Chuck Norris vs. Cuneyt Arkin (4 of 6)_ The Biggest Punch

Good morning to folks in Dubai, and good afternoon to those of you in Hong Kong.

We continue our series of trivia questions relating to the films of Turkish '70s superstar Cuneyt Arkin, 75, and American '80s action film icon Chuck Norris, with a look at "En Buyuk Yumruk/The Biggest Punch" (1983), which somehow has a 6.6 on the Internet Movie Databse.

The film was made one year after Arkin teamed with awful director extraordinaire Cetin Inanc on "Durnyayi Kurtaran Adami/The Man Who Saved the World," also known as "The Turkish Star Wars" since it ripped off "Star Wars."

So, which actor won Best Actor when Arkin made this film 29 years ago; is the answer?:

A) Robert Duvall

B) Robert DeNiro

C) F. Murray Abrham

D) Steve Martin

E) Michael Caine


The answer to the last segment in this series is C) Richard Dreyfuss, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1977.

SIDEBAR: The answers to our "Dexter" quiz are as follows: 1) D 2) A 3) C 4) B

Dexter Trivia (4 of 4) Where is Jennifer Carpenter from?

We conclude out series of "Dexter" trivia questions, but asking where Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Dexter's sister on the show, is from. Carpenter was actually married to the show's star Michael C. Hall for a brief while; we gather they met on the set.

So, which state is Carpenter from?

A) West Virginia

B) Kentucky

C) Tennessee

D) Alabama

Dexter Trivia (3 of 4)_ Which John Lithgow Movie Were They Watching?

For today's "Dexter" trivia question, we go back to the show's fourth season when John Lithgow guest-starred as Arthur Mitchell also known as 'the Trinity Killer' (pictured above). Lithgow won an Emmy for the part.

As an in-joke, according to the Internet Movie Database, there is a scene in one of that season's episodes when a Lithgow film from the 1980s was being shown on a tv set in a living room.

Was that movie:

A) Footloose (original version)

B) The World According to Garp

C) Terms of Endearment

D) Harry and the Hendersons

Dexter Trivia (2 of 4)_ Who Composes the Theme?

Notice: This image is of scrambled eggs and TURKEY bacon, so we would not offend blog-readers in Dubai, Tel Aviv or Karachi (Pakistan).

Here is tonight's question, which has been delayed for a multitude of reasons:

Who is the composer of the theme for "Dexter," which features Michael C. Hall's title character's daily morning rituals, including making a lavish breakfast (Dr. Mehmet Oz actually recommends that breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day), brushing of the teeth and shaving with a very sharp razor.

The theme has many parodies of Youtube, including a hilarious video which shows Dexter as a Hassidic Jew.

So, we are asking who composes the ever-catchy title tune, is the answer?

A) Daniel Licht

B) Danny Elfman

C) David Carbanara

D) Michael Giacchino

Good luck!

Dexter Trivia (1 of 4)_ How Long Did M.C. Hall's Other Show Last?

Since "Dexter" is on the verge of having its seventh season premiere on Sunday, we thought we'd put together a series of four questions about the show staring Michael C. Hall.

As it turns out "Dexter" has outlasted Hall's previous show "Six Feet Under" which was a hit with critics and audiences. The show was as unsettling as "Dexter," which features a serial killer as a protagonist, because it took place around a family-run funeral business and each show started with someone's death.

So how many episodes were made of "Six Feet Under," which debuted on HBO in 2001; is the answer?

A) 57

B) 59

C) 61

D) 63

http://www.sho.com

http://www.dexterwiki.wetpaint.com

http://www.dexter-tv.com

Quote of the Day/Week- August Wilson

Today, we quote one of our favorite playwrights August Wilson (1945-2005) in honor of Black History Month. A production of his 2004 play "Gem of the Ocean," which is set in 1904, will take place in Wilson's hometown of Pittsburgh.

The performance will be from the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre at the August Wilson Center from June 2-10.

Ironically, we quoted another local hero former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who is originally from Louisiana, on our other blog "The Daily Vampire" yesterday.

Here is Wilson's quip:

"Blacks in America want to forget about slavery_ the stigma, the shame. That's the wrong move. If you can't be who you are, who can you be? How can you know what to do?
We have our history. We have our book, which is the blues. And we forget it all."

SIDEBAR: We learned this interesting trivial bit last week upon learning that it was the 41st birthday of actor Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter on "Dexter," the Showtime series about a serial killer who kills people he believes to be serial killers. In the first season of the show, which recently finished season six, Dexter and his female companion Rita are watching "Terms of Endearment" (1984), which won the Best Picture Oscar that year.

Well, in season four, John Lithgow, now age 66, who had a supporting role in that film, made a 12-episode run as Dexter's nemesis Arthur Mitchell, otherwise known as 'The Trinity Killer.'

Quote of the Day/Week- Sidney Poitier

Since we just got back from The Bahamas and today is the start of Black History Month, we thought it would be nifty to quote Sidney Poitier, 84, who won an Oscar for "Lilies of the Field" (1963), the first African-American to win a Best Actor Oscar. More recently, in 2009, Poitier also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.

Though Poitier has lived in the United for a long time, he is a Bahamas-native and maintains dual citizenship. In fact, in 1997, Poitier was the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. We also learned that he is fluent in Russian.

Here is his quote: "History passes final judgment."

SIDEBAR ONE: The underground cult classic "Pretty Poison" (1968) with Tuesday Weld and the late Anthony Perkins, who was best-known for playing Norman Bates in "Psycho" begins a week-long run at the Film Forum in New York starting on Friday. We finally saw the film two years ago. And, for those of you in the Big Apple or even New Jersey, we highly recommend it.

SIDEBAR TWO: We would personally love to see actor Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter on "Dexter," a Showtime series about a serial killer who kills off people whom he believes have killed people, say: "I am not a serial killer, but I play one on tv." Today, Hall turns 41, the same age as me. He is originally from Raleigh, NC. Happy Birthday, Dexter.

Quote of the Week- Brian DePalma

For those of us who watch the Showtime series "Dexter" (since I just started watching last season I'm a late convert), this quote from "Carrie" director Brian DePalma does seem quite appropriate. For those not familiar with the show, it has a bit of an edgy premise in that Dexter, a serial killer who 'goes after the bad guys,' is the protagonist. (Yeah, I wonder what Charles Dickens would've thought too):

"Yeah, I had an idea to make a very scary movie, based on some kind of serial murderer that preys on tourists."

SIDEBAR: I don't like to divulge info about my personal life on this blog, but I thought this once I would mention that while his wife is busy calling his former female acquaitances' answering machines, I am indeed having a Stella Artois with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at The Barking Dog Bar in Bethesda, Md.* Thomas apparently really likes jokes about honky rebel flag-waving rednecks, but he didn't want me to let that out because it would be (ironically) politically incorrect and even though he is not an elected official, that is in fact his consistuency!

*- An actual place where happy hours are from Monday-Friday from 3:00-7:00 p.m. Of course, I am kidding around as I don't know if Justice Thomas hangs out in suburban Maryland or if he likes to make fun of white people.But, The Barking Dog does serve Stella Artois!