Were They Right, or Just Dumb? Quiz

Answer: P.T. Barnum

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum brought human curiosities such as "General Tom Thumb" (who never reached three feet in height) and the "Feejee Mermaid" (a hoax), as well as the three-ring circus to the American public. Of his over-the-top rhetoric and promotional activities, Barnum once said "Without promotion something terrible happens...nothing!" He died in 1890 and we still talk about him, so he must have done something right.

Answer: Kanye West

Visibly stunned at winning the award, the first time a Country artist had done so, Swift was thanking everyone when rapper Kanye West got onstage with a microphone and said that Beyonce (one of the contenders) had one of the best videos of all time. After leaving the stage he was asked to leave the auditorium.

It wasn't determined if he was speaking up for a friend or getting some free airtime for himself.

Answer: John Lennon and Yoko Ono

In March, 1969, recently married John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a "bed-in for peace", inviting the media into their Amsterdam hotel room as they protested the Vietnam War. Then they decided to try it for another week in Montreal, Canada, in May of that year, inviting many celebrities to visit them. Their song "Give Peace a Chance" (released by the Plastic Ono Band) was recorded there; some of their guests sang the background vocals. It reached number 2 on the UK music charts and number 14 in the US. The song "The Ballad of John and Yoko" came from the Amsterdam hotel stay.

Answer: Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson was the singer involved. Her partner for the song, Justin Timberlake, somehow happened to tear off part of her clothes. Who would have ever thought that could happen? Over 500,000 people complained to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission who fined the CBS network (carrier of the game) over $500,000 for indecency.

Answer: Brett Cohen

It was Brett Cohen! If I fooled you on this question, imagine how the 300 people who thought he was a great singer, or actor, or whatever, thought when they found out it was a joke. Cohen, a New Yorker with no entertainment credentials, decided to stage the stunt because he figured all one had to do to be a celebrity was look like a celebrity.

It worked very well; people swarmed to see him. Who knows, we may see him on a reality TV show some day.

Answer: Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson was a Mississippi blues musician who recorded 16 songs (plus alternate versions) in 1936; they became the foundation for most of the blues music which came after. His sudden improvement in singing and playing was explained by his mentor Son House (and facilitated by some of Johnson's songs) as due to a deal Johnson had made with the devil at a crossroads one midnight near Dockery Plantation, Mississippi. Musicians, specifically Eric Clapton, and also the Rolling Stones and Canned Heat, among others have been influenced by Johnson's recordings.

He died in 1938, supposedly poisoned, although current researchers think that may not be true.

Answer: Lady Gaga

Who else but Lady Gaga would try something like that? At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga received eight awards; she arrived in a dress made of meat - flank steak, specifically. Speaking after the awards ceremony, she said the dress was a statement about fighting for what you believe.

Answer: Geraldo Rivera

Geraldo Rivera, recently fired by the ABC network, found out about the hotel's vault and set about producing and starring in a two-hour live TV special with the aim of seeing what Al Capone might have left in it. After one hour and fifty minutes of speculation, expert opinion and tales about Capone, it was opened and found to contain - only a little trash.

But 30 million people watched the show. Compare that to 23 million who watched the Beatles' first appearance on American TV and 11 million who watched the finale of "The Sopranos". Rivera went on to have a successful career as a talk show host.

Answer: Cecil B. DeMille

In 1955, Cecil B DeMille, while working on the movie "The Ten Commandments", heard that a Minnesota judge and a Christian fraternal organization were planning to send copies of the Ten Commandments to schools and public buildings throughout the U.S. DeMille suggested sending bronze tablets instead. That was vetoed so they settled on stone; about 150 were originally distributed, sometimes dedicated on-site by Charlton Heston or Yul Brenner, two of the actors in the movie. Eventually, about 4,000 were distributed. Years after the movie had come and gone the U.S. Supreme Court got involved when some groups complained about the separation of church and state.

The tablets were ruled acceptable on public property if they served a secular purpose.

Answer: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley got his draft notice (mandatory conscription) in 1953 but his enlistment was deferred. In 1958 he was ordered to report for duty. His celebrity status probably could have gotten him exempted but his agent, Colonel Tom Parker, thought it would be a good idea if Elvis served in the army like most other Americans. Presley was gone for two years, serving with the U.S. Army's Third Armored Division in Germany, mustering out with the rank of sergeant. One of the first things he did afterwards was star in a movie: "G.I. Blues".

This led to more movies, even as his status as a recording star declined.