Winners of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
This playwright won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006. Many of his plays have been made into films, including Barefoot in the Park, The Goodbye Girl, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues.
Who is Neil Simon?
This book by EB White, about a pig and a spider was banned for themes of death and the fact that the main characters are talking animals. Parents in Kansas argued that talking animals are “unnatural and blasphemous as humans are the highest level of God’s creation.”
What is Charlotte's Web?
This S word, something you do to meat, means to cook the surface of something quickly with intense heat to form a crust.
What is Sear?
This icon of TV broadcast news always signed off with the phrase, "And that's the way it is..."
Who is Walter Cronkite?
A group of bears is called a gaggle. True or false?
False. Its a sloth.
This comic actor, writer and banjo player won in 2005. At that time, he'd racked up lots of awards and accolades. You may remember when he and Dan Aykroyd were "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" on Saturday Night Live, or his role as The Jerk. Lately, he's playing dads and grandpas on Cheaper By the Dozen, Father of the Bride and winning over the youths with his work with Selena Gomez on Only Murderers in the Building.
Her diary, published in 1947, is a clear-eyed glimpse into the thoughts of a young teenager hiding in an attic to avoid being rounded up by the Nazis during World War II. But no, her diary hasn’t been removed from libraries because of the terror undergirding this heartbreaking account. Schools have deemed some of the 14-year-old’s plain descriptions of her anatomy “pornographic.”
Who is Anne Frank?
This B word, which you do to turkeys, means to moisten with liquid or fat as it cooks.
What is Baste?
This news anchor wrote a book called The Greatest Generation, chronicling the lives of the soldiers who served in the US military during WWII.
Who is Tom Brokaw?
Adults and babies (of the human variety) have the same number of bones since birth. True or false?
False. Babies have about 300 bones that eventually fuse together to make 206.
She won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, after a long career that started in 1955. Her eponymous TV variety series was one of the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman. She ends her performances with an ear tug that started as a way to tell her grandma that she loved her.
Who is Carol Burnett?
Despite being so beloved, this Harper Lee novel is still one of the most challenged or banned classic books in the United States. Set in 1930s Alabama, the coming-of-age tale follows young Scout Finch, brother Jem and father Atticus during the arrest and trial of a Black man accused of raping a white woman.
What is To Kill A Mockingbird?
This M word means to cut into very small pieces. Unless you're my mom, than you use the word Schnibble.
What is Mince?
This anchor famously signed off CBS News in the 1950s with the phrase “Good night, and good luck"
Who is Edward R Murrow?
You can't burp in space. True or false?
True. Because of lack of gravity, the gases and the solids don't separate.
This winner is the first black woman to receive EGOT status, which means she has the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. She started as a stand up comic and transitioned to acting with her role in The Color Purple. Her Oscar was for playing Oda Mae Brown in Ghost.
Who is Whoopi Goldberg?
Her 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings unpacks the poet’s childhood and early years as a writer. It’s a beautiful and tender coming-of-age story that offers readers a glimpse of love and creativity, yes, but also racism and trauma. Also, she was San Francisco's first black and first female cable car conductor).
Who is Maya Angelou?
This M word is the process of using liquid to soften fruit and draw out natural juices and flavors. Usually, you use sugar or alcohol and mash the heck out of the fruit. The fruit and liquid combine into a slurry of deliciousness.
What is Macerate?
This anchor has his own show on CNN. Also, his mom is Gloria Vanderbilt.
Who is Anderson Cooper?
Dropping an F bomb at Wimbledon will get you immediately kicked out of the competition. True or false.
False. First offense gets your a fine and a warning. four gets you kicked out.
This winner started her career as a stand-up comedian an performer off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973. Her characters included a brash phone operator named Ernestine and Frankie on Grace and Frankie, with her often collaborator, Jane Fonda
Who is Lily Tomlin?
This Margaret Atwood book is as dystopian as they come. A mysterious medical blight has rendered most women infertile. New England has been overtaken by a group of patriarchal religious fanatics. And at the crossroads are the women taken hostage by the government because of their ability to have children.
What is the Handmaid's Tale?
This French M term (i.e. more than one word) means making sure you have all your ingredients and tools before you start cooking.
What in Mise en Place?
Prior to her journalism career, this anchor was a member of U.S. President Richard Nixon's White House staff and assisted in his post-presidency memoirs.
Who is Diane Sawyer?
You spend about 10 % of your waking hours with your eyes closed. True or false?
True. You blink about 15-20 times per minute.