Tantalizing Trivia: Bowie's Crystal Balls Revealed

Apparently this is something everyone realized at the age of ten that I only learned (after Chantale berated me for being a dunce) at the age of 24.

 

In Labyrinth (1986) Bowie's goblin-king-crotch-bulging character Jareth has a knack for ummm... swingin' around crystal balls and making it look all magic-y. Yeah. That's what it's called. But in the reality that everyone knew existed except me until fairly recently, it was a guy named Michael Moschen, a professional juggler, working behind D-Bow with his arm inserted into the jacket. Geez. I knew Jareth had magic up his sleeve, but wow! BWAHAHA oh Lord I am hilarious. *crickets* No? Ok I'll just go sit in the corner over there and entertain myself with puns. Nobody appreciates me. 

Tantalizing Trivia: Team America

In Team America: World Police (2004), Kim Jong-il takes a stroll through his palace during his famous "I'm so ronery" song. He passes by a bronzed statue of himself, which is actually a real person painted up. You can see him move slightly if you really pay attention.

Take a look and you'll get a good idea of the actual size of the puppets when placed next to a full sized person.

Tantalizing Trivia: Wedding Crashers

Here are the official rules of wedding creashing, according to the special features of the Wedding Crashers DVD.

The Rules of Wedding Crashing:

Rule #1: Never leave a fellow Crasher behind. Crashers take care of their own.

Rule #2: Never use your real name.

Rule #3: Never confess.

Rule #4: No one goes home alone.

Rule #5: Never let a girl come between you and a fellow Crasher.

Rule #6: Do not sit in the corner and sulk. It draws attention in a negative way. Draw attention to yourself, but on your own terms.

Rule #7: Blend in by standing out.

Rule #8: Be the life of the party.

Rule #9: Whatever it takes to get in, get in.

Rule #10: Invitations are for pussies.

Rule #11: Sensitive is good.

Rule #12: When it stops being fun, break something.

Rule #13: Bridesmaids are desperate - console them.

Rule #14: You're a distant relative of a dead cousin.

Rule #15: Fight the urge to tell the truth.

Rule #16: Always have an up-to-date family tree.

Rule #17: Every female wedding guest deserves a wedding night.

Rule #18: You love animals and children.

Rule #19: Toast in the native language if you know the native language and have practiced the toast. Do not wing it.

Rule #20: The older the better, the younger the better (See rule below)

Rule #21: Definitely make sure she's 18.

Rule #22: You have a wedding and a reception to seal the deal. Period. No overtime.

Rule #23: There's nothing wrong with having seconds. Provided there's enough women to go around.

Rule #24: If you get outted, leave calmly. Do not run.

Rule #25: You understand she heard that, but that's not what you meant.

Rule #26: Of course you love her.

Rule #27: Don't over drink. The machinery must work in order to close.

Rule #28: Make sure there's an open bar.

Rule #29: Always be a team player. Everyone needs a little help now and again.

Rule #30: Know the playbook so you can call an audible.

Rule #31: If you call an audible, always make sure your fellow Crashers know.

Rule #32: Don't commit to a relative unless you're absolutely sure that they have a pulse.

Rule #33: Never go back to your place.

Rule #34: Be gone by sunrise.

Rule #35: Breakfast is for closers.

Rule #36: Your favorite movie is "The English Patient".

Rule #37: At the reception, one hard drink or two beers max. A drunk crasher is a sloppy crasher.

Rule #38: Never hit on the bride! It's a one-way ticket to the pavement.

Rule #39: The way to a woman's bed is through the dance floor.

Rule #40: Dance with old folks and the kids. The girls will think you're "sweet."

Rule #41: Try not to break anything, unless you're not having fun.

Rule #42: At the service, sit in the fifth row. It's close enough to the wedding party to seem like you're an invited guest. Never sit in the back. The back row just smells like crashing.

Rule #43: Create an air of mystery that involves some painful experience when interacting with the girl you're after, but don't talk about it. Allude to it. Then walk away, She'll follow.

