Fun Facts and Trivia Thread !!!
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- Start date
From the Popularity Issue - Business Week
Here are some of things that made the list for Most Popular Things, provided by Bloomberg Businessweek:
http: / /finance.yahoo. com /family-home/article/110348 / the-popularity-issue
Car Color: White
Ford Motor Companty
Are we a color-blind continent? Fully 17.8 percent of cars sold in North America last year were white—the No.1 choice, according to the annual DuPont Global Automotive Color Popularity Report. Black, the No.2 color, scored a close second with 17 percent, having climbed six points since 2005. Silver, the global favorite, placed third in North America, totaling 16.7 percent of sales. —Caroline Winter
Item at Walmart: Banana
Stockbyte
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), which registered $405 billion in sales last year and is the largest retailer in the world, sold more bananas than any other single item.
Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios
Courtesy of Tom Schierlitz
Honey Nut Cheerios made their debut in 1979 as a supporting player in the General Mills (NYSE: GIS - News) cast, and two decades later it overtook the star. Launched by a team that included then-Chief Executive Stephen Sanger, it was the first of 10 extensions of the venerable Cheerios brand, which now include MultiGrain, Banana Nut, and Yogurt Burst. In 2008 it finally became the top-selling cereal in the U.S.; last year it sold 102 million units (not counting sales at Wal-Mart), according to research firm SymphonyIRI Group.
In part, Honey Nut Cheerios owes its success to the U.S. Hispanic market, the fastest-growing demographic. Marketing targeted to Hispanics touted the cereal's cholesterol-fighting benefits and helped boost sales to them by 65 percent over the past three years. The brand was also likely helped by a Latino preference for sweeter products, according to the Latinum Network in Bethesda, Md. The product comes by its sweetness the old-fashioned way—it really does contain honey—although it uses "natural almond flavor," not actual nuts. —Matthew Boyle
Runners-Up
2. Cheerios
3. Post Honey Bunches of Oats
4. Kellogg Frosted Mini Wheats
5. Kellogg Frosted Flakes
Dog: Labrador
Getty Images
Labrador retrievers are the most popular purebred dogs in the country, according to American Kennel Club statistics. The family-friendly pooches have reigned for the past 19 years, though German shepherds are gaining favor—they overtook Yorkshire terriers for No. 2. Golden retrievers and beagles hold the fourth and fifth spots. Of the top five, only the Yorkie is not used for law enforcement and homeland security tasks, such as border patrol, bomb and narcotics detection, and searches for missing people. —Caroline Winter
Worldwide Vacation: France
Stockbyte
If the French seem irritated by foreigners, they have good reason. Their country is the world's most popular travel destination by far. For each of the past five years, France has attracted at least 19 million more tourists than its closest competitor, according to U.N. World Tourism Organization statistics. Last year 74.2 million visitors streamed into the land of supermodel First Ladies and Camembert—and that after a 6.3 percent dip caused by the financial crisis. Being the most popular doesn't equal bringing in the most cash, however. The U.S. and Spain—which battle back and forth for the No.2 and No.3 favored spots—both earn more from international tourism than France does. Last year the U.S. made $94.2 billion and Spain $53.2 billion, while France saw $48.7 billion in tourism revenue. When it comes to spending on travel, Germans dominate: In 2009 the country of 82 million spent $80 billion on travel. (And Paul Krugman claims they're not doing enough to stimulate the global economy.) Americans, in second place, spent $73 billion. —Caroline Winter
Runners-Up
2. U.S
3. Spain
4. China
5. Italy
Here are some of things that made the list for Most Popular Things, provided by Bloomberg Businessweek:
http: / /finance.yahoo. com /family-home/article/110348 / the-popularity-issue
Car Color: White
Ford Motor Companty
Are we a color-blind continent? Fully 17.8 percent of cars sold in North America last year were white—the No.1 choice, according to the annual DuPont Global Automotive Color Popularity Report. Black, the No.2 color, scored a close second with 17 percent, having climbed six points since 2005. Silver, the global favorite, placed third in North America, totaling 16.7 percent of sales. —Caroline Winter
Item at Walmart: Banana
Stockbyte
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), which registered $405 billion in sales last year and is the largest retailer in the world, sold more bananas than any other single item.
Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios
Courtesy of Tom Schierlitz
Honey Nut Cheerios made their debut in 1979 as a supporting player in the General Mills (NYSE: GIS - News) cast, and two decades later it overtook the star. Launched by a team that included then-Chief Executive Stephen Sanger, it was the first of 10 extensions of the venerable Cheerios brand, which now include MultiGrain, Banana Nut, and Yogurt Burst. In 2008 it finally became the top-selling cereal in the U.S.; last year it sold 102 million units (not counting sales at Wal-Mart), according to research firm SymphonyIRI Group.
In part, Honey Nut Cheerios owes its success to the U.S. Hispanic market, the fastest-growing demographic. Marketing targeted to Hispanics touted the cereal's cholesterol-fighting benefits and helped boost sales to them by 65 percent over the past three years. The brand was also likely helped by a Latino preference for sweeter products, according to the Latinum Network in Bethesda, Md. The product comes by its sweetness the old-fashioned way—it really does contain honey—although it uses "natural almond flavor," not actual nuts. —Matthew Boyle
Runners-Up
2. Cheerios
3. Post Honey Bunches of Oats
4. Kellogg Frosted Mini Wheats
5. Kellogg Frosted Flakes
Dog: Labrador
Getty Images
Labrador retrievers are the most popular purebred dogs in the country, according to American Kennel Club statistics. The family-friendly pooches have reigned for the past 19 years, though German shepherds are gaining favor—they overtook Yorkshire terriers for No. 2. Golden retrievers and beagles hold the fourth and fifth spots. Of the top five, only the Yorkie is not used for law enforcement and homeland security tasks, such as border patrol, bomb and narcotics detection, and searches for missing people. —Caroline Winter
Worldwide Vacation: France
Stockbyte
If the French seem irritated by foreigners, they have good reason. Their country is the world's most popular travel destination by far. For each of the past five years, France has attracted at least 19 million more tourists than its closest competitor, according to U.N. World Tourism Organization statistics. Last year 74.2 million visitors streamed into the land of supermodel First Ladies and Camembert—and that after a 6.3 percent dip caused by the financial crisis. Being the most popular doesn't equal bringing in the most cash, however. The U.S. and Spain—which battle back and forth for the No.2 and No.3 favored spots—both earn more from international tourism than France does. Last year the U.S. made $94.2 billion and Spain $53.2 billion, while France saw $48.7 billion in tourism revenue. When it comes to spending on travel, Germans dominate: In 2009 the country of 82 million spent $80 billion on travel. (And Paul Krugman claims they're not doing enough to stimulate the global economy.) Americans, in second place, spent $73 billion. —Caroline Winter
Runners-Up
2. U.S
3. Spain
4. China
5. Italy
From the Popularity Issue - Business Week
Continuing, here are some more of things that made the list for Most Popular Things, provided by Bloomberg Businessweek:
http: / /finance.yahoo. com /family-home/article/110348 / the-popularity-issue
Job: Sales Clerk
Jupiterimages
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is brutally honest describing the job of retail salesperson in its 2010-11 Occupational Outlook Handbook: "Advancement opportunities are limited," workers "often stand for long periods," and many "work evenings and weekends, particularly during peak retail periods." Then there's the pay: a 2009 annual median of $20,260, 61 percent of that for all jobs. Still, it's the most popular job in America, based on the 4.2 million people who were being paid to do it in May 2009, when the BLS conducted its survey. Next are cashiers (3.4 million), general office clerks (2.8 million), food preparation and serving workers (2.7 million), and registered nurses (2.6 million). Eyeing the list for jobs that sound more fun, we find bartenders (490,000 being paid for the work at survey time), actors (40,000), athletes and sports competitors (14,000), and models (1,510). Then again, most of us lack the cheekbones to model or the jump shot to play in the NBA. As a means to a weekly paycheck, retail salesperson really does deserve its No. 1 ranking. —Peter Coy
Chip: Lays
Courtesy of Tom Schierlitz
With nearly a billion dollars in annual sales, Lay's market share dwarfs that of its rivals, according to SymphonyIRI Group. Founded in 1932 in Nashville, Tenn., by Herman Lay, the brand went national in 1965, the year parent company Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi to form a food and beverage giant that uses its size to command space on the crowded snack shelf.
