image from Wikipedia]

On 26 February the Grand Canyon National Park was established by the US Congress.

  • When was this?
    • 1899
    • 1909
    • 1919 

Where

Napoleon
[Image from Wikipedia]

Napoleon escaped exile from an island on this day in 1815 and made his way to Paris where, on his arrival on 20 March, a period now known as the Hundred Days began.

  • Where was the island situated?
    • South Atlantic Ocean 
    • English Channel
    • Mediterranean Sea

Why

The Berlin West Africa Conference concluded on the 26 February 1885.

  • Why had it been convened some 3 months previously?
    • German Empire sought all territory between the Niger and Zambezi Rivers
    • Portugal wished to control the Congo Basin
    • Great Britain desired sole control of West Africa south of the Sahara

How

Victor Hugo, born today in 1802, is, according to Encyclopædia Britannica, renowned in France as one of the country’s greatest poets but that is not the case abroad.

  • How is he widely thought of elsewhere?
    • As a musician
    • As a novelist
    • As a painter

The answers will be posted later today. 

85th CDMYW RDS—NSWRS

Life of Pi promotional poster[Image from Wikipedia]
  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. Jennifer Lawrence
  3. Silver Linings Playbook
  4. Argo
  5. Life of Pi
  6. Ang Lee

The post title 85th CDMYW RDS—NSWRS is in full 85th Academy Awards—Answers.

The Academy Awards, known as the Oscars, are prestigious film accolades presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States. These awards recognise excellence in cinematic achievements as judged by the Academy’s voting members.

Jennifer Lawrence (2012)
[Image from Wikipedia]

First presented in 1929, the Oscars ceremony is the oldest entertainment awards event, having been televised since 1953. The awards are symbolised by a gold-plated statuette called Oscar, depicting a knight in Art Deco style.

The Academy presents awards in 23 categories, including Best Picture, Actor, and Actress. Additional accolades include scientific and technical awards, special achievement awards, honorary awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

To be eligible for an Oscar, a film must be publicly screened in Los Angeles County for at least one week between 1 January and 31 December. Different submission requirements exist for foreign-language films, documentaries and short films, while music awards necessitate form submission by the artists.

Ben Affleck
[Image from Wikipedia]

The awards ceremony, often held in February or March, is a live-televised event where the major categories, known as the Academy Awards of Merit, are handed out. The first ceremony was held on 16 May 1929, with about 270 guests at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, followed by a post-awards party at the Mayfair Hotel. Back then, tickets cost $5, and fifteen statuettes were awarded for achievements in the 1927–28 period.

Initially, winners were announced three months before the ceremony, with newspapers publishing results at 11:00 pm on the awards night. However, after The Los Angeles Times revealed winners before the 1940 ceremony, the Academy adopted the use of sealed envelopes from 1941 onwards.

Oscar is a registered trademark of AMPAS, and the awards continue to be a hallmark of excellence in the film industry.

85th CDMYW RDS

Oscar Statuette
[Image from Academy Awards Picture Blogspot]

The 85th Academy Awards took place on 24 February 2013 and below are some questions based on the awards made that evening. 

After each question, a series of CNSN NTS (consonants) is displayed in the correct order as a hint to the answer. Fill in the missing vowels to reveal the solution. For example, if an answer was Benedict Cumberbatch the clue could be shown as BND CTC MBRB TCH or if Daniel Day-Lewis the clue could be DNLD YLWS

On 24 February 2013 at the 85th Academy Awards…

  1. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor award for his role in a Steven Spielberg film and his portrayal of a famous historical character. Use the nine consonant clue below to help identify that famous character as…
    • [clue] BR HMLN C LN
  2. The Best Actress Oscar was for the role of Tiffany Maxwell played by…
    • [clue] JN NF RLWR NC
  3. Tiffany Maxwell, mentioned at Q2 above, was a character in this film…
    • [clue] SL V RLNN GSP LYBK
  4. The Best Picture winner, which starred Ben Affleck as a CIA officer, was… 
    • [clue] RG
  5. The Best Director winner’s film was based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. The book and film are both named…
    • [clue] LFFP
  6. The film at Q5 above won the Best Director Oscar for…
    • [clue] NGL

The answers will be posted later today.

The post title 85th CDMYW RDS is of course 85th aCaDeMY aWaRDS.

Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!—Answer

  1. Ulverston, Lancashire*, England
  2. Arthur Stanley Jefferson
Statue of Stan and Ollie in Ulverston.
[Image from Wikipedia]

[*Ulverston was in Lancashire at the time of his birth but is now in Cumbria]

Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was a pivotal figure in comedy, renowned for his performance and partnership with Oliver Hardy in over 100 films, including shorts, features and cameos. Laurel’s journey into entertainment began in the music hall, where he honed his comedic skills by developing iconic devices such as the bowler hat and nonsensical understatement, all while understudying for Charlie Chaplin in Fred Karno’s London Comedians. His film career kicked off in 1917, with his final appearance in 1951. Laurel and Hardy first collaborated on The Lucky Dog in 1921 and officially became a team by 1927, maintaining their partnership until Hardy’s death in 1957. Their humorous style was famously described by Laurel as

two minds without a single thought.

Their 1932 short, The Music Box under Hal Roach’s production, earned them an Academy Award, further solidifying their status as the greatest comedy duo in film history. Laurel, originally a music hall comedian, found success in comedy shorts before transitioning into a director and gag writer role, often headlining most of their productions at Roach Studios. Meanwhile, Norvell Hardy, who later adopted the name Oliver, entered show business after managing a cinema, eventually appearing in over 200 short films before his collaboration with Laurel.

The duo’s partnership flourished with Roach’s All-Stars, where their chemistry was recognized, leading to their official team-up in 1927. Their comedic formula revolved around two brainless friends, with Laurel as the guileless troublemaker and Hardy as the meticulous man thwarted by misplaced faith in his partner. Their sound films showcased their genius: Laurel’s British accent and Hardy’s Southern tones added depth to their characters, and Laurel’s inventive use of audio gags became a hallmark of their work.

While Laurel was known for his head-scratching, whimpering cries, and blank stares, Hardy was characterized by his flowery speech, explosive double takes, and sympathetic looks to the camera. As the duo ventured into feature films driven by economic necessity, they gifted us with a string of classics, beginning with Pardon Us in 1931 and continuing through 1940 with thirteen more remarkable films, including the highly acclaimed Sons of the Desert (1933), often regarded as their finest feature-length work. This period solidified their legacy in the annals of film history.

Theatrical poster for Sons of the Desert.
[Image from Wikipedia]

Fittingly, their best-known catchphrase provided the final line of their final film Atoll K (1951)—also known as Robinson Crusoeland (UK) and Utopia (US)—with Ollie telling Stan,,,

Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!

…as Stan whimpers in response.

Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!

Stan Laurel
[Image via Wikipedia]

On 23 February 1965 comedian Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame, died in California.

  1. Where was Stan Laurel born?
    • Unity, Saskatchewan, Canada
    • Ulverston, Lancashire, England
    • Uxbridge, Massachusetts, US
  2. What was Laurel’s birth name?
    • Arthur Stanley Jefferson
    • Bernard David Adams
    • Charles Kenneth Washington

The answers will be posted later today.

Twenty-four Hours from …—Answer

Q1. Tulsa

Q2. Gene Pitney

“Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa 
Ah, only one day away from your arms 
I saw a welcoming light 
And stopped to rest for the night” 

The song, titled Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, achieved international stardom for Pitney due to its chart success peaking at number five in the UK and seventeen in the US. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song is featured on Pitney’s fifth album, Blue Gene.

The lyrics narrate a man’s journey home to his beloved, where he stops at a motel for the night and falls in love with a woman who takes him to a café, ultimately abandoning his return home.

Read “24 Hours From Tulsa” by Gene Pitney on Genius

Twenty-four Hours from …

Image from Wikipedia

“Oh, I was only twenty four hours from … 
Ah, only one day away from your arms 
I saw a welcoming light 
And stopped to rest for the night”

The above lines are taken from a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song that achieved chart success in 1963—a top five hit in the UK and a top twenty hit in the US.

Q1. What US city was the singer only twenty-four hours away from?

Q2. Who is the singer, born on 17 February, who achieved the chart success mentioned above?

The answers will be posted later today.

Peter Pan Helping Children Grow Up—Answer

JM Barrie

…is the writer who created Peter Pan

JM Barrie
[Image from Wikipedia]

Background

In April 1929, J. M. Barrie granted the copyright of his Peter Pan works to the hospital, requesting that the income remain undisclosed. This decision allowed the hospital to control the rights and receive royalties from performances, publications, and adaptations of the play and novel. Over the years, numerous performances and adaptations have been produced under the hospital’s license. Additionally, the hospital’s trustees commissioned a sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean, which was published in 2006.

After the copyright expired the hospital was granted a perpetual right to collect royalties by the UK government.

Further information can be found at Great Ormond Street Hospital’s website.

Peter Pan Helping Children Grow Up

Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park in the City of Westminster in London, Great Britain.
[Image from Wikipedia]

On February 14, 1852, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the first in England to offer inpatient beds for children, opened its doors in London.

In 1929, a writer generously donated all his rights to Peter Pan to the hospital, and they continue to receive royalties from the work to this day. Can you name the generous writer?

The answer will be posted later today.