Rule #44: Always remember your fake name!

Rule #45: The Rules of Wedding Crashing are sacred. Don't sully them by "improvising."

Rule #46: You forgot your invitation in your rush to get to the church.

Rule #47: Make sure all the single women at the wedding know you're there because you've just suffered either a terrible breakup or the death of your fiancée.

Rule #48: Always work the following into a conversation: "Yeah, I have tons of money. But how does one buy happiness?"

Rule #49: Be pensive! It draws out the "healer" in women.

Rule #50: Always pull out in time.

Rule #51: Tell any woman you're interested in that you'd love to stay, but you promised to help out at the homeless shelter today.

Rule #52: Get choked up during the service. The girls will think you're "sensitive". Bring a slice of onion or artificial tears if necessary.

Rule #53: Avoid virgins. They're too clingy.

Rule #54: If pressed, tell people you're related to Uncle Ned. Everyone has an Uncle Ned.

Rule #55: Don't fixate on one woman. ALWAYS have a back-up.

Rule #56: When seeing a rival crasher, do not interact. Merely acknowledge each other with a tug on the earlobe and gracefully move on.

Rule #57: The Ferrari's in the shop.

Rule #58: If two rival crashers pick the same girl, the crasher with the least seniority will respectfully yield.

Rule #59: No "chicken dancing" - no exceptions.

Rule #60: When crashing out of state, request permission from a local Wedding Crasher chapter.

Rule #61: No more than two weddings a weekend. More and your game gets sloppy.

Rule #62: Bring an extra umbrella when it rains. Courtesy opens more legs than charm.

Rule #63: Always save room for cake.

Rule #64: When your crash partner fails, you fail. No man is an island.

Rule #65: Smile! You're having the time of your life.

Rule #66: Mix it up a little. You can't always be the man with the haunted past.

Rule #67: No sex on the altar. Confessionals, okay. Chair lofts, better.

Rule #68: Two shut-outs in a row? It's time to take a week off. Ask yourself: what is getting in the way of my happiness?

Rule #69: Research, research, research the wedding party. And when you are done researching, research some more.

Rule #70: Studies show that women have a more developed sense of smell. Breath mints: small cost, big yield.

Rule #71: No excuses. Play like a champion!

Rule #72: In case of emergency, refer to the playbook.

Rule #73: Girls in hats tend to be proper and rarely give it up.

Rule #74: Keep interactions with the parents of the bride to a minimum.

Rule #75: Carry extra protection.

Rule #76: The unmarried female rabbi - is she fair game? Of course she is.

Rule #77: The tables furthest from the kitchen always get served dinner first.

Rule #78: Stop, look, listen. At weddings. In life.

Rule #79: Occasionally bring a real gift. You're getting sex without having to buy dinner, so you can afford a blender.

Rule #80: Always think ahead, but always stay in the moment. Reconcile this paradox and you'll not only get the girl, you might also get peace of mind.

Rule #81: Don't let the ring bearer bum your smokes. His parents may start to ask questions.

Rule #82: Stay clear of the wedding planner. They may recognize you and start to wonder.

Rule #83: Don't use the "I have two months to live" bit - not cool, not effective.

Rule #84: Shoes say a lot about a man.

Rule #85: Always choose large weddings. More choice. Easier to blend.

Rule #86: You're from out of town. ALWAYS.

Rule #87: Know something about the place you say you are from. Texas is played out. For some reason, New Hampshire seems to work.

Rule #88: Of course you dream of one day having children.

Rule #89: Never dance to "What I Like About You." It's long past time to let that song go. Someone will request it at every wedding. Don't dance to it. No matter how hot she is.

Rule #90: Tell the bride's friends and family that you are family of the groom and vice-versa.

Rule #91: Only take one car. You never know when you'll need to make a fast escape.

Rule #92: Deep down, most people hate themselves. This knowledge is the key to most bedroom doors.

Rule #93: Try not to show off on the dance floor.

Rule #94: Etiquette isn't old-fashioned, it's sexy.