Competitor Kettle Foods is on the ascent, thanks to high-end chip flavors such as Spicy Thai and New York Cheddar. Sales last year totaled $250 million from 12 countries. In February, Diamond Foods (NasdaqGS: DMND - News) bought Kettle for $615 million, but compared with Lay's, Kettle is just one chip in the bag. —Matthew Boyle
Runners-Up
2. Wavy Lays
3. Ruffles
4. Pringles Super Stack
5. Utz
Fish: Shrimp
Courtesy of Plamen Petkov
Yes, the FDA classifies shrimp as a fish. And yes, the former special occasion appetizer is now America's mainstay seafood. On average, Americans ate 4.1 pounds of shrimp in 2008, according to the National Fisheries Institute, beating canned tuna by nearly 50 percent. The crustacean has been king for nearly a decade; from 1980 to 2008 the amount of shrimp consumed by Americans nearly tripled. "It's the expanding availability and affordability," says the NFI's Gavin Gibbons. —Sommer Saadi
Runners-Up
2. Canned tuna
3. Salmon
4. Pollock
5. Tilapia
Lipstick: Revlon
Istock
ColorStay, ColorBurst, Super Lustrous—all popular choices from Revlon (NYSE: REV-RI - News), America's go-to brand of lipstick. Over the past year Americans spent more than $300 million to beautify their lips in supermarkets, drugstores, and mass merchandise outlets excluding Wal-Mart, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago market research firm. Nearly a third of that went to Revlon, which began applying itself to cosmetics in 1932 with an opaque nail polish. Its best-selling lipstick, a pinkish hue called SoftSilver Rose, retails for $7.99 —Sommer Saadi
Sneaker: Nike Air Force 1
Tom Schierlitz
Air Force 1, released in 1982, was the first basketball shoe to include Nike's (NYSE: NKE - News) Air technology, which embeds airbag cushions in the soles of the shoes. But the sneaker's success came largely off the court, as a fashion accessory embraced first by the hip-hop community and now by just about everybody.
Nike did not anticipate this level of popularity. The company largely stopped making AF1 after one year and didn't resume full-scale production until almost two decades later, when it was brought back by popular demand. Now it's a staple product; the all-white, low-cut version has been the best-selling sneaker in the U.S. since 2007; overall the brand sold 11 million pairs in 2009 for more than $1 billion, according to researcher Sports One Source. It has also become a blank slate for designers to experiment with different themes, materials, and color combinations. About 1,700 versions have been produced, using everything from 18-carat gold to chenille, to straw, to crocodile skin. Nike, in Beaverton, Ore., touted the shoe's hip-hop credibility for AFI's 25th anniversary in 2007, commissioning a song featuring Kanye West. It keeps up a rigorous series of limited editions dedicated to such things as Black History Month and the five boroughs of New York (the latter released just last month). Oh, and some people still wear them to play basketball. —Matt Townsend
Continuing, here are some more of things that made the list for Most Popular Things, provided by Bloomberg Businessweek:
http: / /finance.yahoo. com /family-home/article/110348 / the-popularity-issue
Job: Sales Clerk
Jupiterimages
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is brutally honest describing the job of retail salesperson in its 2010-11 Occupational Outlook Handbook: "Advancement opportunities are limited," workers "often stand for long periods," and many "work evenings and weekends, particularly during peak retail periods." Then there's the pay: a 2009 annual median of $20,260, 61 percent of that for all jobs. Still, it's the most popular job in America, based on the 4.2 million people who were being paid to do it in May 2009, when the BLS conducted its survey. Next are cashiers (3.4 million), general office clerks (2.8 million), food preparation and serving workers (2.7 million), and registered nurses (2.6 million). Eyeing the list for jobs that sound more fun, we find bartenders (490,000 being paid for the work at survey time), actors (40,000), athletes and sports competitors (14,000), and models (1,510). Then again, most of us lack the cheekbones to model or the jump shot to play in the NBA. As a means to a weekly paycheck, retail salesperson really does deserve its No. 1 ranking. —Peter Coy
Chip: Lays
Courtesy of Tom Schierlitz
With nearly a billion dollars in annual sales, Lay's market share dwarfs that of its rivals, according to SymphonyIRI Group. Founded in 1932 in Nashville, Tenn., by Herman Lay, the brand went national in 1965, the year parent company Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi to form a food and beverage giant that uses its size to command space on the crowded snack shelf.
