I am taking a step back from trivia while I work out some technical issues, which means I can devote some time to my other love, blogging. Thanks to everyone who has supported me during this hectic time! The blog has definitely taken a backseat of late; one of these days, perhaps I’ll figure out how to juggle it all.
- #1 Record – Big Star
#1 Record by Big Star was released on this day in 1972. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’re not alone. Power pop pioneers Big Star, though critically acclaimed, never achieved the album sales they deserved; #1 Record sold less than 10,000 copies in its first pressing. Cult status came later. If you’ve never listened to #1 Record, you’re in for a treat. “Thirteen”, a poignant ode to first love in all its bittersweetness, is the album’s standout track and one of my all-time favorite songs.
FUN FACT #1: In 1967, when he was just 16, Big Star singer-songwriter Alex Chilton and his band The Box Tops topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Letter”. They went to #2 with “Cry Like a Baby” the following year.
FUN FACT #2: “In the Street” is one of the album’s better-known songs, thanks to its use as the theme song for That 70s Show. The creators originally wanted to use “Surrender” by Cheap Trick but couldn’t afford the rights. They settled for Cheap Trick singing “In the Street”, with a nod to “Surrender” and its refrain of “We’re all alright, we’re all alright”.
FUN FACT #3: I was introduced to Big Star via my teenage love of The Replacements’ song “Alex Chilton”, taken from their brilliant 1987 album Pleased to Meet Me. That album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Chilton’s hometown. Chilton was present during some of the sessions and even played guest guitar on “Can’t Hardly Wait”.
- The White Lotus
There are no spoilers here, but I am still reeling from the 1-2-3 punch of the most recent episodes of The White Lotus, Yellowjackets, and The Last of Us. I just finished binging all three seasons of The White Lotus for the first time. It took me a while to decipher the tone of the show; after the first three episodes of season one, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to continue watching. I’m glad I hung in there because seasons two and three were AMAZING! If you’re looking for social satire disguised as murder mystery, The White Lotus is the cream of the crop. I hope Mike White gives us a dozen more seasons. They’re currently scouting locations for season four; indications are that a return to Europe is likely.
FUN FACT: Sam Nivola and Patrick Schwarzenegger are both nepo babies. Schwarzenegger is the son of Arnold and his ex-wife Maria Shriver, which means he’s also 1/4 Kennedy. Nivola, meanwhile, is the child of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer.
- Yellowjackets
In contrast to The White Lotus, which I consumed over a couple weeks, I’ve been a rabid fan of Yellowjackets since it premiered in the fall of 2021. I’ve obsessed over every detail; the casting, the symbolism, the music. Who was “Pit Girl” and who was “Antler Queen”? When and how will they be rescued? Season two lost its way a bit, but recovered for the sixth episode, “Qui”, AKA “The One Where Teenage Shauna Gives Birth”. On the other hand, season three was completely unhinged from minute one – in the best possible way. I loved every moment of it.
- The Last of Us
Nope. Too soon.
- Richard Donner
Filmmaker Richard Donner would have celebrated his 95th birthday today. Irascible but soft-hearted, Donner was responsible for several of the most iconic movies of my lifetime, among them The Omen, Superman, The Goonies, and Lethal Weapon.
FUN FACT: Had Columbia TriStar won the rights to the 1990 Michael Crichton novel of the same name, Donner would have directed Jurassic Park.
- Wednesday
Netflix just dropped a tantalizing teaser for season two of Wednesday, which will debut in two parts on August 6 and September 3. This is definitely one of my most highly anticipated series of the year.
- The films of 1976
On this day in 1976, American moviegoers were flocking to theaters to see The Bad News Bears (below, left), All the President’s Men (below, center), and Family Plot (below, right), the final film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
- The Life of Chuck
Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck will hit theaters in June. The film, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, is being compared favorably to iconic King adaptations like The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and The Green Mile. As a huge fan of both Flanagan and King, this is an absolute must-see for me.
FUN FACT: The Life of Chuck is actually the third King adaption directed by Flanagan. He previously helmed 2017’s Gerald’s Game and 2019’s Doctor Sleep.
- Lost, “The Shape of Things to Come”
On this day in 2008, ABC aired the season four episode of Lost titled “The Shape of Things to Come”. Michael Emerson, who played Ben Linus on the series, earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for his performance in this episode, in which Linus witnesses the shocking execution of his island daughter Alex. He lost to Damages‘ Željko Ivanek, but took home the prize the following year.
FUN FACT: “The Shape of Things to Come” takes its title from the 1933 H.G. Wells novel of the same name.
PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia 