Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
The Simpsons invented a word to defend another strange word.
The Simpsons invented a word to defend another strange word. In a 1996 episode, a character reassures another that “embiggen” is perfectly “cromulent.” The…
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Paramount paid to reserve The Godfather before Puzo finished it.
Paramount paid to reserve The Godfather before Puzo finished it. A surviving letter described $12,500 in option money and a separate $80,000 purchase price if…
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Die Hard changed its sales pitch.
Die Hard changed its sales pitch. Ads shifted emphasis from Willis to the building and back. A poster does not simply reproduce a film—it chooses which part…
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Rocky's empty ice rink came from an empty extras budget.
Rocky's empty ice rink came from an empty extras budget. Talia Shire recalled that the production couldn't afford the crowd originally intended for Rocky and…
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Disney executives originally pitched The Lion King as an original animated feature about African wildlife, but storywriters quickly realized they were basically just adapting…
Disney executives originally pitched The Lion King as an original animated feature about African wildlife, but storywriters quickly realized they were…
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Twilight made its world recognizable with a blue cast.
Twilight made its world recognizable with a blue cast. The first film's cool palette gives skin, forests, and overcast settings a shared visual atmosphere.…
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Willy Wonka saved the chocolate-room reveal for its child actors.
Willy Wonka saved the chocolate-room reveal for its child actors. Cast members recalled being kept from seeing the full set beforehand. When they entered, the…
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Alan Rickman's Die Hard fall began before the count he expected.
Alan Rickman's Die Hard fall began before the count he expected. For Hans Gruber's plunge, Rickman performed a controlled drop onto an airbag. Stunt…
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Pixar strictly forces its animators to hide the alphanumeric code A113 in nearly every single movie they produce as an elaborate inside joke.
Pixar strictly forces its animators to hide the alphanumeric code A113 in nearly every single movie they produce as an elaborate inside joke. It refers to a…
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The Sixth Sense helped turn a difficult Bruce Willis deal into a success.
The Sixth Sense helped turn a difficult Bruce Willis deal into a success. After the collapse of Broadway Brawler, Willis agreed to a package of films for…
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Tom Cruise broke his ankle and still finished the shot.
Tom Cruise broke his ankle and still finished the shot. During a rooftop jump for Mission: Impossible—Fallout, his foot struck the side of the building. He…
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Paramount originally developed 'Twilight' as an action movie where Bella was a badass track star who fought vampires using night-vision goggles and a modified shotgun.
Paramount originally developed 'Twilight' as an action movie where Bella was a badass track star who fought vampires using night-vision goggles and a modified…
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Bruce Willis said Die Hard left him with lasting hearing damage.
Bruce Willis said Die Hard left him with lasting hearing damage. Willis attributed lasting partial deafness in his left ear to a filming accident. Loud sound…
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Daenerys' horse-heart scene took a lot of disgusting fake hearts.
Daenerys' horse-heart scene took a lot of disgusting fake hearts. Emilia Clarke described the Game of Thrones prop as solidified jam with a taste reminiscent…
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George Lucas was so convinced that the original Star Wars was going to be a massive box office flop that he went on vacation to Hawaii with Steven Spielberg during the premiere to avoid the backlash.
George Lucas was so convinced that the original Star Wars was going to be a massive box office flop that he went on vacation to Hawaii with Steven Spielberg…
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Chandler's audition rescued jokes the writers doubted.
Chandler's audition rescued jokes the writers doubted. Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane recalled wondering whether Chandler's dialogue was…
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Keanu Reeves famously negotiated a backend deal for The Matrix sequels that redirected tens of millions of his own dollars directly to the special effects and makeup crews.
Keanu Reeves famously negotiated a backend deal for The Matrix sequels that redirected tens of millions of his own dollars directly to the special effects and…
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Prop masters for the legendary horror film The Exorcist created the infamous projectile vomit by mixing a canned split pea soup with a touch of oatmeal.
Prop masters for the legendary horror film The Exorcist created the infamous projectile vomit by mixing a canned split pea soup with a touch of oatmeal. A…
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Casey Kasem drew a line at Shaggy advertising meat.
Casey Kasem drew a line at Shaggy advertising meat. The longtime Scooby-Doo voice actor, a vegetarian, left the role after a proposed Burger King commercial.…
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Twilight's baseball scene inherited a band from the author's playlist.
Twilight's baseball scene inherited a band from the author's playlist. Stephenie Meyer's enthusiasm for Muse helped put the band on director Catherine…
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Gunther's actor really knew his way around an espresso machine.
Gunther's actor really knew his way around an espresso machine. James Michael Tyler was working as a barista when he began appearing at Central Perk on…
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American version of The Office filmed its pilot episode in an actual active office building in Culver City rather than a soundstage, using real fluorescent lighting to make it look as depressing as physically possible.
American version of The Office filmed its pilot episode in an actual active office building in Culver City rather than a soundstage, using real fluorescent…
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SpongeBob’s license gives him a surprisingly specific birthday.
SpongeBob’s license gives him a surprisingly specific birthday. A license shown in the series lists July 14, 1986. That date is a prop detail in a cartoon…
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Taylor Lautner added thirty pounds to keep up with Jacob's transformation.
Taylor Lautner added thirty pounds to keep up with Jacob's transformation. During the making of New Moon, Lautner described training and eating more after…
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