Competitor Kettle Foods is on the ascent, thanks to high-end chip flavors such as Spicy Thai and New York Cheddar. Sales last year totaled $250 million from 12 countries. In February, Diamond Foods (NasdaqGS: DMND - News) bought Kettle for $615 million, but compared with Lay's, Kettle is just one chip in the bag. —Matthew Boyle
Runners-Up
2. Wavy Lays
3. Ruffles
4. Pringles Super Stack
5. Utz
Fish: Shrimp
Courtesy of Plamen Petkov
Yes, the FDA classifies shrimp as a fish. And yes, the former special occasion appetizer is now America's mainstay seafood. On average, Americans ate 4.1 pounds of shrimp in 2008, according to the National Fisheries Institute, beating canned tuna by nearly 50 percent. The crustacean has been king for nearly a decade; from 1980 to 2008 the amount of shrimp consumed by Americans nearly tripled. "It's the expanding availability and affordability," says the NFI's Gavin Gibbons. —Sommer Saadi
Runners-Up
2. Canned tuna
3. Salmon
4. Pollock
5. Tilapia
Lipstick: Revlon
Istock
ColorStay, ColorBurst, Super Lustrous—all popular choices from Revlon (NYSE: REV-RI - News), America's go-to brand of lipstick. Over the past year Americans spent more than $300 million to beautify their lips in supermarkets, drugstores, and mass merchandise outlets excluding Wal-Mart, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago market research firm. Nearly a third of that went to Revlon, which began applying itself to cosmetics in 1932 with an opaque nail polish. Its best-selling lipstick, a pinkish hue called SoftSilver Rose, retails for $7.99 —Sommer Saadi
Sneaker: Nike Air Force 1
Tom Schierlitz
Air Force 1, released in 1982, was the first basketball shoe to include Nike's (NYSE: NKE - News) Air technology, which embeds airbag cushions in the soles of the shoes. But the sneaker's success came largely off the court, as a fashion accessory embraced first by the hip-hop community and now by just about everybody.
Nike did not anticipate this level of popularity. The company largely stopped making AF1 after one year and didn't resume full-scale production until almost two decades later, when it was brought back by popular demand. Now it's a staple product; the all-white, low-cut version has been the best-selling sneaker in the U.S. since 2007; overall the brand sold 11 million pairs in 2009 for more than $1 billion, according to researcher Sports One Source. It has also become a blank slate for designers to experiment with different themes, materials, and color combinations. About 1,700 versions have been produced, using everything from 18-carat gold to chenille, to straw, to crocodile skin. Nike, in Beaverton, Ore., touted the shoe's hip-hop credibility for AFI's 25th anniversary in 2007, commissioning a song featuring Kanye West. It keeps up a rigorous series of limited editions dedicated to such things as Black History Month and the five boroughs of New York (the latter released just last month). Oh, and some people still wear them to play basketball. —Matt Townsend
ireniecat
New Member
Interesting statistics... I don't find this odd at all. I am from Belarus and we only spoke Russian at home. In my mom's time, Belarussian was taught like a mandatory foreign language. You have it as a course in school for a few grade levels and that's about it. Nobody used it outside of a literary or historical context. I don't know if it's even taught today or not.
ireniecat, thanks! I find that region of Europe very interesting...
