Who knew when I launched this blog that one of the most popular features would very quickly turn out to be wonky watercolour paintings of 1970's celebrities? Well, everyone probably because no matter how much we say its "sociological research into pre-Thatcherite Britain" and "valid social history", really we're just fascinated at the fact a magazine could look like that in this modern age of glossy, gift-bulging titles. Doesn't hurt some of the contents are (as they should be) baffling to a 2016 audience. But, as always, now ask the question: "Who the f**k ...in Look-In?"
Which celebrities are seen here in all their 70s pomp and glory?
Answers afer OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE?
David Kid Jensen, Mike Reid, David Cassidy, Les Dawson as Superflop
Are we still doing the 1996 thing? Well, okay then. Looking back at Tuesday's TV quiz, there were a few folks surprised I'd missed out what was for them the biggest telly event of the year - no, not the episode of Seaquest DSV where Darwin said "knackers" - but Doctor Who which was back back BACK! For 85 minutes! (89 without PAL speedup) And then it was gone again! Which from a modern perspective, eleven years and four Doctors into a revival, was a blessing in disguise, no matter how good Paul McGann was in the role.
It had rated well enough to finish ninth in the week's TV with over 9 million viewers on a Bank Holiday Monday in May. Sadly in America, the story was always that it was crushed by its competition and only managed 5 and a half million. Enough to launch fifty Netflix series on now but in 1996, not great for national US television. So, what did it go up against? Well, that's for you to tell me in The Great Time Lord Rivalry Of 1996...
Here are six screengrabs from the actual episodes up against Doctor Who the night of May 14th 1996 (The John Larroquette Show, Wings, Moesha and CBS' Totally Animals amazingly did not make the list) but can you work out what the programmes are?
And as a bonus, here are four more programmes and episodes that aired that same week on the same channel as Who. (Fox.) Can you guess them all?
Answers after Jimi Hendrix picks up his puppy....
Home Improvement (Alarmed by Burglars), Roseanne (Heart & Soul), Ellen (The Tape), Frasier (The Focus Group), 3rd Rock from the Sun (Selfish Dick), NYPD Blue (Closing Time), The X Files (Talitha Cumi), The Simpsons (Homerpalooza), Beverly Hills 90210 (Ray of Hope), Married...with Children (The Joke's on Al)
Did you know that as well as being a world champion quizzist and powerful blog-wrangler, I also write and perform for various podcasts? One of which is "From The Sublime", an excellent review of recent pop-culture put together by journalist Iain Hepburn.
The latest episode is now available to download and is a special "1996" themed show with features on the likes of This Life, the much missed Neon magazine, Baddiel, Skinner and the brief spell of Euro 96 fever, pop and the promise of Babylon Zoo, WWF vs WWE vs NWO, celebrating Scottish fiction with the Children of Albion Rovers and there's myself talking about the time Bob Mortimer and Noel Gallagher went to Chris Evans house for Good Friday tea.
As a bit of cross promotional confrontation, here's a special 1996 movie quiz in which SIXTEEN of the year's biggest films have had their logos adapted to make a sentence....just. How much do you remember about the tinseltown tosspots of twenty years ago? Lets find out...
Answers after some fashionable heroin.
Independence Day, Twister, Mission: Impossible, The Rock, The First Wives Club, Romeo and Juliet, Ransom, The Cable Guy, Trainspotting, Striptease, Mars Attacks!, Eraser, The Birdcage, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jerry Maguire, 101 Dalmatians
And so as the internet lights four candles for the passing of A Ronnie, we'd best have a nice gentle lunchtime quiz here at the blog. So we return to the heyday of the Rons, the imperial seventies and another run of four Look-In cover stars that could be anyone from Barbara Lott to Barbapapa, as I ask "Who the f**k ...in Look-In?"
And whilst you think on them, lets all listen to our new national anthem....
1. Ronnie Alvin Stardust, 2. Ronnie Cat Stevens, 3. Ronnie Sparks, 4. Ronnie Madness
Time for four more "famous" "faces" as featured on the front cover of the once-mighty Look-In magazine in the seventies and early eighties. On first peep, I declare the answers to be "Randy Grandad", Glynis Barber off Blakes 7, Tarbuck (Experiment Failed) and the stars of "The All New Already Vetoed Monkey Sex Pals Show". I could be wrong though...what do you reckon? Who the f**k is in Look-In?
Answers below.
1. Noddy Holder, 2. Kim Wilde, 3. Little Jimmy Osmond, 4. Greg Evigan (BJ and the Bear)
As you may have seen in various news stories around the web, today marks the tenth anniversary of the first tweet ever sent back when Ian Twitter first sent the message "I am leaving Twitter #blessed" on 21st March, 2006. No, really its true. Mostly.
But what if Twitter had been around much longer than that? And was already much in use in the worlds of fictional characters? That rather slight but intriguing premise is the crux for today's PRPQ lunchtime quiz. All you have to do is work out which characters from TV, film, literature and pop culture could've sent the following tweets...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Answers can be found below...
1. Billy Bunter, 2. Officer Dibble (Boss Cat), 3. Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West (Benny Hill), 4. Emu, 5. Zammo (Grange Hill), 6. Dr Sam Beckett (Quantum Leap), 7. Carwash (Willo The Wisp), 8. Luigi (Super Mario Bros), 9. Pacman, 10. ALF
