11 Chris Traeger’s 150-Year Life Goal
Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur said Chris Traeger’s dream of living to 150 came from his wife, American screenwriter J. J. Philbin. She had read an article saying scientists believed the first human who would live 150 years had already been born, and she felt that idea fit Rob Lowe’s relentlessly healthy character. The detail became one of Chris’s defining traits on the show.
12 Bait Car Exposed Miranda Failure
In 2012, the American TV show “Bait Car” unintentionally helped car theft suspect Keenen Alex get his charges dropped. TV footage showed Detective Anthony Shapiro asking, “You watch TV. You know your rights and all that?” instead of properly reading Alex his Miranda rights. Prosecutors dropped the case after the recorded arrest made Alex’s statements unusable as evidence.
13 Conan O’Brien’s Priest Stalker Case
Starting in September 2006, Conan O’Brien was stalked by Father David Ajemian, a priest from the Archdiocese of Boston. Ajemian sent O’Brien letters signed “your priest stalker,” later sent death threats, and tried to force his way into a taping of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. Police arrested him in 2007, and he pleaded guilty to stalking in 2008 before being laicized.
14 Conan’s Name Needed Legal Clearance
In 2010, Conan O’Brien titled his new TBS talk show “Conan,” but the name created a trademark issue because Conan Properties International controlled rights tied to “Conan the Barbarian.” O’Brien’s team had to work through those trademark issues before the show premiered on November 8, 2010.
15 American Dad’s Real Security Guard
At the end of many “American Dad!” episodes, the man who says lines like “Bye, have a beautiful time!” is Security Officer Peña. Episode commentaries identified him as a Venezuelan immigrant and former security officer at the office building where “Family Guy” and “American Dad!” were produced. Underdog Productions used clips of Peña waving in its title cards.
16 Nickelodeon Rejected Too-Disney Kids
Are You Afraid of the Dark?’ earned a 1996 NAACP Image Award nomination because the Nickelodeon horror series featured a diverse cast and avoided playing to stereotypes. Creator D.J. MacHale said the show wanted real kids, so Nickelodeon turned away young actors who seemed “too Disney.” MacHale described that look as “apple pie, freckles, cute, over-the-top acting,” which clashed with the darker, more grounded tone of The Midnight Society.
17 Columbo’s Catchphrase Started With Typewriters
Columbo’ writers William Link and Richard Levinson created Lieutenant Columbo’s “just one more thing” catchphrase because one scene came up too short. Instead of retyping the script on a typewriter, they had Peter Falk’s detective leave, return, and ask one last question as if he had forgotten something. It became Columbo’s signature move, letting him disarm suspects before landing the question that usually cracked them open.
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18 Bob Odenkirk Learned Cinnabon Properly
For “Better Call Saul,” actor Bob Odenkirk trained like a real Cinnabon employee to play Gene Takavic, Saul Goodman’s hidden identity as a mall bakery manager. Cinnabon executive Debbie Rowley flew to Albuquerque and taught him how to mix dough and frosting, roll the buns, and even work the register. Odenkirk also refused a hand double, so the bun-making close-ups used his own hands instead.
19 Scrubs Janitor Was Almost Imaginary
In the first season of “Scrubs,” creator Bill Lawrence wrote the Janitor so he mostly interacted only with Zach Braff’s J.D. because he had a backup twist ready if NBC canceled the show. Lawrence planned to reveal that Neil Flynn’s Janitor existed only in J.D.’s imagination. After “Scrubs” survived into season 2, Lawrence dropped the idea and let the Janitor interact more clearly with other characters, including Donald Faison’s Turk.
20 Mark Cuban Killed Shark Fee
Until 2013, “Shark Tank” contracts required contestants to give the show’s production company either 5% equity or 2% of profits, even if they left without a deal. Mark Cuban pushed back and told ABC’s lawyers he would not return unless they removed the clause. Cuban later said the rule was removed retroactively, freeing past contestants from the commitment too.
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RE: Fact #28 (The Office Reworked British Punchline) – Steve Carell stole it from Wayne’s World
RE: Fact #36 (Jeannie Reruns Beat Network Rivals) – That is how I first saw them, Jeannie, Bewitched, Gilligan, and the Bradys were all just daytime reruns to me.
Same here, but in this case, those two stations ran it during evening prime time. Since it won its slot against first-run competition and had such long-term success, you have to wonder if NBC just handled the promotion and scheduling poorly.
I’m not sure which days it ran, but looking at that prime-time lineup, there were so many non-comedies and movies. On some nights, it was just movies that didn’t sync up, or drama and action shows.
RE: Fact #11 (Chris Traeger’s 150-Year Life Goal) – Rob Lowe is going to look exactly the same at 150 as he does in his 50s, 30s, and 20s. I haven’t seen his baby pictures, but I’m betting he was born looking exactly the same, just smaller.
Not even smaller, he was probably born as a full-grown, glorious Rob Lowe. It was definitely a C-section for obvious reasons.
RE: Fact #37 (Sinead O’Connor Tore Pope Photo) – Comedian Tom Kenny joked at the time: “The only way that would have been controversial to me is if, at the same time she tore up a picture of the Pope, the real Pope in the Vatican had screamed ‘YYAAAAAAGGHHHHH!’ and keeled over in agony. Oh no, get that away from her, that’s a voodoo 8×10!”