Spitfire
Well-Known Member
Spitfire
Well-Known Member
In the Aegean Sea there is an island known as Santorini which was partially destroyed by a volcanic eruption around 1500BC or thereabouts. The title wave was so massive and powerful as to destroy much of the Minoan civilization on Crete which was very highly advanced for its time. This is believed by many to be the origin of the Atlantis myth.
Trivia for The Runaways (2010)
Yes, Kristen Stewart did a good job playing Joan Jett.
Other trivia for the movie, from IMDB:
A character mentions Elvis and Priscilla Presley's divorce as a sign of the decline of rock and roll. Cherie's sister Marie is played in this movie by Riley Keough, who is a granddaughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
A New York Times review of the film quotes Joan Jett as saying that when she listened to the first tape of Kristen Stewart singing one of her songs, she thought it was a mistake and that it was actually her.
The real Cherie Currie claims she collapsed onto her kitchen floor and burst into tears when she learned Dakota Fanning had signed to play her in the film. Fanning is Currie's favorite actress.
Evan Rachel Wood was considered for the role of Joan Jett.
Though she declined to participate in the film, Lita Ford did agree to meet with Scout Taylor-Compton prior to filming. After a very emotional meeting, Ford gave her approval of the actress claiming that even if the film was bad, Taylor-Compton would do her character justice.
Yes, Kristen Stewart did a good job playing Joan Jett.
Other trivia for the movie, from IMDB:
A character mentions Elvis and Priscilla Presley's divorce as a sign of the decline of rock and roll. Cherie's sister Marie is played in this movie by Riley Keough, who is a granddaughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
A New York Times review of the film quotes Joan Jett as saying that when she listened to the first tape of Kristen Stewart singing one of her songs, she thought it was a mistake and that it was actually her.
The real Cherie Currie claims she collapsed onto her kitchen floor and burst into tears when she learned Dakota Fanning had signed to play her in the film. Fanning is Currie's favorite actress.
Evan Rachel Wood was considered for the role of Joan Jett.
Though she declined to participate in the film, Lita Ford did agree to meet with Scout Taylor-Compton prior to filming. After a very emotional meeting, Ford gave her approval of the actress claiming that even if the film was bad, Taylor-Compton would do her character justice.
bordertangoman
Well-Known Member
Sooty shearwaters migrate nearly 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) a year, flying from New Zealand to the North Pacific Ocean every summer in search of food, according to a new study.
so in their lifetime they will have flown a distance equivalent to the moon and back.
(225,700 miles to the moon apogee)
so in their lifetime they will have flown a distance equivalent to the moon and back.
(225,700 miles to the moon apogee)
Emma Stone in Easy A
Number 2 at the box office right now is Easy A (after The Town). Enchanting Emma Stone does her own singing in the movie. This may be a surprise to many people, but she did previously use her singing ability as Laurie Partridge in the TV movie The New Partridge Family (from 2005)--and they showed this when she was on The Jay Leno Show...
In contrast, her co-star Aly Michalka did not sing, though she has done so in numerous musical films, including Bandslam and High School Musical...
Number 2 at the box office right now is Easy A (after The Town). Enchanting Emma Stone does her own singing in the movie. This may be a surprise to many people, but she did previously use her singing ability as Laurie Partridge in the TV movie The New Partridge Family (from 2005)--and they showed this when she was on The Jay Leno Show...
In contrast, her co-star Aly Michalka did not sing, though she has done so in numerous musical films, including Bandslam and High School Musical...
Emma Stone Trivia
Roger Ebert says in his review that he believes that Easy A finally makes the familiar Emma Stone a star...
Here are some fun facts about her, courtesy of IMDB:
Born in Scottsdale, Arizona and grew up in the greater Phoenix area.
Although she's known as a redhead, her natural hair color is blonde. It was Judd Apatow who suggested she change her hair color for Superbad (2007) and she kept it.
Convinced her parents to let her move to Hollywood when she was fourteen by making a Powerpoint presentation aptly titled, Project Hollywood.
Was originally cast as "Amber" in Sucker Punch (2011), but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
She is of Swedish descent.
Roger Ebert says in his review that he believes that Easy A finally makes the familiar Emma Stone a star...
Here are some fun facts about her, courtesy of IMDB:
Born in Scottsdale, Arizona and grew up in the greater Phoenix area.
Although she's known as a redhead, her natural hair color is blonde. It was Judd Apatow who suggested she change her hair color for Superbad (2007) and she kept it.
Convinced her parents to let her move to Hollywood when she was fourteen by making a Powerpoint presentation aptly titled, Project Hollywood.
Was originally cast as "Amber" in Sucker Punch (2011), but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
She is of Swedish descent.
leftthebuilding
New Member
What is wrong with twilight anyway Jacobs hair was also cutted short.
:bkick:
Damn scissors :???: ... I will destroy em all... Terminatorette - End of scissors... premiere, movies, tonight...
bordertangoman
Well-Known Member
James Last has made 190 albums
has played at the Albert Hall 81 times
Over the course of his career, he has sold well over 100 million albums
in the United Kingdom, he had 52 hit albums between 1967 and 1986, which made him second only to Elvis Presley in charting records.
James who? you may well ask; he had made Big Band arrangements of hit singles and classical music
"For some reason, German records are full of medleys, in which the highlights of one melody segues into another over the stretch of 3 to 5 minutes. Last became a pro at putting these medleys together, and when the discotheque craze hit around 1964, he saw his chance to translate this skill into commercial success.
Last added a new element to the medley formula, mixing in background sounds of laughter, talking, and clapping in rhythm to suggest a real party going on in. He stretched 5 minute medleys into 25 minute monsters, and Polydor packaged the result as "Non-Stop Dancing." It was an enormous success. People just couldn't get enough of it, apparently, although it was far less of a success in the U.S., which never caught the "Non-Stop Dancing" bug.
Last has a devoted following in Europe. He's sold millions of albums, has flocks of earnest fans, and has had several biographies written about him. He's never done that well in the U.S., however, although he briefly dented the Top 40 in 1980 with a cover of "The Seduction," the love theme from the Richard Gere soaper, "American Gigolo."
Chances are, if you don't like the first James Last album you hear, you won't like the rest. However, with a quantity of output like Last's, something odd is bound to slip through. His Voodoo Party is undoubtedly the most popular with the exotica fan, and his "a Go-Go" albums (Hammond, Guitar, Humba-Humba) are close seconds. "
http://www.spaceagepop.com/last.htm
apparently he does all night gigs in Germany.....
has played at the Albert Hall 81 times
Over the course of his career, he has sold well over 100 million albums
in the United Kingdom, he had 52 hit albums between 1967 and 1986, which made him second only to Elvis Presley in charting records.
James who? you may well ask; he had made Big Band arrangements of hit singles and classical music
"For some reason, German records are full of medleys, in which the highlights of one melody segues into another over the stretch of 3 to 5 minutes. Last became a pro at putting these medleys together, and when the discotheque craze hit around 1964, he saw his chance to translate this skill into commercial success.
Last added a new element to the medley formula, mixing in background sounds of laughter, talking, and clapping in rhythm to suggest a real party going on in. He stretched 5 minute medleys into 25 minute monsters, and Polydor packaged the result as "Non-Stop Dancing." It was an enormous success. People just couldn't get enough of it, apparently, although it was far less of a success in the U.S., which never caught the "Non-Stop Dancing" bug.
Last has a devoted following in Europe. He's sold millions of albums, has flocks of earnest fans, and has had several biographies written about him. He's never done that well in the U.S., however, although he briefly dented the Top 40 in 1980 with a cover of "The Seduction," the love theme from the Richard Gere soaper, "American Gigolo."
Chances are, if you don't like the first James Last album you hear, you won't like the rest. However, with a quantity of output like Last's, something odd is bound to slip through. His Voodoo Party is undoubtedly the most popular with the exotica fan, and his "a Go-Go" albums (Hammond, Guitar, Humba-Humba) are close seconds. "
http://www.spaceagepop.com/last.htm
apparently he does all night gigs in Germany.....