Michael Albert

28th Feb 2016

Grease (1978)

Question: Did Danny and Rizzo have a thing together, or did Rizzo have a crush on Danny?

Answer: It is implied that Danny and Rizzo had a previous romantic relationship of some kind. When Jan says, "Did you guys get a look at Zuk this Morning? Looking pretty good this year, huh, Rizz?" Rizzo replies, "that's ancient history." Later, when Danny says, "you're looking good, Rizz, " her answer, "eat your heart out," also suggests some possible residual feelings on her part. I think that's why Rizzo enjoys tormenting Sandy and Danny by reintroducing them at Rydell at a moment that she knows Danny is going to save face around his friends.

Michael Albert

Answer: Yes.

Answer: Yes... after the reunion of Danny and Sandy and Danny playing cool and blowing her off, Rizzo stands back with a stupid grin on her face like she's proud of herself.

Yeah, I noticed that, too. Plus, at the beginning of the movie it's implied that she and Danny were a fling or at least flirting at some point. Could be she was mad at the ending of it if it wasn't her choice. Later, when he calls her Sloppy Seconds, that seems to really shock her, but I'm less sure it implies anything.

Answer: When Rizzo shimmies down the outside of Frenchie's house she first says "what's up Kenick?", and he replies "one guess", followed by Rizzo intimating "You got a lot to offer a girl..." She then turns to Danny saying "What say you Zuck?" This is a clear inference that she would have sex with both men - a threesome, basically. Zuko is uninterested because as he states sloppy-seconds "aren't my style." He jumps out of the car and Kenickie kicks the other T-BIRDS to the sidewalk. The two love-birds head off to the hills.

12th Feb 2016

General questions

Many, many TV series have episodes in which a pregnant woman goes into labor at an awkward time, and a main character(s) must deliver the baby. Is there some reason why?

Answer: This unusually common, perhaps overused convention can be used for a variety of reasons. It can create dramatic tension for a drama, when babies are delivered amidst a crisis (example: "E.R." - "Love's Labor Lost," 1995). It can create an opportunity for comedy, usually resulting from some comedic mishap (example: "All in the Family" - Elevator Story," 1972 - Archie Bunker doesn't actually deliver the baby, but is stuck in the elevator while the delivery is taking place). It can add humanity to a gruff or seemingly emotionless character who must exhibit some tenderness and support during the delivery (example, Worf delivering Keiko's baby in "Star Trek: TNG" - "Disaster," 1991). It can also bring about some macabre or supernatural result (example: "Resurrection" - "Loved in Return," 2015). There are probably other reasons or better examples that aren't coming to my mind.

Michael Albert

Question: I re-watched this movie recently. It seems everyone in the opera knows about the existence of the Phantom, which includes Christine. My question is does it ever occur to her that her angel of music = the Phantom (before he reveals this to her)? I know she doesn't from the movie obviously. But really imagine if you were her, it's hard not to relate your angel of music to the Phantom, both are hidden and happen only in the opera (coaching/singing etc) the years living there. And why are people afraid of the Phantom? Does he commit anything evil or murder before the movie (before Christine takes Carlotta's place)?

Answer: The "Opera Ghost" had actually been causing various acts of mischief and mayhem long before the events of the movie begin with the new owners purchasing the opera. The previous owners were being extorted for money. Fears and rumors about the Phantom were rampant. Early in the film, he causes a backdrop to fall near Carlotta, for whom he has had a lasting disdain. Christine probably should have made the connection between the Phantom and her "angel of music." But the "angel" had actually been introduced to her as a tutor and mentor by her father, whom she loved and trusted, so she had no reason to view him suspiciously. Christine was also very sheltered, incredibly naive, and captivated by her teacher and suitor. Their bond was so strong, and her dependence so great, she was blinded to what seems to us an obvious connection.

Michael Albert

Question: At the end of the film it made it clear that there were not 2 siblings Ryan and Carrie Anne, there was just Carrie Anne that wanted to be a boy called Ryan, so why when Ellise picked up a photo frame did it have a young boy and young girl in the photo?

