Today's Highlights:
Sunday, April 6, 2008
| Sunday, April 6, 2008 |
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| John Ratzenberger |
Spotlight: One of John Ratzenberger's early roles was that of a driver in Gandhi. Director Richard Attenborough found Ratzenberger's voice so grating that he had his lines dubbed by Martin Sheen. Years later, directors at Pixar had no such problems with his voice. Ratzenberger has been heard in every one of Pixar's animated feature films, from Toy Story to Ratatouille. During the end credits of Cars, as the characters watch car versions of Pixar movies, Ratzenberger's "Mack" comments on the excellent acting by all the characters voiced by Ratzenberger. Happy 61st birthday to Cheers' know-it-all Cliff Clavin and Pixar's good luck charm, John Ratzenberger.
Quote: "What kind of a cheap, cut-rate production is this?"
Question of the Day: How would 'Cheers'' customer Cliff Clavin determine which candidate will win the race for US president?In the first season of Cheers, Cliff came up with several of his addle-brained theories, including this one about presidents. He claimed that the numerical value of the letters in the last name of each of the US presidents to date was equally divisible into the year in which he was elected. More
Word of the day: unsulliedadj. — Of reputation; Spotlessly clean and fresh.
Usage: Many politicians would like us to believe that their reputations are as unsullied as their homes after spring cleaning.
Some believe that the time-honored practice of spring cleaning came from the Jewish world's traditional pre-Passover cleaning. In the spirit of the season, dust off your thinking cap, clear the cobwebs from your mind and have some good clean fun with this week's words.
Today's History:
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| Olympics Opening Ceremony, Athens (1896) |
- Olympics: the first modern games opened in Athens (1896)
- North Pole: was visited for the first time, by Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson (1909)
- Twinkie: sweet American snack was invented (1930)
- Teflon: non-stick coating was accidentally invented by Roy J. Plunkett (1938)
Today's Birthdays:
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| Raphael |
- Raphael (1483-1520): Renaissance painter known for his Madonnas and The School of Athens
- Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1671-1741): poet/dramatist
- James Mill (1773-1836): philosopher, economist and historian, founder of philosophical radicalism
- Harold Edgerton (1903-1990): electrical engineer who developed the electronic flash and stroboscope
- André Previn (79): pianist/composer/conductor knighted in 1996; won a presidential medal in 1998
- Barry Levinson (66): film writer/director/producer, Rain Man, Man of the Year
- Paul Rudd (39): actor, I Could Never Be Your Woman; other actors born today: Ivan Dixon (77), Billy Dee Williams (71), Marilu Henner (56) and Zach Braff (33)