Before that Boston Globe story broke, you wouldn’t believe how sacred religion was. People knew priests were hurting kids, but they blamed their own children instead of taking on the church. It was wild.
RE: Fact #23 (Felicia Pearson Became The Wire’s Snoop) – Didn’t she get busted for selling heroin around 2011 after The Wire? I don’t think she completely turned her life around.
Yeah, a lot of smaller actors aren’t well-off at all, even on massive hit shows. There are people who played side characters on huge shows who are homeless or working odd jobs now. It isn’t surprising that after the initial fame from The Wire faded, she ended up back in that environment.
RE: Fact #43 (Star Wars Became Radio Dramas) – These are outstanding to listen to. I sometimes try using them to fall asleep, but I always end up staying wide awake listening because they are just so enjoyable.
Funny, I used to do the same thing. I’d replay A New Hope in my head to drift off to sleep. Beats counting sheep, that’s for sure.
RE: Fact #35 (Tony Sampson Left Voice Acting) – Man, that is rough. Eddy is iconic. It’s wild that we lost his voice just because of some corporate greed and an overreaction.
The show ended anyway, not because the actor asked for a raise. It’s a shame, though; besides Powerpuff Girls, it was Cartoon Network’s biggest show for a decade. He deserved a raise for that kind of longevity.
For better or worse, voice actors are viewed as much more expendable than on-screen actors. Audiences usually don’t notice a voice change as much. Even big movies like the MCU swapped out Ed Norton and Terrence Howard, so it doesn’t seem to be a deal-breaker for most people.
RE: Fact #1 (Denpa Shonen Starved Baseball Fans) – In anthropology class, we analyzed Japanese game shows to see how they handle cultural context. They often try to adapt American formats without really grasping the underlying culture. Japan has a strategy of taking outside ideas and making them uniquely their own. It gets crazy because their views on individuality and dignity are so different from ours, and they seem to view humiliation as a necessary part of the process.
I don’t really get that perspective. People put up with intense conditions on American shows for the money and fame too, which seems like the exact same motivation for the Japanese contestants.
Japanese game shows are often sadistic to contestants for no clear reason. It’s bizarre. Sometimes the prize is practically nothing, like a blender, yet you’re expected to get covered in slime or risk a concussion while wearing a white suit. And it’s even weirder when they fly out your kids to watch.
True, but they have to make it entertaining for the audience, which is where all that craziness comes in.
RE: Fact #33 (House Hunters Already Chose Houses) – I learned a while back that the homeowners on those reno shows don’t get to keep the furniture. It’s just there for staging, though they do get the option to buy the pieces after they’re done filming.
RE: Fact #29 (Norm Macdonald Walked From Million) – People should know that the presenter doesn’t actually know the answers. If I recall correctly, Norm mentioned having struggles with gambling, and the host was just trying to ensure he was being responsible. Also, winning $500, 000 is actually the worst outcome for the show. They were insured for $1 million winners, so paying that out cost them nothing, but the $500, 000 had to come out of the show’s own pocket. It was not a scam; it was just a host trying to keep a guest from throwing money away on a whim.
Plus, it was for charity, so Norm wasn’t keeping the money anyway.
Norm thought Regis was being given the answers and was feeding him subtle hints, which wasn’t true. He was playing for Paul Newman’s charity. Norm supposedly didn’t go to Newman’s ranch because he was too nervous, and Newman apparently gave Regis a hard time for confusing Norm on air. He talked about it on the Stern show.
RE: Fact #14 (Conan’s Name Needed Legal Clearance) – If you enjoy fantasy and have never read the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, I highly recommend them. They are great page-turners, even after 80 years. Conan O’Brien is also quite funny.
I can’t stress enough that if you want to read them, stick to the unedited originals. That is not gatekeeping; it is correcting fifty years of distortion from L. Sprague de Camp and his cronies who messed up the canon and even rewrote story endings they didn’t like.
RE: Fact #49 (Fred Rogers Tried Adult Television) – It’s kind of sad that adults, who arguably need those lessons more than kids, weren’t as receptive.
RE: Fact #15 (American Dad’s Real Security Guard) – I have always loved that ending. It provided a genuine moment of positivity after every show.
RE: Fact #30 (BBC Lost Its Television History) – Terry Jones from Monty Python actually saved the entire Flying Circus series by making his own copies of the master tapes once he caught wind that the BBC was wiping them to cut costs. Shoutout to Terry for that, RIP.
RE: Fact #28 (The Office Reworked British Punchline) – That joke was already old and tired when Steve Carell started using it, which is exactly why it was so funny. It fit Michael Scott’s personality perfectly.
RE: Fact #45 (Rodney Dangerfield’s Stroke Alerted Leno) – “I tell ya, I get no respect. I went on the Tonight Show and did great, and the headlines still acted like I dropped dead on stage.”
RE: Fact #2 (Shark Tank’s Psychiatrist Safety Check) – That doesn’t surprise me. Some of these contestants dump their entire life savings into a startup, and Shark Tank is their last desperate shot. A rejection can effectively ruin them. The lesson is simple: don’t bet your family’s savings on an idea until you’ve gotten real feedback and confirmed it’s actually marketable.
But how else am I supposed to claim I followed my dreams if I don’t bet my retirement on something like pigeon mittens?