Rule #95: Catholic weddings - the classic dilemma: painfully long ceremony, horny girls.

Rule #96: The newspaper Wedding Announcements are your racing form. Choose carefully.

Rule #97: Be judicious with cologne. Citrus tones are best.

Rule #98: Save the tuxes for "the big show" only.

Rule #99: Avoid women who were psychology majors in college.

Rule #100: No periwinkle colored ties, please.

Rule #101: Always have an early "appointment" the next morning.

Rule #102: Be well groomed and well-mannered.

Rule #103: Never cockblock a fellow crasher. Cockblocking an invited guest is okay.

Rule #104: Eat plentiful, digest your food. You'll need the energy for later.

Rule #105: Know when to abandon ship if it ain't floating.

Rule #106: Know your swing and salsa dancing. Girls love to get twisted around.

Rule #107: Always carry an assortment of placecards to match any wedding design.

Rule #108: Make sure your magic trick and balloon animal skills are not rusty. If the kids love it, the girls will too.

Rule #109: Never reveal your true identity.

Rule #110: Never walk away from a crasher in a funny jacket. By decree of Chazz Reingold, Creator of the Rules of Wedding Crashing, revised from 1989 in October 2004, the following bits of slang are no longer acceptable: "it's all good," "hey, no worries," and any sentence that involves anyone getting "their freak on."

(Source: DVD "The Rules of Wedding Crashing" text gallery bonus feature.)

Tantalizing Trivia: Team America - World Police

Trey Parker makes an actual cameo in Team America: World Police (2004).

"But Angie," you shout. "It's puppets! He couldn't possibly appear in the film!" Well sir, this be the truth. "But where, oh where doth Trey appear?" you ask.

Where else would this comic genius insert himself into his film? Into a puddle of puke (aka soup and beer mixture).

There's Trey, laying in the vom during the vertical shot. He's wearing a wig and the legs are fake to make him look like the puppet counterpart, but it's him fo sho.

Tantalizing Trivia: TRON

Apperently Jeff Bridges has a mofo HUGE package. For real. In the original TRON (1982), 'ol Jeffy had to wear a special belt to hide his bulging... well... bulge. Wow.

Tantalizing Trivia: The Recurring Newspaper Prop

Remember when we told you about the Wilhelm Scream? The inside joke with sound department dudes the world over?

Well prop guys have their own tradition. This newspaper prop can be seen in countless tv shows and films, and has apparently been around for more than 50 years. Most of the shots below are from television, but you can spot this newspaper in No Country For Old Men as a recent example.

Next time a character in film is reading the paper, be sure to try to spot that classic brunette to find out if the propmasters and playing a little joke.

Tantalizing Trivia: Burton's Stripes

Katrina Van Tassel's dress in the final scene of Sleepy Hollow (1999) is a direct reference to Tim Burton's other film, Beetlejuice (1988).

Another deleted scene from Sleepy Hollow pays hommage to Beetlejuice when the Headless Horseman dances around in a red wedding dress to Daylight Come.

Ok I made that last part up, but wasn't it a great visual in your imagination?

Tantalizing Trivia: Scrooge

Cary Elwes, best known as the best Robin Hood ever, and Wesley in the best movie ever, is the descendent of John Elwes, an infamous thirfty grouch, who was the inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge.

Tantalizing Trivia: Forrest Gump

Remember when Forrest gets dragged on stage unwillingly at the Vietnam protest rally? And has to make a speech? Then the angry dude pulls all the wires and nobody can hear what Forrest is saying? Of course you do.

According to Tom Hanks, Forrest says:

"Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don't go home at all. That's a bad thing. That's all I have to say about that."

Let's see, shall we?

Tantalizing Trivia: Godzilla

This sequence from Godzilla (1998) cost the filmmakers $600,000, and it was eventually scrapped from the film. Talk about a waste of money.

You might remember it being used as a teaser for the film, shown in theatres up to a year before the release date. It is a direct reference to the Jurassic Park franchise. Too bad this movie didn't make a fraction of the dough JP did.