Answer: SPOILER ALERT: There actually were two siblings at one point, Ryan and Carrie Anne. The young Carrie Anne dies in a swing accident. In the end, we learn in flashback that the parents, who blamed Ryan for Carrie Anne's death, proceed to punish him by making him dress up as Carrie Anne and take her place. When he protests, he is physically abused by his mother. So, it isn't Carrie Anne who wanted to be a boy called Ryan. It is Ryan who was forced to take the role of his dead sister, Carrie Anne. Eventually, in the persona of Carrie Anne, Ryan kills his parents, and proceeds to find women whom he tries to transform into his dead sister.

Michael Albert

8th Jan 2016

Twister (1996)

Question: During the F4 tornado at the drive in, the wind causes some debris to turn on an air hose in the pit where everyone took cover. After this happened, some of the guys tried to grab the hose, and after Preacher managed to grab hold of it he got sliced on the head from a sharp hubcap flying through the air, causing him to let go of the hose. Why was it so important that they grabbed the flying hose?

Answer: Well, the hose was a long, flailing object blowing forced air which could have caused physical harm had it thrashed into people. And it would only have gotten worse. Preacher's elation at grabbing hold of it was probably a bit out of proportion to the accomplishment. However, under the circumstances, subduing the hose was a pretty good move at the moment, even though its potential for harm paled in comparison to the cars and drive-in sign that would soon descend upon the pit.

Michael Albert

2nd Jan 2016

The Brady Bunch (1969)

Season 2 generally

Question: In season 2, there were 5 episodes made without one of the kids appearing in the episode. (Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Peter, and Bobby were each absent one episode). What was the reason behind this?

Answer: Much trivia has been written about "The Brady Bunch, " including the various interrelationships and dynamics among the members of the cast. For example, much has been written about why Robert Reed's Mike Brady did not appear in a couple of episodes, including the series finale, due to rancorous creative and artistic differences with series creator, Sherwood Schwartz. However, in contrast, I have never run across any reasons given why a particular child did not appear in specific episodes - only that the episodes were missed. This suggests the causes were likely unexceptional, such as illness, injuries, vacations, or real-life family obligations.

Michael Albert

Although those options ARE possible reasons, it just seems a bit ironic that this happened all in Season 2 ONLY and within a short amount of nearly consecutive episodes. Never happened during the other 5 years of the show at all.

Answer: According to Lloyd Schwartz, in the book he wrote with his dad, Paramount studios made the decision to remove one child from each episode to save money. Sherwood Schwartz eventually told the studio that this was a mistake because "viewers have their favorites." The practice was eventually stopped.

No Hope With Dope - S3-E21

Question: At the start of the episode "No Hope With Dope", Lisa runs into the hallway with exciting news, and Zack responds to Lisa using a sentence ending with "you'll crack your makeup." The audience (primarily young females) starts screaming and cheering very loudly to that line. I am trying to understand what about that "crack your makeup" line was there to scream and go ga-ga about.

Answer: Zack is always good for a sarcastic jibe. Lisa was written as the most fashion and make-up conscious of the Bayside High girls. She was also portrayed as serious and somewhat prissy. The "crack your makeup" comment was a throwaway line. Zack was suggesting Lisa doesn't often get overly excited for fear of having to reapply her face. The line is met by laughter and screeches from largely adolescent female audience that seem out of proportion to the humor. "Saved By the Bell" audiences were rather prone to such excessive ebullience for no apparent reason. The reaction didn't last long, and the scene moved on quickly.

Michael Albert

Yeah that doesn't make any sense.

Answer: If there is a reference to "cracking" make-up, the inference would be that the person piles it on or simply wears way too much make-up; the more make-up is caked (or piled) on, the less of the person's real face is visible. The implication is that deep down (i.e, underneath all the make-up), the person's face is actually UGLY.

KeyZOid

Zack and Lisa are friends (in fact the briefly date in one episode). He is definitely not calling her ugly. After re-watching the episode, it seems like some of the girls in the audience loved Lisa and wanted to cheer her in when she entered a scene. It happens another time when she walks in and it sounds like these same girls scream as soon as she enters the shot.

29th Dec 2015

The Truman Show (1998)

Question: How does the show account for money? Truman obviously has real money so he doesn't get tipped off that he's living in a fake town, but how do they go about money for everyone else and any change Truman might get when he purchases items? I don't think the director would risk having any movie money (used in TV and movies to stand in for real money) within the world in case Truman should be handed some by accident.

