A Sad Day for Science Nerds

Question: Whose talk show debuted in 1982 with Bill Murray and Don "Mr. Wizard" Herbert as guests?

June 13, 2007 became a very sad day for me. Don Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard, died at the age of 89. Without fail, I would watch "Mr. Wizard's World" on Nickelodeon three times a week in the 80s. That show might have been the catalyst for my love of science and the beginnings of why I decided to become a science teacher.

The experiments always amazed me. That man could do anything with just some salt, vinegar, and an old mayo jar. There were explosions, and smoke, and all kinds of different colors. It was fascinating and I always learned something. Mr. Wizard always stressed to his sidekicks the importance of doing experiments the right way. Don Herbert's obituary at cnn.com agreed:

"He modeled how to predict and measure and analyze. ... The show today might seem slow but it was in-depth and forced you to think along," Jacobs said. "You were learning about the forces of nature."

I often emulate Mr. Wizard in my science classroom. I use simple household items when I can and I always make sure the students understand that science is everywhere and can be done at any time by anyone. Thanks, Mr. Wizard, for making science fun all those years.

Answer: David Letterman

I know you are but what am I?

Question: What kids' show promised in its opening theme, "A nuttier establishment you've never seen"?

The secret word is: laugh

Talking furniture, marrying fruit salad, a creepy floating magic head...yeah, I'd say the theme song was probably right. Pee Wee's Playhouse was a definite Saturday morning ritual at my house when I was younger. My friends and I would make up a secret word of the day and we'd scream whenever anyone said it. And that was in high school and college, long after the show had been taken off the air. I guess some things just stay with you as you age.

I still say "I know you are but what am I?" in my best Pee Wee voice. I even sometimes bust out a "Meka leka hi, meka hiney ho" when necessary (is it ever really necessary?). I'm not sure I understand the appeal of a nerdy guy in an ill-fitting suit talking in a grating voice and screaming a lot, but it sure did work for me for some reason. And what a launching pad it became for some careers! Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis, S. Epatha Merkerson as Reba the mail lady, and Phil Hartman was a writer and played Captain Carl. What a cast!

No wonder the show was good for a laugh! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Answer: Pee Wee's Playhouse

"I Feel the Need for Speed"

Question: What company made the sunglasses that Maverick sported in Top Gun?

Back before Tom Cruise seemingly lost his mind and started jumping on Oprah's couch, he was a hot young actor with the "need for speed". I can't count how many times my college roommate and I watched the movie Top Gun just for the volleyball scene alone. Back before Tom went crazy, he was one hot guy that picked the right movies and made the women swoon.

Top Gun was just an overall great movie. Sure it was cheesy and far-fetched, but it was adventure, action, and a sappy love story all rolled into one. It was a movie that both men and women could agree to watch, and that's a hard thing to do. Men wanted to fly the jets and be Maverick or Goose so they could take down Iceman. Women couldn't get enough of the hot guy eye candy between Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, or for those girls who fall for the sweet and "nerdy" type there was Anthony Edwards. The guys cheered with the loop-de-loops and airplane action and the girls melted and imagined their guy would sing "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" to them. Everyone cried, or at least got a lump in the throat, when Goose died. It was a very compelling story with something for everyone.

That begs the question why there was never a Top Gun 2. It seems like all successful movies spawn at least one sequel. Obviously they tied up pretty much all the loose ends in the original, but that's never stopped a movie from having a sequel before. So I did a little bit of research and found out this little tidbit I thought I'd share with you from the IMDB page on Top Gun:

A script for "Top Gun 2" was completed shortly after the release of the film, but it broke down in pre-production because 1) the military's technology had become updated and they didn't want camera crew anywhere near their new aircraft and 2) Cruise did not want a sequel and finally agreed to star in one for a very high amount that was deemed "unaffordable." The script followed the further adventures of Maverick as an instructer at the Top Gun academy, the twist being a cocky female reminiscent of himself joining the team

That description sounds to me like the typical plot device for a sequel, so maybe it's a good idea they didn't end up filming and releasing the sequel. What do you think? What would make a good Top Gun 2 script and who would you want to star in it now? Leave me some comments!

Answer: Ray-Ban

"And We're Eating Cars..."

Question: What band's Rapture, including a salute to Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash first brought rap to the top of the Billboard's Hot 100?

Can we really consider what Debbie Harry did in the song Rapture rapping? It was more along the lines of rhythmic chanting or something like that, don't you think? Regardless of what it was, it was new and fresh and definitely funky for its time. It's still one of the strangest songs ever written (and that's not an easy feat considering today's pop music includes songs about Thongs and Humps). I'm still not completely sure what Rapture is all about, other than eating cars and bars and guitars. I suppose that's as good as guess as any as to what the end of the world will be like. I know I'd like to go out on a full stomach.

Now there is controversy surrounding the choice of Kirsten Dunst to play Debbie Harry in her biopic. I heard on the radio this morning that some of the more "purist" Blondie fans don't think Kirsten looks like Debbie enough (I think she's pretty close) or talented enough (this might be true) to take on the role. My answer to that mess is that Kirsten is an actress and she's supposed to be able to sell the part whether she's playing herself, Marie Antoinette, or even the seemingly untouchable Debbie Harry. Let's give her a chance, shall we? Afterall, Ms. Harry chose Kirsten herself. If the person being portrayed thinks the actress will do justice to her life, who are we to think otherwise?

Answer: Blondie

Yeeeee-Haaaaawwwwww!

Question: Who owned the Boar's Nest eatery that employed Daisy Duke as a waitress?

They're just good old boys...never meanin' no harm. Ah, Bo and Luke Duke. I don't remember a whole lot about watching the show when I was younger. I was, afterall, only 6 when it was canceled. I do, however, clearly remember my crush on Bo Duke. At the time, my Uncle Steve looked a lot like John Schneider and I would avoid him and wouldn't talk to him because I thought he was a long lost Duke. I also remember that my brothers would get out their CBs and I could be "Bo Peep" to their "Lost Sheep" and "Shepherd".

My brothers had the Daisy Duke poster in their room, and I even think we had a lunch box laying around somewhere. The products and marketing money they made off of that show is unreal. My four year old son plays a Dukes of Hazzard guitar when he visits Grandma and Grandpa's house. They kept that silly plastic thing with Bo, Luke, and Daisy's pictures on it from when my husband was little.

I am not ashamed to admit that I often watch the Dukes of Hazzard reruns on CMT after I get home from work. The good guys always won, and sometimes I just need a good car race and tight jeans to end my day. I also have seen every made for TV movie they produced throughout the years, including that silly one when Daisy was going to marry Enos, and the one where they had to save the family farm from being taken away to build an amusement park by going to Hollywood to make money. Uncle Jesse was always in trouble financially. That farm had to be saved more often than Cooter had actualy customers

The movie remake they did a few years ago was awful. The casting for the movie killed it. I was hoping for Owen and Luke Wilson to play the Duke boys. Jessica Simpson definitely had the Daisy look, but she wasn't very convincing as the tough, smart gal who liked to work on cars with her cousins. Jessica Biel would have been a better choice, but what do I know?

It doesn't matter. I have my beloved Dukes and their crazy adventures at my fingertips every night, thanks to syndication. I can ride along in the General Lee and try not to get caught by Roscoe P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg. After all, they're makin' their way the only way they know how...but that's just a little bit more than the law will allow.

Answer: Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg