By Randy Cohen
Orrin Hatch, U.S. senator; Tommy Lasorda, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager; John Schneider, Bo Duke of television’s Dukes of Hazzard–what’s the connection?
by 5 p.m. ET Sunday to e-mail your answer (newsquiz@slate.com).
Responses to Wednesday’s question (No. 79)–“Reformation”:
Fill in the blank, plus.
Manager Shelly Finkel says: “He has really made over his behavior in the last year, and he has done things that will be favorable to his getting his _____________ back. He’s working out. He’s been doing some charity work. He’s a changed person. He has really gotten a lot more at peace with himself.”
Who is Shelly’s client? What does he hope to get back?
“The ghost of Mr. Shawn wants his magazine back.”–Colleen Werthmann (Daniel Radosh and Peter Lerangis had similar answers.)
“Sir John Gielgud hopes to regain is his status as the leading lady of British theater.”–Larry Amaros
“Satan himself. What he hopes to get back: his popular cooking show, The Frugal Gourmet.”– Danny Spiegel
“Rudy Guiliani. Using a slow, careful, step-by-step approach: first the hair, then the sense of humor, then the wife.”–Gloria D. Howard
“Dismissing rumors of his death, Mobutu Sese Seko hopes to get his skull collection back.”–Ben Von
“Bill Gates hopes to get back his sled, Rosebud.”–Cheng-Jih Chen
“Mike Tyson is trying to get back his appetite for nonhuman flesh.”–Gary Frazier (similarly, Gene Cluster)
Click for more responses.
Randy and Chris’ Wrap-Up
Our first reference to Mr. T! (Click.) Our last to Ms. Tina. Considering that so many people detested her version of The New Yorker, comments on Tina Brown’s departure have been surprisingly mild. After all, she’s not dead, she’s not ill, she’s not even unemployed. She’s stepping from one fabulously well-paid job to another. A reluctance to kick her when she’s down would be understandable, but why the disinclination to kick her when she’s up?
As for the future of the magazine, Chris Kelly writes:
The day before D-Day, the following words “just happened” to appear in the Times’ crossword: “Omaha,” “Utah,” “Normandy,” “Eisenhower” and “101st Airborne.” As The New Yorker begins its search for a new editor, the back page of Allure “just happens” to feature the following perfect candidates: Ann Magnuson, Susanne Bartsch, Mary Steenburgen, Debi Mazar, Norma Kamali, Shoshanna Lonstein, Al Sharpton and Janeane Garofalo. Coincidence? Maybe.
Two-Fisted 32-Toothed Answer
As Gary Frazier, Gene Cluster, and Barry Crimmins know, Mike Tyson hopes to get back his boxing license. As of today he is eligible to apply to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for reinstatement, following his indefinite suspension last July 9 for biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear.
L.A. Leftovers
“She let him talk a long time and when it was her turn to talk, he kept interrupting her and kept interrupting her and interrupting her.”–Edward Cook, Los Angeles deputy public defender, on why it was OK for Municipal Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani to give defendant Ronnie Hawkins a 50,000 volt shock with a stun belt
“The guy was out of line and he got spanked. That’s all. It wasn’t a big deal to me.”–Edward Cook again
The 50,000 volt shock continued for eight seconds. Hawkins piped down. The judge thought it inappropriate to comment.
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