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: The world of "The Truman Show" is created as an actual functioning world. As such, even though Seahaven is a simulation, everything within it is made to seem as "real" as possible. There are actual newspapers and magazines. The snacks Marlon stocks in vending machines are actual snacks. The products in stores are real (and many are available for sale by catalog to the viewing audience). As such, there is every reason to believe that money used in Seahaven is actual legal tender. Why wouldn't it be? Every store and business can be stocked with money for change. Every actor and extra in Seahaven can be provided money for whatever transactions are needed, just as they are provided cars and briefcases and clothes and food. Accountants for the show can track the money just like everything else is probably tracked. The logistics seem overwhelming, but the economic operations of Seahaven have probably developed as the town has developed to meet Truman's needs.

Michael Albert

Chosen answer: The song is called "Dark as a Dungeon" and was written and first performed by singer-songwriter Merle Travis in 1946. It has been performed by a wide array of artists, including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Harry Belafonte, Dolly Parton, Queens of the Stone Age, Kathy Mattea and Amy Grant. But it was made most famous when it was performed and recorded by Johnny Cash during his concert at Folsom Prison in 1968. According to Wikipedia: "It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in an Appalachian shaft mine. It has become a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions."

Michael Albert

Part 3 - S1-E3

Question: When Jonas's wife descends the stairs in her nightgown, you can hear her shoe soles hitting the stairs. I was surprised to see her wearing grey stiletto high heel pumps! As she exits the stairs and enters the kitchen, these heels are fully visible on both feet from the rear. Was she that much shorter than her co-star?

Answer: Stacy Keach, who portrayed Jonas Steele, is an imposing figure who stands just upwards of six feet tall. Julia Duffy, the actress who played Mary Hale Steele, is a diminutive five feet even - a full foot shorter than her on-screen husband. Though high heels have been around since the mid-16th century, the stiletto style heel didn't begin to come into play for fashion until the late 19th century, when they were mainly used as accessories in fetish art. They didn't become vogue for women's wear until the early to mid-20th century. It is unlikely a stiletto-style heel would have been available to, let alone be worn with a nightgown by a woman of the period.

Michael Albert

21st Nov 2015

The Simpsons (1989)

Show generally

Question: Does every episode have a chalkboard and couch gag (or variation on it)? When I watch reruns sometimes it goes into the show after the words "The Simpsons" come through the cloud and I can't tell if they cut out the intro or if there just wasn't one.

Bishop73

Chosen answer: The original opening of every episode of "The Simpsons" does include a chalkboard gag and a couch gag. Your Fox-TV affiliate may air the episode with portions of the opening and/or other segments of the show edited in order to make room for additional advertising, local station identifications or promotions for upcoming programming on that station. This is often done to television program episodes in syndication.

Michael Albert

Answer: So, The Simpsons intro has 3 gags: the chalkboard gag, couch gag, and billboard gag. The show itself has variations of its opening, with different lengths to fit the length of the rest of the episode. The Couch Gag is the most common gag, and the Billboard gag is the least common because of these variations. And to answer your question, yes, sometimes the episodes don't even have an intro.

Question: Why, during the folk festival, does Max make a point of telling the audience that Captain Von Trapp will be going to fight for the Third Reich after the festival is over and not mention that he is doing so against his will? Wouldn't this make the audience (most of which know The Captain or at least know of him) believe that he is joining the war and not being forced into it? Would it not have been better for Max to say The Captain is being taken against his will to fight a war he doesn't wish to be part of, if only to try and save the Captain's reputation?

strikeand

Chosen answer: Max announces that Captain Von Trapp will be leaving Austria to join the forces of the Third Reich as rationale for the encore of "So Long, Farewell, " during and after which the family makes its escape. Recall that the chief representatives of the Third Reich in Austria are sitting in the front row. As such, it would be unwise for a capitulating Max to overtly irritate them, or to incite their wrath and suspicion toward the Captain at that moment. Meanwhile, Captain Von Trapp has pretty much done his own public relations job by singing his "love song" to Austria, "Edelweiss, " and encouraging the audience to join in with his words, "I hope you all share this love, and that you never let it die." I think his sentiments are clear, and he gets his message across that he is displeased with the turn of events in his country. Everyone in the audience has just lived through Hitler's Anschluss, and most were acutely aware of the pressures brought to bear on Austrian patriots like Captain Von Trapp. His reputation was probably not tarnished.

