PDAZ's Common Bond Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bird

Superstars Larry Bird and Michael Jordan were featured in a number of commercials where they made absurd basketball shots from various distances and places. The competition started when Bird suggested they play for Jordan's hamburger because apparently, Bird couldn't afford one of his own.

Answer: Harry

The exact quote attributed to Harry Truman on his presidential library and museum website is "If a man can't stand the heat, he ought to stay out of the kitchen". Truman himself had maintained that it was something he had heard from a colleague, but he had used it on numerous occasions dating back to his days in the Senate (an Idaho newspaper had credited him with the quote in 1942 in regards to the slow pace of Senate committee work).

Truman also had some great quotes for parents which seem surprisingly apropos today: "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it" and "Children nowadays have too many gadgets to fool with and not enough chores".

Answer: Gorillaz

The Gorillaz consist of animated members, while their music is the result of collaborations of various musicians - only founder Damon Albarn of the band Blur is a permanent member. Their "Feel Good Inc." song was a Grammy nominee in 2006. Apparently, Milli Vanilli could have kept their Grammy if only they had been animated.

Answer: Orangutan

Arboreal animals are defined as those that spend most of their time living in trees, and National Geographic bestows the largest living arboreal animal title on the orangutan. Orangutans hang out in the rainforests of Malaysia and Indonesia, but they are an endangered species due to habitat loss. Edgar Allan Poe may not have been a fan of the apes -- he made one the villain in one of his stories.

Answer: Squint

People squint for various reasons -- as a response to strong light or to vision problems or maybe just to give someone the evil eye. Squinting is the main cause of crow's feet so it is best not to squint when you're young. If it's too late for that, there's always Botox...

Answer: Oscar

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" was Oscar Wilde's only novel. Published in 1890, it was the controversial story of a young man whose hedonistic lifestyle had a devastating effect on his portrait, while he remained youthful. Maybe they had Botox back then...

Answer: Rawhide

They may have been a blues band, but when Jake told the band that they had a gig at Bob's Country Bunker, they had to come up with some country/western songs pretty quick or face the wrath of the crowd. Actually, it really didn't matter -- the crowd was going to bean them with beer bottles regardless. "Rawhide" was the theme song to the 1960s TV show of the same name -- it was one of the few songs they knew that would fit the genre.

Answer: Mayor

Ken Livingstone was the first Mayor of London, as the position was created in 2000. He previously had been the leader of the Greater London Council and a Member of Parliament. The most interesting thing about him -- he raises newts!

Answer: Spaghetti

Bobby Henderson, a physics graduate, developed a Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster complete with its own gospel. According to its "Pastafarian" beliefs, pirates are divine beings. The Chain Gang trivia team will probably be delighted to know this.

Answer: Clint Eastwood

Here are the connections:

1. Bird - Eastwood is a jazz fan, and he made a biographical film called "Bird" in honor of Charley "Bird" Parker. He won the 1989 Golden Globe for Best Director for the film.
2. Harry - Dirty Harry Callahan was probably Eastwood's most famous character.
3. Gorillaz - This band had hits with songs called "Clint Eastwood" and "Dirty Harry".
4. Orangutan - In the 1970s/1980s, Eastwood was in a couple of movies with Clyde the orangutan - "Every Which Way but Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can".
5. Squint - Eastwood is known for his squint.
6. Oscar - Eastwood has won Oscars both as a director and a producer ("Unforgiven", "Million Dollar Baby").
7. Rawhide - Eastwood was one of the stars on this 1960s TV western.
8. Mayor - In the 1980s, Eastwood was mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
9. Spaghetti - In the 1960s, Eastwood was synonymous with the spaghetti western genre in such classic films as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "A Fistful of Dollars".