I remember one guy spent everything he had on waiting room tablets, an idea that was already doomed because of smartphones.
And yet, you see useless ideas succeed, like those gas pumps with small TVs that play commercials nobody asked for.
RE: Fact #22 (Lost’s DUI Timing Fueled Rumors) – >The producers later claimed in several interviews that the deaths had been planned for over a year.
RE: Fact #46 (Jeopardy Buzzers Punish Early Clicks) – A friend of mine was on Jeopardy in the 90s and absolutely tanked. Afterward, he explained that he actually knew a lot of the answers, but he kept buzzing in too early, getting himself locked out. He came home with a haul of consolation prizes like ten watches and a bunch of random junk.
The all-time Jeopardy leader has said himself that he wasn’t necessarily the smartest guy there, he just figured out how to work the buzzer.
Yeah, there’s an interview where Jennings talks about how critical the buzzer is. It’s all about the buzzer first, then the category, and finally the trivia, since, generally, all the contestants know the answers.
That’s a huge oversimplification of Ken. He did mention having a buzzer advantage as he got more reps in, and on questions everyone knew, that definitely helped him. But as his streak grew, the show even started letting other contestants practice on the buzzer to counter his dominance. Also, if “smartest” means trivia knowledge, he’s definitely in the top tier. People like Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer are in his league, but even against other super-champions, his knowledge base is clearly elite.
RE: Fact #1 (Denpa Shonen Starved Baseball Fans) – This is completely messed up. It’s wild that this actually aired on TV. There was the “Life Insurance” challenge where a comedian named Nasubi lived naked in a room for 15 months, surviving only on contest prizes. Then there was the desert island bit where comedians had to build a raft to get to Tokyo, and later paddle a swan boat across the ocean. Another segment had two guys hitchhiking from South Africa to Norway without spending any money, which led to one of them collapsing in the Sahara and needing an airlift to a hospital. Regarding the baseball segment, it sounds brutal. Confining fans and starving them based on their team’s performance is just cruel.
RE: Fact #9 (Law And Order’s Clang Secret) – The gavel and jail door make sense, but the monks part sounds like someone was playing Mad Libs and just threw it in. Imagine the list: a gavel, a slamming door, and… ” A sub-fetishist trying to break through a hull. ” A customer slamming their fists on a McDonald’s counter over missing McNuggets. ” The Netflix sound played backward, which syncs up perfectly with The Wizard of Oz. ” Jeffrey Dahmer shutting a freezer door. ” A 98 Mitsubishi Eclipse getting into a fender bender with a landscaping trailer. ” MTV’s Dan Cortese. * The sound of Ralph’s heart breaking after Lisa rejects him.
You should have saved the sub-fetishist point for last. Nothing was going to top that.
RE: Fact #30 (BBC Lost Its Television History) – Occasionally, a random lost Doctor Who episode will turn up in Australia or South Africa, since they were sent to the “colonies” after airing in the UK.
RE: Fact #25 (Jeopardy’s Think Theme Paid Millions) – This reminds me of Robert Altman using a poem written by his teenage son for the lyrics to the theme of his movie, MASH. When it was adapted into a successful series, they kept the theme, which turned his son into a millionaire from royalties. His son later showed his appreciation by getting Altman a plaid tie for Father’s Day.
RE: Fact #44 (MASH Finale Flooded City Sewers) – Just in case anyone was wondering, MASH is actually that good. What an incredible ending.
I’ve watched the finale a few times, and Hawkeye’s story is so brutal I sometimes forget to breathe. It hits me about as hard as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” does. It really wrecks me.
I never caught the actual ending, only the part where “goodbye” is written in the rocks. It’s a shame because the local channel aired four episodes every weekday, and I still somehow missed that very last one.
RE: Fact #8 (Top Gear’s Mexico Insult Backfired) – “They won’t complain, it’s fine”, they probably would have gotten away with it if they hadn’t directly challenged the ambassador like that.
The funny part is that they actually went to the embassy afterward to apologize, and by Clarkson’s own admission, they got absolutely hammered on the ambassador’s tequila.
That tracks. If anyone in the country is going to have the good stuff, not that paint thinner they serve at bars, it’s the Mexican Embassy.
RE: Fact #8 (Top Gear’s Mexico Insult Backfired) – I mean, fair point. It’s a pretty offensive thing to say about another nation.
Especially coming from Richard Hammond. He really needs to take a long look in the mirror.
Every time he looks in a mirror, he crashes a car, so he avoids it.
It’s just objectively false, too. In every job I’ve held, the Mexican immigrants were the hardest workers on the team. They never complained, and they always had the best music playing.
Hammond said: “Why would you want a Mexican car? Because cars reflect national characteristics don’t they? Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.” Clarkson then mocked the ambassador for supposedly just sitting there watching TV and falling asleep.
That is the ultimate “tell me you’ve never met a Mexican person without telling me you’ve never met a Mexican person.”
RE: Fact #44 (MASH Finale Flooded City Sewers) – I work in the sewer industry, and you see this exact pattern during halftimes or intermission breaks for most major sporting events. Whenever a hockey game period ends, I can watch the flow data on my computer spike within 15 minutes.
RE: Fact #47 (Danny McBride Shocked Grandma’s Friends) – They were probably just jealous that their own grandsons weren’t Kenny f*ckin’ Powers.
Their grandsons didn’t have arms like cannons, d*cks like Burmese pythons, and minds like f*ckin’ scientists.
RE: Fact #13 (Conan O’Brien’s Priest Stalker Case) – They apparently went to Harvard together. I wonder if something happened back then that set this guy off.
RE: Fact #44 (MASH Finale Flooded City Sewers) – The crew at the NYC sewer plant worked overtime that night, fully expecting the surge. They had a tiny black-and-white TV going, just waiting for the show to end so the bathrooms would start flushing all at once. When the finale wrapped, the head engineer reportedly looked at his team and dropped the greatest line in sewage history: “Hold on to your butts.” True story.
RE: Fact #9 (Law And Order’s Clang Secret) – Fun fact: in the movie Hall Pass, they used the Law & Order “dun dun” sound for comedic effect during a scene transition. Apparently, it cost them $200, 000 just to get the rights to use it.
RE: Fact #26 (Geordi La Forge Honored Fan) – He is always enthusiastic, well-mannered, engaged, and on top of his game. He never loses his temper and makes for a great boss. Watching him solve issues on the Enterprise alongside Data is basically efficiency porn.
RE: Fact #12 (Bait Car Exposed Miranda Failure) – I had a college professor who used to be a cop. He said officers would read Miranda rights off a card, initial it, and ask the suspect to sign. If they refused, they’d bring in a second officer to read the rights again and have that officer sign as a witness.
RE: Fact #3 (Speedy Gonzales Fans Fought Back) – Mouse 1: “Hey, that’s Speedy Gonzales. He knows my sister.” Mouse 2: “Speedy Gonzales knows everybody’s sister.”
I think the actual line was: “That Speedy Gonzales, he go with my seester.” “Hey that Speedy Gonzales, he go with everybody’s seester.”
The line from the cartoon was: “Speedy Gonzales friend of my seester.” “Speedy Gonzales… [friend of everybody’s seester]”
RE: Fact #33 (House Hunters Already Chose Houses) – How did anyone actually believe that show was real? The closing process for a home takes forever, and the couples always have jobs that clearly wouldn’t pay enough to support their massive $900k budgets.
“I’m a part-time kindergarten teacher and my husband makes miniature Mariachi bands out of ear wax. Our budget is $14 million.”
Joe does underwater basket weaving and his wife Janet is a stay-at-home bird keeper. With three kids, seven more on the way, and a budget of $800, 000, let’s see if Tiffany can find them their dream beach house.
“We want a beach house, but it also has to be near my office, which is nowhere near the beach.”
RE: Fact #41 (Alex Trebek Framed Bounced Check) – It was Catalena Productions that went bankrupt and failed to pay him. I don’t know if I’d say they “did him dirty” though, as it’s hard to pay anyone when a company goes broke. Plus, I am not even sure if the owners were Canadian.
RE: Fact #46 (Jeopardy Buzzers Punish Early Clicks) – My cousin is brilliant, but he was on Jeopardy and claimed he knew most of the answers while struggling to time the button. He didn’t end up doing very well.
That must be a massive edge for returning champions, especially if they have great rhythm.
RE: Fact #32 (The Wire Never Won Emmys) – The fact that Game of Thrones season 8 won best drama says everything you need to know about the value of an Emmy.
Better Call Saul didn’t get anything either, which is wild. Neither did Bob Odenkirk or Rhea Seehorn.
I still can’t believe Rhea didn’t win for that bus scene alone. She was incredible as Kim. The Emmys are a total joke.
RE: Fact #2 (Shark Tank’s Psychiatrist Safety Check) – Not surprised at all. Many of these people clearly aren’t ready for a serious investor and are only on the show for the entertainment value. Even with the editing, it’s obvious when someone doesn’t understand the basics of a pitch, like knowing their revenue figures or having a solid plan for their IP. If you have a legitimate business, you should be looking for investors who are more accessible. I get that it’s entertainment, but they should raise the standards to only include people who could actually land a deal elsewhere.
RE: Fact #20 (Mark Cuban Killed Shark Fee) – That policy sounds counterproductive. If someone has a terrible product, sure, they’ll give up 5% for nothing. But if you have a great product you’re confident in, you might think twice about even going on the show.
For sure. It’s wild that Ring went on the show asking for $700k for 10% after that rule was dropped and still got turned down by every Shark. The founder eventually sold the company to Amazon for $1 billion. If that old clause were still in place, he would’ve owed $50 million to the show just for the pitch.
But watching billionaires make fun of crappy products and their designers is great TV.
RE: Fact #9 (Law And Order’s Clang Secret) – That’s my text alert sound. My phone is almost always on silent so I never actually hear it, but I know it’s there. It’s the sound of justice.
RE: Fact #42 (Breaking Bad Moved To Albuquerque) – I always wondered about that, Gray Matter Technologies felt a bit out of place in New Mexico. The whole vibe of the Schwartz family felt very California to me.
When I lived in New Mexico, it seemed like locals grew up and stayed in Albuquerque, while transplants lived in Santa Fe. I met so many people who retired there from Southern California, so it seems realistic that a company like Gray Matter could exist there, especially with Los Alamos and the Sandia National Lab nearby.
Microsoft actually started in Albuquerque, and a huge Intel plant opened there back in the early 80s.
