Smorgasbording Trivia Quiz

Answer: Verona

It's interesting to me that British author William Shakespeare set so many of his plays in Italy. It was believed that the foreign setting could help make his works more exotic and exciting. Even more interesting is the fact that Shakespeare may never have set foot in the country.

His tragic tale of star-crossed young lovers, i.e., "Romeo and Juliet", was set in Verona where, to this day, tourists still visit the Casa di Giulietta and stand on the balcony.

Answer: Destiny's Child

Did you know that the girl group Destiny's Child was originally billed as Girl's Tyme? They started out in Houston, Texas in 1990 before they signed on with Columbia Records in 1997 as Destiny's Child. At that time the group consisted of Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett.

They came to fame with their number one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name" in 1999. After internal squabbles, Roberson and Luckett were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin who left shortly after. And the trio was formed.

Answer: Chowchilla

On a warm summer day in Chowchilla, on July 15, 1976, a school bus was hijacked and 26 children, aged five to fourteen, along with the bus driver, were kidnapped. They were forced to go underground into a truck that had been buried by their kidnappers.

There was no light, little ventilation, jury-rigged toilets and a small amount of junk food which was quickly gone. In between the terror and the tears, the oldest child managed to get above ground and they were all saved. The kidnappers were caught and brought to justice.

Answer: Bud Light

Anyone still remember the fictional party dog and mascot Spuds MacKenzie? In the late 1980s, Spuds became the face of Bud Light beer in their immense marketing campaign. You couldn't turn on the television without seeing the adorable face of the bull terrier with the black eye. Spuds made his first TV appearance in 1987, in a commercial at Super Bowl XXI.

He was created by Jon Moore who worked for an ad agency in Chicago, Illinois, and was played by a female dog named Evie.

Answer: frivolous light-hearted banter

Just like it sounds, persiflage is frivolous or light-hearted banter. It is a noun, and a word for which there is no plural. I imagine this must be what took place in the 1920s as the intellectual elites like Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley sat around the Algonquin Round Table, or the clever, witty, sarcastic repartee that may have occurred in Oscar Wilde's parlor.

The other definitions include: prolix (too long), dunandunate (overuse) and chtonic (underworld).

Answer: Angie Tribeca

Rashida Jones was born in Los Angeles, California in 1976. She is the daughter of music mogul Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton ("Mod Squad"). Rashida has appeared as Ann Perkins on "Parks and Recreation" and Karen Filippelli on "The Office". In 2016, Steve Carell created the starring vehicle for Rashida, i.e, "Angie Tribeca", a parody of crime shows where Angie is a police detective of the RHCU (Really Heinous Crime Unit), much like the earlier TV show "Police Squad!".

Answer: Sean Young

Sean Young is an actress who was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1959. In 1982 she played opposite Harrison Ford in the sci-fi drama "Blade Runner". Her other films include "No Way Out" (1987), "Wall Street" (1987) and "Ace Venture: Pet Detective" (1994).

She has had substance abuse issues and legal problems. The other choices are all males: Sean Astin played Samwise Gamgee; Sean Hannity is a radio and TV host, and Sean Lennon is a musician and the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Answer: Norman

Greg Norman, "The Great White Shark", is an Australian professional golfer born in 1955. In the 1980s and 1990s he was ranked as the number one golfer in the world. Greg was the winner of the Open Championships in both 1986 and 1993.

TV writer and producer Norman Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1922. He is responsible for such hits as "All in the Family", "Maude", "One Day at a Time", "Sanford and Son" and "The Jeffersons". He changed the face of television.

Answer: Shirley Booth

In 1953, Shirley Booth (1898-1992) was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Lola Delaney in the film "Come Back, Little Sheba". She reprised her stage role, for which she won a Tony Award. The play and the movie are about Lola and Doc who get married when they find out Lola is pregnant.

There is a miscarriage, years of resentment and a loveless marriage. Booth went on to play Hazel, on the eponymous TV show, from 1961 to 1966.

Answer: Tab Hunter

Teen idol Tab Hunter (1931-2018) was an actor, producer, singer and author. The blonde, handsome heartthrob starred in films of the 1950s and 1960s, starting with "Battle Cry" in 1955, and starring in "Damn Yankees" in 1958. In 1957 he recorded the hit song "Young Love".

In 2005, Hunter's autobiography "Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star" came out, and so did Tab. In 2013 he married his long time friend Allan Glaser.