Tantalizing Trivia: Ever After

The Da Vinci painting in Ever After (1998) is modeled after a real Da Vinci painting called 'La Scapigliata.' It was redone to resemble Drew Barrymore.

Tantalizing Trivia: Has Ron Howard Lost his Sense of Humour?

The Dilemma (2011) is Ron Howard's first comedy since How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

We had high hopes for this recent flick, but ultimately we were ooooh so disappointed. It's debatable if this is Ron's first comedy in a while. We failed to find the humour! Let's go back to Grinch times Howard.

Tantalizing Trivia: The Ring

This movie scared the poopers out of us. No joke. We still have trouble watching it.

To make matters even worse, I read some trivia about The Ring (2002) that creeped me out even more. The filmmakers inserted subliminal images from "the tape" all throughout the movie. Sometimes at cuts between scenes, other times at pivotal or scary moments. A frame here, a frame there. Too quick to really notice. But it explains why I'm always messing myself even though nothing is really happening on screen.

Grreeeaaatt. So this movie didn't just scare me on the surface, it scared me deep down in my subconcious.

Tantalizing Trivia: Home Alone

Remember the pet tarantula in Home Alone (1990)? Didn't it always give you the willies?

Well it gave actor Daniel Stern (Marv, the Wet Bandit) the willies too, and he stipulated that he would put it on his face for ONLY ONE TAKE. I give him credit for that, because I woulda been like "CGI that motherfucker, there ain't enough money in the world to make me do that."

The scream was dubbed over later because it would have scared the tarantudemon if he had done it then and there. And what does a scared tarantula do? I wouldn't wanna find out. Because you know what a scared Angie does? Shits her pants.

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.

Tantalizing Trivia: S1M0NE

In the movie S1M0NE (2002), there's a scene at the Academy Awards. S1M0NE is nominated in a category that includes three other 'actresses', all of whom had software names:

Claris Apple, Lisa Packard, and Lotus Corel.

It reminds me of the time we were nominated for a blogging award. We were up against Webba Site, Catrelle Al Delet, and Keeya Board. It was an honour just to be nominated.

Tantalizing Trivia: Evan Almighty

In the flick Evan Almighty (2007), Evan's car license plate reads GEN 614. Genesis 6:14 in the Bible reads:

"Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without".

Pretty cool. But not as cool as our license plate:
 

From the Book of CinemaObsessed.com which reads: "Thou shalt watch movies without judgment and thou shalt watch them over and over and over, then make thee a website where thou shalt talk about movies."

Tantalizing Trivia: The Fifth Element

Ok, here we go. Movie buffs know and love The Fifth Element (1997). There is a scene in the movie which features a McDonald's drive-thru. The actor grabbing a futuristic happy meal is actually named Mac McDonald. What kind of coincidence is that?!

We can't deal with this one. We get way waaaay carried away... Imagine the 'credits' possibilites?

CAST

(in order of appearance)

Clark Kent/Superman ....... Kyp Kryptonite

Buford 'Bubba' Blue ............ Lotsa Shrimp

Frodo Baggins .................... Nasté Feets

Captain Jack Sparrow ....... Eiye Lina

Tantalizing Trivia: Hannibal

In the opening credits of Hannibal (2001) the pigeons are slowly moving around to form Anthony Hopkins' face. Skip to the 4:05 mark to see it take shape.

Striking Similarity: Stephen King and 237

There's a strange reccuring number in a few Stephen King cinematic adaptations. The number 237.

The scary-ass room in The Shining (1980) in number 237.

In Stand By Me (1986) when the boys are collecting their money, the total amount they gather is $2.37.

In The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Red's cell number is 237.

In The Green Mile (1999) John Coffey's prisoner number is 237, and in Dreamcatcher (2003) the lisence plate on the spaceship is UFO237. OK I made up the last two, but the others are for real.

Tantalizing Trivia: The Ghost and the Darkness

The lions in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) are the same lions used in George of the Jungle (1997).

In one year they went from vicious man-eaters to the cutie-patootie sidekicks of the title character.