RE: Fact #45 (Rodney Dangerfield’s Stroke Alerted Leno) – I’ve never been a big Leno fan, but this really shows his legendary attention to detail. When he was just starting out, he was the guy hitting the books to work on his act while the other comics were out partying. I remember another story where a comic caught Leno in the back of a dark club. Leno was doing his usual jokes, same timing, same cadence, but he was jumping around and making weird, jerky motions he’d never done before. Turns out, some drunk guy in the front row was annoyed that Leno was opening for his favorite band, so he was poking and whacking Leno’s feet with an umbrella for five minutes. Because Leno had rehearsed his act until it was total muscle memory, he didn’t miss a beat, even while getting attacked with an umbrella.
RE: Fact #38 (Rory McCann Joined Banjo Brotherhood) – They were talkers. I hear they make him thirsty and crave chicken.
I hear they often eat all the chicken in the room just to stop people from talking.
RE: Fact #50 (William Shatner Hid Spock’s Bicycle) – I’ve heard Shatner and Takei talk about these things at conventions, and the bicycle prank didn’t seem related to jealousy. They were always pulling pranks on each other. Like that time Shatner and Nimoy messed with DeForest Kelley by repeatedly pulling his bagels out of the toaster early until he figured out it was them. That said, I don’t think Shatner is an angel. He’s notoriously difficult and can be rude to fans. He was nice to me when we took a photo, but I don’t give him a complete pass.
He was very nice when I met him for an autograph at a convention a few years back, but I’ve always figured narcissists know how to be charming when they are the center of attention.
RE: Fact #24 (Kardashians Study Linked Lower Empathy) – It isn’t my preference, but people should probably just enjoy their guilty pleasures. The Kardashians are really just a symptom of much broader societal issues.
RE: Fact #41 (Alex Trebek Framed Bounced Check) – I bet he had to be making decent money to be able to frame that. Getting stiffed on 50k back in the early 80s was a huge deal.
If the company folded, he would have had to sue just to get a payout, so that check would have been useless either way.
I just mean it would be tough to see a framed check for that much money on your wall every day if you were struggling financially at the time.
RE: Fact #48 (Mr. Wizard Inspired Future Scientists) – He’s basically the science version of Mr. Rogers.
RE: Fact #7 (Big Brother’s 9/11 Blackout Broke) – It’s worth noting that even on PBS’ Frontier House, where the whole point was to isolate people from modern tech for months, they still let the families see the news on 9/11.
RE: Fact #33 (House Hunters Already Chose Houses) – Wait until you find out that most items on Pawn Stars are already owned by the shop, and the ‘guests’ are often just paid actors.
I’ve read that the shop doesn’t actually own the items, and the sellers aren’t hired actors. Apparently, if someone walks in with something cool during regular hours, they’re asked to come back when the crew is filming. They negotiate the price beforehand and then the sellers just act out the sale. It’s still pretty fake, but not quite as bad as using actors for inventory the store already owns.
Yeah, a friend of mine sold them a guitar that had been owned and signed by Kirk Hammett. They bought it right away but told him to come back a few days later to film a scene with an appraiser for $500. By the time he went back to film, they’d already sold the guitar, so there was no filming, but he still got his $500 for showing up.
RE: Fact #10 (Star Trek’s Cheers Casting Bridge) – Completely unrelated, but John Ratzenberger was a rebel deck officer in The Empire Strikes Back.
RE: Fact #10 (Star Trek’s Cheers Casting Bridge) – The fact that Morn is named after Norm from Cheers cracks me up. I suspect that whenever the set got busy and Morn wandered into the bar, the crew would yell “Mooorn!” just like they did for Norm.
Dax and Kira do that exact thing in the episode where he fakes his death and returns.
RE: Fact #43 (Star Wars Became Radio Dramas) – I remember catching those on NPR every week as a kid. Totally forgot about that until now, thanks for the reminder!
I was born in ’71, but my parents weren’t really into movies, so I missed the original Star Wars and ESB theatrical runs. I had a few toys but didn’t know the story at all. Listening to those radio dramas on headphones was my first real intro to Star Wars and ESB, and I was instantly hooked. I finally made it to the theater for ROTJ.
RE: Fact #4 (Spock’s Death Leak Tricked Fans) – Turns out Gene Roddenberry was kind of a jerk. Paramount was smart to move him aside after the first movie. If he had stayed in charge, we wouldn’t have gotten Wrath of Khan, Patrick Stewart, or Deep Space Nine, which are some of the best parts of Trek.
He was also terrible at writing drama. He wanted a future without conflict where all problems were solved, but conflict is the heart of drama. I’m not a massive Trek fan, but the franchise was better off with him having less influence.
If he didn’t like writing conflict, who came up with the Klingons and Romulans? Also, is that how you spell Romulan?
RE: Fact #24 (Kardashians Study Linked Lower Empathy) – Any study that HuffPo reports on shouldn’t be taken seriously; it’s just clickbait.
RE: Fact #2 (Shark Tank’s Psychiatrist Safety Check) – This is just a legal shield to make sure the show doesn’t get sued.
RE: Fact #18 (Bob Odenkirk Learned Cinnabon Properly) – That is some serious commitment, but honestly, who wouldn’t want to get paid to make cinnamon rolls?
That “fully trained” claim probably just meant a quick 30-minute demo from a certified Cinnabon employee.