Michael Albert

Answer: It's obvious it's against his will and all the audience understand this. Everyone understood that fighting for the Nazis (an occupying army) was not something you would choose. Plus there are those officials waiting to 'escort' him. Herr Zeller is not happy because he knows Max is saying this to clarify the family's situation and gain the audience's support and understanding.

Yesterday's Enterprise - S3-E15

Question: The motivation for this episode seems to be returning the Enterprise 1701-C to its own timeline 22 years in the past, where it will certainly be destroyed by Romulan warbirds; yet, the heroism of sacrifice will avert a protracted 22-year war with the Klingon Empire as well as avert tens of billions of Federation deaths. QUESTION: Why didn't they just SWITCH CREWS and send the far more advanced Enterprise 1701-D through the time rift and 22 years into the past? Using its advanced weaponry, defenses, and sheer speed, the Enterprise D could have easily defeated the old Romulan warbirds, saved Tasha Yar, averted the 22-year Klingon war, and saved 40 billion Federation lives. Additionally, sending the truly futuristic 1701-D into the past could have then exponentially advanced Starfleet technology into the future, making the Federation virtually invincible to its traditional enemies. It would seem that this would be the more noble, heroic and logical action of a Starfleet crew - to save lives and advance Federation survival. It would have certainly been a more thought-provoking episode, anyway.

Charles Austin Miller

Chosen answer: A similar question was actually asked during the episode. Captain Garrett of the Enterprise 1701-C questioned Captain Picard about the possibility of outfitting the older model Enterprise with modern technology to give them a better chance of defeating the Romulans. However, changing the course of history is pretty much forbidden in the Star Trek universe. It would be impossible to predict the impact on the future. It would be playing with fate. It just wasn't to be done. For example, suppose the updated Enterprise "C", or the replacement Enterprise "D" were to still be defeated and captured, and all of that advanced technology were to fall into Romulan hands? The impact on the timeline would be far different than the one you lay out. Guinan, with her extrasensory perception, pretty much gives Picard the solution to restoring the timeline to what she knows, and Picard eventually trusts, to be the correct one. Send the Enterprise "C" back into the time rift. For me, the only VERY perplexing question would be why Picard would EVER allow Tasha Yar to return to the past in the Enterprise 1701-C. This, we later come to know, led to Tasha's offspring becoming a Romulan military leader, thus altering the timeline, anyway. It seemed a very foolish move, based solely on emotional reasons (and a dramatic plot line).

Michael Albert

Doing so would violate the Temporal Prime Directive which Picard already did by sending Tasha back, but considering she wasn't supposed to be part of that timeline anyway, Picard probably saw no harm even though Tasha was captured and had Sela.

29th Oct 2015

Grease (1978)

Question: Why did Sandy randomly put the notebook paper in the little plastic kiddie pool?

Answer: Sandy had asked to borrow a piece of Marty's stationery (which Marty scented with a spritz of her perfume). She was writing a pining love letter to Danny, simultaneously expressed by the song, "Hopelessly Devoted." Once the letter was written, and her feelings expressed, she realized she wasn't actually going to be able to give it to him - too much vulnerability for one love-sick young "adolescent." Instead, Sandy placed it in the pool where she imagined seeing Danny's reflection, and swirled it around to remove the vision.

Michael Albert

Question: What is the English translation of the panzer song when Hessler meets his commanders?

Answer: I believe that in the film, the men are repeatedly singing only the first verse. However, I have found the complete translation of all five verses and posted it here: "The Panzer Song (Panzerlied) " 1: Whether in storm or in snow /Whether the sun smiles on us/ The day blazing hot /Or the night ice cold/ Our faces are dusty/ But our spirits are cheerful /Yes, our spirits are cheerful/ Our tank roars Into the windstorm. 2: With thundering engines /As fast as lightning/ We engage the enemy/ Safe in our tanks/ Far ahead of our comrades /In battle we stand alone/ Yes, stand alone Into enemy territory. 3: If an enemy tank /Appears in our sight /We ram throttles full/ And close with the foe! /We give our lives freely /For the army of our realm/ Yes, the army of our realm/ To die for Germany Is our highest honour. 4: With barriers and tanks/ Our opponent tries to stop us /We laugh at his efforts/ And travel around them/And when the guns threatingly/ Hide in the yellow sand/ Yes, in the yellow sand/ We search for paths /No-one else has found. 5: And if some day /Faithless luck abandons us /And we can't return home/ The deadly bullet strikes/ And fate calls us /Yes, fate calls us /Then our tank is An honourable grave. Source: http://defence.pk/threads/german-ww2-and-pre-ww2-march-songs.146130.