RE: Fact #28 (The Office Reworked British Punchline) – “As the actress said to the bishop” has a funny origin story involving Lillie Langtry and the Bishop of Worcester. While strolling in a garden, the bishop pricked his finger. Over lunch, Langtry asked about his injury, “How is your prick?” and he replied, “Throbbing, ” causing the butler to drop the potatoes. These types of phrases clearly appeal to everyone’s inner David Brent or Michael Scott. It is similar to the “sex tape” gag from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “That’s what she said” was actually used long before the 70s and became famous through the Wayne’s World sketch and movie, where Wayne uses it after Garth mentions getting tired of holding a picture.
RE: Fact #34 (Nick Offerman Lost Handsome Role) – He seems a bit old to be Rashida Jones’s love interest, but there’s only a five-year age difference between them.
Meanwhile, Rob Lowe, who ended up being Rashida Jones’s love interest, is actually 7 years older than Nick Offerman.
He definitely gives off an old-man vibe, though I think that’s mostly because he acts as a mentor to Leslie throughout the show.
There’s a clip out there of Megan Mullally talking about how hilariously frustrated she was when she found out how old Nick was after they’d been dating for a while.
Nick has even said he was about 15-20 years too young to play Ron, but he still made it work, which is the weirdest part.
If he had been cast in that role, I think we would have ended up with [this guy] instead.
RE: Fact #5 (Matt Groening Protected Life Ownership) – The story goes that he dreamed up The Simpsons while waiting in the hall outside a meeting with Fox executives. He didn’t want to lose the rights to his Life in Hell comic, so he threw together the idea of a dysfunctional family based on his own experiences. To his surprise, they actually liked it.
They probably viewed it as a standard sitcom that just happened to be animated. Think about how those Adult Swim pitch meetings must have gone. Like, “Hey, here’s a soda cup, a fry holder, and a piece of meat. There’s no plot, just random stuff for people who can’t sleep.”
The characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force actually first showed up on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The real game-changer for Adult Swim was when they realized they could use the entire Hanna-Barbera library without getting tangled in copyright nightmares.
RE: Fact #29 (Norm Macdonald Walked From Million) – Norm mentioned in several interviews that he thought the producers were telling Regis the answers. When the host acted hesitant to accept his final choice, Norm assumed he was getting a hint to just take the cash and walk away.
Fun fact: it is illegal for game shows to help contestants. This is actually how Jeopardy started. After a major scandal involving rigged answers, a law was passed. While trying to develop a new concept, the producers kept the idea of “providing answers” in mind, so they decided to give the contestants the answers, but phrase them as questions.
That format always seemed a bit silly to me. If someone asked, “Who are the Aztecs?” you wouldn’t reply with, “Moctezuma was the leader of this pre-Colombian empire located in what is now Mexico.”
I remember hearing an interview where he said filming had to stop during his segment because Regis had it in his contract that he had to watch Notre Dame football games live. During a break, Norm mentioned he had a lot of money riding on the game. When Regis asked how much, Norm named an absurd amount and described his history of gambling addiction. That alarmed Regis, which caused his panicked reaction when Norm went for it on the final question. Norm misread that alarm, assuming Regis knew the answers and was trying to help him win for charity.
RE: Fact #6 (Stranger Things Survived Network Rejections) – The streaming model really does give us some great content. Down with the traditional system!
RE: Fact #18 (Bob Odenkirk Learned Cinnabon Properly) – Everyone talks about Christian Bale’s commitment to his roles, but Bob Odenkirk really gets it.
Until Christian Bale actually shoots someone in the face with birdshot and makes the victim apologize for it, he is #NotMyCheney.
RE: Fact #40 (Conan Skit Became Nerd Monologue) – If you thought this was funny, I highly suggest checking out other clips of Jordan. He is hilarious.
It isn’t just Jordan’s stuff, the other scraps are great too. There is one for the movie Sully where someone misheard the plan for a seagull costume and brought an eagle costume instead.
RE: Fact #17 (Columbo’s Catchphrase Started With Typewriters) – I have some other Columbo trivia. The show was massive in communist Hungary and Romania. There is even a bronze statue of Columbo in Budapest. After a season wrapped, a rumor spread that the Romanian government was hiding new episodes. The government was so worried about an uprising that the ambassador actually met with Peter Falk and asked him to film a PSA in Romanian to assure everyone the show just ran out of episodes. Falk mentioned this in his autobiography and on Letterman.
RE: Fact #36 (Jeannie Reruns Beat Network Rivals) – Here is the schedule and competition that ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ faced: 1965-66: Saturdays at 8 p.m. It ranked 27th, stuck between #29 Flipper and #12 Get Smart. It was up against #23 Jackie Gleason on CBS, plus The King Family Show and Donna Reed on ABC. 1966-67: Moved to Mondays at 8 p.m. It was sandwiched between The Monkees and The Roger Miller Show, competing against Run Buddy Run and Mr. Terrific on CBS and The Iron Horse on ABC. None of those were in the top 30. 1967-68: Moved to Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. It aired before The Jerry Lewis Show, against Garrison’s Gorillas and Daktari. None were top 30. 1968-69: Moved to Mondays at 7:30 p.m. It hit #26 in ratings, airing right before the #1 show, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. It went head-to-head with #6 Gunsmoke and The Avengers. 1969-70: Moved to Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. It followed The Debbie Reynolds Show and faced off against #23 Mod Squad and Lancer. After shuffling through 5 different time slots in 5 seasons, ‘I Dream Of Jeannie’ was cancelled and replaced by The Don Knotts Show, which only lasted 24 episodes.
That is interesting, thanks. It seems like it was solid enough to stick around for 5 seasons but never became a massive breakout hit. I wonder what might have happened if they had just given it a stable home in the schedule.
Gilligan’s Island had 3 time slots in 3 seasons before cancellation, and Get Smart moved to CBS for its 5th season. Network TV back then was a lot less patient, and there was no shortage of pilots waiting to replace ‘struggling’ shows. Also, ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ debuted a year after ‘Bewitched’ on ABC. It might have been a situation like the Munsters and Addams Family, where Jeannie got greenlit because of ‘Bewitched’ but then felt pressured because it wasn’t more popular. ABC might have had more patience; Elizabeth Montgomery even had to turn down a 9th season of ‘Bewitched’ to finish it off. Sometimes, you’d be surprised at how many seasons those sitcoms managed to run.
RE: Fact #41 (Alex Trebek Framed Bounced Check) – Trebek really viewed that as a painful chapter in his life. The production company for Pitfall! went under right when he was going through a rough patch, including a divorce and his father passing away. That is why it was such a sore subject for him. I remember a Jeopardy! contestant brought up the show once and Trebek really recoiled. It is worth noting that he wasn’t the only one who got screwed over; a lot of the staff and contestants never got paid either.
I was wondering what the C stood for. Usually, we specify $49, 000 CAD if there is any chance of confusing it with USD.
RE: Fact #12 (Bait Car Exposed Miranda Failure) – Reminds me of that one guy who clearly knew his rights but just decided to play along anyway.
RE: Fact #13 (Conan O’Brien’s Priest Stalker Case) – This priest actually officiated my brother’s wedding just a few weeks before his arrest. They didn’t know him; he was just the priest at the church they picked. He was super weird, gave a bizarre sermon, and incorrectly assumed he was invited to the reception.
I think it is bad form not to invite the priest to the reception, isn’t it? That is funny though!
RE: Fact #15 (American Dad’s Real Security Guard) – I bet he said that every day as people were leaving, and it made their day so much that they decided to make it their closing line.
I read up on this, and he really did say things like that to everyone as they left the office.
How sweet. They created a great memory, and now every time they re-watch episodes they worked on, they get to see the guy who gave them such a warm goodbye. I love imitating him and hope he gets a kick out of all this.
RE: Fact #6 (Stranger Things Survived Network Rejections) – The most impressive thing about the show is honestly their collection of pristine, period-accurate cars. I have no idea how they found them all in that condition. That kind of attention to detail is what really elevates a show for me.
There are definitely people who just have a thing for regular cars. I love watching Regular Car Reviews on YouTube; seeing those mundane vehicles is surprisingly fun. There are actually agencies that connect car owners with film sets to rent these vehicles out. It’s a nice way for people to make a few hundred bucks by letting a car sit on a street for a shoot.
RE: Fact #37 (Sinead O’Connor Tore Pope Photo) – I feel old, I remember when this happened. It was almost as awkward as that Kanye red hat performance.
At least Sinead’s display had a point. We just weren’t aware of all the church’s issues back then, and the major sex scandals were still a decade away. History has vindicated Sinead in a way that I don’t think it will for Kanye.
I was in a Catholic high school in a very Catholic area at the time, and people were livid. Personally, I thought it was great.
RE: Fact #26 (Geordi La Forge Honored Fan) – Geordi was the best. He always tried so hard to help Data understand humanity. We could all be lucky to have a friend like that.
Wikipedia mentions that the actor who played Data served as LeVar Burton’s best man, so the friendship clearly went both ways.
RE: Fact #49 (Fred Rogers Tried Adult Television) – Dr. Seuss had a similar run. He did some kids’ books, tried writing for adults, decided it sucked, and that adults suck, and went right back to the kids’ stuff. The moral here seems to be that adults really do suck.
Do you mean his WWII-era propaganda work?
He wrote a book called The Seven Lady Godivas. I’m missing it from my collection, but it was an erotic adult book.
Dr. Seuss did, too. He cheated on his wife while she was battling cancer. But that definitely wasn’t Mr. Rogers.
RE: Fact #3 (Speedy Gonzales Fans Fought Back) – It turns out that being offended on behalf of a group that isn’t actually offended is pretty stupid.
Some people love being offended for others. They really get a kick out of it.
RE: Fact #6 (Stranger Things Survived Network Rejections) – Doesn’t surprise me. The script isn’t necessarily remarkable on paper, but it’s clearly made with a lot of love and a commitment to quality. It works because it captures that nostalgic feeling for an older generation while still being exciting for younger viewers. The cast and crew really put in the work, and it shows. It proves how much you can achieve with talent and clear intentions, even Die Hard isn’t much on paper, but it’s a great movie.
That makes sense. It draws so heavily from 80s movies that it might have seemed derivative on paper. When pitching it, it probably felt like they were just listing off classic hits. Networks likely wondered if audiences were actually that nostalgic. Still, the way they executed those influences to build a unique atmosphere is what really made the show work.