Michael Albert

Question: I was wondering why of all the orders of the Roman Catholic Clergy that an Archdeacon is the main caretaker of Notre Dame. Archdeacons are a rare order of Roman Catholic Clergy even during those times. Notre Dame is a cathedral, right? So why doesn't it have its own Bishop/Archbishop/Cardinal? Where was he? I highly doubt that an Archdeacon would exercise that much authority on a Judge like Frollo thereby bypassing that of a higher order such as a Bishop who is supposed to be the central administrator of Notre Dame.

joshtrivia

Chosen answer: From Wikipedia: "In the High Middle Ages, [the archdeacon] was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. An archdeacon is often responsible for administration within an archdeaconry...which was the principal subdivision of the diocese." As such, in the Catholic hierarchy, the functional and administrative tasks of running the cathedrals would fall to the deacons, while the bishops would govern the pastoral and liturgical functions.

Michael Albert

30th Aug 2015

Sister Act (1992)

Question: Just out of curiosity, but in the scene where the nuns are singing the Holy Mary song, what were they singing in Latin?

Answer: The "Holy Mary song" is formally titled "Hail, Holy Queen" or "Salve Regina." Most of the lyrics in Latin are actually borrowed from another liturgical piece titled "O Sanctissima" and inserted into the musical piece as featured in "Sister Act" as follows: (1) "Salve, salve, salve Regina" is part of the original song and translates to "Hail, hail, hail [holy.] queen." (2) "Mater amata, intemerata (sanctus, sanctus dominus) " translates to "Beloved Mother, undefiled/pure/chaste (holy, holy Lord) " (3) "Virgo, respice, Mater, aspice (sanctus, sanctus dominus) " means "Virgin, watch over us, Mother, care for us (holy, holy Lord) " and (4) "Alleluia, " of course, is simply the Latin variant of the anglicized "Hallelujah". Other notes: "Cherubim" and "Seraphim" are orders of heavenly angels, Seraphim being of a higher order, possessing six wings.

Michael Albert

Question: What did Sister Mary Patrick mean when she said "you don't have to bite the donut to know it's sweet"? I believe this was in the scene when she was teaching her class when Deloris was looking for hers.

Answer: Sister Mary Patrick is being challenged by Sondra, one of her students, who says, "you can't answer any questions about... Sex." The sister's reply is, "oh, don't be so sure - you don't have to bite the donut to know it's sweet." She offers this as an analogy, in order to posit that one doesn't have to have engaged in sex acts to know what sex is all about, or that it may be enjoyable even when it isn't necessarily good for you.

Michael Albert

Answer: You don't need to learn about sex to know what it is about.

2nd Aug 2015

General questions

There was a movie starring John Cusack. In the movie, John is driving home when a black bag from an armored truck falls into the backseat of his car. When he gets home and opens it, he discovers that there is a lot of money in it. Later in the movie, he is reading a newspaper and is shocked to discover the front page news is about how the money was stolen from the armored truck.

Answer: That film is titled "Money for Nothing" (1993).

Michael Albert

Question: Why was Meg the one to lead the mob? I know that Christine was her friend and all but was it because she was mad Madame Giry didn't let her go with Raoul?

Answer: It seems you likely answered your own question. Christine was her friend. The adrenaline borne of her concern for Christine likely overwhelmed any feelings of resentment or jealousy she might have felt, so that probably wasn't a factor. Maybe the better question would be why NOT Meg to lead the mob? She and Christine both grew up in the Opera House, and she was particularly familiar with the hallways and catacombs of the building. Being a woman at that time period works against the notion that she would lead a mob. But in this circumstance, she is just as logical a leader as anyone.

Michael Albert

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