Plus, I don’t think a weekly release would have suited it. I remember starting the first four episodes, realizing it was already 3 AM, and then finishing the rest the next morning. It really thrives in that bingeable format.
I don’t really see the story parallels. For me, it’s all about the execution. They brought back a style of cinematography focused on building an atmosphere that serves the story, rather than just hitting generic genre tropes.
There are definitely some big risks involved, especially for creators just starting out. It’s a period piece aimed at nostalgia featuring a kid-led cast. It would have been so easy for a network to demand changes that ruined the show’s soul.
RE: Fact #19 (Scrubs Janitor Was Almost Imaginary) – Also, the actor who plays the janitor, Neil Flynn, originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox.
And the actor who plays Dr. Cox, John C. McGinley, auditioned to play Wolverine. That explains all the digs at Hugh Jackman throughout the seasons.
I love the episode where he talks about playing the transit cop in The Fugitive, which is actually true.
RE: Fact #27 (Firefly Made Space Scenes Silent) – For the movie, they filled the space scenes with music. The battle scene near the planet with the Reavers did have sound, but it was explained as taking place within an ion cloud.
RE: Fact #13 (Conan O’Brien’s Priest Stalker Case) – >He was ordered to pay a $95 court charge and to sign a two-year restraining order barring him from coming near O’Brien.
Holy sh*t. That is genuinely frightening.
RE: Fact #21 (Gilligan’s Island Prompted Rescue Letters) – Gwen DeMarco: They aren’t all historical documents. You don’t actually think Gilligan’s Island is one, do you? Mathesar: Those poor people.
RE: Fact #39 (Winona Ryder Protected Beetlejuice Return) – Imagine believing in Beetlejuice 2 so much that you force your Stranger Things bosses to guarantee you can leave if it happens. Winona Ryder is a legend.
Almost all actors have movies coming out during long-running shows. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s just a standard contract clause for time off, but it’s definitely a better story if she frames it as needing time for Beetlejuice 2.
RE: Fact #8 (Top Gear’s Mexico Insult Backfired) – They spent years teasing Richard about that afterward. They even made him go to Mexico to review one of their cars.
the whole show was built on mocking everyone, including, and especially, the hosts’ own country.
RE: Fact #11 (Chris Traeger’s 150-Year Life Goal) – “I take care of my body above all else. Diet, exercise, supplements, positive thinking. Scientists believe that the first human being who will live 150 years has already been born. I believe I am that human being.” , Chris Traeger. This definitely applies to Rob Lowe, too.
RE: Fact #26 (Geordi La Forge Honored Fan) – Geordi was always my favorite character on TNG. It is nice to learn a bit more about his background.
RE: Fact #42 (Breaking Bad Moved To Albuquerque) – It made the story so much more compelling. Albuquerque is a pretty bleak place with real drug issues and plenty of open space to cook in an RV.
There is actually a lot of meth activity in Riverside County and the Inland Empire as a whole. It would have been a perfect fit, too.
Despite the large population, most people outside of California don’t even know where Riverside County is, and the term Inland Empire confuses them. That said, you are spot-on about the meth situation.
RE: Fact #31 (FBI Profilers Do Not Exist) – Saying agents get ‘vibes’ is just a fancy way of saying they have good intuition. Still, this whole thing is pretty funny.
I work in loss prevention, and the ‘vibes’ I pick up are usually just shoplifters not acting like typical shoppers.
I’m a security guard and it’s the same deal, you just notice when someone isn’t acting like a normal person. They think they’re being slick, but it’s really obvious.
NEW FBI PROFILER “touches the couch” “He was here…” FBI AGENT “How do you know?” PROFILER “Just a feeling, this one was personal to him….” FBI AGENT “What is wrong with you? Stop spinning around the room like you’re reenacting the murderer’s steps. Go get us some donuts!”
RE: Fact #40 (Conan Skit Became Nerd Monologue) – This reminds me of the filibuster bit Patton Oswalt did on Parks and Rec.
I have to say, that was an incredible public speaking performance. It was totally improvised, felt true to the comic-con culture, and was hilarious to watch him stay in character while the audience kept interrupting him. It was impressive to see him do that on a major network show, and he totally nails the inclusion of X-23 in Logan.
I had to rewatch it after your comment because it is such a great scene. It looks like they just let him run with it and handled the edits later.
RE: Fact #46 (Jeopardy Buzzers Punish Early Clicks) – As a regular Jeopardy viewer, this makes so much sense. I see people spamming that buzzer constantly and failing, I always assume they’re just slightly too quick and getting the lockout.
You’re actually supposed to press it repeatedly.
RE: Fact #3 (Speedy Gonzales Fans Fought Back) – A friend of mine was trying to explain stereotypes to a class of black elementary students. When she was pressed for an example, she nervously said, “well, like when people assume black people love fried chicken, ” and the whole class just responded, “but… we do love fried chicken!”
That’s just a poor example. Stereotypes like being lazy or other demeaning tropes are what people are actually talking about.
RE: Fact #38 (Rory McCann Joined Banjo Brotherhood) – I think you mean ‘asocial, ‘ as in someone reclusive who keeps to themselves. ‘Antisocial’ would mean being disruptive and manipulative. The prefix ‘a-‘ just means the absence of a quality, in this case, social behavior. ‘Anti-‘ implies being actively against something.